Act Your Age

#Taylor#

"Are you staying home alone? Should I call a babysitter to tuck you in?" he teased, moving to ruffle my hair.

I growled and jerked away before he could touch me. "Shut it. Magnus is coming over to play PS3. Then we're going to order some pizza or something... I can't believe that actually worked."

Jordan shrugged as he slid into his jacket. "What can I say? I'm smooth with the ladies."

"Or just manipulative..." I mumbled.

"What?"

I shook my head and stood up. "Nothing." Was I actually feeling sorry for Ronni? Of al people, her? She's a big girl, she can handle herself... right?

"Did she say anything when you talked to her today?" he asked with a smirk. Jordan plopped next to me and ruffled my hair excitedly. "Huh, huh?"

I shoved him off and thought back. "Let me think..." Anything worth mentioning...

"One more." she called from across the pool. I gulped one last breath before submerging myself into the water and swimming over to her. Ronni sat on the edge of the pool grinning. "That was great! You did it a whole minute and a half faster!" she congratulated. Ronni reached her hand to help me up and out of the water and I took it gratefully.

I huffed. "Thanks. It's feeling a lot stronger." I slopped onto the wet tile and kicked my leg out in front of me. It was sore and tight but I could raise it higher than ever and I was riding on cloud nine. She patted me on the shoulder and walked over to the bleachers. She returned with a towel and handed it to me. "Thanks." I sighed, wiping my face and my hair. I lazily tossed the towel around my shoulders as I regained my breath. "So... were you really upset last night?"

Ronni gave me an annoyed look, like the last thing she wanted to do was to talk about it with me. "I should have known this was coming." She got up and walked to the bleachers, sitting by herself as she picked up my water bottle. I sat down next to her before she had the chance to get up and bring me the bottle. "I don't know... I thought that-well when you talked to me.... I guess I was under the impression that he lied about you coming so that he could get me alone... I was disappointed to find you there let alone Magnus." I almost couldn't look at her pained face because I felt like an asshole and a bad friend for not telling her. She looked at me, smirked and looked down at her hands that she started folding into complicated knots. "I know... it's stupid."

"No! No-that's not it at all." I insisted, placing my hand on her shoulder. "It's just... don't get worked up about it, okay? It's not a big deal, I promise."

She stared at me for a moment, trying to read my expression I assume. "What do you know?"

I got up and turned away from her. I wiped my chest with the towel and huffed, "Nothing, nothing." I eventually turned to face her when I thought that I had on my best poker face. "Grab me my shirt?" Ronni picked it up but held it in her hand. "Please?" I asked.

"Not until you tell me!" she whined, gripping the shirt tighter. Her knuckles were turning white under the intense pressure.

I grinned, but it wasn't an intentional grin. It was a grin that you give when you're lying and you don't want the other person to know that you're lying, but they clearly do, and all you can do is smile for no apparent reason. "Come on, there's nothing to tell!" I asserted firmly as I moved towards her.

She stood up and backed away. "Taylor." Ronni held the shirt out of my reach, just behind her back. Her tone was commanding, but I'd heard worse.

"Veronica." I inched closer and reached around her back. She yanked it above her head. "You don't want to play this game. I invented it."

Ronni rolled her eyes. "I have three big brothers who love to torment me. I think I can take on one guy." She held it high over her head, which wasn't very high for me. "Jump for it."

I rolled my eyes and reached for it but she tossed it to her other hand. I growled and she grinned, wagging it tauntingly. I reached for the hand in the air and she simply moved it down. I reached for it down, she moved it behind her. This continued for probably about ten minutes until I finally cornered her to the bleachers. She fell onto the seat but desperately held the shirt behind her, towards the other bleachers. I leaned forward, just over top of her and grabbed my shirt, which she willingly gave me because of her lack of breath. "Thank you." I breathed; I was inches from her face. As I stood back up, I just barely grazed her skin. "Sorry."

