Big Changes
004:
Chapter Four
Two months had passed since seeing my Uncle and a lot of things had happened. It was May, that meant that the regular season in hockey was over and the Playoffs had begun. The Penguins were in the middle of the Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings. Since the time that I met the Penguins, I’ve been in contact with a few of them, mostly Sidney, Jordan and Kris. We would text, talk on the phone and video chat with each other. When I graduated with my Associates two weeks ago, the team sent me a care package consisting of a jersey, patches, a keychain, and some posters, one with the Penguins logo and autographs by the whole team.
It was Sunday, May 25th, I was doing some last minute packing for my trip to Pittsburgh for my orientation that started tomorrow morning. Our flight left in a few hours and my father has been yelling for me to hurry up so that we wouldn’t miss it. We were going to be gone for a week, two of those days were going to be spent at the campus. I signed up for the overnight orientation, giving me the opportunity to stay overnight in a dorm and have a roommate. After orientation and the night before, we were going to be staying at Uncle P’s home; although, the first night that I’ll be there, Uncle P will be in Detroit, trying to win against the Red Wings. After orientation, the rest of the week will be spent trying to get to know the city and find my way around the streets.
“Are you ready to go, Mckayla?!” my dad yelled from downstairs for the millionth time this morning.
“I’m coming!” I yelled back as I grabbed my bag and ran out of my room.
“I don’t want to miss the flight!”
“Dad, we’re going to be three hours early, we’ll be fine,” I said as I followed my parents out of the house and towards the car. Our bags were packed in the truck and Dad drove us to the airport.
By the time we got to Pittsburgh, it was almost nine at night, our flights were horrible and because of a broke down plane, our flight was delayed three hours. As soon as we landed, Dad rushed to rent a car before the company closed while Mom and I grabbed out checked bag. We packed our car and then headed towards Uncle P’s home. Half hour later we were pulling into the driveway and being greeted by Aunt Carol. She understood that we weren’t really in a talking mood, too tired from our flight, but I was still excited to see the new baby. Aunt Carol had a baby girl at the end of March and named her Zoe. Kody and Meave were already in bed, so we would have to wait until the morning to see my little cousins.
Aunt Carol showed my parents and I to our guest bedrooms and then left us to finally go to bed. I unpacked and then got my bags ready for orientation tomorrow, I changed into my pajamas and then texted Uncle P and the guys telling them that I was in Pittsburgh and waiting for them to come home, excited to see them again. Once the text message was sent, I jumped into bed and got myself comfortable, the jet lag setting in and feeling my eye lids going heavy.
As I was about to fall asleep, my phone went off, someone was calling me, I was so tired and the fact that I forgot to put it on silent, the ringtone nearly scared the crap out of me. It was almost ten o’clock on a Sunday night when I tiredly reached for my phone and saw that Sidney was calling me.
I sighed and hit answer, “Hello?” I said, trying not to sound too tired, because I always enjoyed talking to Sidney.
“Hey Kay,” he said a little happily, “Got to the ‘burgh safe and sound?”
“Yeah, after some minor flight delays, we finally got here. I start orientation tomorrow and I get to stay overnight in a dorm, so that should be interesting,” I said as I got comfortable in the guest bed.
Sidney chuckled, “Have you found out where you’re staying in the fall?”
“I forgot the building’s name, but it’s an on-campus apartment,” I said as I stared at the ceiling, “It’s pretty cool, it was just recently built.”
“Do you know your roommates yet?”
“I won’t know until the middle of July, but I do know that I have three of them,” I said.
“Wow, so you’re in a four bedroom apartment?” he asked.
“Yup, it’s really cool, two bedrooms on each side of the apartment, two bathrooms, a living room, full kitchen, washer and dryer, it’s like the five stars!” I laughed and heard Sidney chuckle.
“Don’t tell Gronk where you’re living, he might come to visit and never want to leave,” Sidney chuckled.
“Gronk or you Mr. Crosby,” I teased and heard Sidney stop chuckling.
“Ah damn, you caught me,” he said and I blushed, but giggled, “Well I’ll let you go, it’s almost curfew and I’m sure you want to get some sleep.”
