Status: 9/22/12- Character Tab Updated!
What You Work For
It All Started With a Party...
I stepped outside onto the patio and looked over the edge into the yard. A smile crept across my face as I saw a lot of the guys running around like little kids. A few women sat to the side chatting and I could see children running in the midst of the team. It was just like a family.
“You must be Olivia!” a tall woman with dark hair and an accent smiled. “I’m Vero.”
I smiled back. “Nice to meet you, Vero. Call me Ollie, please.”
She nodded and turned me towards the other women. “That’s Heather-Jordan’s fiancée. Over there is Carol-Lynne-Pascal’s wife. Jess-Kris’s girlfriend. That’s Oksana- Geno’s girlfriend.” She continued rattling off several wives’ names and their relations to the team, but I zoned out a little. “This is Ollie.”
I waved. “Hi, everyone. It’s nice to meet you.”
The woman Vero had said was Heather stood up and hugged me, just as Vero had. “It’ll be nice having a girl on the team to keep our boys in line on road trips.”
“Glad to help,” I smiled. Before I could say anything else, I was yanked into a hug by…someone.
“Hi,” the person drew out the ‘I’ sound. “Olivia!”
I looked up. Of course, it was Jordan. I sighed.
“Hi, Jordan,” I untangled myself from the annoying blonde and waved to the rest of the boys. “Hi, guys.”
A hand tugged on my shirt. “Come play?” It was a little girl.
“That’s Maeva,” Carol-Lynne smiled at the girl I assumed was her daughter.
“Well hello, Maeva,” I smiled and crouched down in front of the girl. “What are you guys playing?”
“All the boys are chasing us kids,” she smiled.
“Chasing you guys, huh?” I asked looking at my teammates. “Well what do you say we chase them?” I added a smug smile at the end.
*****
“Those kids have endless energy,” I fell onto the grass nearly 45 minutes later. “I don’t know how you guys do it.”
Sidney asked. “They’re a handful, that’s for sure.” Despite his condition, he had been just as energetic to play with the kids as the rest of us.
“I’m so thirsty,” I sighed. “Hey, Tyler? You wanna-,”
“Look at this one!” TK laughed. “Twenty four hours with us and she’s already bossing us around!”
“I have two older brothers and a younger sister,” I said. “I know how to get what I want. So, beverage, please.”
Tyler looked at me for a moment before walking off to the coolers by the patio.
“How did you do that?” Oksana asked. “I can just barely get Geno to do what I ask.”
I sat up and squinted against the sun, even with my shades. “Years and years of practice, my dear. Not only with my siblings, actually. I played on boy’s hockey teams up until college, so I had whole rosters at my beck and call.”
“What I wouldn’t give for that,” Heather laughed. “I can just barely get Jordy to do the dishes.”
I looked at her fiancé appraisingly. “We’ll work on it.”
He tried to scowl. “I don’t like you.”
I cracked a smile and soon, his ‘angry’ face, failed.
“That’s what I thought,” I nodded as I took my drink from Tyler. “Thanks, Ty.” I cracked open the beer bottle and took a swig. Nothing like a Pittsburgh brew.
“So, who’s having the end of camp party?” Marc-Andre spoke up. “We threw it last year.”
“I think it should be New Girl,” James said looking at me.
“New Girl?” I snorted almost spitting my beer. “I don’t think so.”
Geno waved his hand. “You throw party?”
I tilted my hand back and forth a few times. “I don’t exactly have my own place yet. I’m kinda still crashing with my parents.”
“You’re what-21?” Jordan asked.
“Well excuse you, Mr. Staal,” I sassed. “I just graduated college this spring and I’ve spent my summer doing publicity and training. Pardon me if I haven’t had time to go house hunting.”
“You could throw it at your parent’s house,” TK offered.
“She shouldn’t have to if she doesn’t want to,” Carol-Lynne said with her son on her lap.
“We’ll see,” I decided. “We’ll see.”
“You need to find yourself your own space,” Vero said patting my hand. “Do you want help?”
“V,” Heather spoke up. “She grew up here. I’m sure she doesn’t need our help.” She paused and her eyes went wide. “Not in a bad way, if that’s how it sounded!”
I laughed. “It didn’t. But honestly, I could use some help when it comes to the inside. Decorating and such, you know? I can do the basics, but making it my own might be a challenge. You any good with that?”
