You Hit Like a Girl

Thank you all for reading, I know you probably don’t care what I think as long as I write, which is fine with me, but I want to thank you guys anyways, especially all of you who have reviewed. I don’t mind constructive criticism or even more ideas of what you think should happen or something. I am open to anything you guys think should happen or something, or even a new point of view or relationship to form. JUST ASK, PLEASE, it helps a lot. Have you seen the guys partying... or mostly Kaner in the unicorn head? Hilarious, exactly what I would expect.

Our team is the second team to show up behind Jon’s team. Kaner’s team is hopelessly late, most likely lost or something. Most of the guys are lying on the sidewalk, groaning, breathing hard, and especially drinking out of bottles of water and Gatorade. Coach Q walked around and talked sporadically to the guys about the workout.
The guys seemed to accept my presence, but none of them made a move to talk to me. Toews was joking around with Stalberg, but he didn’t seem to hate me too much now. I think that they were warming up to me, but they didn’t know how to approach me. They must think that I am a girly girl or something. Really, I am not really hard to talk to because I am not a girl who is into makeup, fashion, and shopping. I would rather play on the ice, sit in sweats and baggy shirts, and watch old hockey games.
A whole twenty minutes later the final team shows up, panting and laughing, “Coach, we got so lost. Sorry,” Seabrook says. The guys sit on the ground with the rest of us; I am squished between a horrendously smelly Sharp and a red faced Hossa. Coach Q is standing at the front of the group, “I think that worked. I think you all are working together better as a team and we have had a lot of public support on the website for doing this. It ties you to the community and it makes you learn about each other, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and most importantly it works on tying you to each other and the community. What did you think of it?”
None of the guys seemed to want to answer because of fatigue and general terror of having to share their opinions. Some guys lean behind others, others avoid eye contact, and I see Handzus sneak behind the post box. I am generally hidden behind Keith and Emery.
“Toews, what did you think?”
Toews moves out behind Kaner and starts, “I think it was a good exercise and it was fun, but it felt childish, but I like being a child once in a while.” SURE, I think he just says that so he can stop the Captain Serious title.
“We will go back to the regular practices and do a ‘team building’ practice a few times a month. I think that this helped a bit. I have learned that you know that Charlie is female, so please, I beg you treat her right. Don’t be perverted, and Kaner… don’t do it or you will skate extra or something. She is a great player so make her welcome. That’s it for today, go home get some rest and I will see you all back here tomorrow, hopefully with more news about the lockout.”
I get up to leave along with the team, “Hey Charlie, we’re all going to go to get some pizza later. Meet us at that pizza place we went to at 7. Seabs set reservations when we went there,” Bickell says, patting my back before running off into the locker rooms to change. I follow suit; the boys ruffling my hair or giving other encouragement as I pass. The awkwardness has passed for now. I smile, “You can count me in! That pizza sounded amazing! Like I think we all wanted to stay there and eat a slice or two.”
Coach had set up a separate shower stall made from shower curtains for me in the corner as well as the neighbouring stall as a changing room. I grab my bag and slip into my area before the guys have time to say anything. The showers aren’t very warm, but it feels nice. I wash out my hair, the dye turning some of the water a yellow colour from fading slowly back to red.
I wash quickly and turn the water off and grab the towels I stored in my bag. I quickly change into the pair of men’s style jeans and a T-shirt because I can’t risk the public knowing anything. I leave my hair wet, but brush it slightly to deal with the snarls. I step out of my area and yelp. The other guys are all… indecent. I run quickly across the tiles, my bare feet slapping and my hand covering my eyes.
“EWWWW! Guys, you couldn’t have warned me!” I scream, mortified, from behind the wall.
They chuckle, “Sorry, Charlie! We don’t really think about girls and decency in practices. Next time, give us a warning before hand and we will turn around or something,” Stalberg says, semi-embarrassed.
“No problem. I should have thought of that! We never speak of this again, eh?” I propose.
“Definitely!” Oduya says, walking in with a towel. He walks over to his box and I turn around to face the back wall. I trace the bricks with my finger, waiting for the all clear to come. I hear bags opening and lots of laughter and talking, but I am mortified and stay in my corner, avoiding awkward social contact. I left my bag in my area. Shite!
“Hey guys, can one of you grab my bag from my stall I don’t want to deal with that ever again!” I ask into the room.
