Buckshot

Harper tugged down her hat a little more over her ears. Why Patrick had decided to meet outside on one of the coldest November days Chicago had ever seen was beyond her. She snuggled in closer to Jonathan as she walked down to the park bench where Patrick had instructed them to meet.

“There he is.” Jon said, pointing to the lone figure slouched down on a bench overlooking the pond, a black beanie shoved down over his head, hands in his jacket pockets.

“How do you know?” Harper laughed. They were too far away to recognize facial features.

Jonathan scoffed. Patrick was in a shitty mood. When he was in a shitty mood, he pouted. And what he saw in front of him was a sulking figure if he’d ever seen one.

That, however, took too long to tell Harper so instead he shrugged and said, “I just know.”

They got to the bench and sat down beside Patrick who merely scooted over to allow them room. Harper sat in the middle, Jonathan on the end where he could sprawl a little more.

They were there for a few minutes before Patrick even spoke. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Harper said a little concerned for their friend. He was unusually quiet. “What’s up?”

Patrick’s thousand yard stare focused in and he turned his head. “I need to know everything you know about Nicki.”

“In reference to the other night?” Jonathan asked, trying to clarify.

“Everything.” Patrick stated simply. “I want to know how you see her, another person’s perspective.
Mine is too clouded by personal experience.”

Jonathan sucked in a breath. “Who are you and what have you done with Kaner?”

Harper backhanded her boyfriend in the abs

“Ow, babe.” Jonathan Grumbled , not like it hurt him or anything. He was in better physical condition than Superman.

“I think that’s very mature of you. “ Harper said, noting the way that he had changed over the past 2 years. She’d known him for at least 4 and he wasn’t really the frat-boy he used to be. He’d grown up, and she suspected that his friendship with Kimberly had done that for him.

“ I just don’t know what I see in Nicki anymore other than a” Patrick paused, trying to best word the rest of his sentence in front of Harper.

“A piece of ass?” She supplied, and Patrick relaxed.

“Basically.” He smiled.

“Well do you want me to be blunt?” Jonathan spoke

“Is there a time you aren’t?” Harper looked at her boyfriend pointedly

“Not really.” Captain Serious grinned. “Anyway, Kaner, I’m pretty sure that she isn’t good for much
else.”

Harper’s eyes grew bigger as her Jonathan continued speaking. “She’s the most arrogant, vapid, selfish bitch I’ve ever laid eyes on, dude.”

Patrick’s eyes squinted in confusion.

“How many times have we invited you both to come over and you didn’t come because of some excuse Nicki made up? How many times has she stepped on your family’s toes and not apologized, and on top of that always put the blame on someone else?” Jonathan supplied

“How many conversations have you had about how her day was?” Harper asked “Think about how many times she’s asked how you the same question.”

Patrick nodded his head and the thousand yard stare was back as he looked out over the pond. He relived their recent conversations and realized that there weren’t many. The only talking they did was with their bodies, pillow talk was reduced to playing on various social networks for her and sifting through sports news for him.

“What did she say to Buck?” Patrick finally asked. “I need you to tell me because Kimberly refused to. She didn’t want to get in the middle of things.”

“She’s a good woman for that,” Jonathan said, his respect for Kimberly going up by leaps and bounds.

Patrick shrugged and Harper started digging through her coat pockets. “Babe where’s my phone?”

“You gave it to me, remember?” Jonathan said, handing her a smartphone. She’d given it to him earlier because her pockets were far too shallow.

“ I was in the restroom when Nicki started to jump all over Kimberly. Give me a minute and let me find the video I took.” Harpers said, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth.

“You videotaped going to the restroom?” Jonathan laughed.

“No, you idiot. Your brother sent me a video to watch and I was clicking through it and somehow I hit ‘record’ right about the same time that Nicki said what she said.” Harper rolled her eyes as she
flipped through her gallery to get to it. “Aha!”

She put the phone out in front of her so they could all watch. “I didn’t get all of the conversation, but
I did catch the very end. Buck had actually reached out and was very pleasant, very nice. Then Nicki pounced, she said something about trying to get into your wallet and the rest, you can see for yourself.” She said and hit play.

-Let me make one thing perfectly clear, you little slut. Patrick is mine, and if you go near him, I will
tell every single one of the player’s wives just how much of a skank you are.-

Patrick was so mad he could taste the rage. Buckshot had always been a lady around him, and for that matter around Nicki. Now that he thought on it, she was always a lady. And for Nicki to just pounce on her like that… he was livid. Then he started laughing ridiculously hard.

Jonathan looked at him like he had grown a second head, which only made Patrick laugh harder. By
the time Harper was close to committing him into some mental institution, he stopped, wiping under his eyes.

“What’s so funny?” Harper asked.

“I totally get why women don’t like being treated like property.” Kane giggled again. “I feel like such a chick right now.”

“Kane, you’re lame.” Jonathan laughed.

“No but seriously, I’m breaking up with her.” Patrick sobered a little.

“You need to make sure you tell Kimberly that it isn’t because of her. Especially with the way she’s made sure to stay out of things as much as possible.” Harper noted earnestly.

“Oh, I will. It’s been a long time coming though. I’m just tire of all the bullshit.” Patrick leaned back in his chair, his heart unusually light in spite of all that had occurred.

Patrick didn’t waste much time after he left the couple. He called Nicki and they met somewhere safe, somewhere public. He broke it off without much preamble, claiming that they had grown apart and he needed to focus more on hockey. She was devastated, and by the time the conversation was over, had made it seem as if she were the one breaking up with him. She couldn’t stand how he was never there, and she was tired of having to “be in the limelight”- whatever that meant. Patrick hadn’t been on a red carpet with her. Ever. She stormed away, leaving him sitting alone at a dive bar he’d never been to before in his life, and probably wouldn’t ever go to again. The service was terrible.

He grabbed his phone and pressed the speed dial for his sister’s phone.

“Hello?” Erica picked up the phone, out of breath.

“Hey sis, what have you been up to?” He asked her, walking past familiar buildings but in no certain direction.

“Jess and I were invited over to Elina’s and Nicklas’ house for game night. You two were invited, but Elina said that Nicki turned down the invite last night at the last minute.” She giggled at something Hjalmarsson said in the background.

Patrick sighed, even more grateful that he had followed through earlier. “Yeah, well, I might as well tell you now. Nicki and I broke up. We’re done.”

There was a loud whoop and a muffled thunk! Before Erica picked up the phone again.

“Oh my god! Patrick, are you serious?! “Erica said, sounding like she had just won the lottery.

“As a heart attack.” Patrick said and noticed an echo in the background. “Am I on speaker phone?”

“Yeah, Kaner, sorry we had to hear it for ourselves. “ Nicklas’ voice came from over the phone.

“Geez, guys, you don’t have to sound so happy. I mean I just broke it off with a really smoking hot girl. Have some class!” Patrick laughed.

“I’ll get some class when you start dating classy women.” Jessica’s voice came from a faraway distance.

“Oh shut up, brat. “ Patrick shook his head and looked up, realizing he was In front of his apartment building. “Look, I’m going to go. Call me when you get ready to leave.”

Patrick said his goodbyes and hung up his phone before going through the glass doors.