Act of Kindness

After the first win over San Jose in the Conference Quarterfinals had the Hawks moving on to the Semifinals against Phoenix. They were a few games tied 2-2 and playing their last game in Phoenix before they returned home for another match-up. This left Julia and I to watch the game from my couch on TV.

"I'll meet you at 6:30." She texted giving me the entire day to do some chores. The apartment never looked cleaner.

I was craving a raspberry salad so I decided to drive over to the restaurant near the theatre. I ordered it to go and waited for my food when I noticed Jimmy surrounded by guys in orange and black football jackets. From the look on Jimmy's face, he didn't want to be near these guys, who stated to pick and prad at him.

"Hey Jimmy." I said walking over, the football players looked me up and down then back at Jimmy.

"Who are your friends?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest. Jimmy just stared at me with a blank look.

"Wow Dicks, I didn't know you had good looking friends." One said.

"I didn't know you had friends." Another mocked.

"Don't you boys have someplace to be?' The three jocks laughed holding their hands up.

"Alright sweetcheeks. We'll see you at school Dicks." The leader replied patting Jimmy's cheek who flinched out of the way.

"Who were they?" I asked once the jocks walked out the doors.

"Brad and his fucking goons." Jimmy answered.

"Everything okay, Jimmy?" I noticed the venom in his voice and knew something was wrong.

"Um yeah I guess." It was obvious Jimmy had a beef with these guys and I was hoping they weren't the reason for the scars on his wrists.

"Hey Jimmy, what are you doing tonight?" The teenagers eyes widened.

"Um...n-nothing. W-why?" He stuttered.

"A friend and I are watching the Hawks game tonight. You're welcome to join."

"O-oh...I d-don't want to intrude."

"Nonsense. Come on." I received my salad and walked Jimmy to my car. "Make sure you tell your parents." I told him.

"They won't care." He mumbled.

"You should still let them know." He pulled his phone out nonetheless and typed a quick message.

At the apartment I turned the lights on, "Make yourself at home." I told Jimmy, setting my keys on the side table and headed for the kitchen, "You want anything to drink?"

"A beer." He answered, slightly more brave now. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Try again."

"Water's fine." I handed him a water bottle from the fridge. "Can I ask you something?" Jimmy asked as I mixed the dressing with my salad. Jimmy pulled out one of the island chairs and sat across me from playing with his bottle cap.

"Anything." I answered.

"Why did you invite me here?"

"Because I want to get to know you."

"What do you want to know?" He asked skeptically.

"Everything; family, friends, likes, dislikes."

"My life isn't very exciting. I'm nothing special."

"Don't say that Jimmy. You're a nice guy. Now, tell me about your family."

"Um...I live with my mom. My dad left when I was younger."

"What does your mom do?" Jimmy hesitated.

"...She's a...dancer."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"A brother."

"What's he like?"

"He's rich, good looking, my mom's pride and joy." He answered. Obviously there's some tension between Jimmy and his brother. So I changed the subject.

"Do you have any hobbies? Talents?"

"I like to draw."

"That's awesome. What can you draw?"

"Anything you want."

"What's your favorite thing to draw?"

"People."

"Why's that?" I questioned, taking a bite of my salad.

"Because they're all different so it's challenging."

"Could you draw me?" I saw him smirk and shrug.

"If you want." He reached down for his backpack and pulled out a notebook, flipping to a new page. He leaned back in his chair and began drawing.

"So how's school going for you?"

"Like every other loser's life in school. Miserable."

"You're not a loser." He scoffed.

"In my high school, I'm at the bottom of the food chain. No one notices me, no one talks to me. Those guys from earlier work to make my life hell, as if it wasn't already." Every word he said was filled with hatred but as he continued drawing, he looked calm. Almost at peace with the world. "I don't get what makes those guys think they're better than me or anyone else. Just because Brad can throw around a football doesn't make him a god. Yet people praise him like one. He get's away with everything. I just wish someone would put him in his place. Tell him that he's the worthless piece of shit that will amount to nothing, working at McDonald's when he doesn't make it to the NFL."

"Have they ever hurt you?" I asked growing more concerned with what Jimmy was expressing.

