Chapter 30 - An American Flavour

The next day, I stayed in bed with the covers pulled over my head. I was hung over, upset, cramped and bloated, and basically, I was not going to be pleasant to be around. So I avoided being around anyone by staying in bed. On Sunday afternoon Dad and I were supposed to go to Hameenlinna to watch the US take on Slovakia, while Canada was playing Switzerland in Helsinki.
Except Dad could see that I was clearly in no mood to travel to Hameenlinna, so he arranged for me to go watch Team Canada play, if I was up to it that afternoon. Dad still had no real idea of what was going on in my life, but that was really the way it had always been. I mean, I didn’t even know him at all until this year, and I wasn’t about to change some things just yet.
I don’t think that Dad was either, because instead of talking about what was going on, he just did what he could to help me feel better. So he headed off to Hameenlinna not long after lunch and I just kind of hung out watching TV. At 2:30 someone knocked on my door and told me that the car was there for me.
So I forced myself to throw on a old pair of jeans (that were torn and ripped in several places) and pair of navy blue Nikes. I reached over and grabbed this really old, guys collared t-shirt with dark blue and white stripes. I tossed on a ski jacket and, well that was kind of old to put it mildly.
I tried not to think about what Grandmama would say if she saw me dressed like that. She would have killed me. But I dressed like this at Shattuck’s from time to time, and no one seemed to care, so I doubted anyone would care here. I quickly downed the rest of my drink and headed into the car.
Surprisingly, and to the disgust of everyone in the booth with me, Switzerland opened the scoring less then 5 minutes into the first. The guys just didn’t have that jump in their step (or skate or whatever). I started downing champagne and continued doing so until one of the Swiss players hooked one of Canada’s guys on a break away, which is a penalty shot in hockey.
The guy… people said his name was Mike Richards, took the penalty shot and scored, tying the game and shifting the momentum to Canada’s favour. Just over two minutes after that first goal, a western boy, Coburn, gave Canada a 2-1 lead. They weren’t done yet. One of the Swiss players took a holding penalty and Team Canada made them pay. Another western boy, Getzlaf or something, scored 10 seconds into the Swiss penalty.
The guys took a 3-1 lead into the dressing room at the end of the first. Three minutes into the second that Getzlaf guy scored another goal, giving Canada a 4-1 lead. Another three minutes later and Sidney was sitting in the penalty box for slashing and he wasn’t looking particularly thrilled about it.
Not that I could blame him. He was never thrilled when he was in the “sin bin” as they called it in Canada. He served his two minutes and the Swiss weren’t really able to get anything going. The rest of the second period was pretty bleak. Yeah there was some good action at times, but Canada went into the dressing room with the same 3 goal lead that they had early in the second.
The guys came out for the third as if they were on fire or something.
Less then 2 minutes into the second, Anthony Stewart hit the score sheet to make the score 5-1. Somehow though, the Swiss managed to get the momentum and they managed another goal, to make the score 5-2.
I guess our guys figured they had to answer back. Anthony Stewart scored his second of the game about 10 minutes after the Swiss scored their second, making the score 6-2. Then, with less then thirty seconds left in the game, Sidney scored his first goal of the tournament. I couldn’t help but jump out of my seat and cheer.
It didn’t really matter to me that the score was already 6-2 when he scored, all that mattered was that he had hit the score sheet. I was so proud of him. It didn’t matter in that moment that I was also angry as hell with him. He’d done something amazing, and immediately, the guys in the room got on their cell phones, trying to figure out whether or not Sidney was the youngest guy to ever score for Team Canada in this tournament.
I sighed, and drank another glass of champagne. The Team Canada handlers were on my case to go down the dressing room… I guess they wanted to prove that they were giving me the first class treatment or whatever. I stood and realized that I was ridiculously drunk. I’d been drinking since before the game.
I tried to get out of going downstairs, I really did. But they just wouldn’t leave me alone. So I went, knowing full well that it was probably a very bad idea, considering how wasted I was. Sidney would see it immediately, and I wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to think about it. He probably wouldn’t be very impressed.
And he did see it immediately. The minute I walked into the dressing room (actually stumbling slightly was probably more accurate) he stormed over to me. “You’re drunk.” He snapped.
I rolled my eyes. “Duh.”
“Do you really think this is funny Kally?” He demanded angrily.
“Look.” I hissed equally angrily. “It is so not my fault. I told the handlers that I was feeling tired and just wanted to go back to the hotel, but they didn’t want me going back and telling my Dad that I wasn’t getting first class treatment.”
“You are such a lush.” He snapped.
“Tell me something that you didn’t know when you met me.” I replied angrily.
“Trouble in paradise?” Josh came over with a silly little grin on his face.
“If this is paradise I want a refund.” I joked. “Actually Josh, I’m just really fucking wasted right now, and Sidney doesn’t like that.”
“You’re drunk?” Josh chuckled.
“And how.” I replied with a grin. “This is what happens when nice executives and handlers trying to give you the first class treatment give the servers instructions to keep your glass full through three periods of hockey. And two intermissions.”
“Or whenever Kally feels like it.” Sid snapped.
“Or whenever you ask me to throw a party for the Nics.” I replied easily. “Or when Marky and Danny and Patrick and Cèdrick and Alex show up looking for some fun. Usually that’s when you’ve left me alone to hang out with Marc-Antoine and Dany and Guillaume. So I’m bored.”
