My Own Glory

Sunday morning was a routine workout day Sidney and I would do. We'd wake up around 9:00am, go for a run and come back to lift weights, adding in some stick handling drills.

But I had a feeling this Sunday wouldn't be routinely. I got up anyways and got ready to work out...alone.

The house was empty but signs of the boys bustling around as they got ready for hockey this morning was evident. I was almost positive Sidney either went with Danni and the boys, or was still sleeping after that rough game. But the routine must of stuck with him too because when I walked into the kitchen, he was dressed in sweats for our run, and eating a bowl of cereal. The small TV that was placed in the corner was tuned to NHL Network. The reviews of all the games last night informed Sidney of where he and the team stood halfway through the season.

"I didn't think you'd get up." He said, sensing my presence without even turning around.

"I wouldn't break a routine." We stayed quiet as I prepared a bowl of cereal for myself. I battled if I should start this or not. Sidney didn't look like he wanted to talk about last night at all but we had to smooth this out.

Sidney's basically my dad, and I don't want trust to be an issue.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out, " I never meant to upset you."

"Maddi..." He set his bowl down and turned to me, "I'm not upset. I'm just...new to this. I wasn't around much when Taylor was growing up. I'm not sure what to do when it comes to clothes and boys and...all that stuff. I leave that to your aunt. When you said a friend was coming, I thought it was one of your little girlfriends. I never thought you'd bring a boy because, well...you never mentioned him."

"Jeremy and I are just friends, teammates. Nothing else. I know I should of told you but I was scared. This is the first boy I've brought around. I don't want to hurt anyone." Sidney nodded.

"You should be able to tell whoever you want. It's up to them to make the right decisions. If you trust Jeremy, then so do I. Until otherwise proven wrong. And since you're just friends then...I'm happy for you." I smiled and hugged Sid, who kissed the top of my head.

"So would this be a bad time to mention that Jeremy asked me to the movies?" I laughed as Sidney began to protest teasingly, saying something about locks and barred windows. The only way he agreed was if I double everything in my workout. He was probably hoping I'd be too tired to go on this "movie date." Except he was the one that passed out when he finished.

By the time I showered and dressed, the boys were back sweaty and smelly from hockey. Danni followed behind them, a smile on her face and a Tim Horton's in her hand. For getting up at the ass crack of dawn, Danni never looked tired like most of the hockey moms you saw at the rinks.

"Hey Maddi, how was your workout?" She asked.

"Good, everything's good." She smiled understanding my code.

She began whipping up a healthy lunch for everyone while the boys cleaned themselves up. I stayed in the kitchen while Danni went to find Sidney, "He's probably on the floor, too old to make it to the bed." I teased.

"I'll tell him you said that."

"Movies at 3:30. It'll be a surprise ;) " Jeremy texted.

"I can just look up the movie times."

"Well...don't do that :P I'll pick you up at 3."

"She looks like a boy just texted her." Aiden said as he and his brother looked at me weird.

"Is it that guy from yesterday? Are you going on a date with him? Do you love him? Is he your boyfriend? Does dad know?"

"My love life is none of your business." I pointed at them.

"Yup, she's talking to that guy." Aiden affirmed. He gave his brother a mischievous look.

"Stop using your twin telepathy. It's not fair. And we're not dating, we're just going to the movies."

"Sounds like a date to me."

"Oh what do you know? You're 10." I said poking the two of them which ended up in a full on attack on me, "This isn't fair! There's two of you!"

"Don't make me give you five minutes for fighting." Danni warned causing all of us to stop.

Sidney walked over to me and ruffled my hair, messing it up, "That's for calling me old."

And just like that, the Crosby family was back to its normal self. Until the doorbell rang at 3:00 and Jeremy stood on the front steps, "Hey Maddi." I let him in, unlike last, there were four Crosby males standing at the doorway to greet him, "Mr. Crosby, good to see you again." Sidney stuck out his hand for Jeremy to shake, the boys copying their father.

