The next game rolled around and it was the first one of the season that wasn't at our home ground which meant a day of travelling, staying in hotels and being in an unfamiliar environment. All things that I wasn't looking forward to in the slightest.
Everyone was set to meet at Centre Bell where the team's bus was going to take us to the city we were playing in. Thankfully the city was only two hours away so we didn't have to fly like we were going to have to later in the season.
"Eva hurry up we need to leave" I rolled my eyes at the sound of my dad's voice and shoved the last few things into my suitcase. We were going to be away for a couple of days so I needed to pack quite a few things.
"Coming" I shouted back when I heard the sound of the car engine start up. Hauling my suitcase down the stairs with an injured leg was not the smartest move but I wasn't the smartest girl.
"Why didn't you ask for help?" My dad sighed as he grabbed the suitcase off me at the front door and placed it in the trunk of the car.
"Ready to visit Thunder Bay?" Ma asks as we start to pull out of the driveway and follow the familiar route to the rink.
"It'll be nice to be somewhere new for a few days and to get the ropes of what happens on away games" I spoke out as I messaged Indigo.
It didn't take us long before we arrived at the rink and all the players were lingering outside chatting to one another. I climbed out of the car and winced at the twinge in my leg, Ma gave me a sympathetic look as she watched the pain on my face.
"Shortcake" The familiar voice sounded behind me and an arm was wrapped around my shoulder. Looking up I saw the familiar ginger that had become one of my closest friends.
"Hey ginge" I pinch his side with a grin on my face.
"You going to sit with me on the bus?"
"What are we in school? No way, rookie, I'm sitting by myself. I've got work I need to do before we get there" he let out a sigh and gave me puppy dog eyes thinking that would ever work on me.
I just chuckled and shoved his arm off me. I felt the burning gaze of someone looking at me and turned to see Dallas glaring daggers, nothing new. I turned my head away from him trying not to blush at his gaze, I still was not happy with my revelation that I had a thing for Dallas.
"On the bus" Dad shouted out and everyone started to move to get on the coach.
I walked on and found a seat at the back of the bus and put my bag on the other seat so that no one sat with me. I had a lot of work I needed to do and had to stretch my leg out for the ride.
On the other side of the aisle I couldn't help but tense up as Dallas took a seat.
"What?" He grumbled as I stared at him.
"Nothing" I leant my back against the window and stretched my leg out across the other seat.
I pulled my laptop out of my bag and began getting to work. All the team's voices were loud on the bus and I couldn't concentrate. Pulling out my headphones I began to play some Chase Atlantic and filtered through some videos that I was going to put on our instagram.
About an hour into the journey my phone began to buzz with an incoming call. Picking it up I smiled seeing Indigo's name on the screen.
"Hey bab-"
"You need to search your name right now on Google" she cut me off practically screaming and I couldn't help but feel my heart drop.
Opening up a new tab I searched my name and my mouth fell open at all the articles that had been published this morning.
"What the fuck?" I clicked on the first article and read it looking at all the photos that had been put on there.
"It's all over instagram too, one of those WAG pages posted it and you're now the talk of the whole hockey community"
From the corner of my eye I watched as Dallas pulled off his headphones and looked over at me. I felt a cold sweat break out on my brow and I felt sick to my stomach. I had just got my name out of the press and now it was back in there with an untrue statement.
"Indi I'm going to have to call you back" I hung up the phone and pulled up instagram seeing the original post.
"What's wrong?"
Dallas' voice rang out through the bus that was seemingly too quiet compared to what it was before.
"Damn Jethro why didn't you tell us about you and Evie" a deep voice calls out and I can't place who it was.
Dallas sits up straighter and snatches the phone out of my hand looking at the instagram post that had started it all.
"This isn't funny" I said to Dallas who was looking at me with no emotion on his face.
"I'm not laughing" I rolled my eyes at his stupid response.
"I just got my name out of the press, I really don't need this. We were literally just having dinner" my breathing began to pick up as I dropped my phone. All these panic attacks were really starting to get exhausting, could the universe not give me a break for five minutes.
Before I knew it Dallas was getting up and moving my stuff off the spare seat and coming to sit next to me.
"Evangeline breathe" his voice was quiet and deep but there was a tone of domination in there that was making my lungs begin to move again.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him so that my head was resting on my chest as his hand tangled in my hair. I felt my breathing go back to normal as Dallas' hand moved over my hair in a soothing manner.
"We will sort this out okay" I didn't say anything, only nodded my head slowly.
This was really not part of my plan to avoid Dallas so that my feelings went anyway. If anything, the sweet way he was treating me now was making my liking for him grow even faster and bigger, not something I can afford.
Coming to my senses I tried to move away from him but he held my head in place.
"Just stay there trouble" he didn't give me a reason why he wanted me to stay there but the tone he used made me want to stay in his arms forever.
I stayed resting against Dallas for the rest of the journey and as soon as the bus stopped, he untangled his hand from my hair so that I could move. He helped me gather up all my stuff before going to get his own bag.
He stayed behind me as I walked down the aisle of the bus. I could hear the sound of camera shutters and paparazzi asking questions to the players as they got off the bus.
"If anyone says anything just ignore them okay" Dallas whispered in my ear and I nodded my head.
Climbing down the stairs I was met with flashing lights and questions but I just held my head high with a small smile on my lips.
'Evangeline, are you dating Jethro?'
'How long have you two been together?'
'Why was it kept a secret?'
'Is that why you were in the WAG section at the last game?'
