Tomorrow's a New Day

4:55...just made it. Lily thought walking into the BCA with enough time to get ready for the game.

Lily was nonstop moving today, her schedule changing last minute; she had four classes starting at 8:00am, then one of her students had to change to the afternoon so right after class, she went way over the speed limit to meet the girl and worked with her for an hour and a half, then finally made it to BCA to help out the equipment team finish up the locker room.

"You just made it Lily."

"I know Jack, I'm sorry. I had a student reschedule." Jack, the Assistant Equipment manager, knew Lily was very busy with three jobs and school, so he cut her some slack. If ever late, Lily made up for it.

"Go finish up the locker room then get something to eat." Just as he said that, Lily's stomach growled. Jack could only assume the girl hasn't had anything to eat all day, she usually didn't eat before work.

Lily dropped her backpack off at the office and headed to the locker room. She finished up the little jobs left and headed to make herself a peanut butter sandwich. While she munched on her dinner, she scanned the game notes checking it for mistakes. Signing off that the notes were good, a few of the Amerks, dressed in their under gear and sweats walked in.

"Lily! Good to see you again!" Jon Parker greeted. Phil Varone, David Leggio, and Travis Turnbull followed behind him, all starting to make their own snacks. Except Phil.

"Hey! That's my dinner!" Lily said as the forward took the other half of her sandwich and began eating it.

"There's no jelly on this." He commented.

"That's because I don't like jelly! If you want jelly make your own sammich!" Phil just shrugged taking his third and final bite of the peanut butter and bread. "Was it good?"

"Could use some jelly." Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'll see you boys later." She said, getting off the stool she was sitting on and heading for the exit. Of course on her way out, she picked up the other half of Phil's sandwich and taking a bite. The rest of the guys laughed as Lily headed back to the office and the Amerk forward pouted.

After dropping the game notes off, Jack instructed her to go put out the Gatorade by the benches. As she made her way back from doing her job, she spotted Marcus in the hallway by the locker room, stretching.

He sat there in the butterfly stretch, his headphones blasting the loudest music he had on his iPod. His head was ducked down and from what Lily could see his eyes were closed. Standing there in front of him, she could easily hear the not so happy lyrics come from the ear buds.

"Marcus?" She said but he never moved. She was afraid to touch him, not wanting to break the trance or give him a heart attack. Maybe he fell asleep

Just as she thought this, he moved to a new stretch and realizing that someone was standing in front of him. His eyes followed up the khaki legs to the dark blue Amerks jacket and to the face of Lily. Marcus instantly smiled. Seconds before, he'd been pissed at everything. His day not exactly going the way it should and it was screwing his game day routines up. But one look at Lily, and it all washes away.

"Hey Lily."

"Hi Marcus. How's it going?" He shrugged, not in the mood to discuss his day.

"Been better. You?"

"I'm exhausted." Marcus patted the ground in front of him, inviting Lily to make herself comfortable, "I had four classes today from 8 to 2. Then I had to beast it over to the studio to work with one of my students that rescheduled last minute and I just had enough time to make it here. But you wanna know the worst thing that happened today?"

"I'm in suspense." He teased.

"Varone ate my sammich." Marcus let out a hearty laugh.

"I'll make sure to hit him when I see him next."

"No need. I stole his sammich." As they talked, Marcus spread his legs as wide as he could and leaned to the right. Feeling left out, Lily did the same.

"I hope your day was more exciting then mine." Lily said, as they switched to the left side.

"Not exactly."

"Wanna talk about it?" Moving to stretch down the middle, Lily held her hands out for Marcus. He raised an eyebrow but took them, letting her pull him further down the middle.

"Lily, I can't stretch that far." He complained feeling the pull in his thighs.

"You need to be more flexible." He rolled his eyes, changing it up and pulling her down the middle. He pulled back as far as he could waiting for Lily to tell him to stop but when she rested her chest on the ground, his eyes widened. "I'm a gymnast, remember?"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" David Leggio said when he and the other players spotted the two stretching. He took a spot next to Lily and stretched out just like her, showing off his flexible goalie skills. Every stretch Lily did, David followed. Lily's last stretch, she knew would stump Leggio. She bridged and waited for David to do the same.