“Yes, Charlie why don’t you wait outside and we will put it outside the door.” Jon says, walking into the room in a pair of boxers and T-shirt.
I walk out the room thankful for that to be over, “Thanks, Captain.”
Once outside I let out a laugh at the awkward situations that have already happened to me. I never really thought about seeing the guys nude or indecent, just about them seeing me, so needless to say that was weird. I didn’t mind seeing some abs or chests but not the nether areas.
The guys walked out ten minutes later, handing me my stuff and looking slightly red. I grab my stuff, “Thanks, umm well about that...” I start, but Shaw cuts me off, “We agreed never to mention it again.”
“Right. Well I should go I have to unpack a lot of stuff today. I better get going; see you tonight.” I say walking through the building and to the exit.
I get into my car and drive home, happy to finally be accepted and not have to be the ‘girl’ anymore. Sure, I am not ‘one of the boys’, but I am definitely ‘one of the guys’… even though I am a girl. I stop at the market and grab enough groceries for the week before heading home. I had a lot of cleaning to do and my organization was atrocious.
By five at night I had finally finished moving in, permanently, and started to get ready for the night. The restaurant didn’t look formal, so I put on a casual pair of dark wash jeans and a pull over sweater that my brother gave to me. I try to calm my hair, but fail epically; it is still a curly mess that falls just below my ears. I don’t deal with the make-up and put on a pair of ratty old converse that I have had since I graduated college. I check to make sure I look ‘guyish’ before grabbing my wallet and slipping out the door. My apartment was near the restaurant and the weather was nice so I walked to it.
There was a long line from the entrance and it was crowded with a lot of locals and tourists that want a good slice of deep dish pizza. I walk up to the line, spot the host and give him my name, “Charlie Fleur. I am with the groups of guys, reservation under Seabrook.”
He looks down at the list and asks, “I have to make sure it is you, so your question is, what is your number?” My number hasn’t been released to the press yet, but the team knows. I smile, “9.”
I smiles back and waves his hand to another waiter, “Frank will take you to their table.” I smile back and follow ‘Frank’ up the stairs and into the 2nd floor where the guys had two long tables lined parallel to each other in the far corner. “There they are, enjoy.”
“Thank you.” I say approaching the table. There are four seats left open, Crow steals the seat between Emery and Seabrook, which leaves the seat at the end next to Kaner and Toews open, as well as the seat between Sharp and Bickell, or the seat in the back corner next to Hossa and Hjalmarsson. I am most comfortable with Hoss and Hammer, so I sneak into the seat.
“CHARLIE! You actually came. I thought we scared you off today!” Hammer says, ruffling my hair. I slap his hands away laughing.
“First of all, yes I came. Second of all, don’t touch my hair, it is a mess to begin with,” I say picking up a beer from the tray in the centre of the table and pop the top.
“You touched my hair, so we are even. I was just telling Hoss here that it should be fun with a girl on the team to help give input. You could be like a built in relationship advisor for some of the more clueless guys,” Hammer says passing me a slice of sausage deep dish. I thank him, “Hammer, you guys DO NOT and I will repeat, DO NOT want my advice. I am horrible at giving advice on relationships because I am a tomboy. Sorry.”
They laugh and we eat for a while I had great conversations with them and the rest of the team. Some guys were still shy and distant, not exactly knowing what to say or do, so I engage in conversations about their families and hockey with them in feeble attempts to get to know them. Strangely it works. Everything goes fine until Jon gets ‘the call’. The lockout has started. No more games or practices. I am heartbroken!
After that we all decide to split the check and go home to sulk and figure out what we want to do about the lock out. I go back to the apartment call my brother and start looking for a permanent job as a substitute in the school district.
I will stay in Chicago and train for the season and get in on pickup games and help my brother with practices on the farm teams to stay in shape when I can if I am not working. Being a substitute I can pick my days, and I don’t have to work every day, making it possible to keep working and playing hockey. I wait for the E-mail back and sip into bed.
It takes two days, and I get the reply… “Dear Charlie, we would love to have you as a substitute in our district. Please meet us at the district building at noon on Friday to discuss your salary, hours, and what schools you will cover. Sincerely, Jacob Moss, Board Member of the School District of the municipality of Chicago.” I smile and go back to working out on a treadmill at the sketchy gym down the street.