I wanted to roll my eyes at the stupid questions that were being asked. Why were the public so involved in everyone else's lives? I'm literally a nineteen year old girl who has way too much free time, spends way too much money and drinks too much caffeine and had a failed career as an ice skater. What was so interesting about that?
Making it inside the rink I let out a deep breath now that I was out of sight of the paparazzi.
"There she is, the love of my life" I rolled my eyes as Jethro came bounding over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"Hey there lover" he went to place a kiss on my cheek and I shoved him away laughing.
"Don't fuel the rumours"
"I love the rumours, the fact that the public think I'm capable of dating THE Evangeline Brenton, it's a real boost to the ego" I giggle at him as we walk down the corridor to the changing rooms.
"Glad I can be of service. But I think it's going to really hinder your chances with other 'lovers' as you so eloquently put it" He paused in the middle of the hall and let out a loud groan.
"Fuck I didn't think of that. Eves, we're going to have to do a public break up. Tears, cameras and snot the whole deal"
"Go get changed you muppet" I shove him into the changing rooms and make my way around the rink to find my parents.
"Hey there sweet" Ma called out from the coaches box and I went to join them.
"Dating my players now Evangeline" my dad had a hard look on his face and I rolled my eyes at him.
"You really think if I was going to pick one of the players it would be Jethro" I deadpan and he chuckles at me.
"I know you have enough respect not to date my players sweetheart" I couldn't help but feel my stomach sink with guilt. If my dad knew the thoughts I was having about Dallas he would murder me.
I wasn't stupid I knew my dad would have put a hands off rule on me as soon as I started working with the team. I love him to death but he is far too overprotective of me being his only child.
It wasn't long before the game started up and the players made it onto the ice. I had recently brought a camera that was going to help with the social media side of things so I took it out and began snapping shots. Ones of the players, coaches, Ma when she was taping up a wrist.
It got to the second third and we were losing by 3 and it wasn't looking good. The team just didn't look as on form as they usually were. Stupid mistakes were being made, not that it was anyone's particular fault but the first game away from home was never usually the best.
By the end of the game we had lost by 2, it wasn't a huge loss but I knew the guys were going to be disappointed and that meant I had to deal with grumpy players stuck in a hotel for two days.
"Well this is going to be a fun two days" I mutter to Ma who has a pitiful look on her face.
Although I had to deal with interactions with the annoyed hockey players she had to live with an irritated coach. I know which situation I would rather be in.
"I say just ditch dad and we can have a day of shopping tomorrow" I link my arm with hers as we leave the coaches box.
"No way sweetheart she's mine this weekend" Ma was snatched away from me by a grinning dad, he placed a kiss on her lips and I rolled my eyes.
I waited outside of the press room and gave the boys pitiful smiles as they walked past looking like they were going to murder someone. They hated doing press when the won a game but they were going to hate it even more now they had lost their first game of the season.
Once the final player was in the room I made my way to the back and took a seat next to a female reporter, her eyes went wide as she realised who I was but I kept my head forward and looked at the team.
The conference started and the boys were asked the same usual questions, out of the corner of my eye I could see the female reporter looking over at me every few moments and it was starting to get very irritating.
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a reporter say my name and I furrowed my brow as I looked back to the panel.
"Are the rumours of you and the former national ice skating champion, Evangeline Brenton true?" I rolled my eyes at the question and prayed that Jethro would shut down the rumours then and there.
As much as it was quite entertaining for Jethro, it was causing me far too much stress that I don't need in my life.
"Evie is an amazing girl but no we are not together. She is our social media and events manager, so she works very closely with the team. Her and I have a very close friendship and were simply out for dinner in the photo that is circling the internet"
I was very impressed with Jethro's answer, it sounded like a perfectly practiced answer but I hadn't even spoken to him about it before the press conference began. The reporter huffed and sat back down obviously not getting the answer that he wanted.
"You know, girl to girl you can tell me if you and Jethro are together"
I made a face of confusion to the female reporter next to me as I processed what she had just said. Why on earth would I ever talk to a stranger, a reporter no less, about my love life.
"Mr Taylor just gave an answer to that question ma'am" I keep my answer short and turn my head back to the conference.
"He gave the press answer, I want to know your opinion on the whole thing" I rolled my eyes at this woman and chose not to answer.
If I didn't give her anything to write about then she couldn't twist my words into anything. I knew what reporters like her do. They record what you say and then twist your words to make drama out of nothing.
Finally the press conference finished and I could run away from the reporter who was hounding me for answers. There were cars lining the entrance of the rink that would take us to the hotel.
I jumped in with my parents and soon enough we arrived at the hotel and were given the keys. My parents had put themselves on a different floor to the team but had stuck me on the same level as all the players, meaning I was hardly going to get any sleep.
I walked into the room and placed all my bags down letting out a sigh as I collapsed back on the soft bed. It felt like I was melting into a cloud, I am going to have to beg my parents for a new mattress after sleeping on this.
My thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and my head snapped up as I saw who had come into the room.
My mouth fell open as I looked at who stood there.
I'll give you three guesses...
Dallas Tucker.
Under any other circumstance I wouldn't be too fussed but seeing as there was only one bed. This was going to be a huge problem.
Hey, hey everyone!
I hope you have all had / will have an amazing day.
So we have drama, rumours and the one bed trope. I have to say I love myself a one bed trope so I couldn't resist putting it in here.
Sorry this chapter isn't super long, the next one will be longer.
Don't forget to comment and vote <3