"Every fucking day of my life. They'll shove me into walls, pick at him like a dead animal, they'll call me Dicks or faggot, they've tormented me in front of everyone at the school yet I'm the one that looks like the bad guy."

"Jimmy, have you told anyone about this?" He laughed.

"Like those teachers would do anything. They love him, remember? He's the star quarterback with the pretty cheerleader girlfriend and a scholarship to a Division 1 school. He's gonna be the next Eli Manning or whatever."

"I bet Eli Manning didn't go around bullying people."

"I do. I bet all jocks do. They think they're gifts from heaven, doing whatever they want whenever they want with no consequences."

"What do you have against jocks?"

"My brother was a jock. He played every sport imaginable and was good at them, something he didn't let me forget. Being a big brother you'd assume that we had a normal brotherly relationship...well we didn't. He wasn't my brother, he was my bully; at school, at home."

"Did your mom know?" He shrugged.

"Who knows? She loved him, praised him with the best. Once he left it was a total 180 with her. Instead of her normal happy go-lucky self, she started drinking more, bringing random guys home, and working longer hours just so she doesn't have to face the fact that her godly son isn't there."

"What about school when your brother left? Did it change?"

"God no, it got worse. Those guys from earlier? They kissed the ground my brother walked on, doing whatever he said to get his love and attention. When he left, Brad and his friends decided to take it upon themselves to continue torturing me. And they have ever since.

"And the worse part of it, is that I wouldn't be able to tell anyone. If they found out, they threatened to kill me. Not that any of the teachers would listen. The jocks were like gods. They think they're invincible, that nothing would hurt them. One day, I'm hoping someone shows them just how weak they really are."

Even through our Dr. Phil moment, Jimmy continued to draw, like it was the only thing keeping him calm. When he finished he showed me the picture. I was blown away by the talent Jimmy had. He could do wonders with his artistic abilities one day and maybe he'll be able to get out of this life he's living in.

The teenager set his pencil down and ripped out the page he was drawing on, sliding it to me, "Jimmy...this is awesome! This is amazing! I hope you plan on doing something with this talent! Do you have more?" He hesitated but handed me his notebook.

Each page was a work of art. It varied from objects and animals, scenery and people. Everything was pencil drawn and dated when he finished them.

Towards the back of the book, there was a picture of a beautiful girl smiling, "Who's this?"

"Oh...uh...it's a girl from my school." He answered scratching the back of his neck.

"Ooo a girl you like?" He shrugged.

"She's got a boyfriend...a jock." I dropped my head against the counter.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I kid you not. And what's worse...he doesn't cheat on her. That toolbag treats her like a princess. The typical stereotype is out the window."

"What's she like?"

"She's...perfect. Literally. She's pretty, smart, nice."

"There's girls like that every where."

"No, this girl...she's different. She's friends with everyone, and I mean everyone; the jocks, the nerds, the druggies, the sluts...everyone! If someone hurt her at all, everyone would be pissed because she does everything for anyone."

"She sounds great. Is she friends with you?"

"Sorta. I try to stay away from her but she'll talk to me."

"I'm guessing she doesn't know about the pictures."

"Um...no, she doesn't."

"You should draw her a picture. Girls love that kind of thing." I said with a wink.

I looked back down at the picture of the girl. She looked really familiar, like I've seen her before. But she was dark haired, a common color among many women. She certainly was beautiful and Jimmy did a superb job portraying such a beauty with just paper and a pencil.

"The party has arrived and she brought food!" Julia's voice rang out in the apartment. She appeared around the corner, a pizza in one hand and a six pack of beer in the other. She stopped when she spotted Jimmy, "Hello?"

"Julia this is Jimmy, he works at the sandwich shop by the theatre. Jimmy, this is my friend Julia." He gave her a small smile and a quick wave.

"Are you joining us for the game?" Jimmy nodded, "How old are you?"

"18?"

"Then no beer for you." She said before turning to go to the living room, the TV turning on and the voices of the announcers filling the silence.

"You can have one, but don't tell anyone." I promised Jimmy who just followed me into the kitchen.

I think throwing Jimmy into a contained space with Julia and I during a hockey game wasn't the smartest idea. We might of scared him as we jumped to our feet when the boys scored and yelled our disapproval of the refs calls against us. But he seemed to get into it after the first period. He was relaxed, happy, at peace.

