Status: This is for Brinlee, so I hope you guys enjoy, too! :)

All I'll Ever Need

06. Gold Medal Party

I was a horrible friend.

Sidney was in a different country competing for a gold medal in hockey, and what was I doing? Avoiding any hockey game on television.

As his friend, it wasn’t right for me to not support him, even if he was on a different country’s team. So, I decided to tune in to any game I could any way that I could.

Matty watched it religiously. He was, surprisingly, rooting for Canada despite his declaration a few years ago that he would never root for anyone but the United States. Maybe his switch had something to do with a certain new friend of mine, but I didn’t really know because I never watched hockey with him.

Even still, it was too depressing.

The night of the final game of the 2014 winter Olympics, Canada was going up against Sweden. I planned to listen to it on the radio, but as I finished feeding Dad his breakfast, I got a call from Suzie.

“Hey, girlie,” she said before I even got a chance to say hello. “Chuck’s gonna be out with some of his bum friends until tomorrow morning, so why don’t you come over, and we’ll watch that asshole get mauled by Sweden.”

“Come on, Suz,” I sighed. “He’s not really an asshole. He was just in a hurry. I mean, I think Canada’s gonna win, to be honest. They have a fierce edge to Sweden.”

“Holy shit, you are keeping up with hockey again!” she exclaimed. “Why, Mika? Why do you do this to yourself? Just because Sidney Crosby totaled your car, that doesn’t mean you have to hurt yourself like this!”

“I’ve always sorta kept up with it,” I muttered. “And besides, Sidney didn’t tell me to keep up with hockey. As a matter of fact, he told me not to keep up with it if it was gonna hurt me. And I’m fine, really. I enjoy being able to watch someone play again, ya know?”

She wasn’t convinced, but we still had a Gold Medal party anyways. She was rooting for Sweden, and I was rooting for Canada. Just to be a bit spiteful, I went and did a little shopping and bought a black tank top with the Canadian flag and “Canada” written underneath. With that, a pair of bright red skinny jeans, and a pair of zip-up black sneakers, I was decked out and ready to watch Canada win.

It seemed like it would be a battle from start to finish, based on the games from prior, but Canada was fierce and determined to bring home the gold—and I was beyond excited the entire game.

First goal was made in the first period by a sexy human being named Jonathan Toews, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks. Even though I didn’t watch hockey much anymore or keep up with it, I kept up with Jonathan Toews. He was very attractive and had this . . . charm about him. He seemed to be so nonchalant with his almost impassive stare and small smile, but that didn’t matter. He was a fine specimen of human flesh.

The second goal was made by none other than my gorgeous new friend in the second period. The excitement he got when he made that goal brought a huge smile to my face, and of course, Suzie just rolled her eyes and muttered that I was an idiot.

She didn’t wanna go there with me.

When Chris Kunitz scored Canada’s third goal in the third period, versus Sweden’s zero goals, Suzie knew it was all over but the crying. She lightened up a bit, but she still got this sour look on her face whenever Sidney was mentioned.

As the game came to an end and Canada shutout Sweden for a 3-0 win, I didn’t rub it in her face. Sure, I smiled and cheered for Sidney, but I didn’t wanna add fuel to her hate fire.

Then again, she really had no reason or right to have a hate fire, but whatever.

She shut the TV off when the game ended, and for a while, things seemed good again. We laughed, joked about stupid people at work or stupid people we had come across, but something was bothering her.

And it was quite obvious what it was when she said, “Speaking of stupid people, when was the last time you talked to Sidney?”

I had had just about enough. Sidney was the farthest thing from an asshole, but he certainly wasn’t stupid. She didn’t even know him, yet she judged him like she had spent her entire life with him, or like he had done something to her at some point.

They had never met before so it wasn’t possible that he had offended her or hurt her in any way.

“What the fuck is your problem?”

“What?” she scoffed. “He’s a hockey player, Mika. You think he’s a genius?”

“Um, like you have any room to talk,” I said. “You’re living with literally the stupidest person in the world. If there was a king of stupid people, he wouldn’t be it because he’s too fucking stupid to be a king of anything!”

“Only when he gets drunk!” she yelled, and she stood from the couch. “At least when he’s sober, he can count to ten!”

“You clearly have never had a conversation with Sidney Crosby, because if you had, you would know that Sidney Crosby is one of the smartest people that I know,” I said. “Come off your fucking high horse and get over yourself. Chuck’s an abusive ass hat, and Sidney is a wonderful friend. We’re not dating, so chill.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure I’d be the last to know.”