Ronni shook her head and sat up. "No biggie...." She looked down and sighed. When I put my shirt on, I poked my head out to see her pouting up at me like a puppy dog. I quit. I can' take it.

"Alright... alright... you wore me down." I sat down next to her. "You owe me though." I wagged my finger at her.

"Anything." she agreed, nodding her head vigorously. I gave her a skeptical look. "Alright, not anything but... you get the idea."

I rolled my eyes as I bent over and dried my legs with the towel. "Right... well, Jordan was nervous about whether you liked him or not... so, he had a guys-night-plus-Ronni to see if you were happy or not being friends. It... it was his test to see how interested you were in him." Ronni looked pissed. More pissed than any time I did something wrong or said something rude to her. "Ronni..."

"He's a fucking coward-" she began, furious. Here hands were gigantic fists of white knuckles and pure hatred, worse than before.

"Ronni-"

"No, he's a coward and-that's cruel and why the fuck would he put me through the ringer- Is this a joke?" Ronni exploded, standing up, yelling down at me. And I thought I'd seen Ronni mad before...

I grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back down to her seat. "Ronni-Ronni! Listen to me! I told you... he's been through a lot of shit... more than I told you about before. Just cut him some slack... he likes you, and he wants to be sure you're not just using him and.... Please? I told you because you asked me and I thought you would understand because... that's the kind of wonderful person you are deep down... no matter how much I hate you during practice."

She glared at me but her expression softened and I smiled, feeling accomplished. I changed her mind. Me. "Fine... I'll give him a chance... You're a manipulative pig yourself, you know?" She shoved me.

I shrugged. "I'm surprised it worked, actually. I'm a little disappointed, I was expecting a slap in the face or something." She leaned forward and lightly slapped me in the face.

She giggled, "Better?" I was slightly shocked that she did it. A girl just slapped me, a professional hockey player... and she's laughing. In fact Ronni was laughing uncontrollably, even though it wasn't that funny. Maybe that's why she was laughing she couldn't believe she had done it.

I smirked and just listened to her laugh as it echoed throughout the empty pool. "Much." I sighed. Her smile radiated and I couldn't help but grin back... Even though the rest of the day would be spent with me screaming at her for pushing me too hard... that moment, I think I realized that Ronni was actually... beautiful.

I shrugged. "Nope... nothing-nothing at all happened... actually it was so boring... nothing changed at all n-n-not even a little bit." Thankfully, Jordan was so excited, he didn't notice my sputtering in the slightest, so I was safe.

He stood up, rolling his eyes."Alright, make sure you guys don't stay up too late! Don't miss bedtime." he called as he walked out the door.

I hollered back, "Act your age, Ebs. Make sure you play nice with Ronni or you won't have any more play dates!"

*Ronni*

There was a beautiful lake in the middle of the park and tons of grass surrounding. We sat on one side while the opposite side house the people shooting off the fireworks. Jordan and I ended up lying on the grass, along with most of the town. A couple people noticed him and asked for autographs, but his face was hidden by his hat and it was getting dark, so most people didn't recognize him. We had a blanket and some hot chocolate and I was forced to snuggled next to him for warmth... but hey, i'm not complaining. "I love the cold." I sighed, sipping some hot chocolate.

"Me too. You can always get warmer." he agreed. Jordan looked down at his watch. "They should be starting soon. But... in the meantime." He tapped me and I quickly sat up, no longer leaning on his chest. He sat up too. "Have you been studying your hockey?"

I bit my lip and looked down. "Maybe?" I laughed. "No, sorry. I'm a horrible student."

"You won't graduate at this rate. I might have to fail you." he teased.

I folded my hands and pouted. "Please don't fail me!"

"Ronni, maybe I'll pass you... if you do well on the test." Jordan raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I don't know how you'll do."

"I'll pass with flying colors!" I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Come on, quiz me."

