‹ Prequel: Little Baby Pines
Status: finished
Run Right Back
Besides, maybe this time is different.
2013-2014
It was just another boring Monday. Jonathan Toews was sitting on his couch watching whatever his brother was watching last, The Jersey Shore reruns. It was god awful TV, yet Jon couldn’t bring himself to finding the remote to change the channel. He lied down on the couch and sipped on his cup of coffee. So far his life had been pained by practices. Soon it would be heavy with games. His life was a never ending cycle of stress on his body. He was still playing for the Chicago Blackhawks alongside Patrick Kane. Through their years they have seen good players come and go. Jonathan was now 25 years old, working his way to his 26th. So vegging out on the couch brought him much comfort even if it meant having some girl continuously yell “stawp it” from the speakers of his TV.
Jonathan’s phone rang twice before he could surmount the energy to pick himself off the couch and answer it. His PR lady was calling him to remind him that he had a community appearance with Patrick tomorrow for a girl’s hockey team. There was also a text from his girlfriend. He ignored it and turned his phone off. Why call her and get bitched at when he can just get bitched at when he saw her later that day?
He and his girlfriend had been having problems since Jonathan’s brother started staying at his place. Jonathan’s little brother, David, had an infestation of mold in his apartment building and had to find somewhere else to say for a month and a half, or until the building cleared up the infestation. David being at Jonathan’s place enraged Virgina since she and David only ever butt heads. The two couldn’t get along if someone paid them. They were polar opposites and Jonathan became collateral damage. Even hanging out with Patrick caused problems for Virginia. She didn’t like Patrick either. There was a small list of people Virginia liked and could get along with, and Jonathan wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle the isolation she caused.
In the middle of his beach out on the couch marathon of Jersey Shore, the front door clicked and swung open. His little brother and Patrick walked into together. Patrick was carrying a plastic bag with presumably food in it. The two men were laughing. “Did you see the way that little girl looked at you when you called breasts ‘fun bags’? She was so offended!”
“Why does a 7 year old know what that means?! She should be offended at her parent’s audacity in their loose lips to expose her to that language.”
“Kaner, I think you exposed her to that language.”
Jonathan rolled around. By now he was used to Patrick’s colorful vocabulary. One of his sisters must have bought him a dictionary for a Christmas present because he had been using words with more syllables and actually used them correctly.
“Where did you two go?” Jon walked over to the counter and poked his nose at the plastic bag.
David sat down at the island on one of the high chairs. “We got lunch at the Golden Star. We brought you back lo mein noodles, kung po chicken, and an egg roll.”
Patrick hopped onto the counter top, sitting next to the bag of food. “Dude, ready to harass some teenage girls tomorrow at the youth center? I say we check them all into the boards. Smear their faces into the glass.”
The Styrofoam box was stuck to the plastic bag. The static electricity made popping noises and when the bag was released it floated gently in the air. Jon popped open the container and picked up some noodles with his fingers. Normally he would condemn eating food with his fingers, but he didn’t care right now since he was incredibly hungry and eating in front of barbarians. The two men enjoying his company made no comment. “We aren’t going to check underage girls into the boards, Kaner. Jesus. What would your girlfriend say?”
“She would say, ‘Smash their pretty littuh faces into the ice, love’. Actually, she did say that. So we should.” He gave Jon a lopsided grin. It was true; Patrick Kane had a girlfriend. She is a rowdy bartender he met in the park. She is a short, petite woman with half her head shaved in that fashionable haircut. She wore flowery low cut dresses with a biker jacket, striped tights, and equestrian riding boots. For some odd reason she reminded Jon of Helena Bonham Carter. The girl’s name is Cornelia “Nell” Cornish. She is from England.
“Get out of here. No. We are just going there, being supportive pillars in the community, sign stuff, and then go home.”
David spun around in his chair. He stopped and then began fidgeting, kicking his legs back and forth. “Hey.” He kicked the air again. “Is your girlfriend coming over for dinner tonight?” Jonathan nodded his head. Within seconds, David went from being content to angry. “God fucking damnit! I can’t take another night of your girlfriend being a bitch to me, Jonny. I am going out with Crow tonight. I have to go call him.” David walked briskly out of the kitchen into the spare room of the apartment where he had been crashing for the last month. He couldn’t wait until his apartment was cleared for him to live in it. He couldn’t stand talking to or even seeing Jonathan girlfriend.
Jonathan popped a piece of kung po chicken into his mouth. “The guy really hates her,” Patrick remarked. He looked down at Jon. “How is Ginny? I haven’t seen her in a fortnight.” That was because he, like David, was avoiding her because he didn’t want to get into another disagreement with her.
Jon’s shoulder rose and fell. “Virginia is as she always is. Super busy with work and super pissed at you guys for being so stupid. She hates your guys’ humor.”
“That isn’t the only thing she hates, dude. She hates everything that is worth enjoying. If it is supposed to be fun, she hates it and analyzes it to death until there is no point in liking anything because she’ll only criticize it into a grave. She—”
“I got it, Kaner,” Jon interjected. “I know you never liked her, okay? Can we just drop the conversation? I fucking hate having to defend my girlfriend all the fucking time with you guys.” He pushed the container of food onto the counter, gripped the edge of the counter, and hung his head. “It gets fucking annoying. Especially since I have been with her for seven months. You assholes need to get over yourselves. I am dating her, so fuck off.” He slapped his hand against his thigh. “Let’s talk about your girlfriend instead.”
The color in Patrick’s cheeks intensified. “God, you don’t want me gushing over Nell again. So you want to meet up and car pool to the community center tomorrow? They said we can use the staff locker room to change into our equipment.”
