Don't Make Me Spell It Out For You

Game one was insane. Goals were being scored every other minute. I was surprised Coach didn’t take me out of the game by the second period. Hell, I wanted to take myself out.

I sat there in my stall during the first intermission, trying to hype myself up again. I needed to get back into my zone.

“It’s not all your fault,” Keith said, sitting next to me. “It’s a cut throat game. We’re only down by one. Everyone’s hot tonight.”

Coach came up and I waited for the words that would put Nemo in and me out on the bench. “Keep it up Baby V. I want to see you stopping that puck every chance you get.”

“You’re not taking me out?” I gaped at him.

“Why would I? It’s just a high scoring game. We’re nearly tied. And plus, if they pull Leighton first, we have the upper hand. That means that their goaltender sucks.”

I laughed a little. “Okay.”

“You ready for this guys?!” he shouted, trying to keep the buzz going for the second period. “Are you ready?!”

We all cheered and it was like magic. We were all raring to go and show those Flyers who was actually boss.

~~~~~

I stood at my end, watching them swarm the Flyer’s goaltender. Leighton had been pulled and it just added to my confidence. I could stay and fight and when he couldn’t.

The buzzer went off signifying a goal and I stared wide eyed as Kopy pounded on the glass with excitement. I jumped up, cheering. We were up by one! 6-5.

“Hell yeah!” I shouted.

Then I remembered that I should probably calm down due to all the fans on my end of the ice. But it didn’t matter, when I turned around. They were all cheering and dancing along to Chelsea Dagger like I was.

A few minutes later, the buzzer went off and the game was over. They all skated over and I was bouncing with excitement. “You guys did it!”

“You mean we did it!” someone shouted, probably Seabs.

“Well you guys got us up to win!” I was hugging all the players. Finally Kopy came up and I was laughing as he hit me ten times. “You see that goal Baby V?” he asked.

“Hell yeah I did!”

We got back into the locker room and there was this buzz that surrounded us in happiness.

“Good job,” Nemo stood beside my stall as I watched the others dance around like the idiots they were.

My eyes met his. “I completely sucked.”

“You look exhausted,” a smile crept onto his face.

I leaned back and tried not to let my eyes close. “I am.”

“You going to play the second game?” he teased.

I laughed. “Why? Do you want it?”

“No. Let them see how strong our girl is.”

He walked away, joining Duncs and Seabs and Andrew made his way over to my stall. “Hey. You did great.”

I smiled. “If you say so.”

“Well I think you did great. We won and that’s what matters.”
“Thanks to that great Slovakian man right there for taking mercy on a tired goaltender.”

I laughed and noticed a pretty blonde girl waltz into the locker room and head straight for Tazer’s arms. He was surprised but extremely pleased as he kissed her forehead. “That must be Tessa I assume?” I asked.

Andrew smiled. “Tess!”

The blonde turned her head and smiled widely. “Andrew. Hi. Nice game out there. Glad I came. Kopy’s goal made my night.”

The Slovak turned and grinned. “Thanks Tessa.”

“Tess, this is our goaltender, Roselyn Versteeg. Steeger’s cousin.”

She smiled and waved. “Hey there. You must be the Rose I’m always hearing about, from both of my boys,” she eyed her boyfriend and rolled her eyes. “You are a legend my dear. Keep it up,” she said as she walked away back to Johnny Toews.

“She’s something else all right,” Andrew shook his head. “But I love her to death.”

I laughed and yawned. Damn I was tired.

“You look like you could fall asleep at any second.”

“I feel like it too.”

“Well if you hurry up and get dressed, we can beat the press out of here and get home to a nice, warm bed.”

I stripped off all my gear and showered in ten minutes flat. “Later guys.”

“Where you two heading off too?” Kane shouted.

“Sleep!”

“Sleep or ‘sleep’?” he asked, using air quotes and everything.

“There’s only one kind of sleep you nimrod!” I called back before sticking my tongue out at him and exiting with Andrew’s hand on my back.

~~~~~

Game two was by far my favorite and most scary game. Seeing Kopy and Carcillo go at it made me nervous, or maybe that was the motherly instinct kicking in. Though watching Kopy back away as Carcillo ran down one of his own man had me laughing pretty hard.

I got booed by the hundred or so Flyer fans in the front few rows behind the glass when I laughed. That only made me laugh harder. Especially when the boos mixed with the cheers from our fans.

Seabs skated around me once we had a commercial break and I loosened up my arms. “You are creating some very bad enemies with these Flyer’s fans here in the front,” he referred to the glaring orange clad people around us. “What have you done?”

“Laughed when Kopy beat the shit out of Carcillo,” I told him, grinning under my mask. “They don’t like it when the other team laughs at their team.”

He rolled his eyes. “Would you like it if Leighton did the same to our team?”

“None of you are that stupid to do what Carcillo is doing.”

He opened his mouth to say something but then changed his mind. “You’re right. Continue on laughing. Just be careful. I’d prefer not to pry and big guys off of you down here.”

“I can’t help their fatness.”