"What time's the movie?" Danni asked, waving the boys away from Jeremy.

"3:30."

"Maybe you'd like to stay for dinner then. It's fried chicken."

"I'd love too." Jeremy answered, smiling at Danni then me. I gave him a half smile before we said goodbye.

"So what movie are we going too?" I asked once in his truck.

"One at the movie theater."

"Don't be a smartass." I said, punching his arm.

"You've upped the weights, haven't you?" He replied, rubbing the spot I hit.

The reason Jeremy wouldn't tell me what movie we were seeing was because he didn't pick one. He was torn between two that were at the same time and I was the deciding factor.

I ended up picking the comedy instead of the hard core, over the top action dude flick. Jeremy decided against the popcorn. Something about "making room for fried chicken."

The movie had us busting a gut laughing so hard. If we weren't laughing, we were whispering about the funny parts.

This wasn't exactly a movie you could make a subtle move like hand holding but the two of us leaned into the same arm rest, shoulders touching.

I sound like such a hopeless romantic, it's sickening.

Around 5:30 we were back at my place. Danni was the only one upstairs, hands deep in chicken parts, "Hey guys, how was the movie?"

"Extremely funny. Defiantly a movie to see." Jeremy answered.

"Good. Maybe Sid and I will look into it."

"Where is Sid?"

"Basement with the boys. Something about knee hockey." I nudged Jeremy and led him to the basement.

The entire basement was finished. The main room had a bar along one wall near the big screen TV and the large black sofa, that turned in a comfortable bed, sitting in front of that. A pool table, bubble hockey, and foseball scattered the room, and the walls were decorated with pictures of family and friends.

There were four separate rooms connecting off the main room; the home gym fit for any professional athlete, a full bathroom, an equipment room stocked with old and new hockey and baseball equipment, and the hockey room.

The hockey room was a hockey fans dream room. Jersey's, trophies, pucks, sticks, pictures, awards lined the walls. And mini knee hockey goals in the middle, two bigger ones for stick handling.

"Be careful, you might get hit." I warned before opening the door. I looked at Jeremy's awestruck face as he took in everything in the room. Then he was hit in the head, "Told you."

"You're back!" Owen exclaimed, the game pausing as Jeremy and I walked across to room where Owen sat on his father's lap.

"What's the score?"

"4-3 Liam."

"I'll take winner." I volunteered.

"Oh no! You always win! Let Jeremy play!" Liam protested. Jeremy looked shocked the eldest Crosby wanted him to play.

"Let's finish this game first." It didn't take long for Liam to beat his non-hockey playing brother and a new game was started, Liam v. Jeremy.

"Bet you five dollars Jeremy wins." I dealt with Sidney.

"I taught my boy well. You're on." We shook on it and watched as the ten year old stood no chance against the Captain of our high school team.

"You're really good!" Owen said to Jeremy. Sidney glared at me but pulled out a five dollar bill.

"I bet he can't do the skills challenge."

"What's the skills challenge?" Jeremy asked looking at me.

"We should do the skills challenge!"

"I'll get the sticks!"

"Wait, what's the skills challenge?" Owen grabbed Jeremy's hand and dragged him to the equipment room.

"That was a fixed bet." Sidney teased.

"Maybe you should of asked if he was, oh I don't know, Captain of the team."

"Jeremy's captain? He's better than you?" Aiden questioned.

"Psh, please! I can kick his butt."

"That sounds like a challenge." The sound of another bet coming on from Sidney.

"Maddi versus Jeremy. Alternative versus Captain."

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked coming back in with a stick of his choosing from our collection.

"You're up against Maddi." Liam explained the various challenges created by Sidney and I when I was a beginner.

I'm not gonna lie, the bet that I could beat Jeremy had me doubting that challenge. Jeremy was Captain for more reasons than one. First off, he is an amazing player. I mean, NHL first round draft pick good. His talent certainly rivaled some NHL players. There was a good chance he could be looked at by a scout. He played right wing to me. He knew where to be at the right time. He could read every play easily, getting the puck in the back of the net.

