Billet

Before I could even comprehend it, it was the middle of November. Our town had been covered in its first dusting of snow for the year and the temperature had begun dropping rapidly. It was a couple of weeks since Levi and I had decided to start seeing each other and that meant it had been even longer since I had spoken to Cory. We had never gone this longer without speaking to one another and it felt strange. Luckily the other parts of my life had started to come together though, as my performance on the ice improved (although I was not back to my regular production as of yet), and my social life had been great. But even though he was a few hours away, the fact that Cory and I weren’t on speaking terms continued to haunt me, especially since we were merely days away from the Blades playing in Belleview. I had planned to visit Cory this weekend from the moment this year’s schedule was released, but now I was conflicted. Going this weekend could either go really well or terribly. My parents were still planning on going to support the team as well as Cory. And Easton had asked for tickets to be put aside for us (another perk of being a billet), but I was still unsure.

“What’cha doing?” Easton said, popping his head into my room. It was a Tuesday night and both of us had been trying to get some school work done since we had long practices today followed by dinner.
“Contemplating this weekend.”
“Again?” This has been going on for quite a while and he understood my inner turmoil.

He welcomed himself into my room and sat beside me on my bed. I had had my laptop open, previously attempting to get work done to no avail. I closed it and faced Easton, knowing he must have some words of advice for me. He always did.

“Think of it this way,” He started, “You can either spend the weekend here alone mopping or come with us,” he chuckled and I joined in, “I know you’re nervous about Cory but you two have been such close friends and it’s obviously not just something you throw away over one little disagreement...it’s just that both of you have had too many nerves and too much pride to apologize. I honestly don’t think you have anything to lose by contacting him. But if it comes down to it that you don’t want to talk to him, what’s holding you back from coming anyways? It’s a big enough rink, it’s not like you’ll bump into him or something. You could just come cheer us on and spend the weekend away. Like I said it’s up to you, but I think it would be good for you to take a little break and spend the weekend away. Just think about it, but know that me and the rest of the guys would love if you could be there to cheer us on.” He stood up and began to leave my room, but turned around in my doorway, pausing for a moment, “And get back to work you slacker,” he winked, letting out a chuckle.

I went back to my school working, attempting to memorize the major bones and muscles of the human body, but I couldn’t focus. And soon, I found myself going out on a limb: pulling out my phone and typing out a message to Cory.

Tierney: Hey Cor, I know we haven’t been talking but I was still planning on coming into town this weekend for your game against the Blades. Would you be interested in meeting up to talk?

Just a minute or two later, my phone vibrated and I nervously picked it up. But instead of a text from Cory, it was Amanda asking if she could borrow one of my dresses for later this week; she had a date with one of the new kids in school. I started to reply but stopped instantly as my phone vibrated again. This time is was Cory.

Cory: I think that’s a good idea. How about brunch on Sunday?

I was relieved that he agreed, yet sort of frustrated that it wouldn’t be until after the game, Saturday night. But I knew hockey players and he wouldn’t want anything to affect his pre-game rituals.

Tierney: Works for me
Cory: Text me the address of your hotel and I’ll pick you up at 11
Tierney:Sounds good!
Cory: And I hope you’ll still be cheering me on at the game

A smile spread across my face as I read his message. We might’ve went though our first rough patch as friends, but this gave me some hope.

Tierney: Always

And so I found myself in the car with my parents on the way to Belleview late Saturday morning. Easton and the rest of the team had departed from the arena a few hours earlier to make sure they had enough time to prepare before the game. My dad was driving us, my mom had shotgun so I had been exiled to the back seat. I spent the drive working ahead on some school work since I knew I had a busy week of hockey ahead of me. We had four games in the next seven days after having this entire weekend off. With that on top of practices, school and an attempt at a social life, I was pushing my luck.

Before I knew it, we had arrived in Belleview. It was early afternoon so we decided to get lunch before going on with the rest of our day. My parents had spoken to Cory’s old billets (who had made some trips here earlier in the season) and they had recommended a café downtown, so we headed there. It was a quaint place, located up a long stretch of stairs. The café itself was an airy, bright place with a windowed wall and classy yet old-fashioned comfort. We were seated promptly and our attentive waitress chatted casually with our table. We all ordered different styles of sandwiches and salad combinations and eagerly ate.

After lunch we made our way to our hotel which was just a few minutes down the road. I glanced at my phone, checking the time as we walked into the lobby. It was late afternoon and although the Blades were staying in the same hotel, I knew that they’d likely already be at the rink for their afternoon skate. As my parents checked us in, I sent out a quick text to the boys to wish them luck.

Once we reached our room and set our belongings down, I changed and left for the hotel’s gym. Although my team had some time off this weekend, coach had assigned us some off-ice work to do and I planned on following his workout to a t. I did a short warm-up on the stationary bike before a hard thirty minute workout on the treadmill. As much as I hated treadmills, I didn’t feel like getting lost in a town I didn’t know very well. I finished off with some tabata pylometric exercises. After my workout, I headed upstairs to my family’s room to freshen up before the game.