“Girlie, it’s all muscle,” he showed off his guns to me and the public, for which he got booed at and a few wolf whistles by the drunk girls.

He looked offended. “Are you people crazy? This comes from hours at the gym and eating my veggies! Don’t be hatin!” he cried before skating to the bench where him and Keith were replaced by Hammer and Soupy.

“I’m worried about you and Seabsy walking their town alone now,” Hammer commented as the face off moved down by me. “I mean I know you can protect yourself, but there are hundreds of them and they look hungry for some Hawk meat.”

“Tell me about it. When we go there, I’m either at their arena or the hotel. Hell no am I going out. These fans scare me.”

He laughed and I bent down ready for the puck in case it came sailing towards me.

~~~~~

Kopy was in a bad mood after the game, even though we won. He started saying stuff in Slovak and Hoss just stared at him and told us to leave him alone.

I mean, I already knew to stay away because after the game, he hit me only twice and didn’t even say anything or smile. Just skated away. But if Hossa said that only made me want to ask him what went wrong.

“What’s he saying?” I asked his partner in crime.

“Um I don’t carry the rated R version button,” Hossa joked tersely. “A lot of names that you haven’t even heard of.”

“What got him riled up so much?” I asked.

I had finished changing and I was lounging around in my black leggings and my pink cami that I had just changed into after my quick shower. Hoss had changed as well and we were watching Kopy from afar.

“I have no idea. I wasn’t on his line tonight. You’d have to ask Tazer or Sharpie. They were there with all of the fights.”

I wandered over to where Sharp, Kaner, Andrew, Kris, and Tazer were chilling and waited until they noticed me.

“Yeah Baby V?” Sharp asked first.

“What happened with Kopy?” I got straight to the point.

Tazer and Sharpie eyed each other before the Captain spoke up. “Carcillo was just throwing down some shit that got Kopy pissed off a little more than usual.”

“Like what?” I kicked Kris out of his stall so I could sit there.

“Dissing some of us,” Toews wasn’t giving up anything.

“What did he say?”

“Rose,” Andrew started. He obviously knew as well.

Kris defended me though. “Yeah Tazer. Enlighten us. What was he saying?”

“Mostly stuff about Kopy himself and our line. We’re sissies and all that. How Sharp won’t ever drop his gloves.”

Burish was walking by when he heard that. “Well yeah. How can he drop them if they’re glued to his hands?” he joked before going off to find Eager to trade fighting tips probably.

“What else?” I locked my eyes with Sharp. As where Toews wouldn’t give in so easily and just walk away when I got too nosy, Sharp did not have that kind of will power.

“Go ask him,” was all Sharp said.

“Will I get beheaded?” I asked Toews.

He chuckled a little. “I sure hope not. I like you as our goaltender.”

“Well all right then. Wish me luck.”

I could feel their eyes on me as I swept past Hossa and his protests and up to the angry man himself. “Kopy?”

He looked up, his hazel eyes dangerously sharp, though they did soften when he saw it was me. “Yes?”

“What happened? Hossa said he doesn’t speak rated R and Sharp and Tazer are being all secretive. Something about Sharp and his gloves but what else? What did you two say to each other when you were thrown in the box?”

A wry smile appeared on his face. “I will put it this way. You are not to walk alone in the streets of Philly. And especially not with Seabs,” he raised his voice so Seabsy could hear. “He insulted you and everyone else. He does not believe in women goaltenders and made his opinion quite known.”

I smiled, and laid my head down on my folded arms on my knees. “Why is that whenever I’m getting talked badly about, you’re always there?”

He laughed. “I don’t take any trash talk about this team. You’re a good person Rose, and you’ve proven yourself many times. I will defend you.”

“Thanks Kopy,” I hugged him. “I appreciate it.”

“You know, he’s lucky Steeger didn’t hear him talking.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Turn around.”

I did and I saw Kris, who obviously heard, his face bright red and how if he ever heard anyone talk shit about me, they were going to be in some deep shit. His words, not mine.

“This is good. This is very good,” I said, smiling.

It was Kopy’s turn to give me a questioning look. “What?”

“I feel like I’m running a hockey mob. I’ve always wanted to head a mob.”

“You are one messed up little girl,” he said. “Go back to Andrew so I can dress.”

I skipped over to Andrew who looked pretty irritated himself. “Disrespectful,” he shook his head and pulled me onto his lap. “I agree with Kopy. You have earned your right to be here since day one. You are not a toy. You are a person.”

“Thank you Andrew,” I smiled. “You want to be my right hand?”

“For what?”

“My mob.”

“Oh. Sure thing.”

“What about me?” Kris asked.

“Left hand?” I tried.

“Ha!” he pointed at Andrew. “Left hand is better,” he cackled before walking away.

“Wow,” both Andrew and I said in unison.

For the next hour or so, I sat comfortably in Andrew’s lap and I had to wonder about him. Was it possible that I wanted more than friendship with him? I wanted kiss with him, so I mean, it was totally possible. If only I knew what he thought about me.