He chuckled. "Alright, let's go. What does this mean?" He waved his hand under his knee.

"Tripping!" I called out, as if it was a game show.

Jordan nodded and scooted a little closer to me. "That's an easy one. What about this?" He chopped his hand across his straightened arm. "Better get it."

I searched through my brain and tired to remember. I recalled Meszaros being called with slashing because he hit someone else's stick, and then the ref made that motion. "Slashing!"

Jordan stuck his tongue out at me. "Lucky guess." He moved directly in front of me. "Okay, last one. It's kind of hard, but if you don't get it, you fail. If you do, you pass and I'll never question your penalty knowledge again."

"Fair enough. Bring it on, Eberle." I mocked.

He grinned and did a strange move with his hand where he waved at me to come closer twice.. Uh... "Any ideas?" Fuck no! When I didn't answer, he smiled wider. "The time is ticking, Ronni. Do you know or not?"

I ran through the images of hockey that passed through my brain. None of them reflected this penalty and I had no idea what it was. "It... It's... I know it, it's.. I'm stumped. What is it?"

Jordan came closer, which I didn't think was possible considering our current seating. "It means, kiss me." he whispered. And without any more warning, he kissed me. Following the orders, I kissed him back. Simultaneously, the first fireworks went off and people began cheering. It jerked us out of the stupor we had been thrust into. "I...I-"

"That was..." I began. I actually didn't know what that was. It... well, it wasn't bad. I got distracted and watched some of the fireworks. You could see them lighting up, reflected in the lake below.

He sighed and looked down at the blanket. "I... I mean, it wasn't.. bad."

"But it wasn't great!" I agreed. "Like... it's missing that-"

Jordan waved his hands around for emphasis as he tried to find the word for it."Spark... no spark to it... I thought... I expected more...umph I guess."

"Me too... we could try again." I suggested. Jordan shrugged and he leaned in for another kiss. It lasted a little longer and I put more effort into it but.... "Yeah, not feeling it."

He huffed. "Me neither.... It's ironic that the fireworks went off when there was absolutely nothing."

"For what it's worth... you're whole set up here was extremely romantic and more than perfect... I just.. I don't know why it's not...." I grumbled. Of course, the one genuinely nice guy I find doesn't have that special something. "This is kind of disappointing." I laughed cynically.

Jordan fall back on the blanket. "This sucks. I really thought that... maybe we.... and then it didn't... Not even a little!" I groaned and laid down next to him. "Well... I mean... we could be friends..."

"Friends is good...." I admitted with a frown. "Or... we could just... mess around... until, you know, we find someone who does... have that spark... you know?" I asked.

He grinned down at me. "Are you suggesting we be friends with benefits?" I shrugged and smirked. "I love you." I laughed. "I don't care if we're dating or not, I love you." he joked, tugging me closer.

"But if there's some girl that you kiss and you think 'Holy fuck I love this girl' that's it. We're over and you get the girl, okay?" I insisted.

He nodded. "Same goes for you! When you find a guy- I mean, I have to approve him and he can't be an asshole- but when you find him, break it off." We shook on it.

And that was it. That was the moment that things started to get out of control.

"And to think... I thought you were interested in Taylor."

"What?" I asked, confused. When Jordan explained what he said to Taylor, I couldn't have laughed harder... even if some of it was fake. "Oh, you're ridiculous Jordan..." I sighed, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Jordan nodded. "Yeah... speaking of ridiculous... what did Taylor say about me the other day?" I shook my head and he lightly poked me. "Come, on, tell me."

"Oh... nothing really... I just learned a few things about your.. er-sleeping habits." My voice trailed off and I let Jordan's mind wander. It felt like forever before he understood.

"He didn't." I giggled and nodded. "I'm going to kill him."

#Taylor#

"Quit it! You're such a dirty player." Magnus chirped as he shoved me, trying to mess up my grip on the controls. "I'd win if you played fair."