"Try this one." She said, flipping her legs over and planting her feet.

"Yeah...I don't think so." He dropped down onto his back and brushed himself off. The guys clapped, impressed with the small brunettes moves.

Everyone walked to the locker room to continue with their routines, "How did you do that?"

"A lot of practice." Lily answered Phil.

After all the stretches, Lily was sweating. She hadn't had the chance to shower and really change for work, so she was stuck with her leotard underneath her pants and jacket. She waved her hand in front of her to cool herself down, "You okay?" Marcus asked noticing her actions.

"Yeah, I'm just really warm. And I smell. I didn't get a chance to shower and change before I got here." She unzipped part of her jacket to show off the black leotard underneath.

Out of no where, something was sprayed on Lily's back and the smell of Axe filled the air around her, "What the hell?"

"You smell." Phil said walking back to his stall and put his body spray away.

"Now I'm gonna smell like a dude!"

"What's wrong with smelling like a dude?" Joe Finely asked, walking up to her, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Lily had to slightly bend her back to look straight up at the 6'8" man in front of her.

"N-nothing's wrong. I love smelling like a guy." She coward. Joe cracked a grin and went back to his stall. "As fun as this is, I need to get going. Good luck tonight boys. Break a leg."

The boys let out a harty-har-har as she walked out, letting the guys get ready for their game.

Sadly, the boys couldn't make the win happen tonight. They lost it 2-3 in overtime against the Heat only seconds into the extra minutes. To have a come back and then lose it seconds into your second chance was not the feeling Lily wanted the guys to go through. At least they have one more game tomorrow. She thought.

"Lily, we're gonna need you to come with us tomorrow to Syracuse." Ben told her as she gathered some of the equipment to prepare for tomorrows quick road trip.

"Oh, um...really?"

"Yeah, Jack can't make it and you're the next best thing. Is that okay?" Lily was planning on getting some homework done since she didn't have to work at Target this weekend but her plans were suddenly changing.

"Sure, yeah it's fine. I'll be here." Ben smiled and headed off to finish the job.

"Hey do you wanna head to the diner tonight?" Marcus asked out of nowhere, causing Lily to jump.

"Oh, yeah sure we can go. I just need to pack up the rest of this stuff." Marcus smiled walking off to the locker room to change, seeing as he was still in his hockey uniform.

Lily just dragged the last hockey bag into the equipment room when her phone buzzed twenty minutes later.

1 New Text Message: Marcus Foligno
I'll meet you at the diner.

Lily smirked forgetting that he had put his number in her phone only 24 hours ago. Oh my god I have Marcus Foligno's number Lily chuckled and cringed at the thought of all the women that would hunt her down for it.

Reply:
Ok, see you there

Most of the cars in the parking lot were gone, seeing as they didn't have to pack up the boy's equipment. Lily climbed into her Jeep and drove in the direction of the diner.

Dan's parking lot was about as empty as the BCA's. A group of three or four were parked towards the back but one very nice looking SUV sat in the front, indicating that Marcus was here.

Walking in, she immediately smiled spotting the smiling forward, "I already ordered for you." He told her as she sat down across from him in their booth.

"Good 'cause I'm hungry." She sipped the water that was already at the table for her, "So how's your day...besides the game?" Marcus sighed.

"Just, having a tough time with Tiffany."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's mad 'cuz I didn't answer my phone when she called." That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Lily thought, controlling her eye rolling.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I was with you."

"You should of answered. It's not a big deal."

"But that's rude. And...I didn't really want too."

"What else is going on Marcus?" Lily could sense that there was more than Marcus was telling her. She knew since they weren't that close that Marcus would be hesitant in telling her but she'd like to believe that there was...some connection between them that he could tell her anything.

"Thing's are different. I met her not long after I moved here. Everything was great but...something happened."

"What happened?" He shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't know if she changed or if I did but thing's aren't the same. They haven't been in a while."

"Well, how are you going to fix it?"

"I have no clue. How do you fix something when you don't exactly know what's broken?" This time Lily shrugged.

"Take her out to a nice dinner. Go to a movie and ice cream. Or skating. Something that just the two of you can enjoy."

"Tiffany likes to go out to clubs. I have no problem with that but...she goes out every weekend. If she's not with me, she's with her friends. And the only time she's with just me is when she wants something."

