Determination

MARC ANDRE’S POV
 
It took me a second to comprehend exactly what Sidney was saying.  “No one can score on you Flowers? Well I remember that Devils game, 9-1. Yeah you’re right no one can score on you, the great Marc Andre Fleury!”
 
I felt my mouth open a little bit, and I shut it as I grasped what he was saying to me. March was looking at me too, the exact same expression on her face. She couldn’t believe Sidney just said that to me either.
 
And it hurt. A lot. I would have been out that game, if our backup goalie, and my good friend Tomas Vokoun hadn’t been out on a dire family emergency. That game signifies the most embarrassing day of my life. Letting the puck slam the back of the net nine different times. Ilya Kovalchuk had had a hat trick that night.
 
I gulped, and looked at Sidney, and I could see he regretted what he said. But he couldn’t take it back. I’m sure Coach Dan would understand why I decided to take a break after I explained it to him. I nodded and said with as much confidence and as much courage as I could muster, “You know what? You’re right Sid. You are right. I have to um, go.”
 
With lack of a better excuse, I pushed past March into the tunnel. I sat in my seat, and threw my pads angrily on the floor, throwing the jersey onto the bench in anger and sadness. I untied my skates as fast as I could, and put those away too. I whipped my under armor onto the floor, and leaving all of my hockey gear strewn about, even my goalie stick had been thrown across the room, I left. I left the arena. I got in my car and drove back home and turned on the NHL network, some Devils special on. All about Martin Brodeur, the one who let one puck hit the back of the net. Could there have been any more inappropriate timing for this?
 
I threw the remote, and it changed the channel for me.
 
JAMES’S POV
 
I wasn’t sure what was happening with Flower, Sid the Kid and March, but there was clearly some tension on the bench. I saw a smile spread across Sidney’s face and he said something. Then, March and Flower’s faces both turned to complete disbelief and almost horror. March looked at Marc Andre, who said something back, but them got up and walked into the tunnel. I wonder what Sidney said.
 
March skated over to me. “I’m taking your spot. Nice shift!”
 
Her beautiful green eyes sparkled as she said that, and I bit my tongue so I didn’t blurt out something I would regret later, as Sidney obviously had. I looked over at him again, and he looked pretty upset. Sad almost. He was probably just mad at himself for making Marc Andre unhappy. It’s really hard to wipe that smile of Flower’s face. You should be ashamed if you’re able to make Marc Andre Fleury upset.
 
I looked at the line I had left for March. Geno and Kunitz. She could have some success on that line, I’m sure.
 
MARCH’S POV
 
I thanked the dear Lord that Coach Dan called me out to the ice. I don’t know what I would say to Sidney. It had rattled me a bit. I had actually been at that Devils game, except in a Brodeur jersey instead of a Fleury one.
 
I took a deep breath in attempt to forget about it, but I knew I couldn’t forget.
 
“WILSON!”
 
I looked up, just in time to grab Evgeni’s pass to me, and I netted it quickly.
 
The bench clapped and cheered, “WIL-SON! WIL-SON! WIL-SON!” I smiled at James and Sidney. Sidney looked miserable. He seriously needs to go talk to Marc Andre.
 
*AFTER PRACTICE *
 
James, Evgeni, Sidney and I were the last to leave. “Hey Nealer!” Sidney called, and Geno and I both turned our heads to look at James.
 
“What’s up Crosby?”
 
He asked hesitantly, “So, what are you doing after practice today?”
 
“Well I was going to go to Marc Andre’s to play some video games, but I don’t know where he went. I think I’ll just go over there anyway. March, wanna come? I’m sure he has some games a girl can play.”
 
I raised an eyebrow. “Bitch please I’m probably better at a lot of his games than you are. But I can’t, sorry. I have to look at apartments. I’m still staying in a hotel down the street.”
 
Sidney volunteered, “Need some help with that? And maybe don’t rush into it. I lived with Mario Lemieux for a while in my first year. Maybe you should ask one of the guys if they have a spare room or something.”
 
I had already considered that, but I know hockey players are infamous for bringing girls home after games, and I don’t really want to live with someone if I don’t get any sleep at night because of all the screaming that goes way into the night, if you know what I mean.

I shrugged, "I don't know. I don't want to disrupt a married couple and I like my sleep at night."

Sidney smirked, "So you've heard all the rumors too? Nah only when we're mad." He must have seem the freaked out look on my face because he giggled and said, "I'm just kidding. Max Talbot who used to play for us, well, NO ONE even wanted to move in with him! But I'm fairly certain all of us are pretty," He couldn't find a good word.

"Calm?" I offered.

"Actually we're a bunch of crazy bitches who are nowhere near calm. Seriously, you'll see. But in that way, yes. Calm. Except for Geno!" Sidney teased the Russian gently.

Evgeni turned around and glared at both of us and spit, "Заткнуться Сидни. даже не пытайся переспать с ней!" (Shut the hell up Sidney. don't even try to sleep with her!)

Sidney said, "You very well that I have no idea what you just said."

Evgeni shook his head. "Slowly lose you."

"Slowly losing me, what?" Sidney asked, and Evgeni just shook his head and packed up his bag.

