Back It up, Baby
Dinner with the Boys
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t put an effort into my appearance for dinner. These guys could possibly be my future teammates. I wanted to impress them and show them that I could clean up well, just like any girl. I even took the time to convince Beau to put on something other than sweats which, was hard because as good as he looked in sweats and hockey gear, he looked even better in jeans and a nice t-shirt.
“We should room together on the road too,” Beau said, pulling on his collar as we entered the restaurant. I shook my head, looking around for our team’s table, “seriously. I would never have to pick out my clothes and the guys would stop picking on me for my lack of fashion sense.”
“They should pick on you,” I chuckled, finally locating the rest of the team and heading towards them. “Those sweats are awful.”
Beau pouted, “hey guys, is my sweat suit awful?” He was met with a chorus of yeses, prompting him to over exaggerating his pout. “And to think, I was going to wear it out for you guys tonight.”
“Why aren’t you?” James Neal asked, raising an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes as I sat down.
“I’m rooming with him. Do you really think I would be caught dead with someone in a disgusting, old sweat suit?” James laughed and high fived me. He had gotten a couple good shots on me today and was a pretty great person in general. I was really excited when I first got to meet him. His personality made you feel like you’ve known him for ever after only meeting him 20 minutes prior, he was that easy going.
Evgeni Malkin leaned over from the other side of James and looked right at me, “truth or dare.”
I looked around at everyone staring at me, a confused look on my face, “what?”
“Truth or dare,” he repeated himself. I frowned and looked down at the menu in front of me. “Every rookie answer truth or dare question. No exception.”
“It’s okay, I had to do it too,” Beau shrugged, checking out his menu. “It’s never anything too bad.”
“Dare,” I decided. What’s the worst that could happen? We were in a public place and I was sitting with a bunch of famous athletes. Surely, they wouldn’t pick anything that would jeopardize that. None of the guys were expecting me to answer that way, they all just looked at each other, trying to figure out a good dare. I smiled to myself, enjoying the fact that I had stumped them. At this point, no one would be able to come up with something evil for me to do and I would be able to do it without being humiliated. It was perfect.
But then I noticed the smirk spread over Brandon Sutter’s lips. He leaned back in his chair next to Simon Depres, elbow up on the back, “cut your ponytail off.”
“Suttsy, that’s a little bit too much,” Jarome warned, a few of the guys agreeing. I almost giggled when I saw Letang frown and subconsciously touch his own hair. My own hair was extremely long and dark brown. I had straightened it today but, got angry and put it in a pony tail. I gave myself a second to really think about it. I always found it a hassle to have it that long anyway, and it would show the guys I was committed to the team.
“Fine, Sid, go get scissors,” I found myself announcing. Surprised, he got up and headed towards the bar area of the restaurant. While he was gone, a star struck waitress came by to take our drink orders. Pascal Dupuis and Matt Cooke decided to order Sidney a Sex on the Beach. They told me that he would get extremely embarrassed and blush like crazy.
“It’s hilarious,” Pascal was whispering to me as Sidney returned, handing me scissors. I held the pair of scissors in my hands, staring at them before getting a brilliant idea. Trying to look as innocent as possible, I looked up at Brandon and held out the scissors.
“I can’t see the back of my head, would you do the honours?” His eyes went wide and flashed him a devilish smirk, one that Sidney would tell me later looked eerily like Brandon’s cocky one. Sutter knew exactly what I was doing, taking control of the power again. If he said no and insisted I do it, he looked like a jack ass and a wimp. If he said yes and screwed up, he was the asshole who made me do it and cut it to look horrible. For him, it was a lose-lose situation.
Silently, he got up and took the scissors from me, standing behind me and lining it up. I held my breath, waiting for the cut. “Are you sure about this? You don’t have to do this.” I gasped as he leaned over to whisper in my ear.
Quickly, I gained my composure and squeezed my eyes shut, “just don’t fuck up, farm boy.” The sound of the scissors was sickening and it took three tries to cut it all the way. After a minute and a half fighting with it, I had my own ponytail in my hand and a little stub at the back of my head. “Oh, fuck.”