“Sleep would be nice,” I said and Sidney chuckled, “I’ll see you guys when you come back.”
“Only a few more days,” he said.
“Night Sid.”
“Night Kay.”
I hung up the phone and then placed it on the nightstand and plugged in the charger. With that last thing finished, I sighed and then snuggled into my bed to get some sleep.
-Sidney-
“You call Kay?” Evgeni asked as I sat on the end of my bed and started to take my shoes off.
“Yeah, just got off the phone with her,” I said and he nodded his heads.
“You like her?” he asked and I looked at him wide eye.
“What?”
“Kay, you like her,” he repeated and I gulped.
“I don’t know, I only met her once-“
“But you talk a lot,” he said and I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know, she’s pretty cool, she’s not like any girl that I’ve met before-“
“So you like her,” he smirked and I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“I don’t know yet, Geno!” I said and he laughed and shook his head.
“Gronk and Tanger like Kay too,” he said and I looked at him.
“How do you know?!”
“Russian’s know gossip,” he said and I snorted, “They talk to Kay too.”
I groaned and then laid back on my bed and stared at the ceiling, “Well, she’ll be here permanently in the fall, we’ll see how things go.”
“Sid like Kay,” Evgeni chuckled and I rolled my eyes and then decided to get up and get dressed for bed.
-Mckayla-
“Nice to meet you, I’m Mary,” the girl said as I walked into the room and saw that she was claiming the bed on the far side of the room.
“Hi! I’m Mckayla!” I introduced and then threw my stuff on my bed, “This is so exciting!”
“I know right!” she said and I smiled and nodded my head. There was a knock on the door and I saw a guy in the doorway, he looked young, but older than me and I didn’t recognize him, “Oh Jace- Mckayla, this is my older brother Jace.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said and then walked over towards me and shook my hand, “Mar, mom wants to know if you’re going to need any more blankets?”
Mary looked at me, “Do you sleep in the cold or warm?”
“Cold, I’m not much of a heat person,” I said and she nodded her head.
“I’ll take some more,” she said and her brother nodded his head and then walked out of the room, “Sorry, I hate the cold, I’m trying to head a little more South to get away from it.”
“Sorry, but you didn’t go far enough,” I giggled and she smiled and nodded her head.
“My dad graduated from here, that’s why I’m here,” she said, “What about you?”
“Saw it on the college road trip and fell in love,” I said and she laughed a little, “Where are you from?”
“New York,” she said and I smiled, “What about you?”
“Florida,” I said and her eyes widened.
“No way! I love Florida!” she said and I laughed.
“I’ve always wanted to go to New York.”
“Why do you like the cold if you live in Florida? Don’t people go there to get away from the cold?” she asked and I laughed a little.
“I’m actually from Canada, my parents moved to Florida to get away from the cold and for some kind of job,” I said and her eyes widened.
“Canada, damn girl! I see why you like the cold now,” she laughed and I nodded my head, “Can I take the stereotypical leap and ask if you like hockey?”
I laughed and nodded my head, “I’m a huge fan, and actually that’s what I want to do with my life. I’m majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Sports and Business management. I wanted to be a PR for a hockey team.”
“That’s amazing!” she said and I nodded my head, “Who’s your favorite team?”
“I just recently became a Penguins fan,” I said and she nodded her head, “Before that, I just followed every team.”
“Why the penguins, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked and I laughed.
“I um, well, how familiar are you with the team?” I asked and she smiled.
“I can tell you every player in the league.”
“Really?” I asked and she nodded her head, “Nice to meet you Mary, Mckayla Dupuis at your service!”
She cocked her head to the side confused, “Dupuis?” she muttered and I nodded my head. Her eyes widened and she shot up, “Dupuis! As in Pascal Dupuis?!”
“Yes ma’am, that would be my Uncle,” I said and her eyes widened.
“That’s so cool!” she said and I laughed and nodded my head, digging through my phone to find a picture of my Uncle and I together. I showed it to her and then watched as she got really excited and then out of the blue hugged me, “You are absolutely awesome!”
I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. There was a knock on my door and a girl was there, she was one of the leaders for the group that was going to show us around the campus. Mary and I stuck together throughout the tour, we became fast friends.