I shook my head as I scored another goal after shamelessly tripping Magnus's player. I tossed the PS3 controller onto the coffee table in front of us and threw my hands in the air. "Yeah yeah... Fair or not, I won. Deal with it." Magnus fell back onto the couch and groaned. I smirked and patted his leg as I got up to get us some drinks. "Beer okay?"

"Yeah, whatever." he sighed. Moments later, he popped up and leaned over the couch, facing the kitchen. "So, where's Jordan?"

I shrugged as I pulled two beers from the fridge and rejoined him in the living room. "He's... he's out." Don't blow it. Don't blow it.

"With Ronni?" I whipped around and stared at him in awe. He looked scared as he cautiously took the beer from me. "Jordan told me he liked her... I just assumed-"

Note to self: kill Jordan. "Yeah... they're out on a date right now." What happened to keeping it a secret?

He nodded. "And you're not happy?" Magnus wondered. I didn't look at him because I legitimately had to think about it for a second. That's probably why he thought I didn't hear him. "Taylor?"

"Huh-oh, no, I'm happy. Jordan deserves a good girl and... Ronni is just that so... if they're happy, I'm happy. I just hope they don't get in trouble for it." I concluded quietly as I sipped my beer. "Wanna play another game?"

I reached forward for the controller but Magnus knocked it away with his foot. I was ready to yell at him but he just kept interrogating me. "Fucking bull shit." If you know Magnus at all, you know he rarely curses, at least not in english, and when he does, he means business. I leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm going to ask again and I want a real answer. Are you happy for-"

"I'm fucking happy, okay?" I flashed a cheesy grin which definitely didn't help my case. "What more do I have to say?"

He shook his head. "The truth. You guys have peaked my interest... and if you don't want me to spill the beans...." Magnus threatened, smirking. I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, I'll do it. I'm a bad ass." That got me laughing. "Fine, I won't tell management, but I'll tell the guys, and they'll be worse than the bosses in the office. And they'll get on your case too, and-"

"Magnus, shut the fuck up." He sat there silently, sipping his beer, annoyed. "I'm sorry..." He didn't say anything. Don't test a silent Swede. "Fine, I'll tell you... Although I'm not really sure myself. I hate her... I do. I get angry whenever she's around... but I like it, and I can't explain but... if she's not there for the day.... it's weird and-Jordan was just messing with her yesterday and... I broke the bro-code and I told her what he was doing... because I felt horrible for letting her go through that and... she's pretty-beautiful... and I didn't want to admit it but she is and she's funny and smart and she gets under my skin, in the way that makes me work harder and-I don't know if I would have done this well this fast without her."

Magnus was grinning. I shook my head and moved to get up because I knew what was coming. "You, my friend, have been bitten, by the love bug!"

"Mags-" I started, putting my empty beer in the kitchen.

"You like her!"

I shook my head. "But she pisses me off more than any other girl-or guy- that i've ever met in my life!"

"Yeah, whatever- Tell me something though. Are you jealous, nervous, curious about what happened tonight with them?" I leaned over the counter, thinking about it. "That's what I thought."

I shook my head as I came back into the living room. "Okay, let's say, hypothetically, I like her, a little bit... I can't steal her from my best friend... It would hurt both of them. Plus, I don't deserve her like he does. I've been an asshole to everyone over the past month because I've been a pissy brat... Jordan is a solid, all around good guy who hasn't been cut a break in the girl department. I couldn't do that to him... Also, who says she would even like me back."

"'Like me back?' What are we, ten?" Magnus huffed, looking down at his half finished beer. "I'm not saying you have to do anything about it.... but it's important to make sure you see these things because.. if you bottle up the idea that you want her... and you don't recognize it, it could make you do something stupid... to ruin two friendships with one dumb plan... and I don't think that's the bargain you were looking for."

