Chapter Two

We walked most of the way in silence and when we finally arrived, I was instantly reminded of why I hated all clubs in the first place. It was way too noisy and way too booze-y.

“We’re going to the VIP section,” Bridget shouted in my ear even though we were literally inches apart. “Join us when you want to!” I nodded and watched Bridget, Brett, and Evgeni disappear into the crowd. I sighed and made my way over to the bar.

“Apple Martini,”I shouted through the throngs of people. The bar tender nodded and after a few minutes he handed me my drink. I paid and looked around at the club. This was not my scene at all. I’d much rather be at the mall or the movies or back in New York.

“Well, hello gorgeous,” I looked to my left and saw who the speaker was. He looked to be about twenty five, fairly tall compared to my 5’4” frame, and quite the looker. If this were any other place and any other time, I probably would have given him the time of day. But since I wasn’t really in the mood to be hit on by bar guys, I decided to decline whatever invitation he was extending.

“Sorry, love, not interested,” I said politely, skirting my way around him. I spotted the VIP section and began to make my way over there. Unfortunately “Bar Guy” was still behind me. The only thing I could hope was that he wouldn’t make it into VIP. When I finally reached the outer perimeter, I spotted Bridget first. She was talking to a cute blonde guy. She turned around, saw me, and motioned for the security guy to let me in.

“Hey Maddison! How do you like the club so far?” Evgeni asked me as I took a seat next to him.

“It’s alright, but I’m more into non-club stuff,” I answered honestly.

“Yeah I know. It can be a little overwhelming at first,” he said and I nodded in agreement. Just then I saw Bar Guy making his way over to us. Oh great. “Hey Max! Where were you?”

“Chasing this beauty around,” Max replied, indicating me. “You two know eachother?”

“Yeah we do. Believe it or not, this is Bridget’s sister, Maddison,” Evgeni said.

“Oh no way! You guys look nothing alike!” Max’s shocked expression was one I’d seen many times on the faces of those who just found out Bridget and I were related.

“Yeah, I get that all the time,” I replied.

“Well, I can clearly see that your gorgeous, but I’d like to get to know you better. Dinner sometime?” he asked.

“Ehh, we’ll see,” I responded, with no real intention of taking him up on that offer. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card, and handed it to me. “Oh no! That is so lame!” I laughed at him and took the card. I turned it over and quickly scrawled my number on the back. “You need my number more than I need yours.” I handed it back to him and he smiled and sauntered off, probably to find more prey.

“You know, he’s really not a bad guy,” Evgeni said, as if reading my mind.

“I don’t know, Evgeni. He’s not really my type. A little too ‘player’ for my taste,” I responded.

“Yeah I know, but don’t let that deter you. Once you get to know him, he can be really nice,” he said. I smiled at this. It was really nice of him to defend his friend like that. “So are you into hockey at all?”

“No, not really,” I answered, “I’ve been to a few Ranger games since I used to live in Manhattan, but I only went as someone’s date.” He laughed and took a sip of his beer.

“It’s really not a bad game, if you give it a chance,” he said.

“Just like Max?” I asked.

“Just like Max,” he laughed again.

“So, who is everyone here?” I asked looking around me. The fair share of them had to be hockey players.

“Well, that’s Sidney Crosby,” he said pointing to a handsome guy with dark curly hair. “And that’s Tyler Kennedy.” He pointed to another curly haired guy talking to Sidney. “And that guy who keeps sneaking glances at you is Kris Letang.” I smiled and noted the adorable guy pretending to be interested in whatever Max was saying. Max turned around and waved at me and I nodded my head in return. “That’s Max Talbot, but you already met him. And that guy talking to your sister is Jordan Staal.” I noticed that it was the cute blonde who was talking to Bridget earlier. He was talking animatedly about something and he had a permanent smile on his face. I wondered if Bridget could really be all that funny. “By the way, most people call me Geno.”

“Okay, Geno. That works for me,” I said and downed the rest of my drink. “I’m gonna go see what time we’re going home, I’ve already had enough.” I made my way over to Bridget who didn’t even notice I was there. She was far too consumed with Jordan.

“Hey Bridget, what time do you think we’re leaving?” I asked.

“Maddison hey! Jordan, this is my sister Maddison. Maddison, this is Jordan,” she said. We’d only been here a little while and I could tell that her alcohol consumption was rapidly increasing.

“Hey Jordan,” I said.

“Whoa! You’re sisters? You look nothing alike!” Jordan responded.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah I get that all the time,” I replied, getting exasperated. “Bridget, what time are we leaving?”

“God Maddison! Why do you have to be such a downer?! We’re all having such a good time. If you wanna leave, take a damn cab,” she said.

“I would, but I didn’t know we were going out tonight and I used all the money I had in my pocket for that drink!” I shot back at her. I was beginning to remember just how much of a bitch my sister could be sometimes. “Whatever.” I spun around and started to make my exit until I felt someone grab my arm.

“Hey, where are you going?” Geno asked with a concerned look.

“I’m walking home,” I responded turning back around and fighting with the crowd.

“No you’re not. It’s late. Let me pay for a cab,” he said quickly reaching for his wallet.

“No, I can’t let you do that,” I answered once we were outside.

“Then let me walk you at least, I’ll come back for your sister. You can let me do that,” he said. I sighed and agreed and after he signed some autographs outside of the club, we began the walk home.

“So how long have you and Bridget been together?” I asked.

“Oh, about a year and a half.”

“Wow, I missed a lot.”

“How long have you lived in New York?”

“I moved right after high school, so about three years I guess.”

“Is it really that much better than Pittsburgh?”

“I don’t know. It’s more me though. I feel like I fit in better there.” He nodded and we walked the rest of the way in silence. When we finally arrived at my house he pulled out a key and let me in. “You have a key to my parents’ house?!”

“Well, you know, it’s for emergencies,” he responded with a grin.

“Huh, I guess I missed more than I thought,” I answered.

“Have a good night Maddison,” he said, turning for the door.

“Goodnight, Geno,” I replied, then headed up the stairs. I flopped down on my old bed and stared up at the ceiling. My Tom Brady poster adorned the space above my bed. I remember when I first got it how mad Brett was and he spent the rest of that week not referring to me as Maddison, but Traitor. I didn’t care though, I loved Tom Brady and that was all that mattered to me. That night as I drifted off to sleep, I tried to think of my old daydreams where I was Tom Brady’s wife and I cooked for him and took care of our children, but all my mind was occupied with was images of Geno standing in my kitchen, snaking his arms around my waist as I stood at the stove.