His talent wasn't the only reason he wore the "C." Jeremy is a good leader, always willing to help the new guys and support the older ones. The team voted him Captain, not the coach, not his father.

Right after we voted him Captain, the alternatives were picked. It ended up in a tie between Mark and I, both of us wearing the "A" now.

The challenge went on for an hour until Danni called us for dinner. Jeremy and I were tied, both competing on the championship level.

"We can continue this later, if you want." Sidney suggested.

At the dinner table, Sidney and Danni took the end seats, the twins on one side, and Jeremy and I on the other. Because of our guests, Owen was forced to sit with his brothers, not happy his usual seat beside me was occupied.

We passed around each dish and filled our own plates, "Don't be shy, Jeremy. Eat as much as you want."

"Thanks Mrs. C. This looks great." Danni smiled.

"So Jeremy, you're captain of your team?" Sidney started the dinner conversation with what he knows best...hockey.

"Um yeah."

"Your team has done well so far. How long have you been captain?"

"Two years. I was an alternative my sophomore year."

"And the team has won states for three years? That's impressive."

"Thank you Mr. C. That means a lot coming from you." Sidney smirked.

"Are you thinking about what to do after high school?"

"Yeah, I've applied to several different hockey colleges. There's talk of some scouts coming to a few games so if those don't work out, I've got a plan B."

"Good for you, Jeremy. Now if you could get Maddi to start looking at schools that'd be excellent." Danni added. Jeremy turned and looked at me.

"You haven't applied for colleges yet?"

"I'm still looking." I answered with a shrug.

"What colleges have you applied too, Jeremy?"

"Boston College, North Dakota, Niagara University, Michigan, and Union."

"Those are some big names. Have you heard back?" Sidney questioned.

"No, but I just sent them."

"I'm sure you'll get accepted to all of them. And make their teams." Danni assured with a caring smile just for Jeremy.

The rest of dinner flowed normally. The boys talked about hockey and Danni rattled off the list of what to expect during the week.

When we finished, the boys sat with Sidney to watch the Rangers/Boston game so I brought Jeremy back to the basement. I didn't exactly give him a proper tour before.

"This place has everything. You think Mr. and Mrs. C will let me live here."

"Probably not."

"Then hopefully they won't mind me popping in unannounced." I most certainly wouldn't mind!

"I'm sure they wouldn't care." We went back into the hockey room where Jeremy starred at the many jerseys on the wall in awe.

"How did you get all of these? Some of them are rookies!"

"I meet new people when I travel with Sid. They send them to me for my birthdays."

"Do you get their numbers too?" He teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Not all of them. I'm just friends with them."

"Oh my god! You have a Gilbert Perreault signed jersey! How is that even possible?"

"My mom was a Sabres fan. That's actually hers. I was able to get it signed." Jeremy touched the glass as if he could feel the blue fabric beneath his fingers.

"Are you a Sabres fan?" He asked looking back at me.

"Yeah, but living with Sid makes it difficult to cheer for them." He laughed.

"I can imagine," He sighed, "If I ever got drafted, I want it to be with the Sabres. My dad's originally from Buffalo. Even when he lived in Texas, he stayed a loyal fan." He explained.

"I didn't know you were from Texas."

He shrugged, "You never asked."

"I'm from Rochester. My Aunt Danni told me she and my mom use to go to the Amerks games. I even have my mom's old jersey."

"My dad had an old Miller jersey. It's not signed though."

"Four years of being friends and I never knew this about you."

"Now you know one of my secrets, so we're even."

"What other secrets are you hiding?" I asked with a smirk. He returned it, walking up to me.

Jeremy's tall build and wide frame made him huge when he stood right in front of me. It would of been intimidating having this 6'5" frame looking down at you but not for me. I was hypnotized by those blue eyes, barely hidden under the mop of curls on his head.To look up at him, my neck was practically craned backwards and it was starting to get sore.

