A Broken Promise

“Lena!”
My blue eyes met Hanna’s chocolate ones as she bent over to stare directly at me. “What?”
“Can we go soon? We’ll be late for the game.”
I was putting my makeup brushes into the bag I carry around to different jobs. We had just finished at a runway show with about five other makeup artists because there was just so many models. It was a hectic day.
“I’m ok with being late,” I mumbled in Swedish, earning myself a slap on the head. I glared at Hanna as I rubbed the impact site. “That hurt you know.”
She snorted, replying back in our native tongue. “Good! Now come on, Brendan will be meeting us at the train station.” Brendan is her fiance. Gee, I’m so excited to be going to a hockey game, which I have distanced myself from to the highest level, and I get to be a third wheel. What a great day to be Lena Nielssen.
I stood up as I zipped up my makeup bag and grabbed my coat which rested on the chair of my designated station.
“Excuse me?”
I turned around to face a a girl shorter than I, with brown blonde hair, blue eyes, and a very sweet, gentle face. She smiled at me and held out a makeup brush in her hand in my direction. “You dropped this.” She had an accent.
I blinked and took the brush. “Oh, thank you,” I said gratefully, putting it away. “I need to stop dropping my brushes and then forgetting about them.”
The girl smile. “And, to be honest, I couldn’t help but notice that you spoke Swedish to your friend.” She beckoned to Hanna who was talking with one of the models while getting ready to leave. Then the girl spoke in Swedish to me, much to my surprise. “I’m Swedish as well.” She smiled. “It’s not too often I meet another Swede. I’m Elina.” She held out her hand.
I took it and smiled at her. “Lena, it’s a pleasure. I have not met another person from Sweden in my time here. And I’ve been here for four years.”
“I have a few friends.” She smiled sweetly. “You’re welcome to meet them sometime. It’s nice to know others from the homeland. Where do you live?”
“In the city,” I said as I grabbed my stuff and shouldered it.
Elina’s eyes lit up as she grabbed her own belongings and we walked side by side. “I do too, with my boyfriend. We should all meet up sometime.”
“That’s be great!” I said, smiling at her. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “What’s your number?”
Elina did the same, and we ended up switching phones and put our numbers in the other’s phone. “Maybe we’ll have jobs together again,” she said excitedly, shaking my hand again as we ended up by the cab, which Hanna was already inside of.
I took it. ”Maybe.” We smiled at each other. “See you again. Soon I hope.”
Elina laughed and started walking away. “Goodbye, Lena.” She nodded and headed from her car.
I got into the cab and Hanna raised a dark eyebrow at me. “Who was that?”
“Her name is Elina,” I said as I buckled myself in and the cab was on the way to the train station. “She’s from Sweden too. We promised to meet up sometime.”
Hanna grinned and clapped my shoulder. “Good! Cause you need more friends besides just me.” I rolled my eyes. “Hopefully she’ll introduce you to others as well.”
“She said that she has a few friends here who are also Swedish.”
“Wicked!”
I smiled and settled comfortably in my seat.
“Are you excited?”
I sighed and glanced at Hanna. “Do I look excited?”
Hanna threw her hands up. She always has been the dramatic one. “Smile for once, Lena! Shit. This will be a great game.”
“Who’re they playing?” I muttered.
“The Jets.”
“You mean the Jets-Thrashers-Jets?” My lips twitched slightly. That’s what my younger brother called them.
He called them Trashers...
I shook my head. No use thinking about the past.
“You’re so funny,” Hanna said as we reached the train station and we got out of the cab, paying before we left. “But seriously. I think this will be good for you. You’re brother loves hockey. Don’t you miss talking about it with him?”
“I suppose.”
“Alright then!” Hanna strode forward with her confident gait. “Glad we have an understanding. Now cheer up. We have a game to get to.”
I sighed and followed behind. This should be fun.



