Rookie of the Year

The rest of the night moved smoothly through the award show. The presentation that would help the entire league of players understand how the rules were slightly altered to help women join the league were explained and most seemed to be okay with it - as long as they could hit the women just as hard as the men. It wasn't supposed to require extra thinking to know if they can hit someone or not.

Before I know it, Patrick Kane and I have waltzed into an after party in Evgeni Malkin's hotel room suite in the MGM. Corey decided to sit this party out and stayed with Ava. I, on the other hand, was ready to tear up the NHL Awards with my second best friend - Kaner.

"Kandy Kane, there are so many people here! They aren't even all Penguins." Obviously we weren't expecting the party to be all Penguins because here we are, two Blackhawks. But it surprised me to see Steven Stamkos from the Lightning and Zach Parise from the Wild along with some of their teammates and other hockey friends.

"You ready to party in style, Soph? Remember what we've all told you, don't accept a drink from anyone you don't know and if you need me, I won't be far from the booze at any point tonight. My dick even knows to not go home with anyone unless I've made sure you are back in your room safely. You should thank my dick, because it is going to be a rough night with the amount of puck bunnies around. It's only because I love you like my sister, and I already have three of them. So let's party!" He was serious for about two minutes of the entire conversation, kissed my head, and set off for the booze. I mean, what 23 year old didn't want to be all around the booze at a high-level party like this? He's normal, most of the time.

I just chuckle at my friend and let him head to the bar set up in the kitchen. I followed him just so I could get myself something to drink. I have found that it is easier to get the guys off your back if you carry a drink with you. Doesn't even matter what's in it, as long as you have one the guys make their own assumptions about what's in it.

I don't stay attached to Kane for very long. Instead, I find Andrew Shaw in another part of the hotel suite that was where I stayed for a bit. He was closer to my age than Kane, not much but a little.

Andrew is more of a party animal than Kane, however. I find myself having a little too much fun and have to ask Shawzy to get me to Kane so I can get back to my room. This is way too much for a girl like me. It probably wasn't a great idea to be around Shaw for this long already. I was probably only one drink passed my limit, but it was enough to be tipsy. I hope Corey wouldn't chastise me for this. A girl's allowed to have some fun every now and then, or so I hope.

"KK, take me to Corey please!" I say in my whiniest voice as we approach Kaner with a girl in the bar area of the suite. "I'm so tired. She's not even pretty Patrick. Sorry, but you're not." Kaner and Shaw were shaking their heads as I crawled into Kane's lap and the girl he was talking to disappeared quickly.

"Okay Mama Soph. Let's get you back to Crow. He's going to have his hands full tonight." Shaw pulls me up and out of Kane's lap, then they both help me back to my own room across the hotel.

In the elevator from the upper floor to my mid-floor room we ran into a bunch of players, but none of them paid any attention to us.

Soon enough we were in my room and I was told to be very quiet so I didn't wake up Ava. Corey wasn't sleeping yet, so that was good. I tried to be quiet, and it worked. I was laying in a bed before I knew it and was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

Corey's POV
After the three of us guys got Soph into bed, I followed them into the hall with the room key. I didn't want to have a conversation with both Soph and Ava asleep.

"So, how much did you let her drink boys?" Soph isn't 21 yet and so this is illegal on so many levels. But then again, Shaw isn't much older than her. He'll just be 21 next month, so he's at least close to legal. But Soph still has over a year. I can't believe they let her drink this much.

"Don't look at me big guy, she was with Shaw. I stayed close, but I didn't babysit her like I would Ava. That's not my style and you know it." Kane tells me. That means that my fatherly disappointed face is directed to Shaw.

"She only had three. But, uh, it was three straight whiskeys. The girl can really drink, she downed those like water. Then I think she might have snuck to the kitchen for some girly drink. But if she had that, it would've been only one. Probably not even a full one."

"Dumbass, she has never had whiskey that I'm aware of and you let her have three? Do you not realize who else is asleep in there right now? You should've never let her have whiskey." I had to lay into him just a little. He's still an irresponsible kid, but Sophie usually isn't. I knew I should've gotten a sitter and gone with her.

"Sorry man. I figured she could handle her liquor like me. I forgot that I have like 80 pounds on her. That would've never happened to me. Won't happen again on my watch. Anyways, Kaner and I should probably let you get back in there. Later." And the two took off rather quickly. I chuckle at how nervous they were to have to have that talk with their teammate like me. I am older than both of them and their goalie, that's pretty important.

I go back into the hotel room and see that the bozos managed to put her in my bed. I had already gotten comfortable when they came in and now she is my bed. At least Ava is still asleep.

Because we've slept in the same bed before and I really liked this bed, I climb in next to Sophie and fall asleep quickly as she is already asleep. It was easy and simple, and I planned to tease her about it in the morning.