"Okay well...I guess you have to figure out if you even want to fix it."

Marcus stayed quiet as Dan brought over their food and they nibbled on their meals. Lily was worried she said something wrong but she was just giving him an honest statement.

The Amerk forward let Lily's words soak in as he picked at his fries. She had a point. He had no idea how to fix this thing with Tiffany and he wasn't as happy as he once was. At least...not with Tiffany. Marcus was happy right now. He may not look like it but he enjoys Lily's company.

And the feeling was mutual. Since meeting Marcus, Lily found herself walking around with a smile on her face. She looked forward to working at the BCA because she could see him...and the other guys. God, what am I thinking?

Lily had spent numerous hours trying to convince herself that whatever was happening between the her and the Amerks player was nothing but a mere friendship. The thought of anything more was out of the question even if Marcus was having a rough time with his girlfriend. Even if Marcus was single, Lily declared it impossible to date him. He is Marcus Foligno. Girls hump the ground he walks on. They crave his attention, looking for that spark of hope that it will be him that brings them to their ultimate pleasure.

That's the different between Lily and other girls...she can control herself. Having association with Marcus that was more than a friendship will brew trouble.

"So what are you doing tomorrow? Working at Target?"

"Actually I'm going to Syracuse with you guys."

"Really? Why?"

"If you don't want me to go just tell me--"

"No I didn't mean it like that. You don't usually go on the road with us, that's all."

"Ben told me that Jack couldn't go so I'm next in line." Marcus smiled.

"That's cool. You're first road trip." Lily didn't understand why Marcus was happier about this trip than she was, and it was scaring her.

"It's not a big deal. Syracuse is an hour and a half away. We'll be there and back."

"We'll have to get you on a weekend roadie."

"What makes you think I want to spend the night with you clowns?" Lily joked, too afraid to think of being in a hotel with that team.

"We're fun guys, Lily. You'd have a good time." Marcus said with a sly grin. Lily sat back in her seat.

"That scares me." He laughed.

"No need to worry Lily. I won't let anything happen to you." A milkshake was needed after Marcus' comment. She leaned her head in her hands to cover up the blush residing on her face. "Tomorrow is going to be fun.

"Marcus commented, noticing the red on Lily's cheeks.

"No, I have homework I need to do."

"Do it Sunday."

"Sunday's the Super Bowl. All I'm doing Sunday is eating."

"Who you cheering for?"

"Giants of course."

"Oh...never mind then."

"What's wrong with the Giants?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was going to invite you to our little Super Bowl party and most of the boys are Pats fans. So...you're not invited anymore."

"What makes you think I wanna be surrounded by a bunch of losers?" Marcus sat up, playing off being offended.

"Losers? You are mistaken. The Giants are losers so you're a loser by association."

"You wanna bet?"

"You're on girly. What do you want? "

"Giants win...," Lily titled her head, a finger tapping her chin as she thought of a prize for the Giants victory, "You take me to a Sabres game. You drive, pay for parking, and food." Lily dealt with a grin.

"Okay. If the Patriots win...I want a home cooked meal...for a week."

"You don't know how to cook?"

"I do but it sucks. And Varone's tired of cooking for me. Do we have a deal?" Marcus extended his right hand waiting for Lily to accept.

"Deal."



The road trip to Syracuse was productive for the boys, winning it in a heart attack close Overtime but Lily wasn't able to get any of her homework done.

The ride there consisted of the boys tormenting Lily with ridiculous questions and comments. Having only met them half way through the season, Lily was starting to regret talking to Marcus that one faithful day.

The ride home was all talk about their win and the big football game the next day. And when Marcus decided to open his big mouth and let the whole team know Lily was a Giants fan, that hour and a half felt like three hours. Marcus even told them about the bet and the team started putting in their own deals.

What started out as a week of home cooked meals for one guy became a variety of different bets; more home cooked meals, laundry for a week, babysitting children and dogs, and even a date with Phil Varone.

The Giants have to win or I will be so pissed.

When she went to bed late Saturday night, she was planning on sleeping in until 5 since she was ridiculously tired for the busy weekend, and maybe getting some homework done before she drove over to Marcus' place. But that's not what happened.