“You could hang out with me and Marc-Antoine and Dany and Guillaume.” Sidney replied.
“Oh yeah, but then they wouldn’t be able to tell you that this is what happens when you commit to one girl too soon kid.” I told him scathingly.
“What’s “this”?” Josh asked, looking confused.
“Never mind.” Sidney said fiercely glaring at me, almost daring me to open my mouth and give him a reason to dump my ass.
“Don’t worry about it Joshie.” I said flirtatiously. “Some of Sidney’s teammates back in Rimouski seem to think that I’m a bad influence. What do you think?” I asked teasingly.
“I think that you’re bad news of the very best kind.” He replied with a grin.
“I am perfectly innocent and sweet.” I replied, feeling very tipsy. “And if you ask Zachie Parisé’s Mom I am the sweetest person on the face of the planet. So I come with references.”
Sidney and Josh both snorted. “Kally, you maybe sweet, but I highly doubt your claim of innocence.” Josh said. “As for your references, I’m sure Zach has a lot more to say about you than his Mom does.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “That is so not true. I am sweet and innocent. Plus Zachie wouldn’t say a word about me.”
“Funny….” Sidney said in a snotty tone of voice. “There would be those who would say that you corrupted me.”
I snorted. “I thought the townie who was giving you head in the bathroom at my New Year’s party took care of that one long before I had a go there kid.”
Sidney turned beet red. Josh looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Head in a bathroom stall at a party Darryl? Who would have thought?”
“Miss Van Steen.” A Team Canada handler was at my elbow, clearly having overheard the conversation and wanting to keep things in the dressing room PG. “We thought that you might like to meet some of the other members of this year’s squad. We know that you and Sidney know each other well, but perhaps you’d like to meet some of the others.”
“Of course.” I replied smiling a very catty smile at Sidney as I allowed the guy to lead me away. “I’d love to. See you later Sid… you know where my suite is.”
I could hear Josh chuckle as we walked away. He clearly found the argument between Sidney and I amusing. Of course, he had no idea what was behind the whole mess. “Miss Van Steen?”
“Yes?” I asked regally, using Grandmama’s snotty voice.
“I’d like to introduce you to Ryan Getzlaf. He’s from the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen.” The guy (whose name I still don’t remember) said. “Ryan, I’d like to introduce Kallista Van Steen.”
“Sidney’s girlfriend?” He asked, looking a little surprised.
“The one and only.” I said, then I paused, thinking. “Well at least, that’s what he tells me.” I added with a laugh.
Ryan was kind of chuckling awkwardly with me when it hit me. It suddenly hit me why Sidney was being so strange. Why he wasn’t happy that I wasn’t pregnant. Why Mark and Danny and Patrick and Alex and Cèdrick hadn’t been able to tell me why they were angry with Sidney. Why Sidney was still so angry with me, even though we now knew that I wasn’t pregnant.
He’d cheated on me. The little bastard had cheated on me. Not with the girl I’d found him in my bed with, but with someone else. That’s why he was having such a hard time accepting that I wasn’t pregnant. If I was pregnant then we had both fucked up somehow.
Now that I wasn’t pregnant I hadn’t fucked up. But nothing could change the fact that he had. That’s why he was so upset. I stopped laughing abruptly. Ryan did the same. He must have noticed the look on my face. “Are you alright Kallista?” He asked.
“I will be.” I muttered darkly stalking over to Sidney.
“Kally what are you doing?” He asked, seeing me go over to him purposefully.
“You cheated on me.” I said firmly and calmly. “And we are going to talk about that. Either we do it here, in front of your team and your family and the press and the scouts and the Team Canada brass or we do it at my suite when you’re free. Do I make myself clear?”
“Will you sober up first?” Sidney replied, having turned white the minute I said that he’d cheated on me.
“If you show up. If you don’t….” I trailed off, letting him think about it. “Well you know what will happen kid.”
With that I turned and walked away. I didn’t want him, or anyone else in that dressing room to see the tears on my face. I’d loved him. I’d trusted him. Even when we had our problems, I’d had faith that we’d be able to work them out. Apparently, he didn’t have the same faith. He’d cheated.
I stormed out the limo, ignoring Dad’s personal assistant as she tried to figure out what was wrong. I needed to get back to the hotel, to my suite. To where I could cry in private, where no one would have to realize how stupid I was.
And that’s how I felt. I felt stupid. I felt like the biggest idiot on the face of the planet. After all, I’d know that it was stupid to trust hockey players. Yet I’d been dumb enough to give one my heart. I was an idiot. I’d known what could and would happen if I did that, yet I’d still done it.
He’d taken advantage of me. He’d cheated. I couldn’t deal with it. So I went to my room and I cried. I cried and I cried and I cried until I threw up. It was nearly an hour after the game when I was finally done crying. My Dad’s personal assistant had long since run off in fear that I would blame this on her and my Dad would freak.
I had to get myself together. I couldn’t face him looking the way that I did. Crying never does anything good for a person’s looks. I needed to be at my best when I dealt with him. I needed to make him feel even worse then he already did for how he’d treated me. I needed that. The best revenge on a guy whose done you wrong is to look fantastic and any girl can tell you that.
So I set about to look my best. I knew that he would be here. I was his girlfriend apparently – I mean, that’s who Ryan thought I was when we were introduced, so clearly that’s how he saw me. Maybe part of him still loved me. I didn’t know, but I wanted him to see me at my best, just in case he didn’t.