Status: Complete!!
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Chapter 5
By the time I’d managed to find my way back to the house Marcus and the guys were there, not exactly the first people I wanted to see right now. As soon as I got in the door I went straight upstairs to my room, shutting the door behind me. I knew I’d need a nap or something before practice, it had been my routine ever since I was seven years old.
“Hey? Staal, you back?” there was pounding at the door as Eric called through the wood. I thought about not replying, but Eric hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Yeah, I’m back,” I replied, and watched the door slowly open. Eric poked his head in the door, obviously unsure as to whether or not he was in the middle of a war zone.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Fine.”
“Look, I know Marcus can be an ass, but sometimes it’s better to just let him run off his steam, you know?” he quietly asked, as if it justified the way we’d all acted before.
“Yeah, but it gets to the point where he needs to know it’s not okay,” he nodded, not saying anything.
“So is your friend gonna come to the game?” he asked.
“Maybe, if any of her other friends are gonna go,” I shrugged, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. I was a little excited, I’ll admit; it would be nice to have made a legitimate friend outside of hockey and one who wasn’t acting like the girls Marcus had brought to Tim Horton’s earlier.
“Cool,” he nodded. Relief seemed to course through me at Eric’s easy acceptance of this, even though I knew he wouldn’t have done anything different about it. Eric was really laid-back, he didn’t often have a problem with anyone or anything, so why I had expected disapproval I didn’t know. We stood there awkwardly for a few more moments before he left my room, probably to go find something to eat. I sat down on my bed, taking the two binders out of my backpack, hoping I’d remember to finish my homework after practice before laying down on my bed. A deep breath helped me to calm down; enough that I figured I might even be able to sleep for a little bit before practice. It was something my brothers all told me helped them before practice or a game, and seeing as they all play in the NHL I wasn’t going to question it.
My alarm startled me when it went off forty-five minutes later; I hadn’t realized that I actually fell asleep. It felt good though, so after going downstairs and making some KD I figured I was about as ready for practice as I was going to get.
“Staal! Ready to go?” Marcus called from downstairs as I was halfway to the door with my equipment.
“Yeah, Just give me a second,” I replied, taking another deep breath and hoping he wouldn’t say anything stupid. If he did I might just have to punch him.
“Hey? Staal, you back?” there was pounding at the door as Eric called through the wood. I thought about not replying, but Eric hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Yeah, I’m back,” I replied, and watched the door slowly open. Eric poked his head in the door, obviously unsure as to whether or not he was in the middle of a war zone.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Fine.”
“Look, I know Marcus can be an ass, but sometimes it’s better to just let him run off his steam, you know?” he quietly asked, as if it justified the way we’d all acted before.
“Yeah, but it gets to the point where he needs to know it’s not okay,” he nodded, not saying anything.
“So is your friend gonna come to the game?” he asked.
“Maybe, if any of her other friends are gonna go,” I shrugged, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. I was a little excited, I’ll admit; it would be nice to have made a legitimate friend outside of hockey and one who wasn’t acting like the girls Marcus had brought to Tim Horton’s earlier.
“Cool,” he nodded. Relief seemed to course through me at Eric’s easy acceptance of this, even though I knew he wouldn’t have done anything different about it. Eric was really laid-back, he didn’t often have a problem with anyone or anything, so why I had expected disapproval I didn’t know. We stood there awkwardly for a few more moments before he left my room, probably to go find something to eat. I sat down on my bed, taking the two binders out of my backpack, hoping I’d remember to finish my homework after practice before laying down on my bed. A deep breath helped me to calm down; enough that I figured I might even be able to sleep for a little bit before practice. It was something my brothers all told me helped them before practice or a game, and seeing as they all play in the NHL I wasn’t going to question it.
My alarm startled me when it went off forty-five minutes later; I hadn’t realized that I actually fell asleep. It felt good though, so after going downstairs and making some KD I figured I was about as ready for practice as I was going to get.
“Staal! Ready to go?” Marcus called from downstairs as I was halfway to the door with my equipment.
“Yeah, Just give me a second,” I replied, taking another deep breath and hoping he wouldn’t say anything stupid. If he did I might just have to punch him.