The Girl Next Door Chapter 3

The rest of the night went very well. Everybody was talking and having fun. After dinner, Neal, Kate, and Sidney joined the kids in a game of basketball, and they had a lot of fun. Kate really liked Sidney, she thought he was a really nice, down-to-earth guy. After the game and dessert, Sidney, Kate, and Neal watched Sportscenter for awhile, until everything on Sportscenter was all about Sidney. That got pretty awkward, so they changed it and watched a little bit of a movie until it was time to go. Kate and Neal’s parents were already at home, having left a little earlier.
“Well,” Neal said, “we better get going. Kate and I both have work tomorrow.”
“Where do you guys work?” Sidney asked.
“Well, I work out at Neville Island,” Kate said. “That’s where you guys practice most of the time. Neal works at the country club as a bartender.”
“That’s cool,” Sidney said.
“Ya, it’s good,” Kate said. “Neville Island, in the ice arena building, isn’t bad this time of year.”
After a little pause, Neal said,
“Sid, do you wanna go to the Pirates game with us on Sunday afternoon?”
“Sure,” he said, smiling. “I’ll have to double-check with Mario, but I don’t think anything’s going on.”
“Great,” Kate said. “We’ve actually got a box for that game, so you won’t have to deal with too many people.”
“Sounds great,” Sidney said.
“Okay,” Kate said. “Oh, and call us back to tell us if you can come or not.”
“What’s your number?” Sidney asked.
“Let me write it down,” Kate said. “They’ve got paper in the kitchen.”
So they walked out into the kitchen, and both Neal and Kate put their cell numbers on a piece of paper for him.
“Here you go,” Neal said, handing him the piece of paper.
“Thanks,” Sidney said. “I’ll give you guys a call tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Kate said. “Talk to you later!”
They left the Lemieux’s, and on the way home, they talked about the night.
“Well,” Neal said, “Sid’s pretty cool, doesn’t have an ego.”
“Ya,” Kate said, nodding her head in agreement. “I like him, he’s a nice guy.”
“That game will be fun on Sunday,” Neal said. “Just imagine it: us going to the game with Sidney Crosby!”
“You’re not bringing any of your friends, are you?” Kate asked.
“No,” Neal said.
“Good,” Kate said. “He seems pretty shy, I don’t think meeting a ton of people all at once like that would be a lot of fun.”
“Ya, you’re probably right,” Neal said.
“Just mom, dad, you, Sid, and me,” Kate said. “Sounds like fun.”
They reached their house and went inside. They went upstairs to their rooms, and closed the doors. After Kate closed her door, she flopped back onto her bed, and let out a huge sigh. She had a huge smile on her face, but she didn’t exactly know why she was like that. She lay like that there for a minute, thinking about Sidney. She then got up, got ready for bed, and fell asleep quickly.
*****
The next day, Kate got up for work early. She took a quick shower, ate some breakfast, and then drove to Neville Island. She worked at the Robert Morris University complex, which had ice rinks, roller hockey rinks, a golf bubble, and a lot more. Today she was just working in the equipment shop, and around 11am she got a phone call. It was from the Lemieux’s house.
“Hello?” Kate asked.
“Kate?” a voice asked. “It’s Sidney.”
“Oh, hey Sid!” Kate said, with more enthusiasm than before. “What’s up?”
“Oh, not too much,” he said. “How’s work?”
“Boring,” Kate replied. “There’s never anyone here on an August Saturday morning. I’ve been here since eight.””Rough,” he said.
“You get used to it,” Kate said. “All those early morning hockey practices got me ready for this.”
“Those were, and still are, killers,” Sidney said.
“I guess you’re right,” she said. “So, can you come to the game tomorrow?”
“Ya,” Sidney said. “Mario’s cool with it.”
“Good,” Kate said. “It’ll be a lot of fun. The Pirates will probably lose, but it’s still fun. And, you can avoid all the people, cause we go in a certain entrance.”
“Fantastic,” he said, sounding a little relieved. “What time’s the game?”
“1:30,” Kate stated. “So we’ll leave around noon, is that okay?”
“Ya, sure,” he said. “Any time’s good for me. Oh, hey Kate, I’ve gotta go. Nathalie’s taking me out so I can get a new cell phone. My one from Canada doesn’t work down here.””Okay,” Kate said. “I’ll see you tomorrow around noon. Just come on over then.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll see you then, Kate.””Bye, Sid,” she said.
*****
So, Kate finished her day of work on a high note. She got home, and then went out on a run. She ran a couple of miles, and when she got home she had some lunch, and watched some television. She then got ready to go out to the movies with two of her friends. Before they went to the movie, her friends Emily and Laura hounded Kate with questions about Sidney. She figured that would happen, so she just answered them and talked about what he was like. After the movie they all went home, since Emily had to work early the next day. Kate had the day off, and she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.