Worth It

The first time I laid eyes on Jeff Skinner, I hit him with my car.

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon. Verdant oak trees lined the streets, their leaves moving sluggishly through the humid air. There was a summer breeze blowing through the open windows of my car and sunlight speckled my arm as I tapped the outside of my door along to the music. My hair was wet from the sprinklers at the park, and I was hoping to dry it before I got back to the Staal’s place. The last time I decided to play in the water, Parker and I got into some mud and neither Eric nor Tanya were impressed with us when I brought him home.

I glanced in the rearview mirror. Parker and Presley were both asleep, their heads lolling forward in their car seats. Parker was frowning, his baby face a mockery of actual anger. I smiled as I turned onto the street where Eric and Tanya spent a majority of their time, in a tall townhouse on the outskirts of Raleigh.

I was pulling into the driveway when a blur of color streaked across my line of vision. Instinct kicked in. I slammed my foot on the brake, but not before I heard a solid thump against the front fender, followed by a boyish yelp.

The noise woke both Parker and Presley. Presley hiccuped and began to cry. I threw off my seatbelt and was out of the car in an instant. I ran around the front in time to see a boy who couldn’t have been older than fourteen stagger to his feet. His face was absolutely bloodless when he looked at me.

“You just hit me with your car!” His mouth hung open.

Truth be told, I was shocked too. I had never hit an animal with my car, much less a person, and I only hoped he wasn’t going to sue me. As if I needed something else to piss my dad off. I glanced over my shoulder; Presley’s wailing was getting louder as she struggled against her car seat. Any second now, Parker would begin to cry too, and that would not go over well.

I turned back to the kid. “Are you bleeding?”

He looked down at his jean-clad leg. “No…”

“Anything broken? Maimed? Any internal hemorrhaging?”

“No, but--”

“Then stop whining.” Adrenaline was already fading, and I was more annoyed than anything. Didn’t this kid know how to watch where he was going? “Jeez, I already have two toddlers to deal with; I don’t need another one.”

His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. “Hey! You’re the one who hit me! Don’t you think--”

Suddenly the front door creaked opened and Eric Staal appeared on the porch. Tanya was trailing after him, a potholder on one hand. “What is all the noise out here?” Eric asked, eyes skipping between me and the...paper boy or whoever he was.

I walked to the car, yanking open the back door. I unclipped Presley’s seatbelt and pulled her out of the car seat, settling her on my hip. I shushed her and brushed her hair back from her face. “Don’t cry, pretty girl, you’re okay.”

“Mama?”

“No, we’re going to see Mama in a minute. First we have to drop off Parker.” I looked up at Eric, gesturing to the boy I had hit. “He ran out in front of me and I--”

“She hit me!”

I scowled at him. “Will you calm down? I just grazed you. You’re fine.”

Eric jumped down the steps, shaking his head at me. “Mol, what did I tell you about driving like a maniac with my son in the backseat?”

“Me? He’s the one who ran out in front of a moving vehicle!"

Eric strolled around to the other side of the car, opening the door and releasing Parker. Parker hugged his father tightly around the neck, and immediately ratted me out about the sprinklers. Like Eric needed another reason to throw me a death-glare. Parker went on, chatting animatedly about the playground and how I had pushed him and Presley on the swings.

“Yeah? Sounds like fun. Listen, buddy, I need to talk to Molly and Jeff. Can you go see Mommy for a sec?”

“Yeah!”

Eric set Parker down and he ran over into Tanya’s waiting arms. As she picked him up and twirled him around, she waved at me. I smiled and nodded, watching as she took him into the townhouse. She and I, along with the other wives and girlfriends with kids, had an arrangement. I was the team babysitter, assigned by the coach himself in an effort to “keep me out of trouble”. I glanced over at where my victim was standing awkwardly in front of my car. So far, it wasn’t working.

