The Opportunity Has Just Begun

Once practice was over all I wanted to do was sleep. I was so tired and worn from my first on ice session I didn’t want to do with myself.

I sat down on the sofa and every muscle in me screamed for me to stay still. I laid down but my body just seemed to ache more and more.

“Why don’t you go take a nap?” Sidney suggested sitting on the sofa across from me.
“If I sleep now I won’t sleep tonight,” I frowned thinking it was a stupid idea.
“Make the most of any sleep you can get, besides Geno is coming over for dinner so you won’t be sleeping long.”
“What? Why?” I sat up instantly regretting it as my head spun from being so tired.
“Because he can cook better than me,” he smiled sheepishly.
“I can cook, why didn’t you ask me?”
“You’re dying, go to sleep,” he threw a blanket in my direction, “Besides Geno always comes over for dinner on Thursday night,” he snatched the remote control from table next to him and turned the television on.

Sidney Crosby was weird. He had routines that he stuck by, everything he did was particular and I guess sooner or later I was going to get caught up in it too.

I headed upstairs to my room to sleep but when I was greeted by all the boxes that still needed to be unpacked I knew I wasn't going to be able sleep if I didn't try and do something about them.

Why was I such a procrastinator? If I had have just done this yesterday instead of talking to my brother on the phone I would have had most of it done by now.

I sighed grabbing the first box and tossing it on my bed and flinched as clothes flew everywhere. I really did a bad job of packing.

I set my iPod in the dock and turned my attention to my wardrobe.
"Let's get this over and done with."

So as it turned out if you have the right music unpacking isn't so bad. It just becomes embarrassing when your captain walks in on you breaking down to the chorus of 'Man, I Feel Like A Woman' by Shania Twain.

"Don't act like you don't love it," I could feel his judgemental eyes burning into me as I froze in a pose down on my bed.
"Well we know you definitely cannot dance," he laughed as I slowly sat down.
"Fuck off," I tossed my pillow at him.
"You're lucky I am nice enough not to tell the guys about this," he threw the pillow back, "Look I am going to go take a shower, Geno is going to be here soon so you might want to give the chicken dance a rest," he smiled and ducked behind the door as I threw another pillow in his direction.

I guess I was lucky it was only Sid who caught me dancing. Could you imagine the ramifications if I had have been caught doing that in the middle of the locker room? Yeah not fun.

I cleared off my bed as best I could before I heard the doorbell ring.

"Coming!" I announced as I ran down the stairs and slid on the floorboards in my socks to the door.

I opened the door to see the big Russian standing in front of me with groceries in hand.

"Um hi, come in," I stepped back allowing him passed before shutting the door behind him, "Sid's just in the shower he shouldn't be too much longer."
"Ok," he continued walking into the kitchen.

I didn't what else to do with myself and I couldn't just leave him on his own, it would be rude so I followed.

He looked set in what he was doing, pulling things from the bags, placing them in position on the counter. Was I surrounded by OCD freaks?

"Do you want some help?" I stood aimlessly confused as to what I should do.
"No is ok," he began rummaging through the cupboards finding a frying pan and bowls. Was it sad that he knew the kitchen better than I did? 

I didn't know what else to do so I picked up a copy of sports illustrated that was just lying on the bench and began flicking through it.

I had read it all before; all the stories about the lockout, the NHL's crumbling name, how they were going to bounce back from it. Well they were, everyone was excited about the first game on Saturday so all these stories meant nothing now.

"Are you sure you don't want help? I have read these all before and if I hear another word about this lockout I am going to kill myself," I pushed the magazine away.
"No killing," he frowned, "can you cut vegetables?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I can cut vegetables," I walked over to where he was placing them on the chopping board for me.
"Sid not cut vegetables."
"Yeah well off the ice he is about as useful as a hole in a bucket," I picked the knife up.

That wasn't true though. Sidney was pretty useful, not the best but there were worse people out there.

In the past three days of being here he had been a big help establishing some home feel to this big place. He moved things around to accommodate my stuff, gave me a spot to hang my coffee mug, a shelf in the fridge for my Gatorade and a spot in the cupboard for all my protein powders which according to Sid were three essential things.

"You want drink?" Geno pulled out a beer from the fridge and gestured to me.
"No she isn't old enough," Sid walked in suddenly taking over the room again.
"Still baby," Geno smiled some kind of mixed adoring/mocking smile and cracked open a beer. 

"Not for you," he warned like he was displining a dog or something as he pointed to the bottle placing it on the bench.
"You're an asshole," I grumbled folding my arms across my chest and watched him serve dinner through narrowed eyes.

I grabbed my plate and took a set at the table. I stared down at the steak and veges. It looked safe, but maybe he had poisoned it, maybe he didn't know how to cook steak properly.

"Steal spot again," he looked disapprovingly as I sat it what must have been his usual spot or he wouldn't have had an issue.
"Well it's mine now, have that one," I pushed the chair across the table from me out by my foot.

I guess being the rookie I was going to have to get used to them trying to push me around. I was still 20 and I would 21 in a month but that wasn't going to stop them from teasing me about being the baby. I was just going to have to find someone who I could be on level ground with and wasn't going to make fun of me.