Chapter nine

I wanted to get an update in before I leave for Maine on Wednesday. I can't make any promises, but I'll try to update it again before that. I'm going to be gone for a week and a half, so I apologize now for the lack of updates to come. Enjoy!



I was sitting outside the locker room after Sidney’s practice, still wondering if Emma was actually not okay with me and Sidney, or if she was just being dramatic, when a guy, on the short side, walked out of the door with what looked like skater shoes on. Really? A hockey player wearing skate shoes? I hadn’t worn those since 6th grade. He stopped to inspect me for a second before speaking.

“You must be Avery,” he said holding out his hand to me. I shook it warily as he sat down next to me. “I’m Tyler. Tyler Kennedy.”

“You know me?”

“Well, no,” he admitted. “But Tanger’s been going on about how Sid’s got a girl,” he said with a smile. “I figured I had to see this one for myself.” I gave him a look and he stuttered a little. “No! I mean, I wasn’t looking for you. I found you. And introduced myself, and now I’m sitting here…” he trailed off and turned the slightest shade of pink.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Tyler,” I said with a smile. A smile. I actually smiled around someone who wasn’t Sidney or Emma. A miracle. His honest innocence made me grin.

“Nice to meet you too Avery,” he said standing up from my bench. “If things don’t work out with Sid, call me,” he said with a somewhat serious smile. I laughed at his lame joke, not out of pity, but because I actually thought it was funny; he’s funny. “I’ll see you around I’m sure.” And with that, he walked down the hallway, outside and probably to his car.

Not five minutes later, Sidney walked out of the locker room, hair gelled down to the point where I thought it might get pulled out at the roots, and smiled at me. I got up off of my bench, which was beginning to hurt my back, and made my way over to him. The closer I got, the more I could smell the scent of shampoo and cologne lingering on his skin. God help me in my time of weakness. I mean, what is this feeling? Desire? I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing it.

“Ready?” he asked, placing a hand on the small of my back, my shell melting away.

“Yupp,” I said happily. “I met Tyler,” I stated as we walked to his car.

“Oh, TK?” Sidney asked, unlocking the doors. “He’s hilarious.”

“Seems like it,” I said, pondering my next words. “Was everyone talking about me?” I asked before I could think better of it.

“Sort of,” he said, starting the engine. “It’s big news when I bring a girl to practice.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, but I could already feel the answer.

“I don’t do it often,” he stated, looking over at me. I felt my heart pump faster in my chest, all from his gaze. “You’re different Avery. You’re not one of those girls that stalk my every move. You don’t care that I’m Sidney Crosby. You care that I’m me, and that I have an ugly house, which you, by the way, have got to fix,” he said with a smile. He took my hand I his and I laced my fingers through the spaces between his fingers, right where mine fit perfectly. “Let’s go somewhere,” he said suddenly, turning out onto the road.

“I can’t. I’m meeting Emma at Starbucks at 3,” I stated, almost sad that I was going to hang out with my best friend. Okay, now you can say I’m a bad person.

“What if a business emergency came up?” he asked me with a mischievous smile.

“Well, then I guess I’d have to reschedule my coffee.” Yes, now I’m a bad person.
-
We ended up at LazeRush after I called Emma and told her Mrs. Lamar needed work done on her bathroom and that I had to reschedule our coffee. Needless to say, she was not happy. After a few bad words and some more bipolar behavior, I was off the hook.

“Mission accomplished,” I said to Sidney as we walked into the little building that housed one of the best laser tag places around according to the sign outside.

“Good. Now get ready to be demolished,” he said with a slight growl.

“Oh, competitive much?” I asked with a hint of playfulness.

“I’m just warning you,” he stated, paying for our games and gearing up. Everything smelled of Febreeze and sweat. Lovely.

“I’ve never done this before,” I managed, wrestling with an armband that I was apparently putting on wrong.

“I’ll take it easy on you,” he said, turning the band around and sliding it onto my arm with ease. “I’m pretty much a pro.” Before I knew it, we were walking back into a big dark room with obstacles set up and Sidney was racing off in another direction. All while I comprehended this, I was shot 7 times; 2 in the chest, 3 in the arm and 2 in the leg. I wasn’t even sure where I was, let alone how to work this gun thing they gave me.

I ran behind a big fake boulder, trying to take refuge, and just as I was beginning to acclimate, someone rolled, yes rolled, into my legs. I looked down to see Sidney crawling on the ground.

“What are you doing?” I hissed at him.

“Avery, if you want to succeed, you have to play the game,” he hissed back, peering around the boulder.

“And playing the game involves rolling on a sticky dirty floor? No thank you.”

“Stop it. Stop being so serious. Get on the floor. Do it,” he said to me. I just stared at him like he was crazy. “OH GOD AVERY! DUCK!”

He scared me so much I actually got on the floor. I was convinced I’d have herpes by the time I was done in there. I didn’t know how often they cleaned those floors. They could have never cleaned them for all I knew.

“Now what?” I asked, crouched on the floor beside him.

“Just shoot at things that move,” he answered, firing his gun at someone.

“Okay…” I shot at something that was moving and heard a faint click. “Did I get him?” I asked, excited. I was excited about shooting someone in laser tag. What was my life becoming?

“Yupp, now follow me,” he said, rolling James Bond style across the floor to where he was behind another boulder.

I tried to imitate the move, but failed miserably. Very miserably. Instead of rolling behind the boulder, I rolled into it, putting a hole in it and getting shot 6 more times. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just laid there, staring at the ceiling as people kept shooting me. I felt this odd urge in the pit of my stomach, working its way up my throat and into my mouth. Before I knew it I was laughing. I was laughing at myself for how clumsy I am. I was laughing at Sidney because he was rolling around on the floor like a 6 year old, and I was laughing because I hadn’t laughed so hard in so long.

“Avery! Are you okay?” Sidney asked, concerned. He was crouched on the floor next to me, and once he realized I was laughing, not crying, he began to laugh too. “How’d you even do that?” he managed between laughing fits.

I just shook my head, unable to answer. The laughter just kept coming. There I was, on the gross disgusting floor of LazeRush, with none other than Sidney Crosby, laughing my ass off because I ran into a boulder. Yes, this was better than coffee.