Eric straightened, turning to the kid. Jeff. I gave him an official once-over. For a twelve-year-old, he was pretty tall. Actually, he was taller than me. What kind of a world did we live in, where eight-year-old babies were taller than seventeen-year-olds? It wasn’t right. Maybe all the babysitting was shrinking me. Was that a valid excuse to get out of it? I'd have to use it on my dad and find out.

“All right, you two. Molly, you need to be more careful -- not just with the kids, but with yourself. I’d really appreciate it, also, if you didn’t injure our new rookie. We’re counting on him to make a splash, and he can’t really do that if he’s on IR this early. At least let him get through training camp, will ya?”

I gaped. This kid was a hockey player? No way. He had to be kidding. He looked like he was six. He looked like he was a part of Parker’s day care group, not playing in the National Hockey League.

Eric went on, pointing at Jeff. “And you need to watch where you’re going.” He paused. “On second thought, just watch how you talk to coach’s kid in general.”

Jeff’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. “This is Molly Maurice?”

I narrowed my eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I dunno.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “From all the stories I’ve heard, I thought you were some sort of biker.”

“Oh, and you? You’re the infamous draft pick my dad was talking about?” I rolled my eyes. “You look like you should be in the back of my car coming from the park. Maybe I’ll take you to the playground next time, and Parker can start in your place.”

Eric snorted, covering his laugh with a cough. “Like I said, rook,” he said with a grin. “Watch what you say.”

Jeff blushed scarlet. He mumbled something apologetic, and I suddenly felt bad for the unwarranted barb. He was just eighteen, not much older than me. He was new, not only in the state, but in the country. He was here in this new place by himself and he probably didn’t even know anyone but a handful of the guys on the team. Not only that, but the crazy, troublemaker daughter of his new coach just hit him with her car. I shifted Presley in my arms, looking away.

“So you on your way to Harrison’s place?” Eric reached out and ruffled Presley’s hair. She giggled.

“Yep. And then I’m going to Cam’s. He and Cody are going out tonight, so I’m partying with Nolan.”

“All right, drive carefully. You headin’ home, Jeff?”

“Home.” Jeff rubbed a hand over his neck. “I guess so, yeah.”

“Is home an empty apartment in the city?” Suddenly, I was in the mood for some company. Nothing like making friends with the new guy to get back in my father's good graces, right?

Jeff nodded. “It is tonight. I've been rooming with Eric's brother and a couple other prospects. They were going to go out tonight, but I--"

"Didn't feel like it?"

He shrugged. "Something like that."

“So you're all alone? On a Friday night?”

Eric held up a hand. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I know where this is going. Molly--”

“What? Cam won’t mind.” I looked at Jeff. “How about it? Nolan’s never a lot of trouble; he’ll go to sleep right away.”

Jeff looked at Eric, his cheeks still red. “I dunno…”

“Oh, come on. I can tell you all about the city! I have lived here for a while, you know. I can fill you in.”

“Well, if it’s okay with the captain…”

Eric narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure if it’s okay with me. Molly, is this going to give me any reason to worry whatsoever about his safety, wellbeing, or general sanity?”

“No way! We’re just going to raid Cam’s liquor cabinet and do some hard drugs in front of his young son. Nothing too crazy.”

Jeff laughed before he seemed to remember he was at the mercy of the captain of his team. He covered his mouth with one hand, glancing between the two of us as Eric scowled.

“I’m serious, Molly.”

“Will you lighten up? Jeez. You’re almost as bad as my dad, Staal, and that’s saying something.” I looked at Jeff, smiling at Eric’s expense. “What do you say? I feel like I owe you a pizza. I did hit you with my car, after all.”

“That’s true. Okay, I guess since I’m not doing anything else...” Jeff finally smiled. “Just don’t hit me with your car again.”

“I’ll try not to.” Just looking at him, I had to smile too. Even though he was practically a baby, his curly brown hair and dimples were really pretty cute.

It wasn't until we were driving away that I thought to myself with a satisfied smile, Eric, you may officially have a reason to worry.

