We Don't Have Forever

I was pretty excited to be getting back to practice today. The Olympics were fun… a little hectic at times, but fun. But I wanted to get back into my flow and help my brain relax with all of this that’s going on. Kylee’s been a huge help though. I don’t know what I’d do if she wasn’t around. She makes me feel so… comfortable. I don’t know any other way to describe it. I just want to vomit out everything that I’ve been keeping to myself when we’re alone and talking. And I know she’ll still be there, giving me a smile to help me along the way.

But none of that mattered as I pushed my skates against the ice of the Madhouse. It was silent; a huge contrast from game nights. We still had a few days until our next game since the break. I wish we could get to it tonight, but… all in good time I guess.

I felt great to be back with the boys again. It was like none of us have been away. All the lines clicked and we had a good, hard outing. Sure, there were a few loose ends we could tie up, but all in all, it felt good just skating with my team again.

After leaving the ice, I went back to the locker room and sat at my stall. Beginning to pull my equipment off, I leaned back and just took in everything for a few moments. It felt nice being back in the comforts of the United Center. I pulled my shirt and shorts on, taking a few extra moments to cool off before I hit the shower.

While this was happening though, I noticed a group of the guys across the room. Kaner seemed to be at the center of it. Big shocker there. It physically pained me to have to contain my eye roll. I stayed where I was, just taking in the sights. As it went on though, a few of them kept glancing back at me. Figuring the fucker was trying to pull something on me, I headed towards the shower.

When I came out, the group was scattered and I began to put my street clothes back on. I caught sight of Sharpie coming over… probably to harass me about whatever Kaner was saying.

“So, he did it…” he started once he was next to me. I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and looked over at him with my forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“Who did what?” I asked him.

“Kaner. Your sister,” he told me.

“What?” I was even more confused. What the fuck does Kaner have to do with my sister?

“He said him and your sister…” he trailed off and had a look on his face that I didn’t like.

“What?!” my mind was racing then.

“He said he saw her at a bar last night and… took her home,” he spoke quietly so that only the two of us could hear.

“WHAT?!” I all but shouted at this point.

Without even asking any more questions, I turned and looked around until I spotted Kaner. He had a god damn smirk on his face and it just pissed me off seeing it. Hearing what I just heard, I wanted to walk over there and knock that fucking smirk off of his face. I went over to him, not caring what attention I was drawing. I was fucking livid. He didn’t look up at me until I was only a few feet away.

“Hey, Jonny,” he said; that same expression smeared across his face.

Without warning, both of my hands grabbed at his shirt and shoved against the wall. Nervousness quickly replaced that damn smirk. The guys around were trying to step in, but I wasn’t going to back away until I’ve said my peace… and my peace was throwing a fist right at his mouth. After my already bruised knuckles made contact with him, guys were pulling me away from him.

“Stay the fuck away from my sister,” was what came out.

All I caught was him putting his hand to his mouth. I was pulled back to my stall while someone took Patrick out; most likely to the trainer’s room. Once I sat, my hand began to throb.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I didn’t even know who it was. All I saw was red at this point. I put my head in my hands and leaned forwards, mentally counting to calm myself down. I needed to get the fuck out of here.

Pushing myself to my feet, I slung my bag over my shoulder and shoved my way past everyone. I didn’t speak a word. I got into my car and peeled out of my parking space to go home. I couldn’t keep my jaw from clenching with each red light I caught. So much for practice calming me down.

Once I got home, Kylee greeted me at the door. She put on a smile, but when I didn’t return it, it quickly fell.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Fucking Kaner,” I muttered and opened the door to the fridge to pull out a Gatorade.

“Oh, no,” was what she said.

Confused by her response, I turned to her. A nervous smile came over her then, making me feel uneasy about it.

“What do you mean ‘oh no’?” I asked her.

“Nothing,” she said too quickly. My gaze narrowed towards him, telling her that I didn’t believe her. “Kathryn… told me,” she said then.

“Can’t fucking believe it. He has his own fucking sisters! He should understand!” I said a little loudly, making Kylee put her hands out as to quiet me down.

“She’s here,” she told me.

“Oh my god,” I rubbed my hands over my face and walked into the living room.

I fell onto the couch, keeping my hands over my face. After a few moments, I heard Kylee walk in and sit next to me. She leaned over and kissed the top of my head before beginning to rub my back.

“What happened?” she asked in that gently tone of hers… And I told her. She didn’t interrupt me; just let me keep talking. “Well, I know…” she started, but we heard movement from Katie’s room. We heard her walk out and go into the kitchen. I didn’t move. I knew better than to go talk to her right now.

“I know you think he deserved it,” Kylee started up again, finishing her previous thought. “But he’s your teammate…”

“He fucked with my sister,” I said through gritted teeth so that Kathryn couldn’t hear.

“Last time I checked, it took two people to have sex. You can’t just blame Patrick,” she started… and yeah, I knew that. But it was Kaner! I glared at her, telling her that I didn’t like that reply. She just smiled, knowing she was right… she’s usually always right.

We both stayed quiet after this. Kathryn was moving again and went back into her room. I put my head back in my hands and let out a heavy sigh. Kylee came closer and rubbed my back, letting my anger slowly leave me. I still wasn’t happy about what the little fucker was gloating about at practice… and I hope one of his fucking teeth got knocked out.