What actually happened was that her phone blasted, obviously forgotting to turn the volume off, and Marcus' name flashed across the screen, "You better be dying." She hissed into the phone. Marcus chuckled.

"Morning to you too. You have 20 minutes to get ready."

"20 minutes? The game isn't until tonight."

"And we've got to get ready for the game."

"Marcus...it's like...2:45."

"And you're still sleeping? Damn, but you still need to get up. We need to make a couple stops first."

"Can I at lease have half an hour. I want to shower."

"Whatever you want princess. I'll call you when I'm there."

Marcus hung up leaving Lily to argue with herself about getting out of bed. When she finally did, she had 20 minutes to get in the shower and get ready.

Once showered, changed, and presentable looking, Lily added just a little make-up and made sure she had her keys, wallet, and phone together when Marcus showed up.

"Where are you headed?" Lily's roommate, Rose, asked returning from where ever she was the night before.

"I was invited to a Super Bowl party." Rose smiled.

Lily wasn't a going out kind of gal. No matter how many times Rose would ask, Lily would say no or she say was working. Rose was happy that she was finally going to some form of party. She was starting to be convinced that Lily didn't have many friends on campus.

"That's awesome. I might have a few friends over to watch the game." Lily nodded, perfectly fine with her roommate's plan.

"I'm not sure what time I'll be back."

"Just be careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." The roommates laughed knowing full well how short that list was.

Lily and Rose weren't your usually roommates. Polar opposites when it came to living, personality, and characteristics. Lily was a reserved, short, brunette, keeping to herself most of the time. Whereas Rose was outgoing, tall, and blonde. She partied every weekend or hung out with friends, or a guy, almost every night. Rose had her crazy moments but she was extremely nice. If she went out, she never brought a guy back without warning Lily hours in advance, she drank responsibly never getting into a vehicle or calling Lily if it ever came to it. Rose was a nursing major, extremely smart and with a GPA of 3.7. She respected Lily's lifestyle but always asked if she wanted to go out or have one of the drinks she had stashed away in their room.

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you/Been here all along so why can't you see?/You belong with me/You belong with me

Lily pulled her phone out of her pocket, her roommate giving her an arched eyebrow as she answered it, "Hello?"

"Hey I'm out front."

"I'll be right there."

"That sounded like a man." Rose pointed out, a smirk on her lips and a hand on her hip.

"It's just a friend from work. He's waiting outside for me."

"Have fun Lily." Lily slipped on her coat and walked up to Marcus' SUV parked outside in front of her dorm.

"Seriously?" Was the first thing he said, taking in her outfit choice, as she heaved herself into the passenger seat. Lily rolled her eyes. "We need to stop at Target. I might have you just sit in the car." Marcus teased as he pulled onto the road and in the direction of Lily's Target.

"What makes you think I wanna be seen with you?" She said nodding at his Patriots hat.

Walking into Target, the two kept a good distance between each other. Marcus grabbed a cart and headed for the food aisles, stocking up on everything required for a Super Bowl Party; chips, dips, sodas, and candy.

"How much food do you need?" Lily asked as Marcus continued to pile the cart up.

"The whole team will be there so...a lot."

"I could make ten times better snacks than this." She said gesturing into the cart.

"Be my guest then." He replied letting go of the cart. Lily huffed and started grabbing all kinds of ingredients needed for the perfect finger snacks.

Marcus just watched as she dropped different things into their cart, wondering what kinds of snacks she's planning on making.

Tiffany would never do this. He thought as Lily traded out some of the soda with something a little healthier, since they're still in season. His girlfriend wasn't even planning on being at his place for the party. He actually had no idea where she was going. She never told him, "I'm going out." She'd say.

And god, she would turn her nose up at what Lily was wearing. The jeans had to be painted on, the shirt had to go through the dryer a few times, the shoes needed a pointed heel, and a hat? Out of the question.

At first, Tiffany was hot. She knew how to make a guy turn his head, just like it did for Marcus. But that was the beginning of the season. Now, it was getting out of hand and Marcus would of never realized it until he met this plain Jane with sneakers, jeans, a jersey, and a baseball cap sitting comfortably on her head.

