Two Can Play the Game

Cecil stepped inside the lounge at Rogers Arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks. She shuddered at the giant posters of the Sedin twins and Roberto Luongo. She wasn’t much of a Canucks fan herself. But she was here on a mission.

“Cecil, hi!” A petite brunette called out to her as she pulled Cecil into a hug.

“Hey Amy. Thank you so much for doing this for me,” Cecil said. She and Amy had gone to college together back home in Minnesota, both majoring in sport marketing. Amy had gotten a position as marketing assistant for the Vancouver Canucks, and now five years later, she was the marketing director of the organization. Cecil, on the other hand, worked in the same position for the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Okay, so I’ve created the job posting as summer intern for the Canucks, someone who will work closely with the marketing team.” Amy said, handing Cecil the job posting. “You’ll be posing as the Human Resources Director for the Canucks. You’re so lucky that Elizabeth is on vacation, or else you wouldn’t have been able to pull this off.”

Cecil nodded. “What did you do with all the male candidates?”

Amy giggled. “We’ll interview them, we just won’t choose them. I can’t have the NHL thinking I’m sexist. Plus I looked at some of the applicants. They’re hot.”

Cecil slapped Amy’s arm playfully. “They’re probably still in college! Or even younger than that!”

Amy shrugged. “So? Boys are the most fun at that age!”

Cecil shook her head. “Alright, send them in.”

Amy walked to the door but paused at the handle. “Are you sure you want to do this, Cecil? I know Patrick hurt you but is public humiliation really the answer?”

Cecil smirked. “Absolutely. I didn’t fly all the way here if I didn’t want to find the biggest Blackhawks haters in the world.”

Amy gave Cecil a nod of understanding. “Okay then, I’ll send them in.”

Cecil looked down at the list of questions she had prepared for the candidates, completely unrelated to the job position Amy had created. She was pretty sure she was jeopardizing her job for this. But before she had time to give this any further thought, she heard the door open and close. She straightened her pencil skirt and waited, pen in hand.

Amy took a seat next to Cecil and gestured for the girl to sit on the opposite side of the table.

“What’s your name?” Cecil asked. She gave the girl a once over. She had brown hair, held together in two pigtails.

“T-Tara.” The girl stammered, handing over her resume with a shaking hand.

Cecil pretended to give the resume a quick glance before setting it down on the table. “Tell me, Tara. Are you a big Canucks fan?”

Tara nodded eagerly, her smile showing off her full mouth of braces.

Cecil winced. This was definitely not the girl, but she did not want to be rude. “Tell me a bit about yourself.”

Tara shifted in her seat. “Well, um… I’m in grade 12, just looking for a bit of experience, and I love the Canucks, so why not start here?”

Cecil nodded. The girl was nice but not fit for the job. “Thanks, Tara. We will contact you after we have spoken to all the candidates to let you know if you have received the job.”

Tara pushed her chair back, making a loud squeak as she did. “Thanks for your time today.”

Tara walked out of the room before Cecil let out a big sigh. “Did you screen these applicants beforehand, Amy?!”

Amy shrugged. “Sort of, but I got like 300 applications and I actually have to screen other candidates for jobs that you know, actually exist.”

Cecil took a sip of her coffee. This was going to be a long day.

--

25 interviews or so later, Cecil was exhausted. Many of the applicants would have great potential for the summer internship, had there actually been an internship. But none of them was what she was looking for.

Then a gorgeous, blonde with wavy hair and long legs walked in. She had a beautiful smile, and wore a sexy but sensible black dress. Cecil sat up straighter in her chair. This could be the one.

“Hello, my name is Cecil Standman. I’m the Human Resources director for the Vancouver Canucks. Please, have a seat.”

“I’m Brittany. Nice to meet you.” The girl shook Cecil’s hand firmly before taking a seat.

“So Brittany, how long have you been a Canucks fan?” Cecil asked.

