Chances Taken

“Fuckin’ shit! Dammit! So fuckin’ close!” I growled in frustration and shook my head and bent over, wanting to cry in defeat.

Two months had passed, I had started to play about a week after the guys had come home, we were doing all right, managed to make it to the playoffs. However, we just lost in Game seven, in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The score was one to zero and I was so close to getting a goal, it went in the net, it should have been a goal, but the damn refs counted it as no goal because they thought I kicked it in and didn’t want to verify with others. I was pissed about that.

“We’ll get them next year, Mags,” Mike said and I sighed and nodded my head, “At least we made it to the playoffs, nothing more embarrassing than that.”

“Still feels pretty shitty,” I said and he nodded his head as we watched the Tampa’s team on the ice celebrating their victory.

We all lined up and shook hands with all the players, congratulating them for their victory. Stamkos and St. Louis, two teammate of mine from the All Star game, gave me a pat on the back and told me a played well and they couldn’t wait to be teammates again at the next All Star game.

I was happy that this was a home game, because I wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep, this was a game that we couldn’t lose, but did. I was feeling a little depressed and probably would for a few days.

After we all showered and changed, took some interviews, we wanted nothing more than to leave. Tonight we were hoping to go out and celebrate, but that wasn’t going to happen.

“It was a good try, Maggie,” I heard and I turned to see Neal looking at me, we had been doing all right, not the best of friends, but we were at least friends. Mike and some of the others were still mad at him, but the tension in the locker room had died down and we were starting to play as a team, too bad it was too little too late.

“We’ve always got next year, Nealer,” I said and he gave me a little smile and nodded his head.

After we were all finished at the Consol, we left all heading towards our homes to start our depression, I made sure to stop at the store and pick up some of mine and Mike’s comfort foods, because we were mostly likely going to be eating pizza, oreos, ice cream and watching all of the hockey movie classics, something we did every year if the season ended not the way we wanted it to.

I was walking into my house with my three big bags of junk food and box of pizza when my phone went off. I sighed and hurried into the kitchen, putting the stuff down and grabbing my phone out of my purse to see Kane calling me.

“Hello?”

“We lost in the first fuckin’ round,” he sounded depressed.

“If it makes you feel better, we did too,” I sighed and pushed myself onto the counter, “If you were here, I would offer you some oreos, ice cream, pizza and some awesome hockey classics.”

“How long does it take to get to Pittsburgh from Vancouver?” he asked and I giggled.

“Mike and I do this every time the season ends before we want it to,” I said and Kane sighed, “Don’t worry Pattie, you’ve got next year.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s just, we won the cup last year, we were hoping to win again, but we lost in the first round,” he said depressingly, “And now we’re stuck in Vancouver listening to all of their fans going nuts.”

“Aw, that sucks, we’re at least home,” I said and opened the box of oreos and took one.

“Lucky,” he said and I heard some voices in the background, “Yeah, I’m talkin’ to Mags,” he said and I giggled, “No! Get away loser!”

“What’s goin on?” I asked a held the phone to my shoulder and split the oreos and licked the icing and then ate the cookie. I heard struggling but just shook my head and grabbed another cookie, “Pattie?”

“Sparky!” I heard and smiled.

“Hi Sharpie, did you steal Kaner’s phone?”

“Never,” he said and I laughed, “Kaner’s just being sat on by some of the guys because he wouldn’t let us talk to you.”

“We’ll that’s sweet- I think,” I laughed, “Sorry about your loss.”

“Same,” he said and we both sighed, “It sucks.”

“Tell me about it, darlin’,” I said and heard my front door open and when it slammed closed, I knew that this pity party train was about to get rolling when Mike appeared and headed right for the pizza, “Well, I’d love to talk to you depressed pranksters, but we’ve got a depression going on over here, and it’s time for junk food and hockey classics.”

“Have fun with that,” he chuckled and I smiled.

“You have fun sitting on Kaner,” I smirked and then we both said bye and hung up. I looked towards Mike and pointed towards the fridge, “Booze is in there.”

“You’re the best.”

“I’m pretty sure that this was your year to get everything,” I said and he looked at me.

“Sorry.”

“You just get the next two years,” I said and he shrugged, “Or you can give me money.”

“Next two years, got it,” he said and I rolled my eyes and sighed, “What are we starting with?”

“Mighty Ducks?” I asked and he smirked and nodded his head.

We heard the doorbell ring and I grabbed an oreo and headed for the door, biting into the cookie and opening the door to see some of my teammates, looking depressed.

“Mikey!” I called.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you’re gunna have to go back to the store and get more junk food,” I yelled and moved out of the way to see Jordan, Max, Tyler, Ben, Niskanen and even Neal.

“I hear you have depression party?” Jordan asked and I closed the door.

“We’ve got your pizza, your oreos, your ice cream sundaes and your hockey classics,” I said and the guys gave me small smiles and nodded their heads, “If you held bring the stuff downstairs, I’ll order more pizza and Mikey will get more ice cream and cookies.”

“I got Tanger on it, he’s coming over!” Mike yelled from the kitchen and I rolled my eyes.

“And we have booze!”

“I like booze,” Max said and I smirked.

-Kris-
“Can we do this every year?” Jordan laughed as he shot some whipped cream in Max’s face.

“Mikey and I have been doing this since peewee hockey,” Maggie smiled and nudged her head towards Mike’s direction.

“All right!” I heard Emma yell from upstairs, “That’s the last time I’m going to Walmart at one in the morning! Here is your junk food!”

“Good thing we haven’t run out of booze,” Max said and I snorted.

“No Max, heaven forbid we run out of booze,” Maggie laughed and he smirked and shrugged his shoulder.

Emma laughed as she looked at all of us, we were doing this for about four hours or so, we got through the first two Mighty Ducks, getting ready for the third. Jordan and Max were taking up the one couch in the one corner. Maggie and I had the loveseat, Mike was sitting I the recliner and James, Matt and Ben were on the floor. Ice cream cartons, chip bags, oreo containers, alcohol bottles and smiles we seen all around the room.

“Oh, this is awesome,” Emma said and I laughed as she moved her phone from her face and was looking at it, obviously had taken a picture of us, “Mags, look.”

“Nice, we look like a bunch of sugar high drunks!” Maggie laughed and I looked at the picture and laughed, “Send that to me!”

“All right,” she said and then typed on her phone.

Maggie’s phone buzzed on the top of the couch and I grabbed it and gave it to her, I watched as she opened the picture and smiled, saving it to her phone and then sending the picture to someone. I saw Kane’s name appear in the ‘to’ and watched her type, ‘Havin’ more fun than chew =P’.

I might not like the fact that she was pretty close to Kane, or any of the Blackhawks, but I trusted her, and I never thought that she would do anything with them. Maggie sent the picture and then looked at me, she had her back leaning on the armrest, sitting on my lap and leaning against my chest.

Her phone buzzed and I heard her laugh, I looked at her and she showed me a picture of some of the Hawks sitting around playing cards in hotel room, looking depressed and bored and Kane looked seriously unhappy.

“I think our depression party is a success,” Maggie smiled and then put her phone down and pressed her lips against mine.

“I’m ok with it!”