Status: On Hiatus

This Ain't a Fairytale

Chapter 1

“Hey Leigh! You made it!” Sidney’s grin spread across his face as he saw me standing in the lounge at the Igloo. I’d talked to Shelley Sullivan and Catherine – Kris’s girlfriend – who both knew who I was in order to get a pass to come back here and surprise my best friend.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I replied, and let out a giggle as he picked me up and spun me in a circle. I hugged him back tightly, breathing in his boyish scent and realizing just how badly I’d missed my best friend in the months we’d spent apart.

“I missed you so much – what brought you out to Pittsburgh? Oh my God, did you get that job?” he asked eagerly, and when I nodded, he spun me around once more for good measure before planting a familial kiss to the top of my head.

“So you’re stuck with me for a while Sid,” I grinned up at him as he slung an arm over my shoulder and we headed to where he could get something to eat.

“Never heard better words in my life,” he told me, making me laugh again. I knew most of the WAG’s, because I’d been out to as many games as I could with living in Cambridge. They were a nice bunch, and they all said hello when we walked past. A few of the guys however seemed suspicious, probably wondering who the girl Sid was so close to was. I looked a lot different from the last time any of them had seen me – I’d slimmed down a bit, cut and dyed my hair, and thanks to my best friend had sort of found a sense of style that went beyond Sidney’s old t-shirts and baggy jeans. At twenty-three I still hadn’t really grown up into the whole fashion thing most girls hit at about thirteen.

“Hungry?” I shook my head as he got a sandwich and proceeded to inhale it, asking me excited questions through mouthfuls of turkey, lettuce, light mayo, tomato and rye bread.

“Easy there Sid – don’t choke,” I rolled my eyes at him, making him chuckle. He’d always been that way – when he got excited he acted like a five year old at Christmas.

“So, you’re here for good now?” he asked, and I nodded once more.

“Yeah, I guess. I’m going to be teaching three classes a day – a teacher left on maternity leave so they hired me, and I’ll probably be part time next year too,” I explained. Sidney watched me with wide-eyed interest. He’d never really understood my desire to teach, but I loved kids, and I loved feeling like I was having an impact on someone’s life. I loved to write too, but teaching was a bit more… well stable.

“That’s amazing! Anna I’m so proud of you – you have no idea,” Sid’s eyes were bright, and I couldn’t help but smile and hug my best friend. To have Sidney proud of you was an incredible feeling.

“Thanks Sid, that means a lot to me,” I replied, and he finished off his snack.

“So, do you have a place?” he asked, making my cheeks turn red as I shook my head. I’d checked into a hotel, hoping he’d forget about this detail until I’d tracked down a place cheap enough for me to rent.

“No, but I’m working on it,”

“Well then where are you staying?” he pushed, adding to my embarrassment. I knew exactly where this was going – Sid didn’t flaunt his money, but he loved to spend it on everybody else but himself.

“The Vista hotel,” I mumbled, and he stood up, shaking his head.

“EERRR! Wrong – you’re staying with me. Let’s go get your stuff,” he corrected me.

“Sid, it’s fine! Really—”

“No it’s not! You’re probably trying to find an inexpensive place to live and spending how many nights in a hotel isn’t going to help your financial situation. I’ll put it this way, if you stay with me then I won’t force you to take any money from me for rent,” he dangled the suggestion in front of me, knowing I hated asking for money from anybody, let alone him. I groaned, leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around me, knowing he’d won.

“Fine. But you’re mean,” I huffed. Sidney just laughed, his giggle a higher-pitch than most would expect, as he ruffled my hair. I turned and caught a huge blonde looking at me, his face quickly turning red before he averted his gaze and struck up a conversation with Kris Letang. I assumed the massive blonde had to be a hockey player; he was dressed in a suit, his hair damp from a shower, and he was incredibly fit, but I didn’t recognize him. It was just unnerving to know he’d been staring at me. I’d heard stories from Sidney that went around the NHL rumor mill, so I knew what most hockey players were like, aside from the personal experience of playing on a boy’s team when I was younger. I had no intentions of getting involved with any of that, especially not when he was on the same team as Sidney.

“Come on, let’s go get your bags and get you settled in at my place. Then we can have a Friends marathon!” Sidney eagerly suggested, making me perk up. The last time we’d had a Friends marathon was summer of last year – far too long of a wait.

“Can we even get some junk food? Just a little,” I begged, and Sidney nodded.

“Just don’t tell!” he whispered, making me laugh as we exited the arena and headed for his car. When he asked I lied and told him I’d hitched a ride over here with Catherine, because I knew he’d flip out if he knew I’d taken a cab here.

Pittsburgh was already feeling like home.
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Here's the beginning! Let me know what you think!