I wasn’t sure I liked having short hair but, the sounds of the guys chanting, “one of us” definitely made it easier to cope.
--
“Oh my god, I almost cried laughing when they put that drink in front of Sid,” I snorted, walking into my hotel room. Beau followed behind, chuckling and nodding.
“I haven’t seen him go that red since Flower put a stack of porno magazines in his locker,” he flopped down on his bed. “He’s such an easy target to them. Never really retaliates though. Too responsible.”
“He’s an amazing guy,” I kicked off my shoes and flopped down beside Beau on the bed. “What movie do you want to watch?”
“I don’t know, find the stupidest comedy on pay-per-view and we’ll watch that. Something that we can laugh at how bad it is,” I nodded, agreeing and reaching for the remote. I groaned as I stretched my arm as far as it could go without rolling over.
“Too far. Too much food. Can’t reach,” I moaned, making Beau burst out laughing. He rolled over and reached over me, grabbing the remote and handing it to me.
“Princess,” I pushed him away and stuck my tongue out. Quickly, I flipped through the movies before finding an animated adult comedy. Beau cheered at it so, I selected it. I threw the remote to him and sat up.
Stretching my hands over my head, I wandered over to my suitcase, “I’m going to get changed and then grab some vending machine snacks.”
“Good idea,” Beau agreed. I pulled my pyjamas out of my suitcase and head towards the bathroom. Just before reaching it, I caught a glimpse of my tiny little ponytail in the mirror and stopped. Turning my head back and forth to the sides, I sighed at it. Beau looked up at where I was staring at myself, I could just see him in the corner of the mirror, undoing his shirt. “You know, I think it looks really good. Makes you look older and its like you’re letting go of OHL Lily and starting new as NHL Lily.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, still staring at the ponytail. I hadn’t cut my hair in seven years, it was weird just seeing it all gone.
“Seriously, Lily, you look beautiful, stop worrying about it,” I spun around at his words but, he already had his back to me, pulling a pair of black basketball shorts out of his suitcase. I decided not to question it and just smiled.
“Thanks, Beau.”
“We should room together on the road too,” Beau said, pulling on his collar as we entered the restaurant. I shook my head, looking around for our team’s table, “seriously. I would never have to pick out my clothes and the guys would stop picking on me for my lack of fashion sense.”
“They should pick on you,” I chuckled, finally locating the rest of the team and heading towards them. “Those sweats are awful.”
Beau pouted, “hey guys, is my sweat suit awful?” He was met with a chorus of yeses, prompting him to over exaggerating his pout. “And to think, I was going to wear it out for you guys tonight.”
“Why aren’t you?” James Neal asked, raising an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes as I sat down.
“I’m rooming with him. Do you really think I would be caught dead with someone in a disgusting, old sweat suit?” James laughed and high fived me. He had gotten a couple good shots on me today and was a pretty great person in general. I was really excited when I first got to meet him. His personality made you feel like you’ve known him for ever after only meeting him 20 minutes prior, he was that easy going.
Evgeni Malkin leaned over from the other side of James and looked right at me, “truth or dare.”
I looked around at everyone staring at me, a confused look on my face, “what?”
“Truth or dare,” he repeated himself. I frowned and looked down at the menu in front of me. “Every rookie answer truth or dare question. No exception.”
“It’s okay, I had to do it too,” Beau shrugged, checking out his menu. “It’s never anything too bad.”
“Dare,” I decided. What’s the worst that could happen? We were in a public place and I was sitting with a bunch of famous athletes. Surely, they wouldn’t pick anything that would jeopardize that. None of the guys were expecting me to answer that way, they all just looked at each other, trying to figure out a good dare. I smiled to myself, enjoying the fact that I had stumped them. At this point, no one would be able to come up with something evil for me to do and I would be able to do it without being humiliated. It was perfect.
