The Pursuit of Happiness (Patrick Kane)

|Tweleve|

Patrick

After a few really good games personally I was starting to feel pretty invincible. This team was something that people make up in stories. We're 24 games in and have yet to lose in regulation. And with only 24 games left I'm not sure will ever lose.

In a node of confidence I decide to invite Kayleigh over to my place for a hang out. With all the attention around the team and it still being quite cold outside I figured we can hang here and eat pizza in the solidarity of my apartment. As soon as I told her there would be food she was on her way over. She brings us some drinks and joins me on the couch as I watch the highlights to some other games. She looks at the screen still figuring out the whole hockey thing and how it works.

"You played great tonight" she starts and I smile.

"You watched my game" I question.

"I watched the Blackhawks game, yes" she smirks.

"So you watched my game" I say again and she rolls her eyes.

"Yes. But I was also preoccupied with homework and clubs and other stuff too so don't think you got all of my attention" she insists.

"Will I ever" I tease.

"You can do things for yourself and for others all at once you know. Life isn't either or, we can help ourselves by helping others" she tells me.

"Not everyone has the tools you have. I wish I had half the things you do" I insist.

"Everyone is capable of speaking out, once you find the courage to say something" she accuses.

"I'm not afraid to use my voice" I argue.

"You are afraid to use your own voice. You could do so much Patrick, but your fear of people's opinions of you if you say something loom larger than your fear of the world going to shit if you don't. You let people silence you because you can't take back your words once you say them. But times where you're most scared to speak is when you need to speak the most. You can't keep going through life not standing for anything, letting things happen in this world but not speaking your mind too afraid that everyone won't agree with you. You would rather be silent but silence sides with the oppressor every single time. Every time we fail to say what needs to be said another person is lost to the cause.

You can't just stick to sports because life isn't a political matter, it's a social one and you hold a place in this world as a powerful person. It sucks that you can't see that you can do so much, or maybe it's that you don't want to see" she trails off. My bright blue eyes get dimmer as I look away from her. She can tell no one in my life has told me about much of anything and she doesn't enjoy being the one to tell me. But at least it's coming from someone who cares about me.

"I'm sorry" is all I says as she lets out a sigh.

"Don't apologize" she shakes her head. "I don't want you to feel sorry" she insists.

"Then what do you want from this" I beg.

"I want you to see that what people are telling you isn't what you have to be. That's what I've been trying to get you to see. You're a part of this system in society where you believe people like you because you don't speak up. But what you can't see is that not everyone is going to like you anyways, and that you've spent your whole life doing what people tell you to do. Going where they need you to be and up until recently you never questioned it. You're destined for things greater than what anyone else has planned for you, you know this. You don't have to become a hockey messiah in order to make a difference in this world, you just need to realize that you've played into this system and as long as you do that you will never find your voice when you need it. People won't believe you stand for anything because you fell for everything else.

I know you Patrick, I know there is more in you than what you show. You ask questions because you're intelligent and you want to know the truth, not only parts of the truth people want to admit. You have the power to be exactly what you're supposed to be, you just got to go out and get it" she insists.

She reaches over and cup my chin softly as I turn back to her. My eyes were a bit glassy as I refamiliarize myself with her. Once my eyes find hers again I smile softly. "Why do you care what I do with my life" I wonder. "There's thousands of professional athletes, many trying to do what you're saying right now and getting nowhere with it. Why is it different with me?"

"Because I believe in you, not those other guys. Because I have spent the better part of eight years trying to be in the position you find yourself in. Even if you help one or two people then you can still change the world" she claims.

"I don't want to do it if you're not by my side" I insist.

"You don't need me" she argues.

"I do. In every way imaginable I need you Kayleigh, and I needed to tell you that. Because if I take this step, if I find my voice it's because you inspired me. It's because you opened my eyes to see that the world I was living in wasn't real. The real world is full of struggles and pain and I just so happen to be lucky enough to not have to see that every day. But I also hold simple solutions to fixing these things, I just can't do it on my own" I explain.

"You can't or you don't want to" she smirks.

"A little bit of both" I tease. "But I'm serious. I can't do this without you, I won't. You're the most incredible person I know, and if you're here with me then I feel like I can do anything on and off the ice."

Suddenly she leans in and crashes her lips on mine. It didn't take me but a fraction of a second to lean in to her and grab her waist. She slowly leans back onto the couch pulling me with her. I feel my lips tingle as I try my hardest to not fall on top of her, but she wasn't making it easy. My whole body felt weak as I tried my best to stay in this moment for as long as possible.

After a few seconds we break apart and she looks up at me with those crazy green eyes. Her big pink lips waiting for more as lean over and put my lips on hers once again. And for the first time, ever maybe, I finally feel like I was where I belong.

"What are you doing this weekend" she randomly questions as I stare down at her. Her fingers still tangled in my shirt as she holds my body against hers.

"Nothing much, why" I wonder.

"Because I want to take you somewhere" she claims.

"Like a date" I question.

"Yeah, like a date" she smiles.

"I would love to go anywhere with you" I insist. She quickly pulls me right back down into a kiss and I was convinced that my life was changing right in front of my own eyes.