"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." -Martin Buber
Natalie's P.O.V
"Holy balls it's hot." Mark shouted, pulling sunglasses over his eyes. I agreed, pulling my luggage off the carousal. "When does Jonny get here?"
"He's flying in now I think." Mark stayed to fetch our bags while I got us Starbucks. I ordered an iced Chai for myself and an iced caramel macchiato for Mark. We hailed a cab to get to Mark's. He lived in Long Beach which was only about a half and hour from Anaheim. That meant I could come see another game and see the rest of my family. My parents had moved to Malibu a couple months ago, explaining why I moved in with Barb. So this was the first time seeing them since March.
We got to Mark's apartment, which was only a one bedroom. It was way too expensive to rent places with extra rooms in California. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to stay in the Midwest. That and the fact that I needed rain and snow once in awhile. I set my suitcase in the corner of the living room where I'd be staying for the next week. My phone vibrated, I was receiving a facetime from Andrew.
"Nat, where the hell are you?" He asked, holding his phone out far enough to get Bickell in it. He waved at me, but got up a second later shouting at one of the boys.
"I'm at Mark's. Are you guys coming to the beach today?"
"No, we thought you were coming here!" He shouted, oblivious that I can hear him perfect. I cursed under my breath and turned down my phone's volume.
"I'll steal Mark's car. What's your hotel?"
"I'll text it to you." He shouted even louder. I nodded, an obvious look of discomfort on my face. Andrew begun asking a question, but I hung up the phone. I'd had enough of his shouting today. Don't get me wrong, I love Andrew, but he's overwhelming sometimes. Plus, I've been spending too much time with him the past few weeks.
Shawster: 2550 E Katella Ave. Be there or be square ;)
I giggled at his text and decided to change. It was a lot hotter here compared to Chicago. I decided on a Brandy Melville dress and my black converse. Might as well dress like a Californian while I'm here. I hopped into Mark's topless Jeep and plugged the address into my GPS. It was only a half an hour away. I got there around 5 and was instantly engulfed in hugs. I literally saw these guys 7 hours ago.
"We're playing laser tag, you in?" Andrew's said, a goofy grin on his face. Jonny rolled his eyes, giving me a quick kiss and wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. I nodded, hopping in a car with Teuvo, Jonny, Patrick, Andrew and Brandon. The rest of the boys decided to just meet us there. Brandon and Andrew wouldn't shut up the whole time about how good they both were. To be honest, I hadn't played since 7th or 8th grade.
"I don't know this game." Teuvo whispered. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the prep room. This laser tag place was also a bowling alley so T and I decided to play that instead. He was a lot better at bowling than I expected.
"What's it like in Finland?" I asked, leaning into his side.
"It's great. I mean I love Chicago, but everyone loves their home town the most." I nodded, understanding completely where he was coming from. St. Louis would always be my home and I would always miss it even if I was living somewhere completely amazing. I was only a drive away from my hometown, but poor Teuvo was across the world from his home. We absentmindedly chatted for a round when the boys walked towards us with sweaty faces.
"We're gonna go to the karaoke bar down the street." Jonny whispered against my lips. I took his hand as we walked down the street. Corey was already there and handed everyone a beer except Teuvo and Scott, who didn't drink. We chatted in the back for a while, slurping down beers. Shawsy and Steeger we're pretty wasted so they decided to go first. And in typical Versteeg fashion chose "My Humps". Andrew was the male singers while Kris was Fergie. It was pretty hilarious when Kris would shake his butt while singing.
They jumped off stage, earning a huge round of applause from our whole group. We all finished our beers, Corey shouting for another pitcher. I raised an eyebrow at Patrick, trying to get him join me. He smirked, pulling me up on stage with him. I was fairly drunk so the embarrassment wouldn't hit me until tomorrow.