Brittany paused for a bit. “Well, I always watched a few games here and there, but became a huge fan the year the Canucks went to the Stanley Cup finals.”

Bandwagoner, Cecil wore down in her notebook.

“Who’s your favorite player?”

Brittany smiled. “It has to be Chris Higgins. Have you seen his abs? That man probably has half of the women in Vancouver melting.” She gushed.

Has good taste, Cecil added.

Cecil cleared her throat. “No, I have not seen Chris’ abs personally, but I will take your word for it. Do you like the Chicago Blackhawks?”

Brittany nodded excitedly. “God yes, Toews is such a dreamy captain. And Patrick Kane? He has the most gorgeous smile ever. How do you resist those puppy dog eyes?”

Cecil looked down. She knew exactly which smile and puppy dog eyes Brittany was referring to.

“Have you met the players personally? How do you know them so well?”

“I wish. I just stalk them on Tumblr and Twitter… and I follow the team’s Instagram.”

Cecil wanted to bang her head on the table. “Thanks, Brittany. We’ll call you.”

Cecil waited for Brittany to walk out before turning to Amy. “A puck bunny? A Chicago Blackhawks puck bunny? That’s as bad as it gets.”

Amy sighed. “What kind of girl are you looking for, exactly?”

“Not her, that’s for sure. Anyone that likes Patrick Kane is automatically a no. I want someone who hates him enough to want to mentally twist his balls off.”

Amy made a disgusted face. “You’re a crazy bitch, Cecil.”

“Yeah, well, Patrick Kane made me this way.”

--

Cecil was ready to give in and head back to Chicago when a stunning girl with piercing green eyes walked in, her light brown hair nicely curled around her face. She wore a vintage Canucks t-shirt tucked into a pencil skirt paired with a black blazer. On her feet were killer heels.

“Sorry, I’m late. I was running here from dance rehearsal. My name is Megan. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Dancer - flexible, Cecil wrote down on a fresh page in her notebook.

“Why do you want to work for the Canucks, Megan?”

Megan gave Cecil a small smile and tucked her hair gently behind her ears. “Well, my dad was a huge Canucks fan. He was a season ticket holder for 15 years… and we always went together. Last year, he passed away. Being around the team reminds me of him, you know? It would really mean a lot to me.”

“I’m so sorry, Megan.” Cecil said with a sincere smile.

Megan nodded. “It’s okay. It’s been a while.”

“Well, I just have a few questions for you,” Cecil said, flipping to a page in her notebook labeled “Things Patrick like”.

“What hobbies do you have?”

Megan crossed one leg over the other. “Well, right now I dance for a production company, but I only have a small role. I love traveling, and when I have time, I really love to cook.”

Cecil nodded, checking off girls who cook, dancing and adventure from Patrick’s checklist. She glanced at the list and down at Megan’s feet before checking off fuck me shoes.

“Do you like dogs, by any chance?”

“I love dogs! I have a golden retriever, actually. Her name is Sally.”

Dogs. Checked off.

“How about Batman? Do you like the Batman movies?” Cecil twirled her pen.

“I do- wait, pardon me for asking, but what does this have to do with the assistant job?” Megan asked in confusion.

Cecil cleared her throat. “Just trying to get to know you better. We do that with all the candidates to make sure they feel comfortable and less nervous about the interview.” She gave Megan a smile.

“Um…okay.” Megan shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“So, Megan. You said you’ve been a Canucks fan for years. How do you feel about the Chicago Blackhawks?”

Megan scrunched up her nose. “Are you seriously asking a Canucks fan that? They are so obnoxious. And they say the Canucks are the worst team in the NHL. Have they seen themselves? I especially can’t stand that Kane guy, he’s almost as overrated as Crosby.” Megan paused before a look of shock crossed her face. “Oh my god, I am so sorry. I know Crosby and Kane are like two of the golden boys of the NHL. I didn’t mean to offend you guys.”

Cecil laughed. “You're hired.”