"Right. But I'm not going to do anything about it. I'm going to let the two of them be happy and... that's it. I can't focus on relationships anyways, I have to get back to hockey... and so do you." I tapped his ankle which was healed up and ready to go.

He grinned and looked off, probably imagining getting back to skating. "Yeah... don't worry, I'll warm up the ice for you so it's nice and ready when you get back."

Once Magnus left, and I was alone with my thoughts, my mind wandered and imagined what the two of them were doing on their date. Fuck you Mags. It went from flirting to kissing to touching and it just got worse. I tried forcing myself to stay awake so I could talk to Jordan and see what happened, but unfortunately, I woke up the next morning to find him gone and me drooling on the couch.

As I sluggishly walked into the weight room, which again was filled with rap music, I was ready to collapse. When I saw Ronni, I was flipping out. I was prepared with an arsenal of questions, especially when I saw the bright red mark on her neck. "The fuck is that?" I hollered, pointing at it incredulously.

Ronni flung her hand to her neck. "What?" I leaned down and moved her hand, waiting for her to explain. "I...we... oh shut up!" She stood up and moved some things around in the weight room.

"You guys get busy?" I questioned crudely as I sat on the bench. She whirled around angrily to see me smirking and raising an eyebrow. It was an evil grin, nothing happy about it.

She stuck her tongue out at me, cheeks ablaze. "We kissed and... it was fun. We had fun last night."

"Sure it was just kissing? Jordan didn't roll in until I was asleep... and that's pretty late." I teased with a grin. It actually hurt to smile. Please don't tell me you guys had sex.

Ronni shook her head as she sat next to me. "It's not what you think. Really..." She looked over at me and laughed at my smile. "I'm serious. Look, can we drop it? I don't want to talk about it right now... later, I promise we'll talk, nosey." She ruffled my hair playfully and I shoved her hand away.

I shrugged. "Fine! Fine... so, what are you thinking today?"

"We're gonna run."

*Ronni*

Taylor's face was priceless, even if I felt kind of bad about it. "We... we're running? Today?" he questioned. I nodded. "Are you sure?"

I leaned toward him and put my hands on his shoulder. I liked being this close to him... "Are you ready? I won't make you run if you don't think you're strong enough yet. This is your call and... I'm going to listen to your opinion." I felt I owed it to him, for having my back with Jordan; now it was time for me to show that I had this back.. and his butt... and his abs... and anything else he wanted me to have- You're disgusting Ronni.

He looked at me, looked down at his hands, then looked back at me like a confused puppy. Taylor's face hardened and he confirmed, in the most determined voice I had ever heard. "Let's do it."

I smirked a little. "Are you sure?"

He moved to the ground and started stretching. "Positive. Let's go." His blue eyes somehow lit up even brighter, if that was possible.

"Alright. But if you get tired or your knee feels funny, just let me know and we'll walk instead." I insisted. I joined him on the floor and began stretching too.

Taylor leaned forward and grabbed his feet, stretching his hamstrings. "I really think I'll be alright. I'm... I'm kind of excited."

"Alright.... We'll do a mile, and see how you feel. If you think you can hack it, we'll try three, but no more than that, okay?" I questioned as I did the butterfly stretch. He nodded but soon cringed at something. "What? Your knee-" I moved forward to touch it but he slapped me away.

He chuckled, "No... it's just your music." I made a face without realizing it. "Hey, I'm entitled to my own opinion... and I don't dislike rap... I just prefer some rock... maybe some country instead."

"Country? To warm up to?" I scoffed. He shrugged and smirked. "Yeah.. well... sucks, because we're listening to rap until you're back with the team and can make your own arrangements to change it."

Taylor raised a finger at me as he switched his body around to stretch his quads. "Wait wait wait... uh... Ronni, I just realized, I don't know your last name."

I smirked as I stood up and did a few lunges. "My last name is Mitchell."

"Alright, then wait up there, Mitchell. I have a proposition for you." Taylor stood up in front of me with his hands on his hips. "If I run all three miles today with you, then I get to choose the warm-up music for the rest of our sessions.