"Trust me, this is my jam." He slurred, slinging his arm around me. The small bar filled with the beat of "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty. Patrick instantly begun singing as I attempted to stop laughing. He didn't even have to look at the lyric screen. Somehow I managed to pull myself together for the chorus. Our group was singing along and letting out the occasional cheer. The song wrapped up and everyone gave us high fives. Let's just say my night was a pretty big success.
*****
I pulled my Toews jersey over my head and tied the laces of my white converse. Mark shouted for me to hurry up. I glanced at myself in the mirror once more, fixing my curled hair and applying lipgloss. Mark sat impatiently, a Hjalmarsson jersey covering his body. He looked up from his phone and grabbed his wallet. We walked towards his Jeep and we made our way towards Anaheim.
The Honda Center was equipped with fully marble floors and human mannequins. They were creepy to say the least. Mark and I snagged some Nachos and made our way towards our seats. Somehow Jonny managed to get Mark and I glass seats right behind the Hawks bench. These must've cost a fortune, not that Jonny was worrying much about it.
The game started quickly and I could feel my pulse quicken. Five minutes in Fowler somehow put one in past Corey. Then 30 seconds later Kesler did the same. Mark and I were slumped in our seats, surrounded by cheering fans when Vatanen scored. The second period rolled around and I wasn't feeling very confident. Then out of nowhere Teuvo scored. That put a lot more life back in the team, but it didn't show until the end of the period. Seabs flew up the wing and let the puck fly causing it to end up in the back of the net.
The stadium was buzzing going into the third. Nothing happened for about fifteen minutes when Maroon scored. They'd increased the lead by two. The clock was winding down as Corey made his way to the bench. Jonny got a pass from Hossa with two minutes left in the game. He let it fly and it somehow got in. A minute later he flipped one up from a seemingly impossible angle that sneaked by. He'd tied it up!
As soon as overtime started, I knew they were going to win it. They went off for a line change and the Ducks somehow picked off a pass. Matt Beleskey ended up with it and scored. Jonny slammed his stick against the boards and glanced up at me. I gave him a weak smile which he didn't return. Of course he was going to be upset, but he played amazing. He was the only reason they got to OT in the first place.
Mark and I met him at the door of the locker room, much to the guards dismay. Apparently I looked like quite a fangirl. After about ten minutes of arguing, they let me through. Jonny greeted me with a kiss as we walked out of the stadium. I was going to stay with him and Peaks for the day and then take Jonny's rental car while he was in Chicago. If the Hawks won in Chicago, I would return his car to him and if they lost I would bring it back to the airport on my way out. It was a lot easier than me having to use Mark's car the whole trip.
"You played great, you know." I placed my hand on his knee, giving it a light squeeze. Jon gave me a smile and turned his attention back onto the road.
"Yeah, I wish I could've won for you."
"Well when you get back to Chicago you better win so I can see you play again." I placed my head on his shoulder as his hand gripped my thigh. We sat in silence, the only sound being the sirens and horns in the distance. I stared out of the roof of the car, the stars covering Anaheim like a blanket. The wind whipped my hair around. The air was warm and the music coming from the radio was good. I was in complete bliss. I was living life like I was meant to. In this moment I realized this was exactly where I was supposed to be.
A quick happy birthday to my love Carey Price. Also a quick late birthday to my favorite youngster, Johnny Gaudreau. So much love to the both of you. Also if any of you have been to the Honda Center aren't the mannequins the creepiest things? I honestly didn't know they were alive for the longest time until my sisters boyfriend pointed it out. Speaking of him, he works at a golf course that's hosting the Ryder Cup and Oshie and Parise were golfing there whist he was working! The best part is that Oshie is my favorite player and Parise is his favorite so we had a bit of a laugh that they were playing together.
Q: Favorite Goalie?
A: I'm a sucker for Tuukka Rask even though he's a Bruin
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Faceoff
Fanfiction"It's my job, I can't just drop everything for you." Jonathan scuffed, throwing clothes in his bag. He glanced back at Nat who wore glossy eyes and a frown. It broke his heart seeing her like this. She never cried. "I guess this is goodbye then." H...