"Jimmy, if you ever need to just get away from everything, you're welcome to stay at the apartment." I told him as we sat in my car outside his house.

"Thanks Kara, but I don't want to intrude. You do enough as it is and I don't think Pat will be too fond of me showing up."

"Let me worry about Patrick. You come over whenever you want. I can give you my number so you can give me a heads up." He handed me his phone and I punched in my number. "If you ever need to talk, call or text. I'll always answer."

"Thanks Kara...for everything."

"No problem," He opened the door and got out, "Hey Jimmy...don't let those jerks at school bully you. Stand up for yourself." He smiled and waved, jogging up to his house.

Since that day, I hadn't seen Jimmy. Even at work, they said he hadn't showed up. I thought about going to his house but I didn't. I had hoped he would call me if anything had happened.

"Expecting a call?" Pat asked, bringing me out of my daze.

"What?"

"You've been starring at your phone the past ten minutes."

"Oh...I was just thinking."

"Wanna talk about it?" I smiled but put my phone on the bedside table and curled up to Pats side, his arm placed around me on contact.

Pat had just returned home from a playoff win in Nashville and we were on our way to the Conference Finals against Detroit. I hadn't told Pat about Jimmy, not seeing it necessary. I just laid against Pat as he watched highlights from his game, Detroit and Vancouver, and Pittsburgh against Tampa. The Penguins were hot and it wouldn't be a surprise if the Hawks played them.

"Are you nervous?" I whispered.

"A little. The Pen's are a good team. We'll have to play hard."

"I think you'll kick ass. Just try not to hurt Crosby's feelings too much...he's invited to the wedding." Pat looked down at me.

"He's coming to the wedding?"

"Yup, he was one of the first to RSVP...right after my mother. He said something about some of the other guys coming too."

"Well that's not going to be weird. What if they win? We'll have to lock Jon up before he kills someone."

"There will be no killing at this wedding. Besides, Crosby is civil. Whether he wins or not, he'll behave. So I expect you boys to behave as well."

"Whatever you say."

"Damn straight." Pat hugged me tighter. His thumb stroked in a circular motion on my hip bone.

"I just can't promise there won't be a murder at the wedding."

---

"You know...not many girls can say Sidney Crosby got them a blender for their wedding." Julia said as we waited in the bridal store. I was here to try on my wedding dress with the alterations and Julia was here to try out the bridesmaids dresses as well.

"Knowing him, it'll be Penguins customized."

"So...why is Crosby coming to your wedding? I didn't know him and Kaner were close."

"Um...I don't think he's there for Pat."

"...You're telling me Sidney Crosby is going to your wedding for you...Pat better be careful, Crosby might try to sweep you off your feet before you walk down the aisle."

"Oh please."

"Sweetie," Julia put her hand on my shoulder, "I'd bet you $5 Crosby isn't the only one that plans to sweep you off your feet. How many other non-Blackhawks are coming to the wedding?"

"I don't know."

"Here it is!" The seamstress said, my wedding gown in one hand and Julia's in the other, "You try this on here, and you here." She hung up my gown in a separate dressing room then Julia's, "Now please try them on! These were my favorite dresses to work on."

Julia and I dressed and stepped out of our rooms at the same time, "Oh my god." We both said looking at one another.

"Kara...Pat won't be able to take his eyes off you."

"Me? Jon's gonna wanna borrow the priest when he sees you."

"You two look lovely! You must promise to send me pictures of the wedding!"

Julia and I took a picture to send to Pat's sisters, which they replied with all capital letters, expressing their love for the gowns. We headed for a little Italian place not far from the dress shop and sat down for lunch.

"How's that Jimmy kid?" Julia asked, sipping her red wine.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since that day."

"That's weird. He just upped and disappeared?" I shrugged.

"I'm worried, Julia. He...he's a troubled kid. He's been bullied his whole life, neglected. I tried to be there for him, I hope he'll be able to fight through this but...I'm afraid something's wrong."

"Kara, you're too nice for your own good. I want to help Jimmy as much as you do, but there's nothing you can do."

"There's always something. I tried that with Amanda. I can try it with Jimmy."

