Chances Taken

“Move it Mags, move it!” Jordan teased as I went to the blue line, spun around and went back to the opposite blue line.

“I love how you’re telling me to move it when you’re ‘way’ back there,” I laughed as I skated backwards back to where the team was standing.

“Staalsy, more moving, less talking!” Coach yelled and I smirked and stuck my tongue out at him.

I turned around to go to the back of my line, but bumped into Kris, “Sorry Tanger.”

“It’s cool,” he said in his French accent that made me want to melt.

After practice everyone showered and changed into jeans and t-shirts, for practice we didn’t need to get dressed up. To be honest, I understood that you needed to respect the game, but I hated wearing a dress, I really did.

“So where are we going for lunch today?” I heard and turned to see that it was Max, he was walking out of the shower room naked.

“MAX!” I yelled as I spun around.

“What?”

“Put your damn clothes on!” I yelled and some of the guys laughed.

“Tablot, come on,” I heard my brother, Mike bark and Max laughed.

“All right all right,” he said and I sighed and shook my head, “But seriously, where are we going? I am starving.”

“You’re always hungry, Talbo,” Sidney said and we all laughed.

“How ‘bout Radano’s? I’m good for a nice pizza before the season starts!” Jordan taunted, but I knew that none of them would go; although it sounded really good.

“Don’t tempt me, I’m sad summers over, no more ice cream and oreos,” I said and Mike laughed.

“You are allowed to eat that stuff, Mags, just not a lot,” Sidney said and I shook my head.

“Maggie here doesn’t know self-control,” Mike said and I leaned over and slapped him in the arm, “She’ll eat it all.”

“Not my fault it’s so fuckin’ good!” I yelled and the guys laughed, “And I’m using self-control now by not going near it!”

“Hey Mags!” I heard Kris call and turned my head.

“Yeah!”

“Here, catch!” I heard and my instincts caught whatever he threw at me.

“What- FUCKIN’ TANGER!!!” I yelled because he threw a box of oreos at me. I growled and glared at him while he and everyone else laughed, “Hate you guys.”

“Gimme those!” Mike growled as he took them and threw them in his locker.

After everyone was dressed and ready to go, we all went to a small sandwich shop on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, near where most of us live. The owner looked really happy to see us, looked like he wasn’t really busy, so when a whole team of hungry hockey players show up, serious cash was heading his way.

While we waited for our food, I sat out on the patio, enjoying the August weather, I heard my name and turned around to see Kris walking over towards me, “What’s up Tanger?”

“Sorry about the cookies, just messin’ with you,” he said as he came over and sat across from me.

“It’s all cool, Tanger,” I said and he smiled and threw me a bottle of water, “What did you get to eat?”

“Something that you wouldn’t eat,” he said and I scoffed.

“I’m from Texas, I’ll eat anything, sugar,” I said and Kris laughed.

“I know, you fuckin’ got me addicted to pork barbeque sandwiches,” he said and I laughed.

“Is that what you got?” I asked because that’s what I got.

“Yes,” he smirked, lowering his head and looking defeated.

“Same,” I said and he smirked.

“What are we talking about ladies?” I heard and then felt arms around my neck and saw them to be Jordan’s.

“Staalsy, what are you doing?” I laughed and Jordan looked down at me.

“Waiting on my food.”

“Go wait somewhere else,” I said and Jordan made a face and then decided to sit right in-between Kris and I at the circle table.

We talked for a while, waiting on our food. Mike joined us and a few moments later, we found that Sidney, Geno and Kunitz were bringing out trays of our food. They called out the order and our food was passed around.

My sandwich was placed next to me and I smiled, “Mhmmm, Momma loves her pork barbeque!”

Kris laughed and looked down at his sandwich and nodded his head, we all started to eat.

We finished at the deli and all separated to go home, Mike and I drove together, we usually took turns driving each other. Mike pulled into my driveway and we both got out of the car and walked to my porch.

“I hear them!” Mike smiled and I laughed as we heard dogs barking behind the door.

“I hope they didn’t tear my house apart again,” I said and Mike laughed. I opened the door two see two golden balls of fluff run at us and want to tackle us to the ground, “Ok, ok, ok, give us a second,” I laughed as I threw my bag to the ground, bent down and allowed the pups to come and attack Mike and I.

“I’m just gunna head home,” Mike said as he grabbed the leash off of the wall and tried to hook it to his, Greater Swiss Mountain dog, Stanley, “Stan, calm down buddy!”

