Into Yesterday

Three Months Later

“This isn’t funny, Char,” Roxanna stated flatly, staring up at the large building in front of her.

“Come on, Rox, your uncle is a Bolt! You have to come watch practice with me!”

“And why do I have to?” Roxanna asked, turning her sharp blue eyed gaze to the young woman in front of her. Charlotte Munroe just shrugged.

“Because I said so, and I was your ride here anyway, so what else are you going to do?” Roxie just sighed, before grabbing her hoodie and trudging behind the only friend she’d made in the three months she had been in Tampa Bay.

In all honesty, if Roxie had her way she would have been back in Canada after the first three nights. But her uncle was so damned determined to help her. She didn’t need help! She was perfectly fine. So she got a little destructive after her relationship of five years fell apart; who wouldn’t? It wasn’t like she killed herself, or someone else for that matter. She just partied too much, got a little too carried away. Oh, and she got kicked out of university, but that doesn’t matter too much. Not to Roxie. She’d never liked school anyway.

Charlotte chatted the whole way into the practice facility. Roxie honestly couldn’t care less but nodded and smiled along like she actually gave a crap about what Charlotte was saying. “You must come here a lot,” Roxie said dryly, already cold in the building. She slid on the hoodie over her plain red t-shirt.

“Yeah, I come to all the practices I can. I really love hockey, so…” Roxie once again tuned Charlotte out as she went on one of her rants. Roxie just plopped down next to her on the bleachers, putting her legs up on the bench in front of her, and her head in her hands.

It wasn’t long before the players came onto the ice. Even though it was only practice and they only wore their numbers, Roxie was able to recognize them all. It probably helped that she had great facial memories and she had been forced to meet the team the first week they were all back in Tampa. Note forced; she’d never planned on staying so long.

Marty St. Louis was the first one to notice her. Roxie actually liked Marty; he was funny and adorable. She had babysat his kids a couple of times in the past two months since she’s met him when him and his wife wanted to go out. She had no problem doing that; if there was one thing Roxie loved it was kids. She’d happily babysit them any day. Marty waved to her, and nudged her uncle, who in turn waved as well. This sent Charlotte off into a fit of spouting random information that Roxie just did not care about.

“You wanna hear a dirty joke?” Roxie asked all of a sudden, looking from the players practicing to Charlotte. Charlotte gave her a confused look before nodding her head slowly, almost seeming afraid to. “A white horse covered in mud.”

Charlotte gave her the most confused face and Roxie burst out laughing, clutching her sides. “Oh, your face was so worth it,” she said with a post-laugh sigh. She once again turned her head to watch the team practice and wonder when, if ever, she would be able to go home.