“No, I’m pretty sure some kid in Qatar’s gonna be the last to know,” I said, my voice dripping with angry sarcasm that only pissed her off more. “Suzie, I don’t know what your problem is, but you need to get your head out of your ass and listen to me! Sidney’s a great guy, and he’s a great friend. To be honest, I think that’s all he’ll ever be. Maybe down the road, I’ll change my mind, but for right now, he’s just a friend.”

She rolled her eyes. “Guys are all the same, Mika. When are you gonna grow up and stop trying to find good in people when it doesn’t exist? There are no more good people in the world. There’s only bad and worse, and all guys are worse.”

“I’ve grown up more than you ever will,” I whispered, and through tears in my eyes, I picked up the keys to Sidney’s Range Rover and my cell phone. “When are you gonna stop listening to the bullshit Chuck funnels into your head? If you’d open your damn eyes and see things for yourself, you’d see that there’s good all around you. You just have to be willing to see it.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be here when you realize how wrong you are.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” I muttered on my way out the apartment door. She lived on the top floor, but I was furious. A jog down the stairs would help clear my mind.

And for some reason, at six o’clock on a Sunday night, my phone was ringing. I knew it was Sidney, but it caught me off guard.

Eight was usually the earliest he called.

“I think congratulations or something like that is in order,” I said the moment I answered the phone.

He gave me a breathless laugh in response. “Thanks. How’d you know so fast?”

“I watched it, silly,” I laughed. “You did awesome! That was seriously an awesome goal.”

“Well thank you,” he said, and it sounded like he was smiling. “I, uh, didn’t call to talk about hockey, though. Not with you. I just got off an hour long conversation with my dad about it.”

“Right. Well, what is it then?”

“I wanted to make sure you were doing okay,” he said. “I, uh, I’m looking forward to coming home. Don’t forget. Three in the morning.”

“Oh, trust me, I’ve put every curse word to your name since you mentioned it,” I said, voice laced with an innocence that escaped me long ago.

He laughed. “I don’t doubt that at all. So, seriously, Mika. How are you?”

“I’m okay,” I said, and it wasn’t a lie. Pissed and upset as I was about the whole Suzie ordeal, Sidney, like always, had a way of making it better. “I have never shown any kind of team pride, so you’re aware, and I’m wearing a Canada shirt and red pants.”

“I wanna see!” he exclaimed, and he laughed so loudly. His worry about me, which I still couldn’t get over, faded, and he just laughed. “That’s awesome. I feel kinda special. Should I feel special?”

“Crosby, what the fuck?” I heard an unfamiliar voice yell from the background, but the person was laughing along with Sidney. “Again? Who the fuck do you talk to every night? Someone got you by the balls that we don’t know about?”

“Shut the fuck up, Toews, and go away!”

I didn’t mean to gasp, but I did. Gasped far too loudly, and Sidney heard it. So, instead of pretending it didn’t happen or coming up with a shitty lie, I asked, “Is that . . . Jonathan Toews . . . captain of the Chicago Blackhawks who won the Stanley Cup last year?”

Sidney’s laughter faded, but he still laughed. “I thought you didn’t watch hockey much.”

“Erm, well, I don’t, but, well, when I do, it’s either a Pens game or a Blackhawks game,” I admitted, and it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Sidney didn’t seem convinced, but he let it go. “Ah. I see. I, uh, just wanted to check up on you and make sure you were okay. I didn’t think you’d know we won, so I was gonna tell you that, too.”

“I had to watch my friend kick ass,” I said.

His laugh was much softer, but still sincere. “Well, some of the guys wanna go out and celebrate, so I’ll see you before the sun comes up.”

“And you continue to remind me,” I groaned. “Have fun, Sid, and I’ll see you . . . dark and early.”

That full, loud, high pitched laugh came through the speakers as he breathed a goodbye, and though I said goodbye back, I doubt he heard me.

His laugh left behind a smile on my face as I stepped out of Suzie’s apartment building and hopped into the Range Rover. Soon, I wouldn’t be driving this anymore, but soon, Sidney would be home. Our friendship would either grow or die.

If life followed the usual pattern . . . well, actually, this was outside of the usual pattern. Sidney wasn’t something bad. Sidney was the epitome of good, and good didn’t happen to me.

So, what was gonna happen?
♠ ♠ ♠
Lyrics are from You Found Me by the Fray.

Now, normally, I like to wait a bit and see if I get any feedback on the previous chapter before posting another, but, well, Brinlee had no other way to see this chapter tonight, sooooo....you guys get another chapter. :)

Lemme know what you think! :)

Also, if you wanna see Mika's outfit, click here.