Two months had passed since seeing my Uncle and a lot of things had happened. It was May, that meant that the regular season in hockey was over and the Playoffs had begun. The Penguins were in the middle of the Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings. Since the time that I met the Penguins, I’ve been in contact with a few of them, mostly Sidney, Jordan and Kris. We would text, talk on the phone and video chat with each other. When I graduated with my Associates two weeks ago, the team sent me a care package consisting of a jersey, patches, a keychain, and some posters, one with the Penguins logo and autographs by the whole team.
It was Sunday, May 25th, I was doing some last minute packing for my trip to Pittsburgh for my orientation that started tomorrow morning. Our flight left in a few hours and my father has been yelling for me to hurry up so that we wouldn’t miss it. We were going to be gone for a week, two of those days were going to be spent at the campus. I signed up for the overnight orientation, giving me the opportunity to stay overnight in a dorm and have a roommate. After orientation and the night before, we were going to be staying at Uncle P’s home; although, the first night that I’ll be there, Uncle P will be in Detroit, trying to win against the Red Wings. After orientation, the rest of the week will be spent trying to get to know the city and find my way around the streets.
“Are you ready to go, Mckayla?!” my dad yelled from downstairs for the millionth time this morning.
“I’m coming!” I yelled back as I grabbed my bag and ran out of my room.
“I don’t want to miss the flight!”
“Dad, we’re going to be three hours early, we’ll be fine,” I said as I followed my parents out of the house and towards the car. Our bags were packed in the truck and Dad drove us to the airport.
By the time we got to Pittsburgh, it was almost nine at night, our flights were horrible and because of a broke down plane, our flight was delayed three hours. As soon as we landed, Dad rushed to rent a car before the company closed while Mom and I grabbed out checked bag. We packed our car and then headed towards Uncle P’s home. Half hour later we were pulling into the driveway and being greeted by Aunt Carol. She understood that we weren’t really in a talking mood, too tired from our flight, but I was still excited to see the new baby. Aunt Carol had a baby girl at the end of March and named her Zoe. Kody and Meave were already in bed, so we would have to wait until the morning to see my little cousins.
Aunt Carol showed my parents and I to our guest bedrooms and then left us to finally go to bed. I unpacked and then got my bags ready for orientation tomorrow, I changed into my pajamas and then texted Uncle P and the guys telling them that I was in Pittsburgh and waiting for them to come home, excited to see them again. Once the text message was sent, I jumped into bed and got myself comfortable, the jet lag setting in and feeling my eye lids going heavy.
As I was about to fall asleep, my phone went off, someone was calling me, I was so tired and the fact that I forgot to put it on silent, the ringtone nearly scared the crap out of me. It was almost ten o’clock on a Sunday night when I tiredly reached for my phone and saw that Sidney was calling me.
I sighed and hit answer, “Hello?” I said, trying not to sound too tired, because I always enjoyed talking to Sidney.
“Hey Kay,” he said a little happily, “Got to the ‘burgh safe and sound?”
“Yeah, after some minor flight delays, we finally got here. I start orientation tomorrow and I get to stay overnight in a dorm, so that should be interesting,” I said as I got comfortable in the guest bed.
Sidney chuckled, “Have you found out where you’re staying in the fall?”
“I forgot the building’s name, but it’s an on-campus apartment,” I said as I stared at the ceiling, “It’s pretty cool, it was just recently built.”
“Do you know your roommates yet?”
“I won’t know until the middle of July, but I do know that I have three of them,” I said.
“Wow, so you’re in a four bedroom apartment?” he asked.
“Yup, it’s really cool, two bedrooms on each side of the apartment, two bathrooms, a living room, full kitchen, washer and dryer, it’s like the five stars!” I laughed and heard Sidney chuckle.
“Don’t tell Gronk where you’re living, he might come to visit and never want to leave,” Sidney chuckled.
“Gronk or you Mr. Crosby,” I teased and heard Sidney stop chuckling.
“Ah damn, you caught me,” he said and I blushed, but giggled, “Well I’ll let you go, it’s almost curfew and I’m sure you want to get some sleep.”