I nodded and stood up so that we'd be eye level. "Okay... okay, I'm listening. What about me? What do I get when you fall short and pass out half way through?"

He chuckled and lightly tipped my chin up. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that... but in the event that I'm abducted by space aliens, a meteor strikes me, or you somehow sabotage me into stopping... I... I don't know, what do you want?"

You... "I want you to stop being so nosy when it comes to me and Jordan." Yeah... close enough to what I was thinking.

He nodded. "Alright... I'll back off... but you realize, if you don't tell me, Jordan will.... and I'll still bug you about it." Taylor reached his hand towards me, stretching the other lazily behind his head.

I shook my head. "Fine, as long as I'm not the one encouraging your behavior, I can handle it. Good luck today." I shook his hand firmly and continued stretching. "Seriously, whether you make it a mile or seven today... I'm proud you trying."

He frowned, opened his mouth to say something, and then looked away. He mumbled something to himself before looking somewhat in my direction. "I'm a hard worker... and I appreciate you being so happy that I do my best but... that's me all the time, and I wish you knew that... like if you knew me before I fell and stuff."

I sighed and grinned. "I know you're a hard worker. You don't get drafted first in the NHL because you sat around and waited to get plucked from the crowd. I just... I don't know, I thought it would give you more motivation."

"Well thanks.... enough with the mushy stuff though... let's run." he called. I whooped and lead him out of the weight room, down the hall, outside, and into the fresh, freezing November air. "Yeah running.. great, that is, if we don't freeze to death." Taylor added quietly.

We ran the first mile, just going around town, and even I felt a little winded. I hadn't ran in what seemed like forever, and even though I had been working out a lot since my sessions with Taylor, my cardio had been lacking. Taylor was visibly tired too. Thankfully, we were both going kind of slow at first. We teased each other and kept our feet moving, but the cold started getting to me... and so did he.

I got a little cranky and I slapped him in the chest kind of hard at one point. He just said something that bothered me and distracted me from running. "What the fuck, Ron!" he groaned, lightly shoving me back. I don't get why we do this to each other...

I ran in front of him and stopped. "Knock it off and let me run, then!"

"Oh come on, are you pmsing or something? We were joking around-" he started, jogging in place.

I shoved him. "I'll tell you something, Taylor, that's not funny... to any girl... ever! And you suck at running." With that, I kept going. Taylor slowly caught up behind me, limping along like earlier.

Another mile in, he slowed down and eventually stopped by a fire hydrant. I shook my head and kept going until my conscience got the better of me. It tugged at my heart until I turned around and went back for him. "Is it your knee?" I asked as I bent over him. He nodded, trying to massage it himself. "Come here." I waved for him to sit on the sidewalk, which he did, and I slowly massaged it. It wasn't swollen or bruised of anything, but it was tight. Probably should have stretched more.

When I was done, he stood up and smirked. "This doesn't count as not finishing. I'm ready to keep going." I couldn't hide my smirk. I shook my head and we continued to run.

"Sorry for snapping... again... again... again." I huffed breathlessly as we finished up the third mile. He rolled his eyes. "What can I say? I love pissing you off."

Taylor shook his head as we walked into the nearest shop and bought some waters. "Well, it's not working as much. I'm surprised you're the one who was all snippy today anyways." He chugged his water like it was his job. "But.. I won... so, tomorrow, we'll be listening to some Breaking Benjamin."

"Who what now?" I asked laughing. I shook my head and extended my hand. "Whatever.. you won, fair and square... congratulations." Taylor took my hand and shook it tightly.

When he didn't let go, I tried tugging away, but he just dragged me closer. "Come here, sweaty hug." I squealed and tried to sneak away but before I knew it, I was touching is soaking wet skin. I didn't exactly dislike it... "There ya go... best celebratory hug ever." he joked.

