Bottle Rockets

SEVENTEEN - Stop Acting Like A Twelve Year Old Boy

Tyler spent days avoiding Tanger as best as she could. She skated on the opposite side of the rink and asked Johnston if she could switch drills every time they were put together. Games weren't as hard because linemates Geno and Horny would sit on either side of her. But she couldn't stop him from assisting on her goals, which he did often.

At the end of practice, Tanger stood beside the open door, chatting quietly with Flower. Tyler stopped when she realized she had to squeeze past them, glancing over her shoulder for any aid. But she was alone in the hallway.

She sucked in a sharp breath and wandered closer, clearing her throat. "Excuse me," She muttered.

Tanger glanced down at her and stepped to the side. Not by much, though. Tyler's chest grazed against his as she slipped past him.

Flower rolled his eyes and smacked him upside the head.

"Ah!" He exclaimed, "What was that for?"

"Stop acting like a twelve year old boy, Tanger. You broke her heart. Pestering her is not going to fix what you did," Flower hissed.

Tanger folded his arms across his chest and looked over Flower's shoulder, following Tyler as she spoke with Sidney. He sighed and leaned against the wall.

"I love her, Flower," He confessed.

"You should have told her that sooner. Or, you know, not rekindled your relationship with Amanda. That could have helped," Flower mumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"I couldn't help it. She's like a fucking drug," Tanger snarled under his breath. He then ran a hand through his hair.

"End things with her, Tanger. She's not good for you. And if you do, Tyler might want to listen to what you have to say again," Flower suggested, clapping a hand against his shoulder. "Now, come on. Let's go grab a bite to eat," He gathered him under his arm and ushered him out of the locker room.

Tyler watched Tanger leave with his shoulders under Flower's arm. She watched their back disappear past the doors before Sidney Crosby obstructed her view. He bumped his fist against her shoulder, pulling her back to reality.

"I thought you were done with him, Ty," Sid murmured, waddling to his stall to undress.

Tyler shrugged, sitting down and unlacing her skates. "I can't just be done with him, Sid. I fell in love with him...I still am in love with him," She sighed and yanked a skate from her foot.

He glanced down at her after hanging his jersey up, "What is your heart telling you to do?"

Tyler stared at Tanger's stall, eyes tracing over the number on the sleeve of his sweater, "My heart is telling me to let myself love him. But he got back together with that," She clenched her teeth, "girl, Amanda. He's the one who has to make a move for me to do anything."

Sidney shrugged and sat down beside her to unlace his own skates, "He'll make the right decision, Ty. I've never seen him so invested in a person, not even when he first met Amanda."