"Перейти ебет себя Евгений. и перестать быть таким грубым Сидни!" I spat at Geno, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Maybe it was the content of my words. That made me feel immediatly guilty.

"Вы говорить на русском?" (You speak Russian?) He asked me in surprise.

I replied, "I studied over in Russia for a semester. I know a little bit." In my Russian tongue I added, Почему я не могу тебе нравлюсь? Мы товарищи по команде Евгений?"(Why can I not you like me? We're teammates Evgeni!)

He just shook his head and walked out with his big hockey bag. I sighed, "Is there something wrong with me?" I asked James and Sidney miserably.

Sidney rolled his eyes, "I don't know what's wrong with him March. He's usually a nice, cool guy. I have no idea why he's being an asshole."

James nodded, "I wish I could talk to him, but when he's angry he won't speak English. He needs an English class. Hey, in Russia to they call Language Arts Russian? Or whatever Russian is in Russian?"

I laughed at James, the look on his face was priceless. "Not sure Nealer. But Russian in Russian is Русский. I think."

Sidney smiled, "Maybe you can teach us how to speak Russian!"

"Do you know any, Sid?"

He giggled, "Перейти ебет себя Geno taught me that. What does it mean?"

I laughed, "Sidney, it means go fuck yourself." I was bent over in uncontrollable laughter as Sidney and James spat the insult at each other time and time again.

James laughed, "Wait until I tell Geno to go fuck himself!"

I smiled, "I really love you guys."

Sidney kissed the top of my head. "You're like a little sister, we love you too!"

James nodded, "You know it Marchie!

"Never. And I mean NEVER call me that. EVER."

James laughed and Sidney joined in.
*******************************************
I knocked on the door to one of my best friends' house.

He opened the door and gave me a smile. He was wearing the exact same outfit he was that first day I met him. "Sup Wilson?" He asked on his French accent.

"You're one of my best friends Flower, I'm not allowed to visit you?"

He smiled, "Aren't you drained from practice?"

I had noticed my eyes drooping, I was in need of some serious sleep.

I lied, "No way!"

He picked up on my lie. "Suuure you're not. We should probably just chill out here. What do you want to do?"

I nodded and stepped inside, sitting down on his couch. He was watching some hockey game, it wasn't an NHL game.

In the comforting, soft material of his couch, I felt myself dozing off. I tried to stay awake, and when I looked over at Marc Andre he was staring at me. He smiled, "You need some sleep. Get it here."

I didn't have to be told twice. He brought me a blanket from somewhere else in the house. It smelled like him, and I fell alseep quickly after that.

Evgeni and Rachel were in my dream. They were dating, I think. I hated Evgeni for dating my baby sister, I was ready to kill him.

When I woke up, I wanted to punch him in the face. Taking advantage of my kid sister like that, who does he think he is? I soon realized he and Rachel are not actually dating, and I fell back to sleep.

I woke up in a huge bed, next to someone else. Marc Andre? No. This wasn't even Marc Andre's house! Where the hell am I? I looked over to my side, and I was right, Marc Andre wasn't here.

I smiled at his sleeping face, and my tired mind snuggled close into his chest, and I fell asleep again. Man, this whole training camp thing isn't really training, more like DRAINING. I yawned, and the top of my head hit his chin. He didn't stir.
****************************************
I knew someone was trying to wake me up. "March?" A hand ran through my hair.

I opened my eyes, and the light stung. Was I hungover? No, I'm eighteen, and even though I'm not supposed to drink, we all did that one time. My head hurt like hell then, it sort of feels like that now. But I haven't drank since, I pledged never to drink even one more time.

"Sidney?" I asked, seeing him bent over me.

He smiled, "That's me. How are you feeling?"

My stomach was turning with nausea, and my head was throbbing worse than my only hangover last year or the tear before. "Not great," I admitted.

He nodded, "You're temperature has gone between 99-104 degrees. Tanger doesn't think I should take you to the hospital yet, but Marc Andre and I are pretty certain you need a doctor, and not just me amd occasionally Nealer."

I squinted at him and nodded, making my head hurt. I laye back down on the pillows, Sidney has constructed a fort like structure.
"Wait! You've been here, Kris has been here, Marc Andre has been here AND James came here too?"

Sidney nodded, "We love you March. You're like the little sister I never had. Well I have a little sister. You're actually just like her! But the other guys really feel the need to protect you. You're going to be treated like a freaking princess March!"

I smiled and just stared into Sidney's hazel eyes. His eyes stared into mine, and I noticed how gorgeous his eyes are. I have an eye thing, I love guys eyes. Whoever I date ALWAYS has beautiful eyes. And his messy curly hair... I shook my head. I must be seriously sick.

James skipped into the room. Okay, maybe not skipped, but ran in with flair, is that better? "March has awoken from her dead sleep!" He screamed.

"Ow, can you whisper? I'm not dead James!"

He smiled, "We know. Oops." He repeated (more quietly) "We know March, it's alright!"

I smiled at the klutz, who walked closer to me but managed to trip over his own feet and fall face flat on the floor. I laughed at him.

After just making stupid, frivolous conversation, he got a phone call from his sister Rebecca, and decided to take it.

I smiled at Sidney. "I love you guys, you know."

"I know March. We all know."