Sequel: Change ›
Wasted
About a Girl...
Hey pretty people! Have you heard the news?
Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, then you’ll surely know that the NHL is back in business! If you happen to live anywhere in the metropolitan area of Chicago then you surely heard my screams of joy early yesterday morning when I got a text from a certain Brandon Saad.
Speaking of whom, I’m headed off to catch lunch with ‘my favorite’ right now! Actually, I’m not supposed to meet him until after a player (or should I say captain?) organized morning skate, but I might have gotten out of work to see him early… Don’t tell anyone.
In the coming days, when the schedule is released and training camps begin, I’ll have reports out on all the match ups. (Big focuses on my Penguins and ‘Hawks…)
Stay classy and sassy, never trashy.
XO- Steph
Current Music- Chelsea Dagger by the Fratellis (because hell yeah!)
“Steph!” I heard Brandon’s voice, albeit a little muffled coming from behind the glass.
I turned and found him standing next to the bench, waving rapidly. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree and it reminded me of how he would react when he was little and I would bring treats.
He pointed to a small flight of steps to my left which led to a door. “Go!”
I wasn’t stupid and knew that I’d end up behind the players’ bench, but maybe it was the fake blondes that had been huddled up a row behind me in their tight tops because I stood up, swung both my bag and hair over my shoulder, and hopped down the steps.
“It’s so good to see you again!” Brandon pulled me into a hug as I made it through the tiny door.
I smiled at his usual upbeat attitude. “It’s good seeing you again too, Bran. You’re lookin’ good out there. It’s a little different than playing back in Pine-Richland, huh?”
“You have no idea,” even looking out at the small practice rink, you could see the happiness in his eyes.
“Have you been inside the Madhouse for a skate yet?”
He shook his head. “Tomorrow’s the first day that coaches are allowed contact with players, so we’ve got meetings down there in the morning and conditioning in the afternoon.”
“Exciting stuff,” I poked his side. Even I felt the anticipation.
“Is your inner blogger coming out?” Brandon teased.
My face fell serious and I socked him in the shoulder. “Never speak of it in front of your teammates.”
“You know,” he got in my face, still as stubborn as ever. “If I wasn’t wearing my pads, I’d probably bruise.”
“Well we all know how sensitive you are,” a familiar voice responded. We rounded the corner towards the inner rooms of the practice facility and found a group of players in the hallway.
“Shaw!” I grinned.
Brandon’s teammate gave me an equally enthusiastic hug as Brandon had minutes earlier. This time, though, my feet left the ground for a bit.
“Easy there, bud,” Brandon warned.
“Well who’s protective now?” I teased. “You want to introduce me or are we all just going to stand here awkwardly and stare at each other.”
The group of Blackhawks laughed loudly and I saw Sharp’s head at the back of the group.
“I like this one,” he moved forward and extended a hand. “I’m the older Patrick.”
“Stephanie,” I shook his hand and soon found the other Patrick in front of me. “I used to be Brandon’s babysitter.”
“The younger and better looking Patrick,” Kane smiled. “And you used to babysit this one?” He pointed to Brandon who grimaced.
“I did. He didn’t always look so old,” I laughed at the thought. “The pictures I could show you and the stories I could tell.”
“Which will never, ever be shared,” Brandon clamped a hand over my mouth.
I wiggled away. “Just because you’re bigger than me now doesn’t mean you can be a bully!”
I was given another round of introductions with a few other players, including Seabs, Duncs, Crow, and Tazer. The captain seemed a little distracted and distant, but I chalked that up to the impending season and the stress that was sure to come with it.
“I’ll shower and then we’ll go, yeah?” Brandon yanked his jersey over his head to reveal his Under Armour and pads.
“Sounds good,” I agreed. “I’ll wait… here.” I leaned against the wall.
“Go?” both Patricks and Andrew poked their heads out. “Where?”
“Food,” I shrugged before Brandon managed to get a hand over my mouth.
“Now you’ve done it,” he muttered.
And sure enough, within the next half hour, Brandon and I were being accompanied by Kaner, Sharpie, Andrew, and a slightly reluctant Jonathan.
“You drove?” Brandon figured.
“It would be a long bus ride and expensive cab ride from my apartment,” I nodded. “I can bring you back after we eat?”
“You two are so agreeable,” Sharpie noted as he and Andrew piled into my car, leaving Jon and Patrick to share a ride. “Like siblings.”
“I may as well change my last name to Saad,” I remarked as a blush crept up my neck as an old sang blared through my speakers. “Sorry. I haven’t heard that since high school and I’ve been listening to it a lot lately.”
“And if I never hear it again,” Brandon turned the radio off completely. “It’ll be too soon.”
I resorted to humming along by memory as I fielded questions from our unexpected guests. They were a surprisingly normal and calm group when you got them one on one. Once they had finished their own interrogation, a question of my own came to mind.
“Was Toews okay?” I blurted out. “I mean Jon? Captain?” I didn’t know what to refer to him as now that I was going out to lunch with them all. Actually, I didn’t know what to call any of them.
Sharpie laughed. “Jon should work. And I can’t really tell you. Maybe it’s him getting into the zone. But I plan on finding out.”
“Don’t say I mentioned anything,” I glanced at him in my rearview mirror. “I don’t want him to think I’m prying.”
“So kind of you,” Andrew said sarcastically.
“Watch the sass, Shaw,” I warned playfully.
“And the babysitter reappears,” Brandon smiled.
“Let’s go eat before you two end up in time out,” Patrick teased as we piled out of the car.