"Amanda was sick. She was sick for a long time. Jimmy's troubled, those kids are hard to reach."

"I just don't want him to do something he'll regret. He was really upset Julia."

"Don't worry about it Kara. If he needs you, he'll call you."

With every fiber of my being, I was praying Julia was right. He'd call me if he needed me. But I've seen struggling kids and it's always been too late to do anything. But all I can do is hope and pray that everything is okay.

---

"It's here! It's finally here!" Julia yelled into my apartment, a giant package in her hands.

"What's here?" I asked, stirring my cup of tea in the kitchen. While Patrick was at practice, I was home working on the finishing touches for the wedding, getting ready to send them to Pat's sisters.

"The greatest thing I ever convinced Jon to get!" She answered dropping the box onto the kitchen counter.

"That seems like a big box for tickets to Hawaii."

"That's because it's not...but that's a good idea. Anyways, I convinced Jon to let me order awesome customized--"

"Oh no."

"Sweatshirts!" I dropped my head onto the counter.

"Why? Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm your bestest friend and what maid of honor would I be if I didn't make your bridal party customized sweatshirts?" She ripped the tape off the box and pulled out a red zip-up sweatshirt. On the front there was a bedazzled Bride on the right side. The sleeves and hood were black, and on the back in giant lettering it read Kane 88.

"You seriously made these? Remind me to kick Jon's ass for giving you money."

"Come on! These are awesome! I made them for us and Pat's sisters. Kara...even our moms wanted one."

"You'd make them for the groomsmen too?"

"...I might of."

"Seriously Julia? You expect Sharpie and the guys to wear a Patrick Kane groomsmen sweatshirt?"

"Actually...they're wearing them right now." I starred at her, my eye brows furrowed.

"Wha-ho-wait...how is this possible?"

"I might of told Jon to give them to the guys and not to tell Pat."

"So...the team is wearing Patrick Kane groomsmen sweatshirts as we speak?"

"If Jon did his job right, then yes, they are."

"I do not believe you." I stated with a laugh.

"Just watch. Jon's gonna walk through that door wearing that sweatshirt."

"And Patrick's gonna be mad." I couldn't wait for Patrick to walk through that door with Jon sporting his newest sweatshirt.

"I also picked up your mail."

"How did you get in my mailbox?"

"Bruce helped me." My best friend has the strangest connections to get what she wants. I want to ask how she convinced Jon to buy these sweatshirts but...I'm scared.

Julia handed me the pile of envelops and I sorted through them. Most were for Pat but there was one for me. It had no return address and my name was scribbled with chicken scratch.



I wanted to burst into tears right there. What does this mean? What's going to happen? Who is this?

When I couldn't answer Julia as she bugged me about the letter, I gave it to her to read, "Oh my god Kara. We need to get this to the police or something."

"What's that gonna do? There's no return address, it came in the mail. Numerous people have touched it so any chances of even a finger print is gone."

"Does this mean they're going to stop stalking you?"

"Well Julia, if they're going to kill themselves, than yeah I think so!" I didn't mean to burst at her. I feel like this person's life is in my hands and there's nothing I can do. If I knew who it was then I would do whatever I could to stop them, to tell them there's more to live for. "Julia...I'm sorry."

"It's okay, this is huge and with what you've been through, you needed someone to yell at." She replied laying her head on my shoulder in understanding.

"Come on Pat, they're not that bad." Jon's deep voice said as the door opened then shut. Patrick and Jon appeared, Pat with a confused face and Jon with a shitting eating grin on his while he modeled the groomsmen's sweatshirt.

Julia had all but fallen to the ground laughing while I stood, mouth wide open.

"Did you know anything about this?" Pat asked pointing to his not as serious as we thought Captain.

"I found out today. Blame Jon, he's the one that gave her the money." I said throwing the couple under the bus.

"Of all the things you could of bought her." Pat threw his hands in the air then came over to me, wrapping me in a hug, "Kara it was awful. I get there and all of the guys have one on."

"It's okay Pat...she made some for my bridesmaids and others."

"Okay, you two need to get out of my house. I've seen enough." He handed the giant box to Jon and pushed the couple to the door, locking it. "I need a nap."

"Right behind you."