“Sleep would be nice,” I said and Sidney chuckled, “I’ll see you guys when you come back.”
“Only a few more days,” he said.
“Night Sid.”
“Night Kay.”
I hung up the phone and then placed it on the nightstand and plugged in the charger. With that last thing finished, I sighed and then snuggled into my bed to get some sleep.
-Sidney-
“You call Kay?” Evgeni asked as I sat on the end of my bed and started to take my shoes off.
“Yeah, just got off the phone with her,” I said and he nodded his heads.
“You like her?” he asked and I looked at him wide eye.
“What?”
“Kay, you like her,” he repeated and I gulped.
“I don’t know, I only met her once-“
“But you talk a lot,” he said and I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know, she’s pretty cool, she’s not like any girl that I’ve met before-“
“So you like her,” he smirked and I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“I don’t know yet, Geno!” I said and he laughed and shook his head.
“Gronk and Tanger like Kay too,” he said and I looked at him.
“How do you know?!”
“Russian’s know gossip,” he said and I snorted, “They talk to Kay too.”
I groaned and then laid back on my bed and stared at the ceiling, “Well, she’ll be here permanently in the fall, we’ll see how things go.”
“Sid like Kay,” Evgeni chuckled and I rolled my eyes and then decided to get up and get dressed for bed.
-Mckayla-
“Nice to meet you, I’m Mary,” the girl said as I walked into the room and saw that she was claiming the bed on the far side of the room.
“Hi! I’m Mckayla!” I introduced and then threw my stuff on my bed, “This is so exciting!”
“I know right!” she said and I smiled and nodded my head. There was a knock on the door and I saw a guy in the doorway, he looked young, but older than me and I didn’t recognize him, “Oh Jace- Mckayla, this is my older brother Jace.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said and then walked over towards me and shook my hand, “Mar, mom wants to know if you’re going to need any more blankets?”
Mary looked at me, “Do you sleep in the cold or warm?”
“Cold, I’m not much of a heat person,” I said and she nodded her head.
“I’ll take some more,” she said and her brother nodded his head and then walked out of the room, “Sorry, I hate the cold, I’m trying to head a little more South to get away from it.”
“Sorry, but you didn’t go far enough,” I giggled and she smiled and nodded her head.
“My dad graduated from here, that’s why I’m here,” she said, “What about you?”
“Saw it on the college road trip and fell in love,” I said and she laughed a little, “Where are you from?”
“New York,” she said and I smiled, “What about you?”
“Florida,” I said and her eyes widened.
“No way! I love Florida!” she said and I laughed.
“I’ve always wanted to go to New York.”
“Why do you like the cold if you live in Florida? Don’t people go there to get away from the cold?” she asked and I laughed a little.
“I’m actually from Canada, my parents moved to Florida to get away from the cold and for some kind of job,” I said and her eyes widened.
“Canada, damn girl! I see why you like the cold now,” she laughed and I nodded my head, “Can I take the stereotypical leap and ask if you like hockey?”
I laughed and nodded my head, “I’m a huge fan, and actually that’s what I want to do with my life. I’m majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Sports and Business management. I wanted to be a PR for a hockey team.”
“That’s amazing!” she said and I nodded my head, “Who’s your favorite team?”
“I just recently became a Penguins fan,” I said and she nodded her head, “Before that, I just followed every team.”
“Why the penguins, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked and I laughed.
“I um, well, how familiar are you with the team?” I asked and she smiled.
“I can tell you every player in the league.”
“Really?” I asked and she nodded her head, “Nice to meet you Mary, Mckayla Dupuis at your service!”
She cocked her head to the side confused, “Dupuis?” she muttered and I nodded my head. Her eyes widened and she shot up, “Dupuis! As in Pascal Dupuis?!”
“Yes ma’am, that would be my Uncle,” I said and her eyes widened.
“That’s so cool!” she said and I laughed and nodded my head, digging through my phone to find a picture of my Uncle and I together. I showed it to her and then watched as she got really excited and then out of the blue hugged me, “You are absolutely awesome!”
I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. There was a knock on my door and a girl was there, she was one of the leaders for the group that was going to show us around the campus. Mary and I stuck together throughout the tour, we became fast friends.