A few hours later, I found myself sitting a few rows up from the penalty boxes, watching the team’s do their on-ice warm-ups. I relaxed into my spot, putting my feet on the empty seat in front of me as I watched the teams skate laps around their side of the ice. The sound of skates slicing the ice was always music to my ears.

I was snapped out of my daze as my mother nudged me with her elbow and nodded towards the ice. Cory was stretching in the face-off circle, a small smile gracing his face as he looked up at me. When he caught my eye he gave me a quick nod. It was rare for him to take his eyes off of the ice, in game or during warm-ups, so that gesture meant a lot; I think it meant that everything was going to be okay.

The game was an even match-up, with both teams having strong showings and plenty of scoring chances. Although I knew there was some tension between Cory and Levi, after their last encounter and the drama that had ensued, they both seemed to leave it behind them, playing a clean game. In such a tight match, a single penalty could be the game changer and neither wanted to be the reason for a loss.

Easton had opened up the scoring late in the second period, with Jeremy and Levi assisting. The Royals tied it up early in the third, causing the home fans to jump out of their seats and roar. The score stayed even through sixty minutes, causing the teams to go to a sudden death five minute overtime. It was Chad who broke the deadlock with a one-timer from the point. The few Blades fans who were in attendance, including my family, stood cheering, although I shot a sympathetic look over to Cory. He caught my eye once again and I mouthed “good game.” His nod signalled to me that he did in fact understand what I was saying which I was thankful for.

After the game, my family headed back to our hotel. I wished my parents a goodnight as they retreated to bed and I headed to the pool area. After a long day and spending hours in a chilled hockey rink, an evening in a hot tub sounded perfect. Once I reached the pool I pulled off my clothes, leaving me in the bikini I had layered under it. I grabbed a towel from the rack and walked over to the hot tub. I was the only one here and couldn’t be happier to be able to have some quiet alone time (in a hot tub nonetheless).

But that didn’t last for long.

My eyes were glued shut and I leaned back lazily in the warm water. I was daydreaming about something or other but that quickly ended as I felt cold hands grab my shoulders. I let out a scream, quickly opening my eyes and turning around to see Jeremy standing along the end of the tub laughing.

“Are you fucking serious?!” I shouted at him, giving him a glare.
“Nice to see you too,” he laughed before joining me in the hot water.

Several other players on the team entered the pool area as well, including Levi and Easton. As the rest of the team went to fool around in the pool, those two walked over and joined us in the hot tub.

Levi sat down on the submerged bench, close to me. He turned and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, “Hey love, what’s up?”
I felt blood run to my face as it heated up. A shy grin plastered my face as well. Although we had been close friends, this was completely new territory between us and I was still adjusting. “Same old, same old. Good game by the way! Probably could’ve gotten yourself a goal if that Easton Parker kid hadn’t been such a puck hog,” I let out a laugh as Easton glared, splashing water at me.
“You two are sickening,” Easton shot before sticking out his tongue at us.

The four of us chatted away, trying to talk over the boys who were yelling and jumping in the pool.

“Tier,” Jeremy asked, “What’re you doing for the rest of the night and tomorrow?”
“What time is it even now?” I looked around the room before my eyes stopped on a clock, “Okay it’s almost 11:00, so I dunno, chill here for a little bit then head to bed I guess. And tomorrow Cory’s picking me up at 11 and I think my family’s heading back home at about 3 or so.”

We continued to toss around jokes and laugh at the boys who were goofing off in the pool, but eventually I thought I should call it a night. My anxiety about brunch with Cory was growing, despite ur brief encounter tonight, and I knew it would be hard enough to get to sleep. I announced this to the three of them and started to pull myself out of the hot tub, cringing at the cold air greeting my skin.

I was sitting on the edge of the tub, wrapping myself in my towel trying to warm up as Levi spoke, “Actually, I think I’ll head up with you. It would probably be a good idea to rest up.”

The two of us bid farewell to our friends and made our way through the pool area and down the hallway to the elevator. As we pressed our respective buttons on the elevator, 4 for myself and 5 for Easton, I could feel his eyes on me.

“Okay, what do you want?” I chuckled.
“Wanna come relax in my room? Easton,” who was rooming with Levi on this trip, “probably won’t be up for a while yet.”
I shrugged, thinking that a quiet evening with Levi was sounding much better than a restless night in my bed. And we hadn’t really gotten much time for just the two of us in the past few weeks, with our busy schedules for hockey and school. “Gimme five to change and I’ll be up.” I spoke as the elevator stopped on my floor and I stepped off.
Just before the doors closed, separating us, Levi managed to give me his room number and I made a mental note of it. The last thing I needed to do was knock on the wrong door and wake up some of the players that had already called it a night.