Normally, the smell would have destroyed my composure, but the fact that my ear was to his chest and I could hear his heart beat and the humm of his voice, kept me sane. Eventually, I pushed him away. "You're disgusting." I laughed as we began walking towards the Rexall Place again. "So, how'd you feel?"

He shrugged. "It didn't feel half as bad as I thought it would. I was shocked that I did it. I don't think I could have run anymore... kind of feeling sore now, but I mean.... I ran."

I nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll swim, maybe run a mile... and next week, we'll do some strength, now that it's moving alright. Gotta build it back up if you expect to use it to it's full potential." He nodded and flung his arm around me, playfully throwing his hand in my face, which I swatted away. "Stop it, ya brat. Were you listening to anything I said?"

"All I can hear Is Lowlife by Theory of a Deadman." he chuckled.

#Taylor#

"You seem happy." Jordan commented as I joined him in the locker room. "Good session?" I was grinning ear to ear; whether it was because of runner's high and my endorphins or because I won the bet or because I messed around with Ronni, I have absolutely no idea.

I nodded. "Yeah, I ran today." I answered bluntly. Probably not a good idea to mention the other stuff if he's already skeptical about trusting me to be alone with her... not that he should or would ever need to be!

"Ayy! Big man, look at you." He patted me on the shoulder as he started changing his clothes. "I was going to say..." Jordan let his voice drift as he took off his jersey.
"What?" I pressed, arms crossed over my chest defensively.

He chuckled and looked up at me with an evil grin. "You're cutting it close to the ice date though... In fact, you have three days until the deal goes into effect." When my mouth dropped ever so slightly, he added, "Better get working..."

I hadn't realized how close it was. There was no way that was happening.... "Right... is there anyway we could-"

"No." Jordan chortled as he unlaced his skates and hopped out of them. "It's the same day or nothing, bud. Deal with it." He chuckled, tossing his sweaty shirt at me. I growled and threw it on the ground before I stormed for the exit. "Where you going?"

"Gotta talk to Ronni." We have to speed up the process here!

I searched the weight room and the massage tables to see if she had hung around, but no such luck. I looked for Jack to see if he knew where she was. I checked his office and the rink, which were both empty. When I couldn't find him, I texted Ronni my message and called Jack, but neither responded.

Then I remembered that Jack liked to shower in the away team showers after a rough day. I think, the first time I asked him about it, he told me that he was very meticulous about those things and he thought that entering the players zone any time close to a game could throw them off. Go figure. Even I'm not that superstitious! With that in mind, I raced for the showers and heaved a sigh of relief as the sound of running water made its way through the air to my ear.

*Ronni*

After my run with Taylor, I felt gross, and his hug didn't exactly help. But, Phoebe wanted to go out to dinner as soon as I got off work, so I needed to either shower at the apartment and have her pound at the door until I finished... or shower at the rink and enjoy the peace and quiet as well as avoid being yelled at.

You can't blame me for choosing the latter. Especially when Jack offered me some definite privacy from any of the teammates walking in to shower. "Here... take the key to the away team's showers... Nobody's going to walk in there. Everyone else will shower at the home shower or leave by the time you get in so... go for it."

Who would pass up such an offer. "Thanks!" I cheered as I grabbed my change of clothes and raced for the showers. "I get to take a sho-wer! No one will interr-upt me! La la la la laaa-la!" I sang as I skipped into the shower. I stripped down and hopped under the warm water, letting it clean off the layer of grime that clung to my skin. I let out a sigh of appreciation. "I'm always going to shower here." I mumbled to myself.

I grabbed some soap and lathered up, so excited to be clean again. Dirt. Sweat. Germs. All bad! I washed my face but got soap in my eyes to I had to rinse it our with water. I blinked my eyes open and stepped a little out of the water to see whether things had cleared up. I scanned the room, trying to focus on different objects and get my vision back... when my eyes fell on him.