If anyone asked, Marcus would admit it wasn't Lily's looks that caught his eye but as he got to know her more and more, he couldn't imagine Lily dressed like his present girlfriend. It's who Lily is and Marcus was starting to like this more than the dolled up Tiffany.

"You ready to go?" Lily asked Marcus. She noticed his quietness as he followed her up and down the aisles trading out some of the food he put in with some healthier, better tasting things.

Marcus nodded and both got in line in one of the cash registers.

"Lily, you're not suppose to be here." Wanda, a fellow employee, said.

"Need some stuff for the Super Bowl." Lily told the much older woman.

"How cute. Watching the Super Bowl with the bf." Lily's eyes widened as this assumption.

"Oh, she's not my--"

"I'm not his girlfriend. We're not together." Wanda looked between the two of them sensing the obvious awkwardness in the area.

"Oh..I'm sorry." Wanda finished scanning everything and gave them a total. Marcus handed her his card just as Lily handed Wanda her employee discount card.

"Have a nice day." The older woman said as Marcus pushed the cart filled with bags towards the exit and his car. Lily and Marcus loaded up his car in silence, both too awkward to even look at each other as they alternated putting the bags in the back of his SUV.

"I'll, uh, go put the cart away." Marcus said. Lily nodded and quickly jumped into the passenger seat, letting out the breath she had been holding since the awkward situation was created.

Boyfriend? Really Wanda? Lily thought back on the situation, banging her head against the headrest. That's just awesome.

The SUV filled up quickly with the awkward tension between the two friends. Not even the radio could help. Every station decided to play every love song ever made, resulting in turning it off completely.

Parking in front of his house, Marcus detached his hands from the steering wheel that he had been white knuckling the whole way home and helped Lily carry the Target bags into his place.

"Lily!" Zach yelled out as she followed Marcus into the small kitchen.

"Welcome home Badassian." She said, recalling Zach's quick call up to the Sabres a few days ago. She had heard he was returning today after the Sabres win against the Islanders.

"Are you partying with us?" He asked with that toothless grin.

"I'm even making snacks for you animals."

"I knew I liked you." He said putting his arm around her shoulders.

"If you like me so much, go help Marcus get the rest of the bags." She smirked at him. He winked and followed his teammate outside.

"So you're Lily." Brayden McNabb said coming around the corner into the kitchen. Lily never got the chance to actually meet Brayden since he had been up with the Sabres and then getting injured. This weekend was his first time back.

"And you're Brayden. It's nice to finally meet you." Lily said, sticking out a hand for him to shake.

"I'm sorry to be rude, but you're wearing Giants stuff."

"And you're a Patriots fan?" He nodded. "Understandable."

Marcus and Zach returned inside, their arms carrying the rest of the bags and set them on the floor by Lily's feet.

"Do you need any help with anything?" Marcus offered while the other two went into the living room.

"I might. I can use your height." Marcus nodded and did as Lily said. He would retrieve the bowls and pans for her while she mixed the different ingredients to make the same snacks her father use to make for any big game. It was a tradition for Lily and she was sharing it with the people she never imagined would befriend her. What would my father think?

What would my mother think?

The front door swinging open knocked Lily from her thoughts as hockey player after hockey player piled into the house. Several of them were wearing the pride of their favorite team on their shirts or baseball cap.

"Smells good in here." David Leggio said coming into the kitchen, ready for the Giants to win.

"I hope so. I wouldn't want to be in a room full of angry, hungry hockey players." He laughed, nodding his head. Lily handed the goalie a tray of veggies to take out to the rest of his teammates.

By game time, Lily was able to make different dips, finger foods, and even decorative cupcakes for both teams. She laid out the food buffet style and called out to everyone that the food was ready, "Hockey players go last." She ordered earning multiple groans of disappointment as some of the girlfriends and wives got up to make a plate for themselves.

When all the ladies were served, the boys attacked the buffet table scrapping the bottom of every bowl and pan for the last bit of food.

"Aren't you getting any?" Marcus asked seeing Lily waiting.

"I'm just making sure everyone gets some." One would think that Lily was the hostess of this party, keeping an eye on the food and if everyone has enough.

Tiffany would never do that. He thought.

"Come on. Get some food, a beer, and relax." Marcus told her. Lily smiled picking up a plate of her own and a beer. The only spot really left for the tiny brunette was on the floor in front of David who sat comfortably on the couch.