“Yeah, for sure. That works.”
It was just another boring Monday. Jonathan Toews was sitting on his couch watching whatever his brother was watching last, The Jersey Shore reruns. It was god awful TV, yet Jon couldn’t bring himself to finding the remote to change the channel. He lied down on the couch and sipped on his cup of coffee. So far his life had been pained by practices. Soon it would be heavy with games. His life was a never ending cycle of stress on his body. He was still playing for the Chicago Blackhawks alongside Patrick Kane. Through their years they have seen good players come and go. Jonathan was now 25 years old, working his way to his 26th. So vegging out on the couch brought him much comfort even if it meant having some girl continuously yell “stawp it” from the speakers of his TV.
Jonathan’s phone rang twice before he could surmount the energy to pick himself off the couch and answer it. His PR lady was calling him to remind him that he had a community appearance with Patrick tomorrow for a girl’s hockey team. There was also a text from his girlfriend. He ignored it and turned his phone off. Why call her and get bitched at when he can just get bitched at when he saw her later that day?
He and his girlfriend had been having problems since Jonathan’s brother started staying at his place. Jonathan’s little brother, David, had an infestation of mold in his apartment building and had to find somewhere else to say for a month and a half, or until the building cleared up the infestation. David being at Jonathan’s place enraged Virgina since she and David only ever butt heads. The two couldn’t get along if someone paid them. They were polar opposites and Jonathan became collateral damage. Even hanging out with Patrick caused problems for Virginia. She didn’t like Patrick either. There was a small list of people Virginia liked and could get along with, and Jonathan wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle the isolation she caused.
In the middle of his beach out on the couch marathon of Jersey Shore, the front door clicked and swung open. His little brother and Patrick walked into together. Patrick was carrying a plastic bag with presumably food in it. The two men were laughing. “Did you see the way that little girl looked at you when you called breasts ‘fun bags’? She was so offended!”
“Why does a 7 year old know what that means?! She should be offended at her parent’s audacity in their loose lips to expose her to that language.”
“Kaner, I think you exposed her to that language.”
Jonathan rolled around. By now he was used to Patrick’s colorful vocabulary. One of his sisters must have bought him a dictionary for a Christmas present because he had been using words with more syllables and actually used them correctly.
“Where did you two go?” Jon walked over to the counter and poked his nose at the plastic bag.
David sat down at the island on one of the high chairs. “We got lunch at the Golden Star. We brought you back lo mein noodles, kung po chicken, and an egg roll.”
Patrick hopped onto the counter top, sitting next to the bag of food. “Dude, ready to harass some teenage girls tomorrow at the youth center? I say we check them all into the boards. Smear their faces into the glass.”
The Styrofoam box was stuck to the plastic bag. The static electricity made popping noises and when the bag was released it floated gently in the air. Jon popped open the container and picked up some noodles with his fingers. Normally he would condemn eating food with his fingers, but he didn’t care right now since he was incredibly hungry and eating in front of barbarians. The two men enjoying his company made no comment. “We aren’t going to check underage girls into the boards, Kaner. Jesus. What would your girlfriend say?”
“She would say, ‘Smash their pretty littuh faces into the ice, love’. Actually, she did say that. So we should.” He gave Jon a lopsided grin. It was true; Patrick Kane had a girlfriend. She is a rowdy bartender he met in the park. She is a short, petite woman with half her head shaved in that fashionable haircut. She wore flowery low cut dresses with a biker jacket, striped tights, and equestrian riding boots. For some odd reason she reminded Jon of Helena Bonham Carter. The girl’s name is Cornelia “Nell” Cornish. She is from England.
“Get out of here. No. We are just going there, being supportive pillars in the community, sign stuff, and then go home.”
David spun around in his chair. He stopped and then began fidgeting, kicking his legs back and forth. “Hey.” He kicked the air again. “Is your girlfriend coming over for dinner tonight?” Jonathan nodded his head. Within seconds, David went from being content to angry. “God fucking damnit! I can’t take another night of your girlfriend being a bitch to me, Jonny. I am going out with Crow tonight. I have to go call him.” David walked briskly out of the kitchen into the spare room of the apartment where he had been crashing for the last month. He couldn’t wait until his apartment was cleared for him to live in it. He couldn’t stand talking to or even seeing Jonathan girlfriend.
Jonathan popped a piece of kung po chicken into his mouth. “The guy really hates her,” Patrick remarked. He looked down at Jon. “How is Ginny? I haven’t seen her in a fortnight.” That was because he, like David, was avoiding her because he didn’t want to get into another disagreement with her.
Jon’s shoulder rose and fell. “Virginia is as she always is. Super busy with work and super pissed at you guys for being so stupid. She hates your guys’ humor.”
“That isn’t the only thing she hates, dude. She hates everything that is worth enjoying. If it is supposed to be fun, she hates it and analyzes it to death until there is no point in liking anything because she’ll only criticize it into a grave. She—”
“I got it, Kaner,” Jon interjected. “I know you never liked her, okay? Can we just drop the conversation? I fucking hate having to defend my girlfriend all the fucking time with you guys.” He pushed the container of food onto the counter, gripped the edge of the counter, and hung his head. “It gets fucking annoying. Especially since I have been with her for seven months. You assholes need to get over yourselves. I am dating her, so fuck off.” He slapped his hand against his thigh. “Let’s talk about your girlfriend instead.”
The color in Patrick’s cheeks intensified. “God, you don’t want me gushing over Nell again. So you want to meet up and car pool to the community center tomorrow? They said we can use the staff locker room to change into our equipment.”
“Yeah, for sure. That works.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Title from "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes.Sequel!