Bringing the Devil Out of Me

The following weeks were a whirl of chaos for me, Marc, Sidney, and everyone else that I had come to know in Pittsburgh. I was overwhelmed with reports, whether I was covering Penguins preseason, some crazy scandal, the start of baseball season, or other various athletic events including a charity marathon and a very overdone kickball tournament between high schools. By the time I got to sit down and talk to Marc again, it was already August 3rd.

"So how is training going?" I asked him as he slumped into the kitchen.

"I'm exhausted," he mumbled before pouring himself a cup of coffee. He looked like a zombie, and it made me worried.

"What's wrong? Training shouldn't be that bad..." I said, leaning against the counter.

"It's not training that's exhausting, it's all the drama with the team that's exhausting." Marc muttered, sipping on the coffee.

"What drama? Sidney hasn't said anything," I asked, running a hand through my hair. Marc shook his head.

"Some of the guys aren't getting along too well right now. Something about Max getting with somebody's cousin or some nonsense. A few of the guys ganged up on him in the locker room the other day and roughed him up. I swear, you could cut the tension in that room with a knife," Marc explained. I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head.

"So why hasn't Sid said anything?" I asked, thinking out loud.

"Because...because it was his cousin. She came down for a visit, and met Max at some party or something like that. I'm sure you can guess the rest. He doesn't want anyone to know though, so don't say anything," Marc said. I bit my lip and nodded as a knock sounded at the door. I quickly left to answer the door, and bit back and excited squeal as I opened the door to see Sidney standing there. I felt my jaw drop slightly when I noticed the lovely shiner he had received.

"Sid!" I said happily, dragging him into the apartment and hugging him tightly. He kissed the top of my head and hugged me back, obviously distracted.

"Where's Marc?" he asked. His voice was hoarse, as if he had been screaming.

"In the kitchen...he just woke up. What's wrong?" I asked, noticed how disheveled he was.

"I need Marc. Now," Sid said before walking into the kitchen.
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"Are you serious?" Marc hissed. I nodded grimly, running a hand through my hair in aggravation.

"I don't know what he's going to do next, but I swear I'll kill him if he touches her again!" I growled angrily. Marc began to pace back and forth nervously.

"Are you blowing this out of proportion? I mean, she's obviously okay with it," Marc asked, biting his thumb.

"No! I refuse to let her become somebody's booty call. That's exactly what he'll do to her too! She fell for him the last time she was here, and they've been talking ever since, but now he's just using her like every other girl that he talks to!" I said, probably a little more loudly than intended. My throat felt like sandpaper and my eye ached.

"He left you a nice bruise. Did you ice it?" Marc said, obviously changing the subject. I touched my eye, cringed, and then shook my head.

"No, I didn't think about it. I was too pissed off to even realize. You should see him," I growled. Marc sighed and yanked open the freezer, pulling out a cold pack and wrapping it in a towel.

"Look, go ice your eye, hang out with Alice, and try to calm down. I'll go talk to Maxie. Okay?" Marc asked, shoving the cold pack into my hand. I just stared at him.

"Sidney écoutez-moi!" Marc barked. I jolted slightly before nodding. Marc knew that using French would catch my attention even when I was in a terrible mood. I simply slunk out of the kitchen and plopped onto the couch sullenly.

"Behave yourself," Marc said sternly before grabbing his keys off the ring next to the door and leaving. I sat there for a few minutes, resting the cold pack on my eye and steaming a bit before Alice emerged from the bathroom. She tossed the towel that was in her hand into her bedroom before walking over to me.

"I like those pants," I said, noting the tight black sweatpants she was wearing.
"Thanks," she smiled before picking up my feet and curling up under them. She's like a little cat, the way she curls up all the time. She was wearing a light blue teeshirt, and her eyes were framed in just enough black eyeliner to have that sexy bold look. I moved my feet, tossed the cold pack on the floor and kissed her roughly. Damn I needed that. She kissed me back equally as rough and I was surprised. She was usually all sugar...this was a new side to her. The kiss deepened, and I wrapped my fingers in her silky red hair. She pushed me over so that I was laying under her and my pulse quickened. Yeah, this is definitely new. Her hands found their way under my loose black teeshirt and her fingers danced up and down my chest. She suddenly broke away, kissed me lightly, and bit my lip before moving on to kissing my neck.

"Um...don't take this the wrong way, but what has gotten into you?" I managed to ask. She froze, and looked at me.

"I haven't seen you in weeks, and you looked really pissed off when you came in, so I figured that this would both make up for time lost and make you a little happier," she smirked before kissing my neck again. Her lips kissed the hollow right beneath my jaw and I shuddered slightly. She wasn't the first girl I had made out with, certainly not the first, but she had a special something about her that drove me insane.

"This...yeah, this is definitely something I'm not complaining about today," I chuckled as she nibbled my ear lightly.

"Good, because I'd have to murder you if you did," she smiled before kissing my lips. This time she wasn't as firey, and I couldn't help but be slightly relieved.

"Your nose looks a lot better," I said, examining her face closely. She smiled and rolled onto her back, laying on top of me.

"I wish I could say the same about that lovely black eye you're rocking right now," she smirked. I sighed.
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After a few hours, Sidney relaxed, told me everything that had happened over the past few weeks, and then finally fell asleep with the cold pack on his eye. I removed it carefully, and kissed his forehead before wandering into the kitchen and stowing it in the freezer once more. I checked my phone, and was surprised to see 4 unread texts.

From: Marc
Hey, try and calm Sid down. I'm going to talk to Max.

From: Marc
Sidney broke Max's nose...looks like he's making it a habit, huh?

From: Marc
Sid's cousin just showed up. She isn't very happy about how he's acting. Try and talk to him about it?

From: Marc

Max is going nuts. Don't let Sidney go home tonight. I'm kind of scared. Sid's cousin just told him something, and I don't know what, but Max is saying that he'll "kill Sid if he has to." I'll try and figure out what's going on.

I bit my lip and quickly responded.

To: Marc

If something bad happens, let me know. I don't want Sid freaking out right now. He just fell asleep.

I tossed my phone onto the counter and opened the fridge. I pulled out a package of chicken before turning to the stove. Homecooked meals are always a good way to keep people calm, right?

Two hours later I had finished making angel chicken pasta, and Sidney was still snoring away on the couch. I set the table before going to wake him up. I prodded him gently, but he continued to sleep, so I kissed him. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled.

"Hey there," he smiled, looking up at me sleepily.

"Dinner is ready," I said. He raised his eyebrows.

"Dinner? What time is it?" he asked. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Five thirty," I said. He started.

"Wow, I've been here that long? Wait, you made dinner?" he asked, sitting up. I nodded.

"Angel chicken pasta," I said happily.

"What is that?" he asked.

"You'll see," I smirked.

I don't think I ever saw somebody eat faster. Sidney wolfed down two plates of the pasta before I had even finished the first one, and then smiled at me goofily.

"Aren't you supposed to watch what you eat?" I asked as he patted his stomach.

"Um...LIES!" he said, looking slightly guilty.

"Sid, you ate two whole freaking plates in like ten seconds. You're gonna get fat," I teased. His face became worried, and I laughed.

"Am I really going to get fat? One meal and I'm gonna get fat?!" he said. I began to crack up.

"Sid, I was kidding. You work out, you won't get fat," I managed to say. My eyes were welling with tears and Sidney frowned at me.

"I hate you," he said.

"Sure you do," I smirked.

"I thought I was gonna get fat!" he pouted. I rolled my eyes.

"You're too easy," I laughed.