Jeremy looked like he was about to say something when his phone beeped, "It's my folks. I should get home."

"Okay." I replied just above a whisper. We took a few steps apart, putting some distance between us as we walked upstairs.

"Heading out?" Danni asked, joining us at the door with a tired Owen in her arms.

"Yeah, we got school in the morning."

"It was great to meet you, Jeremy. Don't be a stranger. Lord knows, we've got three of her friends here everyday."

"I'll have to take you up on that." Danni waved, Owen copying her.

Outside, I walked Jeremy to his truck, "Thanks for inviting me over."

"Thanks for the movie."

"So I guess I'll see you in class."

"I guess so." Who knew awkwardness outside could be just as claustrophobic as awkwardness inside. The two of us stood there shifting from one foot to the other in that awkward dance.

"Do you want a ride to school? I pass you to get there anyways." Jeremy offered.

"Yeah, sure. That'd be great.' He smiled.

"I'll text you later." I nodded and stood on the pathway as he drove off.

Twice. He had two chances to make all my dreams come true but he failed, "Fuck!" I dragged on before I went back inside. Instead of watching the game with the boys, I went upstairs to my room. Turning on my laptop, I logged onto the video chat program, "Maddog how's it going?" Tina answered.

"Maddog?"

"I'm trying to find you a good name for your senior shirt."

"How kind of you?"

"So what's up? You don't VC me unless it's important."

"Jeremy and I went to the movies."

"Finally! There is a God!" I raised an eyebrow as she cheered, even doing a dance.

"Excuse me?"

"If he didn't ask you out soon, I was about to kill him, bring him back to life so he learns his mistake."

"It wasn't a date. We just went to the movies. Then he came back here." She gasped.

"He met the folks? That was a date!"

"Does him almost kissing me twice make it a date too?" Silence filled the connection as Tina just starred at me with her mouth hanging open.

"He didn't kiss you?"

"Um...no?"

"That bastard! I'll kill him!"

"If you do that then I'll never get to kiss him."

"Damn...wait till he sees me tomorrow," I chuckled, "So he knows the big, dark secret? How'd he take it?"

"I think he had a slight panic attack but he said he would never tell anyone."

"He won't. Jeremy's too nice."

"He's also giving me a ride to school tomorrow."

"And that means he's got to bring you back which can only lead to another chance at tasting those juicy, pink lips."

"Yeah, I'm not holding my breath. He's just bringing me to and from school."

"Which could turn into the best road trip of your virgin life."

"Will you stop making fun of my virginity! I haven't exactly had time for that." I told her, my cheeks hot just thinking about Jeremy and I and...

"Maddi...you're on a hockey team of hot guys. You're just asking for an orgy."

"They're not all hot." I mumbled.

"Whatever. Forget the team and just aim for the captain. You need to share, you know."

"Tina, if you were in the locker room with them, you'd be appalled with what they talk about." She gasped.

"They don't talk about me, do they?"

"Sometimes, usually in a sexual context." Then she smiled, "Why are you smiling?" I asked shaking my head.

"They talk dirty about me."

"Oh my god, I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Dress cute and straighten your hair. You look hot with straight hair." I nodded, waving off her advice.

I took a shower right after my VC with Tina so I could sleep in a little. When I got out and wiped the steam from the mirror, I saw my hair starting to curl, "Maybe I could straighten it."

The process took close to an hour since my hair was down my back. I've never cut it and loved the way the curls cascaded down my back. My moms hair was straight and short, a decision she regretted, according to Danni. Because of it's natural style, I'd wear my hair down. During hockey, I french braid it, the tail wrapped into a bun, out of the gasp of an opponent.

Dressed in my pajamas, I got my backpack ready and picked out my outfit. I found myself doing exactly what Tina suggested, "Look cute."

Before, I didn't give much thought to what I wore, just throwing on whatever I felt like. I actually put thought into this.

What is this boy doing to me?