Brendan indeed did pick us up from the station and before we knew it, much to my demise, we were at the United Center; did I get that right?
Once in the building, the cold air and the smell of the ice brought back so many memories. My heart constricted and I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment before taking a deep breath and calming myself down.
“Come on, our seats are this way,” Brendan, a frequent fan in the United Center, said as he led us to our seats.
We sat two rows above the players benches for the home side. Once in our seats, I took in my surroundings. The Blackhawks banners, as well as the Bulls, hung down from the rafters, showing off all that they’ve won. My eyes settled on the Stanley Cup Champions banner from 2010. It was the newest of the banners upon the rafters.
“Lena, you look like you’re going to puke,” Hanna whispered in Swedish to me. “The guys are going to come on the ice any minute for warm-ups. Try not to run away while I go with Brendan to get something to eat. Want anything?”
“Just a water, please.”
Hanna nodded and the couple got up and left me alone.
I just sat there quietly and looked around. Then the horn sounded and the players came up from the runway and hit the ice.
Warm-ups continued on, and the game soon was about to start after the anthem was sung.
My eyes followed the players blindly as I tried to see who was who.
But then my vision was blocked by someone taking their seat in front of me. And I got an eyeful of a very familiar name upon that Blackhawks jersey.
“No, no no no no,” I muttered, launching myself to my feet and stumbling over myself. “This can’t be happening.”
“Lena?”
I looked at Hanna and Brendan who were staring at me with curious faces, apparently noticing my horrified look. “What’s going on?” Brendan asked.
The starting lineups were being announced.
“...on the left wing... Viktor Stalberg...”
I think I almost puked.
As that oh so familiar name echoed through the rink, Hanna’s eyes widened in horror along with me. “Oh no.”
I pushed past my friend and her fiance and started to go up the steps towards the exit. My heart was racing in my chest as unwanted tears filled my eyes.
“Lena! Lena wait!” Hanna caught up and grabbed my arm before I made my escape. “Wait!”
“He’s here, Hanna! In a one of thirty chance that we’d be in the same city as him, going to a game in which he is apart of that team, he’s here!” Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I want to get out of here.”
Hanna grabbed my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. Even though I wanted to, I just couldn’t look away from her. “Listen to me, Lena Nielssen. It’s not like he knows you are here. Just stay and watch the game. Maybe you can start liking the other team,” she joked. I didn’t smile and she sighed. “Please, don’t leave.” Her eyes begged me. “Just... just pretend he isn’t there.”
“I’ll have to stare at his back when he’s on the bench,” I said in a strained voice.
“Then just focus on the ice. Please, don’t leave.”
I mentally fought with myself, my eyes finding him on the ice against my will, and I quickly averted my gaze. “Ok,” I finally said quietly. “For you.”
Hanna hugged me tightly. “It’ll be ok. Every time he’s on the ice, just look away or at your phone or something.”
I nodded and followed Hanna as she took my hand in hers and led me back to our seats.
All through the game, my heart just tore in my chest. Especially whenever he stepped on the ice. I couldn’t help but notice that his playing style barely changed from over seven years ago. Same with those handsome looks. He’s still the same... makes me wonder if he is still the same in personality too. That personality that I love so much.
I glanced away from his back, another tear escaping.
And yet, every time he was on the ice, I watched him.
While doing so, things went wrong.
The man I once spent every waking moment with was boarded from behind. I gasped automatically as he hit the ice and didn’t get up. I got to my feet, along with plenty of other fans, and stared in horror, all of the emotions I felt back in Sweden when I watched him play flooding back, causing my heart to break all over again.
What did I do to deserve this?



Viktor Stalberg’s PoV:
I wasn’t having one of my better games, that’s for sure. I never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. I hit a few posts, and even a teammate, but not the goalie on any shot I took.
My teammates were frustrated with me, so was coach, but I was also extremely frustrated at myself. I didn’t understand what happened.
And then it happened.
Someone from the other team, I’m not sure who, slammed me hard into the boards in front of the bench. I crumbled to the ground as my teammates growled and shouted at the guy while I just moaned in pain. The whistle was finally blown.
Our athletic trainer was at my side and with help from Tazer, I was on my feet, unable to put any weight on my left foot. I glanced at the guys on the bench as the cheered for me, and my eyes rose to over their heads.
I stopped dread in my tracks, causing Tazer to stop and stare at me with a strange expression. But I ignored him as my eyes rested upon the blue ones that I know almost better than my own.
“Impossible,” I muttered.
“What?” Tazer asked, confused. “Did you hit your head too? Are you concussed?”
I ignored my captain, who looked annoyed. She was staring at me, her expression filled with shock, and deep, deep pain.
Then she grabbed her things and marched up the stairs, leaving the ice behind her.
My heart stopped as I watched her leave. I felt all emotion just drain from my body as I watched her ever faithful friend glance at me, her eyes hard and angry, before following her.
Then I doubled over myself and puked, causing Tazer and our trainer to jump back.
“Maybe he really is concussed,” Tazer muttered, pulling me along to the runway before I leaned heavily on the trainer’s shoulders to go down the runway.
She’s here... in this city. She was just feet from me.
She was crying... Hanna looked like she wanted to kill me.
Though... I deserve it. I know I do.
And that sickening feeling is what made me retch all over again.