Chapter 13 - How I Spent My Summer Vacation

The next night Sidney scored a goal and had two assists. (And just so you know Ms. Kulak, neither of my parents bothered to call me to see how I was doing. I called both of them, and left a message that went unreturned for my Dad, and got to talk to my Mom while she was pissed again.) The season was winding down. There were only six games left in the regular season.

I was scared. I didn’t know what was going to happen when the season ended. Would Sidney go home to Cole Harbour? Would I be stuck here until God only knows when with just Michelle for company? (Assuming of course that the other guys all went home too.) Part of me was too scared to ask. Finally, I forced myself to look at the standings, and realized that the team was in first place in their conference, would get a bye through the first round of the playoffs and would go straight to the second round.

So I knew that Sidney would be around at least until the middle of April. I couldn’t help feeling relieved. Michelle and I waited for the boys after the game. It had become a tradition for us to get together before home games at Tante Amèlie’s so that we could dress in outrageous outfits. (And believe me Ms. Kulak, my spending had NOT gone down since early January and my parents having not remembered to call me on the anniversary of Frankie’s death… well, I was planning on some big spending in the next week or so.) Then we’d down a couple of shots of the baha rosa that Mark or Eric or someone would buy for us (a brand of tequila that’s really smooth in case you didn’t know Ms. Kulak) and we’d head to the game.

So anyway, back to Sunday. Michelle and I hung out outside the locker room with all the other girls waiting for the boys. Bianca, as always, was there with Claire and Catrine. Michelle had totally been exiled from that little clique because of me, but she insisted that she didn’t care because I was far more fun then they were… and she always added with a little grin, I had better clothes.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Michelle whispered to me as we watched the other girls whisper in a corner.

I shrugged. “Probably our clothes.”

“Or lack thereof.” Michelle said with a grin.

Despite the fact that it was February, Michelle and I were fairly scantily clad. I was planning on rewarding Sidney for being there for me that night, and Danny had finally made things official with Michelle about a week before, so she wanted to look especially good for him. I was wearing a short flared jeans skirt, two t-shirts (one white and pink, one black and pink) that hung over each other, while really not covering anything but my boobs, a pair of dangly earrings, and a pair of pink Reebok throw backs. Michelle was wearing my sex boots, a black halter top, and a blue plaid skirt.

I giggled. “They just wish they had my shoe collection.” I said.

Michelle looked at the boots and then gave me an arch look. “What teenage girl wouldn’t want your shoe collection?” She asked.

“Good point.” I said, thinking about all of the shoes I’d left at home. “I have more at home you know… stuff that’s totally out of style now, but I’ll bring back in a couple of years.”

She laughed. “Seulment toi Nickie… seulment toi.”

“Hey baby.” Danny said, as he came up and kissed Michelle softly. “Darryl will be out in a few sexy.” He said to me when he was done with her.

“You know I bet your girlfriend would really appreciate it if you’d stop calling me that.” I said, looking at Michelle.

Danny shrugged. “I’ve called you sexy since the night we met. You’re stuck with it sexy.” He informed me. “Kind of like Sidney being stuck with Darryl. I actually like Darryl better to tell you the truth. As for Mich… she knows how I’m just calling you by a nickname.”

I shook my head. “How long is this going to take?” I muttered, feeling a little irritable since I was cold. “He always takes forever.”

“It’s not his fault sexy.” Danny pointed out. “The media just won’t leave him alone.”

I raised my eyebrows. “No, his handlers won’t let the media forget about him.” I grumbled. “So I get to freeze my ass off waiting for him.”

Danny, being, well Danny, couldn’t help himself, he glanced down at my ass before pinching it. I shrieked and Michelle swatted at him in irritation. “And you can’t afford to lose anything down there sexy. If you do, Darryl isn’t going to have anything to hang on to.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and Michelle swatted at him again. There wasn’t much else we could do, except hit him, but it was Danny. (I am well aware that this is not the best description of a character that I could give Ms. Kulak, however, unlike in fiction, in real life there are some people who defy description. Danny just happens to be one of them.)

“We’re going to go Nickie.” Michelle said, as I’d temporarily taken a leave of absence, watching Bianca and Claire as they looked over at me, whispered and giggled.

“Yeah, we’ll see you at Darryl and Eric’s okay sexy?” Danny added. “Darryl should be out any minute now.”

“Yeah sure.” I said distractedly, my eyes on the dressing room door.

I wanted nothing more then to get the hell out of there. I was cold. I wanted to be alone with Sidney. Suddenly my phone rang, and figuring it was one of my parents, I moved off to the side so I could answer it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my parents, it was a wrong number. So I headed back out to wait.

And I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, when Dany Roussin made his way out of the locker room, I asked. “Hey Dany ou est Darryl?”

“Il est dèja parti Nickie.” He replied, looking a little shocked to see me there without Sidney. “He left quickly, told his people you were waiting and he didn’t want to keep you waiting too long.”