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Her name was Molly and she was beautiful. Every time she looked at him, his tongue tied itself in knots and that stupid blush, the one that always came at the worst moments, would always rise to his cheeks. Her hair was half-damp, drying into uneven blond curls that brushed her tan shoulders over the teal straps of her tank top. She wasn’t wearing any makeup (that he could tell) and her eyes were a vivid, unwavering green. Like the grass back home in Markham. No, they were better than that. Like the color of emeralds or every hill in Ireland, or a thousand other beautiful things that were unflinching, curious, and infinitely more breathtaking and green than some dumb grass back in his hometown.

Even stuffing pieces of pizza in her mouth (four by the night’s end) and cussing at the replay of some baseball game that had occurred earlier that day, she was still gorgeous.

She talked the entire time. Even when she was feeding Nolan and putting him to sleep, she had been illustrating to him what she referred to as “the finer points of Raleigh culture.” She talked about the film industry there, the music scene, the art, the universities, the sports (which he already knew a vague amount about), the weather, what restaurants were good and which ones sucked, and above all, the team. She warned him away from partying with Sutter and told him to watch out for Ruutu’s pranks, to always bring butterscotch for Janet in Administration because she’ll “give you anything” and to never, ever get on the bad side of the equipment team. He took careful notes in his head.

“I would tell you about the nightlife here, but that’s just a little bit out of my reach. Yours too, it would seem. How old are you?”

The question seemed to come out of nowhere, and it caught him off guard. He stumbled over his words. “Oh. Uh. I just turned eighteen in May.”

“Really? I turned seventeen in April. That’s cool. We’re both spring babies.”

He thought it was cool they had something in common at all. Jeff knew just about nobody in the city, and all of his friends back home had been awesome--still were, even though he didn’t get to see them anymore--but he had never met someone so thoroughly cool. She just didn’t seem to care about anything, particularly what he thought of her. While watching the baseball game after she had put Nolan in his crib, she had called one of the Braves players a “raging douchebag”, ignoring the surprised glance he gave her. Whether it was her incessant chatting about the city, her blatant criticism of the team and how they played, or her mouth like a sailor, she was just... Molly. It quickly became apparent to him that if he had a problem with her (not that he would), then it would just be too damn bad.

“The thing you need to know about Raleigh is that it’s amazing, but secretly.” She narrowed her eyes, wiggling her fingers out in front of her like a magician attempting a difficult trick. “Like it’s a big club and you don’t get to know the secret handshake until you’ve been around for a while.”

“So what is the secret handshake?”

“Good ol’ Southern hospitality. That’s key here. Treat people with respect, and they’ll charm the pants off you in return.” As if to prove her point, she clapped a hand on his knee.

There was that blush again. He tried not to squirm uncomfortably, but she noticed his embarrassment anyway.

“Oh, Jeff, you’re so cute!” She squealed out a laugh. “But I have a boyfriend, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“You do?”

“Of course!” She batted her eyelashes him exaggeratedly. “Why? Did you think I didn’t? Did you oh-so-desperately hope?”

“No. You hit me with your car, remember?” And who wants to date a girl like that, he thought to himself haughtily. There are probably tons of other beautiful, crazy girls in the city… Probably.

“Well, I do. His name is Tom. He’s twenty, he goes to NC State, and he is utterly gorgeous.”

“Is that so?” He’s not that great, Jeff thought, not if he isn’t a hockey player.

“Yep.” She smiled prettily. “Are you jealous?”

“I don’t even know you.”

“Yeah, you don’t.” She dug her elbow into his ribs, laughing playfully. “Keep that in mind, rookie.”

He frowned at the nickname, but sensations were threatening to overwhelm him. She was sitting very close to him on the couch, and she was smiling at him like that, and she thought he was cute. Cute was good, cute was great, whether she had a boyfriend or not. It was at least a step in a direction that Jeff thought he might like to travel.

“So, Jeff Skinner." She sat up straight, turning her entire body so she faced him. Grabbing the remote, she muted the baseball game. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

He didn’t really want her to, afraid of what it might be, but he couldn’t resist her. “Uh. Sure, go ahead.”