But then I noticed the smirk spread over Brandon Sutter’s lips. He leaned back in his chair next to Simon Depres, elbow up on the back, “cut your ponytail off.”
“Suttsy, that’s a little bit too much,” Jarome warned, a few of the guys agreeing. I almost giggled when I saw Letang frown and subconsciously touch his own hair. My own hair was extremely long and dark brown. I had straightened it today but, got angry and put it in a pony tail. I gave myself a second to really think about it. I always found it a hassle to have it that long anyway, and it would show the guys I was committed to the team.
“Fine, Sid, go get scissors,” I found myself announcing. Surprised, he got up and headed towards the bar area of the restaurant. While he was gone, a star struck waitress came by to take our drink orders. Pascal Dupuis and Matt Cooke decided to order Sidney a Sex on the Beach. They told me that he would get extremely embarrassed and blush like crazy.
“It’s hilarious,” Pascal was whispering to me as Sidney returned, handing me scissors. I held the pair of scissors in my hands, staring at them before getting a brilliant idea. Trying to look as innocent as possible, I looked up at Brandon and held out the scissors.
“I can’t see the back of my head, would you do the honours?” His eyes went wide and flashed him a devilish smirk, one that Sidney would tell me later looked eerily like Brandon’s cocky one. Sutter knew exactly what I was doing, taking control of the power again. If he said no and insisted I do it, he looked like a jack ass and a wimp. If he said yes and screwed up, he was the asshole who made me do it and cut it to look horrible. For him, it was a lose-lose situation.
Silently, he got up and took the scissors from me, standing behind me and lining it up. I held my breath, waiting for the cut. “Are you sure about this? You don’t have to do this.” I gasped as he leaned over to whisper in my ear.
Quickly, I gained my composure and squeezed my eyes shut, “just don’t fuck up, farm boy.” The sound of the scissors was sickening and it took three tries to cut it all the way. After a minute and a half fighting with it, I had my own ponytail in my hand and a little stub at the back of my head. “Oh, fuck.”
I wasn’t sure I liked having short hair but, the sounds of the guys chanting, “one of us” definitely made it easier to cope.
--
“Oh my god, I almost cried laughing when they put that drink in front of Sid,” I snorted, walking into my hotel room. Beau followed behind, chuckling and nodding.
“I haven’t seen him go that red since Flower put a stack of porno magazines in his locker,” he flopped down on his bed. “He’s such an easy target to them. Never really retaliates though. Too responsible.”
“He’s an amazing guy,” I kicked off my shoes and flopped down beside Beau on the bed. “What movie do you want to watch?”
“I don’t know, find the stupidest comedy on pay-per-view and we’ll watch that. Something that we can laugh at how bad it is,” I nodded, agreeing and reaching for the remote. I groaned as I stretched my arm as far as it could go without rolling over.
“Too far. Too much food. Can’t reach,” I moaned, making Beau burst out laughing. He rolled over and reached over me, grabbing the remote and handing it to me.
“Princess,” I pushed him away and stuck my tongue out. Quickly, I flipped through the movies before finding an animated adult comedy. Beau cheered at it so, I selected it. I threw the remote to him and sat up.
Stretching my hands over my head, I wandered over to my suitcase, “I’m going to get changed and then grab some vending machine snacks.”
“Good idea,” Beau agreed. I pulled my pyjamas out of my suitcase and head towards the bathroom. Just before reaching it, I caught a glimpse of my tiny little ponytail in the mirror and stopped. Turning my head back and forth to the sides, I sighed at it. Beau looked up at where I was staring at myself, I could just see him in the corner of the mirror, undoing his shirt. “You know, I think it looks really good. Makes you look older and its like you’re letting go of OHL Lily and starting new as NHL Lily.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, still staring at the ponytail. I hadn’t cut my hair in seven years, it was weird just seeing it all gone.
“Seriously, Lily, you look beautiful, stop worrying about it,” I spun around at his words but, he already had his back to me, pulling a pair of black basketball shorts out of his suitcase. I decided not to question it and just smiled.
“Thanks, Beau.”