“I’ve been here the whole time.” I grumbled crankily, shivering. “Can you give me a ride to Darryl and Eric’s?” I asked, since Michelle and I had been drinking we’d let Tante Amèlie drive us to the game.

“Of course Nick.” Dany said, reaching for his car keys.

Feeling angry I reached into my purse for the flask I kept there during games and took a swig. “Tu veux?” I offered it to Dany.

“C’est quoi?” He asked, sniffing it.

“Rye.” I answered.

He shook his head at me, and took a swig. “Tu es quelque chose d’autre Nickie. Quelque chose d’autre.”

I shrugged and took another swig of my drink as we drove up to Sidney and Eric’s. I was cranky. Sidney had left without me! What the hell was up with that? As soon as Dany’s car had come to a stop I jumped out and raced into the house. To my surprise, Sidney was sitting in the kitchen playing quarters with a bunch of people. Usually Sid was more of the play playstation and knock back a few kind of guy. I would be the one playing drinking games.

As soon as he saw me though he stood. “Where the hell did you go?” He demanded angrily.

“I was right there waiting for you.” I snapped angrily, still feeling cold. “I turned to answer my phone, and then I waited, and waited and waited.” I informed him turning on my heel to go to his room. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m freezing.”

“You reek of booze.” Sidney snapped, coming up next to me and grabbing my arm. “Where were you really?” He demanded.

By this point, every nearly sober person was watching. I wasn’t so drunk that I didn’t know that Sidney and I were going to become the evening’s entertainment if we weren’t careful. So I headed down the hall to his room and stormed in, going through his drawers, looking for something warm to wear.

“What the hell are you doing?” He demanded following me in.

“Can you close that door?” I asked, having found a pair of sweats that were going to be a hell of a lot warmer then what I was wearing.

“Why?” He demanded.

“So I can change.” I snapped. “I waited outside in that drafty hallway for over and hour and half. I’m freezing.”

Sidney slammed the door and grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly into his body. “Ow!” I hissed. He’s a lot stronger then I am and his hand on my bicep hurt. It reminded me of the time Coby got angry and slapped me. I started shaking. Sidney had never made me feel anything but safe.

“I’m going to ask you one last time Nickie.” Sidney said, his eyes furious. “Where were you really?”

“I already told you!” I snapped, moving away from him.

Sidney ran a hand through his hair. “How can you expect me to believe that? I looked everywhere for you! Then you come in, dressed to the nines, smelling like booze, and the minute you walk in the door you want to change?”

“I already told you where I was.” I snapped, wiggling my skirt down after I’d kicked my skirt and shoes off. “And if you’re really concerned about the booze, check my purse. There’s a flask in there. Michelle and I snuck it into the game.”

“Then why are you changing?” He demanded, seeming less sure of himself. “I mean, Nickie, brat, you look hot.”

I wasn’t ready to forgive him just for saying I looked hot. I pulled my earrings out and put them in my purse, handing him the flask as I did so. “It’s rye.” I snapped. “And yes, Dany smells like it too.” I said. “He gave me a ride over here from the rink because I was waiting for you and Danny and Michelle left earlier.” I grumbled. “I can’t see how you missed me.”

Here Sidney blushed. “Well, I um, did look for you and all, but Claire told me that you’d already left.”

“She WHAT?” I snapped, eyes blazing angrily.

“Well I couldn’t see you anywhere, and I was in a bit of a hurry to get out of there so that we could be together, and if I didn’t get out of there they were going to start in at me again.” He sighed. “So I asked if anyone had seen you and Claire said that you’d left with Michelle and Danny. So I headed home, you weren’t here, and Danny and Michelle said they’d left you at the rink. No one seemed to have seen you.”

“So you believed it when Claire tossed the idea in your head that maybe I’d left with someone else.” I said sarcastically, and angrily. “Fuck phenom. I thought you were all about trust.”

Sidney had the good grace to blush. “Well you looked so hot and….”

“And it never occurred to you that I dressed like that for you?” I asked, removing the sweatshirt that I had just put on, so I was standing there in his dark blue Rimouski Ocèanic sweats in my pink lace bra.

He blushed again, unable to take his eyes off me as I stood before him, shaking my hair out of its style. “Well….” He said slowly, his eyes feasting on the sight of my body. “You’ve always dressed like this.”

I walked right up to him and pressed my body against his. “And I’ve been after you from day one phenom.” I whispered, licking his ear suggestively.

Sid shuddered. “Nickie….” He moaned my name.

“Yes?” I asked, pulling away slightly, feeling his hands go straight to my ass, groping me gently.

“You know you drive me crazy right?” He demanded, his mouth coming down hard on mine.

When he was done kissing me thoroughly and showing me exactly how much I drove him crazy, I pulled him onto the bed. Laying down and drawing his head to my chest I gently stroked his hair. “Phenom I trust you.” I whispered quietly. “I’ve told you things about my family and my little brother that I’ve never told anyone.”

“I know.” Sidney said, his arms wrapping tightly around me. “I know.”

“So do you trust me?” I whispered, looking down at him. “Or do I have to go and shove my foot up Claire’s ass?”