I laughed and grabbed my Swiss’s collar, Jazz, and waved my brother goodbye as he and his dog left. If it’s my turn to drive, Mike walks over with Stanley, drops his dog off and we go, when it’s his, he drives down. They’re brothers from the same litter that the woman three blocks down was trying to sell, we got the last three. Mike didn’t want two dogs, so I got the two, Jazz and Lilly. Lilly was the runt of the litter and was really shy, usually hid in my room.

I closed the door and let go of Jazz, bent down to kiss his head and then grabbed my bag and drug it into the closet, “Lilly!” I called but knew she wouldn’t come running, Jazz was the playful pup, Lilly just wanted to sleep all day. When we had away games, my neighbor, Mrs. Lukas, usually came over and took care of them, we paid her and made sure that the dogs had everything they needed before we left, “Lilly, come on! Come here, pretty girl!” I called as I walked through my two story, three bedroom house, “Jazz, go find your sister.”

Jazz ran up the stairs, I knew exactly where Lilly was, I was just hoping that she would finally break out of her shy faze and come up to people. She was definitely a nice cuddle buddy on stormy nights. I sighed and walked up the stairs just in time to see Jazz open my bedroom door with his nose and trot on him.

“Lilly!” I called as I flipped the light on, seeing her tail sticking out from under the bed. Jazz started barking and I laughed and patted his head, “You found her!” I smiled and bent down, lying on the floor and looking under the bed to see Lilly’s butt to me, “Hey, pretty girl, what are you doing?” I smiled and scratched her back. She turned her head and looked at me, “Come ‘mere,” I patted the floor, “Do you want to go out?” Jazz was already out the door, “Hi Lilly, come ‘mere,” she started to crawl out from under the bed and she stuck her face in mine, licking my cheek, “There’s my girl,” I said and kissed her head, wrapping my arms around her neck, “Hi.”

My phone was going off and I pulled it out of my back pocket to see Geno calling me, I sighed and answered it, not able to get a word out before Geno was talking, “Mags, want walk dogs?”

“Sure G, probably only bring Jazz though, Lilly’s trying to hid again,” I said as Lilly was trying to hid under my bed after being scared by my phone going off.

“You should bring her to doctor,” he said in his Russian accent that made me laugh.

“Yeah, I was thinking about that, it’s not normal for her to be so scared all the time,” I said and kissed her head, “We running or walking?”

“Both,” he said and I laughed.

“All right, let me change and I’ll meet you at the park,” I said and then let go of Lilly and watched as she ran under the bed again, “Chicken,” I muttered and then stood up and ran to my closet to get the clothes I usually wore for jogging with Geno.

I changed, threw my sneakers on and then ran down the stairs to see Jazz jumping at the front door, I laughed, grabbed his leash and hook his collar. We went out the front door, heading to my SUV, got in, Jazz jumping to the back, and I drove to the park that Geno and I, sometimes some others join us, usually went to.

“Mags!” I heard as I got out of my car and went to my backdoor. I turned and saw Kris running over with his Husky, Hulk.

“Hey Tanger, Geno call you too?”

“Yeah, I was on my way anyways, Hulk looked like he wanted a good run,” Kris said and I laughed and nodded my head.

“Know the feeling, Jazz was practically ready to jump through the door,” I said as I opened the backdoor, grabbed Jazz’s leash and let him jump out.

“How’s Lilly?”

“Still shy as ever, freaked out when my phone went off,” I said and sighed, “Really thinking about taking her to the vet, I don’t know why she so scared all the time.”

“Maybe that’s a good idea, it’s a little weird for a dog to be that much of a scared cat,” he said and I smiled and nodded my head.

We heard a car horn and turned our heads to see Geno pulling up in his truck, I smiled and waved and then moved out of the way as he decided that he was going to park next to me and Kris and I were currently standing in his way.

“Big man’s here,” Kris said as Geno parked the truck got out and grabbed for his giant mastiff, Jeffrey.

“Big dog for a big man,” I smiled and Kris laughed and nodded his head, “You sure that thing can run this time? Seems to do well with just walking.”

“Shut up, Jeffrey is sensitive,” Geno said and I laughed.

“Yeah, sensitive to exercise,” Kris said and then we looked at each other and high fived.

“Let’s go!” Geno grumbled as he walked past Kris and I and went into the park.

“Awww, someone’s a little sensitive,” I teased and Kris smirked hip bumped me.

“I said let’s go!” he said a little more forcefully.

I hissed like a cat and scratched my claws in the air, “Kitty’s got his claws out.”