Vero nodded. “Time and place and I’m there.”
And to think, I was nervous.
“You must be Olivia!” a tall woman with dark hair and an accent smiled. “I’m Vero.”
I smiled back. “Nice to meet you, Vero. Call me Ollie, please.”
She nodded and turned me towards the other women. “That’s Heather-Jordan’s fiancée. Over there is Carol-Lynne-Pascal’s wife. Jess-Kris’s girlfriend. That’s Oksana- Geno’s girlfriend.” She continued rattling off several wives’ names and their relations to the team, but I zoned out a little. “This is Ollie.”
I waved. “Hi, everyone. It’s nice to meet you.”
The woman Vero had said was Heather stood up and hugged me, just as Vero had. “It’ll be nice having a girl on the team to keep our boys in line on road trips.”
“Glad to help,” I smiled. Before I could say anything else, I was yanked into a hug by…someone.
“Hi,” the person drew out the ‘I’ sound. “Olivia!”
I looked up. Of course, it was Jordan. I sighed.
“Hi, Jordan,” I untangled myself from the annoying blonde and waved to the rest of the boys. “Hi, guys.”
A hand tugged on my shirt. “Come play?” It was a little girl.
“That’s Maeva,” Carol-Lynne smiled at the girl I assumed was her daughter.
“Well hello, Maeva,” I smiled and crouched down in front of the girl. “What are you guys playing?”
“All the boys are chasing us kids,” she smiled.
“Chasing you guys, huh?” I asked looking at my teammates. “Well what do you say we chase them?” I added a smug smile at the end.
*****
“Those kids have endless energy,” I fell onto the grass nearly 45 minutes later. “I don’t know how you guys do it.”
Sidney asked. “They’re a handful, that’s for sure.” Despite his condition, he had been just as energetic to play with the kids as the rest of us.
“I’m so thirsty,” I sighed. “Hey, Tyler? You wanna-,”
“Look at this one!” TK laughed. “Twenty four hours with us and she’s already bossing us around!”
“I have two older brothers and a younger sister,” I said. “I know how to get what I want. So, beverage, please.”
Tyler looked at me for a moment before walking off to the coolers by the patio.
“How did you do that?” Oksana asked. “I can just barely get Geno to do what I ask.”
I sat up and squinted against the sun, even with my shades. “Years and years of practice, my dear. Not only with my siblings, actually. I played on boy’s hockey teams up until college, so I had whole rosters at my beck and call.”
“What I wouldn’t give for that,” Heather laughed. “I can just barely get Jordy to do the dishes.”
I looked at her fiancé appraisingly. “We’ll work on it.”
He tried to scowl. “I don’t like you.”
I cracked a smile and soon, his ‘angry’ face, failed.
“That’s what I thought,” I nodded as I took my drink from Tyler. “Thanks, Ty.” I cracked open the beer bottle and took a swig. Nothing like a Pittsburgh brew.
“So, who’s having the end of camp party?” Marc-Andre spoke up. “We threw it last year.”
“I think it should be New Girl,” James said looking at me.
“New Girl?” I snorted almost spitting my beer. “I don’t think so.”
Geno waved his hand. “You throw party?”
I tilted my hand back and forth a few times. “I don’t exactly have my own place yet. I’m kinda still crashing with my parents.”
“You’re what-21?” Jordan asked.
“Well excuse you, Mr. Staal,” I sassed. “I just graduated college this spring and I’ve spent my summer doing publicity and training. Pardon me if I haven’t had time to go house hunting.”
“You could throw it at your parent’s house,” TK offered.
“She shouldn’t have to if she doesn’t want to,” Carol-Lynne said with her son on her lap.
“We’ll see,” I decided. “We’ll see.”
“You need to find yourself your own space,” Vero said patting my hand. “Do you want help?”
“V,” Heather spoke up. “She grew up here. I’m sure she doesn’t need our help.” She paused and her eyes went wide. “Not in a bad way, if that’s how it sounded!”
I laughed. “It didn’t. But honestly, I could use some help when it comes to the inside. Decorating and such, you know? I can do the basics, but making it my own might be a challenge. You any good with that?”
Vero nodded. “Time and place and I’m there.”
And to think, I was nervous.