I'm Just a Kid That Tried Too Hard

I meet Tyler down at the ice. He texted me during the break after the second quarter to meet him there when I was ready. I ran into the employee bathroom and changed into a classy, short cocktail dress that I borrowed from my friend Ariel. I walk down the steps to see him standing there with a big grin. He holds out a hand which I gladly accept.

He leads me out to his black range rover. I have to pause to take a look at the thing. It’s not every day that you get to ride in nice cars, though this is the second time in three days. I laugh at the thought. Tyler looks at me questionably. “Hockey players have nice cars.” I say sheepishly. He smiles, “I can’t argue with that.”

We walk into the bar and immediately spot his teammates and friends are the life of this place. Everyone is around them. Milan Lucic spots us and calls out, “SEGS HAS A GIRL!” The rest of them turn around. I don’t need a mirror to see that I’m most likely a dark shade of red. Seguin smiles and puts a hand on my lower back, guiding me towards the guys and their dates.

We take two stool seats to the left of Marchand. I end up in the middle because, of course, that’s how things go. I turn to him and smile, “Good to see you again.” He looks up from his drink, “I didn’t think you would be here.” He meets my eyes and smiles. I start to think that maybe that our first meeting may have just been a bad night for him. He’s actually very friendly.

Tyler orders us some drinks after consulting with me. The bartender doesn't bother to ask for an ID from either of us. I order a Mike’s Pink Lemonade. Sue me. Bergeron comes over with his stunning girlfriend and gives me a friendly hug, “Good to see you Devin! I hope you’re having a good night?” The raise of his eyebrows turns his statement into a question. I nod, “I am thank you! Just getting to know your line mates here.” Tyler beams and takes my hand, seemingly pleased with everyone’s acceptance of me while Marchand gets up and walks away. I look back at Bergeron, “Well, I was…” I shrug helplessly. They laugh.

Time passes and while I’m having fun, I’m fully aware of the empty chair next to me. He doesn't return until much, much later when everyone is ranging from buzzed to highly intoxicated. He still must’ve gotten hold of alcohol because he’s somewhere in the middle. His collar is unbuttoned and Seguin laughs at him, “Dude, can't you go one night without popping a few buttons?!”

Marchand looks down at his shirt, “Huh. No I guess not.” He proceeds to unbutton the rest of his shirt while the surrounding people give up a round of “OHH”s. I even give off a little laugh. He sits next to me in his old seat with his elbows resting back on the bar. He turns and leans in to whisper something in my ear. Everyone is trying unsuccessfully to be discrete about listening to what he has to say. I don’t think anyone actually caught what he says but me.

“I hope you had fun tonight, because next time you come as my date.”

Later, Seguin drives up in front of my building to drop me off. “Thank you Tyler. I had a lot of fun.” He looks over at me and smiles, “Good. We should hang out again sometime.” He pauses and I think it’s a queue for me to respond but don't when he continues, “I have a theory that the more I talk about you, the more Marchy wants you.” I stare at him. He couldn’t have heard what Brad said to me at the bar, right? I laugh his comment off and thank him one more time. I lean over and hug him. He sneaks a kiss on my cheek in causing me to blush. I scramble out of his car and into my building.