One Shot Collections

It was a hard loss for the Captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews. 5-1, the win going to the Detroit Red Wings. He had been horrible and he knew it. His passes wouldn’t connect, his shots were too wide or not hard enough. He fell down more than Kris Versteeg and well he dragged the team down.

He dressed quickly, needing time to think about his performance that night, that honestly wasn’t a performance at all.

He had his head down to avoid fans and reporters. He was in no mood to act happy and announce all of his wrong doings.

His luck lasted until he was halfway to his car. Then he ran right into someone, causing them to fall into the snow with a squeal.

“Sorry,” he muttered, offering a hand to help them up.

They took it and then he was faced with a familiar and very gorgeous face that he had been missing since that one summer a few years ago back in Canada. Such good memories. “Johnny Toews?” she asked, looking up at the boy that she loved all those summers ago. “Is that you?”

“Nicole Ryan,” his voice cracked the end. “Wow,” was all he could manage. What was he supposed to say to his first real love?

She grinned, showing off her white teeth. Her green eyes danced with excitement and her dark brown hair swirled around her face as the wind blew. “It’s good to see you again,” she finally said.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, wondering why she was in Chicago of all places.

“I’m visiting some friends. What are you doing here?”

He wondered if it was a joke. “I uh play hockey.”

She looked confused, then her face lit up. “So you’re Johnny. I get it now.”

It was his turn to be confused. “What?”

“Nicole!” Sharp’s familiar voice boomed and then the girl that he was in love with was engulfed by Sharp. “It’s so good to finally see you! Where have you been all this time?!”

She giggled and Jonathan thought he would melt among the cold of Chicago. She just did that to him. “I’ve been lots of places Sharpie.”

“Tazer this is my bestest friend-”

“We know each other,” she told her bestest friend, her green eyes never leaving his brown ones. “We met a couple summers ago in Canada.”

Sharp then looked very awkward. “Oh,” he said. “So you’re Johnny.”

Jonathan rolled my eyes. “Yes, I am that Johnny. I have a feeling I’m missing something. Would you guys like to clue me in?” he asked the pair. If he looked at them together, he could definitely see them being bestest friends.

They exchanged a glance and her cheeks lit up like Christmas lights. “Not really,” she said uncomfortable. “So I was hoping I’d have the chance to say good game. Maybe another time,” she smiled warily.

“Just an off night for everyone,” Sharp shrugged it off like he didn’t realize that it was only Jonathan that sucked.

“I could tell. It was like your sticks were like a rubber band. Oh well. You’ll get them next time.”

“Johnny? You want to come back inside? I think you’re cooled off enough,” Sharp suggested lightly. Jonathan let a smirk play on his cool features. So Sharp did know he needed cooling off.

Nicole’s face lit up. “Yeah! Where’s Kaner? And Seabs? I haven’t seen them in ages.”

“Maybe because you haven’t been around!” Sharp called after her. She turned around long enough to stick out her tongue before entering the warm building.

Sharp turned to his teammate and line mate of that night. “You okay man? Don’t be blaming yourself for this. We all sucked.”

“I didn’t know you knew her,” he said, not even hearing Sharpie’s words of encouragement.

“Nicole? I didn’t know you knew her. It explains a lot though,” he smiled.

Johnny eyed him. “I have a feeling I was talked about.”

“Many times, though she didn’t mention a last name. I guess I can approve now that I know it’s you and not just some random summer romance.”

The Captain’s face glowed brighter than any of the city lights.

Sharp started back in and he grinned from ear to ear. “Oh yeah. I know about that summer Tazer.”

“Comforting thought,” he muttered, embarrassed that his teammate knew more than he probably should.

“If you love her, spend more than one summer with her,” he said as they re-entered the United Center.

“It’s not like I left her. She left me,” Jonathan’s words were harsher than he intended.

Sharp only laughed, pushing the tension back out into the cold. “I know that. She felt awful and kept saying she wanted to go back to find you. Figure skating and soccer tied her up though. Kept her from North America and had her everywhere else.”

“She mentioned something like that,” The Captain kept his eyes ahead of him instead of on Sharp. He knew fully that Nicole was as dedicated to figure skating and soccer as he was to hockey. They came to an agreement the night before she left, saying that he needed to focus on hockey and she on figure skating it was then.

“Would you spend more than a summer with her?” Sharp pushed the issue.

He was saved by the girl of his dreams right then. She came running and slipping around the corner laughing, trying to keep her scarf around her neck. “Johnny!” she squealed throwing her arms around his neck and sliding behind the tall hockey player. “Hide me!” she laughed.

“Yes,” he said to Sharp. Honestly? He would spend all of his summers with her if given the chance.

“Nicole!” Seabrook and Kane came around the corner fuming. “You’ve been gone for like two years and the only thing you can think of to say is ‘what kind of game were you two playing?’ Nicole!” they yelled and Nicole tried not to laugh.

“Better you than us,” was Sharp’s response.

“You didn’t say that to them?!” Seabrook looked appalled.

Nicole peeked out from behind Johnny’s jacket. “Well considering I’m staying with Sharpie until I find a place of my own, I have to be nice to him.”

“You’re staying?” Sharp looked shocked.

“And what about Tazer?” Kane challenged her.

She looked up at Jonathan Toews. “Well for one, he looked mighty angry when I ran into him.”

“He always looks angry,” Seabrook rolled his eyes.

She smiled a knowing smile and he knew that they were both thinking of that summer. The late night walks around the town, the roller hockey games with the kids, all the laughs, the stories, the stolen kisses, and the warm bear hugs. “That summer was different,” was all she answered.

Everyone was confused but Sharp, Toews, and Nicole herself. “What?” Kaner and Seabs asked.

Jonathan smiled, his heart thumping hard against his rib cage. “That was a good summer. The best I’ve ever had.”

She smiled and leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her, the feeling so familiar. “Maybe we can have more than that summer. I’m thinking years,” she whispered.

Years, he thought. Years with the perfect girl. A loss to a rival was nothing compared to that.