For the entire game, the cheering went back and forth between the Giants fans and the Patriot fans. When the Giants scored their first two points, there was no stopping Lily from rubbing it in Marcus' face. But then the Patriots came back, Marcus let Lily know just how excited he was about having a home cooked meals, "I'm a big steak guy. But on game days I prefer pasta."

"The games not over yet Foligno."

The Patriots scored a few more times but the Giants weren't going to let their fans down. With a minute left in the fourth quarter, Bradshaw ran the ball right into Patriots territory, the Giants taking the lead and keeping it until the time read 0:00. The Giants just won the Super Bowl and Lily was going to a Sabres game.

The few Giants fans in the room cheered and danced around, rubbing the win in the Patriots fans faces. Marcus sat on the couch holding his head, "Don't worry Marcus, we'll have a good time at the Sabres game." Lily gloated her winnings in his face. Marcus wasn't too keen on loosing but he couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

"I'm going to a Sabres game! I'm going to a Sabres game!" She chanted.

"Lily, the New York Giants just won the Super Bowl, what are you going to do next?" David said, holding an invisible microphone in front of Lily.

"I'm going to a Sabres game!" She yelled, everyone clapping.

"You're lucky she's not making you take her to Disney World." Phil pointed out to Marcus.

"There's always the NHL playoffs." Lily said. Marcus groaned putting his head back in his hands.

"Marcus?" A female voice said over the cheering fans. The entire room turned to the voice finding Tiffany standing there, a confused look on her face.

"Tiffany? What are you doing here?" Marcus said standing up and walking over to his girlfriend.

"I thought you and I could hang out for a little bit but I see you've got company." She replied, recognizing the players and their significant other, except one girl in a Manning jersey.

Lily could feel the glare Marcus' girlfriend was giving her from across the room. This is not awkward or anything.

"I thought you were hanging with some friends."

"I was but I'm done." Tiffany said looking back at her boyfriend.

The atmosphere in the room quickly changed when Tiffany joined the party. Lily was assuming from the way Marcus' fellow teammates were acting, they weren't big fans of the tall, tan, blonde girlfriend. And from the way Tiffany was hanging onto Marcus and sending her death glares, Lily was starting to understand why.

"I should be heading out. I've got an early class."

"I'll take you home." Brayden offered.

"See you guys Friday. Good luck Wednesday." Lily said as she grabbed her stuff from the kitchen.

"So you work with the Amerks, eh?" Brayden said after the first five minutes of the car ride started out in silence. Lily nodded.

"So you play with the Amerks, eh?" She mocked back trying to break the ice between the Amerk she just met only a few hours ago.

"How come I've never seen you before?"

"I'm kinda all over the place. Plus you've been in Buffalo for a while. Congrats by the way."

"Thanks."

"It must be awesome playing with them. You're living the dream." Brayden grinned.

"You ever been to a Sabres game before?" Lily shook her head, "Well, maybe when Foligno takes you, I'll be back up there. You can see me play there." Lily blushed, biting her lower lip. Is he flirting with me?

"I like seeing you guys play on the Amerks. Even if it is awesome you get called up."

The air between the two seemed to relax as Lily gave directions to her school. Some casual conversation got the two to learn about the other up until Brayden pulled up in front of Lily's dorm, "Thanks for bringing me back. You didn't have too."

"I wanted too. The guys seem to like you. I thought I should get to know you myself."

"I appreciate it. And I'm sorry the Patriots lost."

"Okay, now you can get out of my car." He joked. Brayden looked over at the girl in his passenger seat.

He could honestly say he has never seen her since playing for the Amerks. But like Lily said, a lot of his time was spent with Buffalo. Lily was certainly a cool girl, and the guys seemed to like her. She was different from some of the girlfriends of his teammates and it was a nice change. And as plain as her looks were, there was something about Lily that interested the defenseman.

"Well this was fun. Thanks for letting me crash your party and cook food." He smiled.

"Anytime."

"I'll see you later Brayden. Kick ass in Toronto."

"Will do. Have a good night Lily."

"You too." Lily climbed out of the car and walked to her dorm, turning around for one last wave before reality came back.