Stolen Jerseys / ✓

1.05: chapter fourteen

S C O T T

The next few weeks went by quickly.

Elle and I barely argued, and at a couple of practices, I convinced her to do other stuff besides hockey. Of course, the first hour or two was spent doing hockey and perfecting everything. But after that, I convinced Elle to do something else - anything ranging from golf, to going out to Tim's and trying whatever new coffee there was.

And in those few weeks, I learned something: Elle wasn't as annoying as I had originally thought.

Sure, Elle was sarcastic and didn't exactly have a filter. She didn't always think about what she said before she said it, but for the most part, it was funny stuff. And when she was in a good mood, it was just amazing. She was funny and nice, and easy to talk to. And I liked Elle a lot when she was like that.

But recently, that side of her had been shadowed by the serious, hockey tutor side. With the final try-outs coming up, Elle had started pushing and taking things more seriously than before. There wasn't a lot of room for joking, or even sarcastic comments. She was serious and focused - and I appreciated that, because it did help me with practice. It was just - Elle never really shut off that side of her. Not even at practice for the Marlies.

"That was good," Elle said, sitting down next to me as I unlaced my skates. She leaned forward and I rolled my eyes, dragging my bag towards me, "the turns are getting so much better, but you need to slow down. You hit too fast and - "

"Elle," I cut her off. I took off my jersey and shot her a small smile, "practice is over. So I think we're all right for this."

Elle huffed and turned around, blowing out a dramatic sigh. I snickered and zipped up my bag, dropping it onto the bench next to me. I bit my lip and looked up, seeing a couple of the guys standing in a loose circle around the benches. I could hear Jay's loud laughter and I leaned forward, wondering what they were talking about.

Jay turned and caught my eyes. Out of all the guys on the team, I had gotten the closest with Jay. He was loud and sarcastic, and said some weird stuff, but he was one of the best guys on the team. Plus, he was amazing at hockey. Out of everyone, we all knew he would easily make the team, no questions.

"Scott!" Jay called, brown eyes narrowing. He grinned at me and stood up on a step, making his short frame a bit taller, "What're you doing tonight?" I opened my mouth, but he cut me off before I could say anything, "Great - you're coming to dinner with us!"

"What?" I called, scratching the back of my head and furrowing my eyebrows.

"Dinner," Jay called back, ruffling up his dark hair, "the team - we're all going out, dumbass. Elle's coming too."

I didn't have time to protest before Jay was telling me we'd meet in a half-hour and what restaurant we'd be going to. But really, it was pointless to argue with Jay. He always managed to get the last word in, and eventually, I had learned to just go with what he said.

I grabbed my bag and made my way through the hallway. In the few months I had been at the stadium, I had completely learned to make my way through the hallways and not get lost. And the fact that I knew the stadium so well that I could easily maneueved it made me happier than I could explain. I knew the Marlies' stadium. How many people could say that?

I walked across the parking lot and threw my bag in the backseat of my car. Snatching a hoodie, I pulled it on and slipped into the drivers side. Apparently Jay had made reservations, and everyone just had to show up around the same time.

Before I could drive off, someone knocked on the window. I sighed and turned, only to be met with Elle's bright eyes. I bit my lip and rolled down the window, cocking an eyebrow and wondering why she had come. I figured she was going to get a ride with one of the guys - she seemed to be friends with them all.