I quickly unlocked my hotel room and quietly slide inside. My parents were asleep in bed closest to the window. I walked over to my bed, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a ribbed tank top before going into the washroom to change out of my damp bikini.

A few minutes later I was standing outside of Levi’s room, knocking on his door softly. I played with hands nervously. Not because of Levi, but incase one of the other players looked through the peephole and saw me here. I didn’t want them to make assumptions. Sure, our close friends knew we were trying out a relationship, but other than that, we had kept it on the downlow; we weren’t sure if it was something that was really going to work out and didn’t feel the need to announce it to his whole team. Luckily, the hallway seemed undisturbed and Levi answered the door promptly.

We made our way into his room and I followed him to his bed. We were both sitting, leaned back against the headboard, with a few inches separating us.

“Wanna just flip through the channels and see what’s on TV?” He asked, a smile gracing his face. I nodded, not being able to stop a smiling from plastering on my own. Sure, the newness in our relationship was a little awkward but it was also the kind that made my stomach fill with butterflies.

“Stop, stop stop!” I exclaimed, upon seeing the TV. “Okay, we have to watch Two Broke Girls; there is honest to God no funnier show on television.”
Levi was chuckling at my sudden outburst but complied, setting down the remote and taking my hand in his instead. “This better be good,” he looked over at me and winked.

We laughed our way through an episode and a half of the show, making our own jokes along the way. We were now comfortable, lying down in the bed. He had his arm wrapped around me and my head was resting on his chest. Every time it vibrated with laughter, it caused a huge grin to appear on my face. I just felt so happy and at peace. But suddenly a shiver tore through my body, making me realize how chilled I was. I guess I still hadn’t fully warmed up after coming out of the hot tub.

“Is it fucking cold in here or is that just me?” I asked.
“Now that you mention it, it is pretty cold.”

I sat up, pulling at the blankets around us. Levi sat up as well, making it easier to grab at the blankets. Before I knew it, we were both sitting wrapped tightly in blankets, looking like human burritos.

“Why did we go to all of this work,” he motioned at the mess we had made, “when we could’ve just turned up the heat?”

And then, in our exhausted states, proceeded to laugh and laugh, realizing that we had obviously chosen the harder method of warming up.

“Oh my God, I have to take a picture of this,” I spat out between laughs. We were both in near hysterics, looking at each other and the bed we had stripped clean of sheets.

I pulled out my phone and ensured it was on front camera before posing for a picture with Levi. We both had silly expression on our faces, bundled up in our blankets. Our laughs grew as we looked at the screen for a moment before I posted it to Instagram. I proceeded to tag Levi and caption it:

@TierneyyWill: Post-game slumber parties bc we’re cooler than you✌

I figured it seemed acceptable enough; we had posted similar funny photos several times throughout our friendship and I only had my close friends as followers.
I wasn’t surprised to see Easton’s name on my phone as he commented just moments later.

@EParsky19: Wtf Tier, get out of my room
@EParksy19:Ugh go back to your own room
@EParksy19: Istg if I walk in on something
@EParksy19: Actually tell me why I wasn’t invited
@AmandaGracexo: You two are so fucking cute, get out

I showed Levi my phone and we both chuckled as we received a few more laugh-worthy comments.

After watching TV and chatting for a little while longer, Easton came through the door.

“Did I ever say you could come into my room?” He joked.
I paused for a second, before firing back, “Well if you want to keep living in my house, you better shut your mouth.”
“She got you there,” Levi commented.

The three of us hung out and watched another episode of Two Broke Girls before we called it a night. The boys had a game the following evening in another city and were leaving here at around noon, so even though it was fairly late they’d still manage to get a decent amount of sleep. And I really should be getting some sleep before facing Cory.

I wished Easton good luck as Levi walked me back towards my room. Since we were just a floor apart, we took the stairs, giving us an extra minute.

“I know you’re worried about tomorrow, but don’t be. Cory’s your best friend and you’ll work it out. You two care about each other too much to let a petty little fight come between you.”

His words caused a smile to form on my face. I knew that he was still feeling a little uncomfortable with Cory after how the whole situation unfolded between us, and I couldn’t be happier that he was pushing it aside. He knew how important Cory was to me and even if it made him a little uneasy, he was willing to make a bit of a sacrifice to make me happy.

We reached my room and I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a quick hug and peck on the cheek.

“You’re the best.”
“Don’t give me so much credit,” he nudged my side.
“Good luck tomorrow. I know you guys will kill ‘em out there.”
“Thanks Tier. I’ll see you Monday,” he gave me a warm smile and a small wave before heading back down the hallway.

I made my way inside of my room and into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed. I looked into the mirror and smiled at what I saw. I was glowing with happiness. And I could only hope that my optimistic attitude would pay off going into tomorrow.