“What about time out?” Kaner asked as we joined them on the curb.
Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, then you’ll surely know that the NHL is back in business! If you happen to live anywhere in the metropolitan area of Chicago then you surely heard my screams of joy early yesterday morning when I got a text from a certain Brandon Saad.
Speaking of whom, I’m headed off to catch lunch with ‘my favorite’ right now! Actually, I’m not supposed to meet him until after a player (or should I say captain?) organized morning skate, but I might have gotten out of work to see him early… Don’t tell anyone.
In the coming days, when the schedule is released and training camps begin, I’ll have reports out on all the match ups. (Big focuses on my Penguins and ‘Hawks…)
Stay classy and sassy, never trashy.
XO- Steph
Current Music- Chelsea Dagger by the Fratellis (because hell yeah!)
*~*~*~*~*~*
“Steph!” I heard Brandon’s voice, albeit a little muffled coming from behind the glass.
I turned and found him standing next to the bench, waving rapidly. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree and it reminded me of how he would react when he was little and I would bring treats.
He pointed to a small flight of steps to my left which led to a door. “Go!”
I wasn’t stupid and knew that I’d end up behind the players’ bench, but maybe it was the fake blondes that had been huddled up a row behind me in their tight tops because I stood up, swung both my bag and hair over my shoulder, and hopped down the steps.
“It’s so good to see you again!” Brandon pulled me into a hug as I made it through the tiny door.
I smiled at his usual upbeat attitude. “It’s good seeing you again too, Bran. You’re lookin’ good out there. It’s a little different than playing back in Pine-Richland, huh?”
“You have no idea,” even looking out at the small practice rink, you could see the happiness in his eyes.
“Have you been inside the Madhouse for a skate yet?”
He shook his head. “Tomorrow’s the first day that coaches are allowed contact with players, so we’ve got meetings down there in the morning and conditioning in the afternoon.”
“Exciting stuff,” I poked his side. Even I felt the anticipation.
“Is your inner blogger coming out?” Brandon teased.
My face fell serious and I socked him in the shoulder. “Never speak of it in front of your teammates.”
“You know,” he got in my face, still as stubborn as ever. “If I wasn’t wearing my pads, I’d probably bruise.”
“Well we all know how sensitive you are,” a familiar voice responded. We rounded the corner towards the inner rooms of the practice facility and found a group of players in the hallway.
“Shaw!” I grinned.
Brandon’s teammate gave me an equally enthusiastic hug as Brandon had minutes earlier. This time, though, my feet left the ground for a bit.
“Easy there, bud,” Brandon warned.
“Well who’s protective now?” I teased. “You want to introduce me or are we all just going to stand here awkwardly and stare at each other.”
The group of Blackhawks laughed loudly and I saw Sharp’s head at the back of the group.
“I like this one,” he moved forward and extended a hand. “I’m the older Patrick.”
“Stephanie,” I shook his hand and soon found the other Patrick in front of me. “I used to be Brandon’s babysitter.”
“The younger and better looking Patrick,” Kane smiled. “And you used to babysit this one?” He pointed to Brandon who grimaced.
“I did. He didn’t always look so old,” I laughed at the thought. “The pictures I could show you and the stories I could tell.”
“Which will never, ever be shared,” Brandon clamped a hand over my mouth.
I wiggled away. “Just because you’re bigger than me now doesn’t mean you can be a bully!”
I was given another round of introductions with a few other players, including Seabs, Duncs, Crow, and Tazer. The captain seemed a little distracted and distant, but I chalked that up to the impending season and the stress that was sure to come with it.
“I’ll shower and then we’ll go, yeah?” Brandon yanked his jersey over his head to reveal his Under Armour and pads.
“Sounds good,” I agreed. “I’ll wait… here.” I leaned against the wall.
“Go?” both Patricks and Andrew poked their heads out. “Where?”
“Food,” I shrugged before Brandon managed to get a hand over my mouth.
“Now you’ve done it,” he muttered.
And sure enough, within the next half hour, Brandon and I were being accompanied by Kaner, Sharpie, Andrew, and a slightly reluctant Jonathan.
“You drove?” Brandon figured.
“It would be a long bus ride and expensive cab ride from my apartment,” I nodded. “I can bring you back after we eat?”
“You two are so agreeable,” Sharpie noted as he and Andrew piled into my car, leaving Jon and Patrick to share a ride. “Like siblings.”
“I may as well change my last name to Saad,” I remarked as a blush crept up my neck as an old sang blared through my speakers. “Sorry. I haven’t heard that since high school and I’ve been listening to it a lot lately.”
“And if I never hear it again,” Brandon turned the radio off completely. “It’ll be too soon.”
I resorted to humming along by memory as I fielded questions from our unexpected guests. They were a surprisingly normal and calm group when you got them one on one. Once they had finished their own interrogation, a question of my own came to mind.
“Was Toews okay?” I blurted out. “I mean Jon? Captain?” I didn’t know what to refer to him as now that I was going out to lunch with them all. Actually, I didn’t know what to call any of them.
Sharpie laughed. “Jon should work. And I can’t really tell you. Maybe it’s him getting into the zone. But I plan on finding out.”
“Don’t say I mentioned anything,” I glanced at him in my rearview mirror. “I don’t want him to think I’m prying.”
“So kind of you,” Andrew said sarcastically.
“Watch the sass, Shaw,” I warned playfully.
“And the babysitter reappears,” Brandon smiled.
“Let’s go eat before you two end up in time out,” Patrick teased as we piled out of the car.
“What about time out?” Kaner asked as we joined them on the curb.