She reached out, walking her fingers up his arm. Hairs rose on the back of his neck. When she spoke, her voice was a whisper.

“Are you…a virgin?”

Flames burst into his cheeks, his entire face flushing dark red. He opened his mouth to answer, to scream, to beg his body to move so he could run in the opposite direction, but no sound came out but a whistle of breath.

A wicked smile blossomed on her petal-pink lips. “Oh, that’s sweet.”

A car door slammed outside, and a high, female laugh filled the air. Molly jumped up, taking their empty pizza box into the kitchen to put it in the recycling bin. She quickly rinsed off their plates, set them in the dishwasher, and came back, wiping her hands on her denim cut-off shorts the moment that Cam Ward and his wife Cody opened the door.

“Hey Mol,” Cam said brightly, before his eyes cut to Jeff. He blinked in surprise. “Oh. Hey. You’re Jeff, right? The new kid?”

Jeff nodded, but he felt uneasy. The blush was still staining his cheeks, and he could tell from the way that Cam was looking at him that he suspected they had been up to something. There was a disapproving fatherly gleam in his dark eyes, and suddenly Jeff realized that Molly wasn’t just coach’s girl, she was the Hurricanes’ girl. Most of them had probably watched her grow up from a giggly young girl with knobbly knees into the gorgeous young woman that she was now. Crap. Should I say we weren’t doing anything, that it’s not what it looks like? Will he tell coach about this?

Cody saved his life. She laid a hand on her husband’s arm, smiling. “Oh, she was just being friendly, right?”

Molly glanced at Jeff, shoving her hands in her back pockets. Jeff couldn’t help noticing the way her hands cupped her own ass. He tightened his own fingers into fists, quickly averting his gaze in case Cam was watching. He was, naturally; he narrowed his eyes into a suspicious glare. Yikes.

“Yep. I figured, since he's new, that he could use a friend.”

A look seemed to pass between Molly and Cody, and Cody winked at Jeff behind her husband’s back. So much for trying not to blush. He thought of what Molly had said earlier. I definitely feel like the odd one out of the club right now, he thought, as Molly recounted their evening and talked about how sweet Nolan was. But how do I get in?

She said goodnight to the two of them, before grabbing Jeff’s elbow and pulling him out the front door behind her. “I’ll drive you home, rook. Where do you live?”

“Uh.” He racked his brain, trying to remember the address he had written down earlier on a sticky note that was, of course, back on his desk. “It’s a number and then the street name. 7-something-something Trucker?”

She stared at him. “You mean 712 Tucker?”

“Yeah, that’s it!”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Uh, no.”

She shook her head, laughing as she started up her car. “I can’t believe it. Here I am, rattling on about the city, and you live in the heart of it, in one of the classiest apartment complexes. Show’s what I know.”

“I had no idea.”

“Well, of course you didn’t. You’re new.”

“Um. Yeah. Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?”

“Telling me all that stuff.” He cleared his throat, looking out the window into the night as they drove towards the city, towards his new home. “For inviting me over. You didn’t have to.”

“Oh. It was no problem.”

There was a beat of silence, and she flicked on the radio. An upbeat country song filled the space between them, and she tapped her fingers along to the guitar on the steering wheel.

“Molly?”

“Hm?”

“Why did you invite me?”

Molly shrugged. “Well, it’s like I told Cam and Cody. Everybody needs a friend, Jeff. Even the coach’s daughter, and even a first-round draft pick.”

Silence fell again, except for the music. “Gimmie that girl with the hair in a mess,” the man sang, his voice twanging across the airwaves, “Sleepy little smile with her head on my chest.”

Molly suddenly laughed.

“Even if you are a virgin.”

This time, Jeff was expecting it; he’d been waiting for it, for that last triumphant barb. The blush came anyway. He leaned his head against the window, closing his eyes and smiling.

“That’s the you that I like best, gimmie that girl.”