"Please, babe," Sean begged Amber, "Please. I'll do anything. Please!"
She groaned in frustration, "God, you're so annoying. How do I deal with you?"
"Because you need an escape from Viv and Paige, so you come to me. So, please?" Sean stuck his bottom lip out at her, pouting.
"So needy. I'll ask them later."
"Now. Ask them right now. I'll text them for you."
Amber sighed and handed her phone over to Sean. He typed away.
Amber
Sean here. Please come to Edmonton next week to see us play. It would mean a lot to me, Sam and Johnny, and it's only 3 hours plz because u both love me 🙂 I'll also get a hatty 4 u guys
Paigey 👽
Lol shut up Monahan
I'm off all week so I'm down
Vivi 😻
Ugh I guess
Sean beamed at her. "They said yes!"
Amber just shook her head, "You're a damn handful, Monahan."
"I'm still your handful," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead.
/////
Ever since Vivienne and Sam met while grocery shopping, they decided to grocery shop together every other week. Vivienne enjoyed having some company while doing adult things, since her roommates hated grocery shopping.
And it was the same story with Sam, except he lived alone, and just wanted company.
He took control of the shopping cart, "Just so we don't run into any cans." He winked.
Vivienne hated him for that stupid comment. She still felt embarrassed about it, and didn't even want to show her face around that store anymore. "I fucking hate you, Samuel."
"Liar." He said, as he watched her stretch her arms up to reach a jar of peanut butter on the top shelf. Vivienne was tall, but Sam was still taller. He admired that about her for some reason--it was such a trivial fact about her, but he loved her tall stature, long hair, and round glasses. She thought the glasses kind of made her look like a librarian, but Sam would always add that she was a hot librarian.
"Snap out of it," Vivienne waved her hands in front of Sam. He was zoning out, "What are you even thinking about?"
He chuckled and shrugged. In reality he was thinking about her, and only her.
/////
The trip to Edmonton was only three hours, but it felt like the longest three hours in the world. Luckily, the girls split the drive up, so it wasn't too hard. They got to their hotel, which was the same one the team was staying in. As Paige checked the three of them in, Josh Jooris was in the lobby, doing things only Josh Jooris does.
"Hey!" He smiled at them.
Amber waved, "Hi Josh. How's it going?"
He shrugged, "It's going. Do you need any help with your stuff?"
Paige distributed the keys within the group, "We're good, but thank you. Good luck tonight!"
"See ya later!"
They said their goodbyes and the girls headed up. There was five hours left until the game started, and all the girls wanted to do was nap. As Paige laid next to Amber, she was falling into a deep sleep... And then her phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID, and it read "Johnny 🏒❣" She slid the screen and just groaned.
"Hello to you too. Are you here?"
"Yes. Can you leave me alone so I can nap?"
"Well, do you wanna nap together?"
She groaned even more, "Yes, but I don't want to get up. Will you carry me please?"
He laughed. She could be such a baby sometimes, "Of course."
"Room 903. The door is propped open."
Johnny was there in no time. It turns out he was just down the hall. He scooped her up from the bed, taking her away from Amber. Amber just stared. "Are you kidnapping my best friend?"
"Whatever." Johnny walked out, went down the hall and carefully placed her small body on his bed.
She whined, "It's cold."
He handed her a gray hoodie with the ugliest print on it, but it was team gear, so he had it.
"Still cold."
He tucked her in, and even took some blankets from Sean's bed, "Better?"
"Oh my god, you literally asked to nap together. Cuddle with me, you fucking idiot." She scooted over and patted the empty space next to her. Johnny laid down next to her, and Paige fell asleep in no time. Johnny was warm and comfortable, and he smelled good. His presence just made her happy.
/////
The girls were by the locker rooms before the game, surveying everything. They wanted to take everything in, and they could, since they had girlfriend privileges. They turned the corner and Amber turned white, "Jesus fucking Christ."
Johnny squinted his eyes to see what she was referring to. "That's not Jesus Christ. Just Connor McDavid."
The guys laughed at his horrible joke.
Connor noticed Amber and he gave her a big smile, "Amber! I haven't seen you since we were both in Toronto. How are you?"
Sean looked at the both of them, confused. "You know each other?"
Connor put his arm around Amber, which infuriated Sean. Steam was pretty much coming out of his ears.
"Yeah, Amber and I go way back. We used to date."
Amber just gave a close-lipped smile, but her eyes were screaming for help. Thankfully, Sam noticed, and piped in, "Hey man, we'd love to chat but we should really start preparing for the game. Good luck tonight. As if you'll need it."
/////
That night, Rexall Place was full. It was loud, it was rowdy, it was classic rivalry hockey. The girls sat in a suite. They wore casual clothes, but had matching Flames baseball caps. They chose the caps over jerseys since they could just take the caps off and avoid harassment by Oilers fans. What kind of team name is Oilers anyway? Actually, they can't even say anything since their boyfriends' team name is the Flames. Literally an element of the Earth.
The game started quickly, and the Flames were obviously dominating. Sam had the away team up 1-0 in the first five minutes of the game. Sadly, the lead didn't last long, because Connor McJesus scored a minute later.
The game stayed tied for a while, and there were no penalties until halfway through the second period.
Sean fought Connor. Connor fought Sean. Amber couldn't wrap her mind around it. It was such a weird, unknown concept to her--the fact that her current boyfriend was fighting her ex boyfriend.
So there was a 4-on-4 for five minutes. And, boy, did the Flames make the most out of it. The puck ended up on Joe Colborne's stick, he was flying down the ice on a breakaway--then he gets hooked by Taylor Hall. He was awarded a penalty shot, and he roofed it. The girls erupted in cheers. They loved Joe.
He eventually got the game winner, and the girls congratulated him after the game, showering him with hugs and little platonic kisses on the cheek.
But even though there was a win, some people still weren't happy. Amber was unhappy with Sean's actions tonight. He was acting stupid on the ice. He had nine minutes worth of penalties that night, and she knew he was a better player than that.
The team wanted to celebrate, but Sean and Amber declined the offer. He wanted to spend time with his girl. She wanted to rip his fucking head off. They got back to Sean's hotel room, and Amber closed the door behind her. Sean laid down on the bed, thinking he was gonna get some action that night. Girls love fights.
She threw her arms up, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
He sat up, "What?"
"You go and fight Connor, which is whatever, fights happen on the ice all the time. But you fought Connor! All because he's my ex! I need you to get over yourself, Sean. The past is the past. I do not have feelings for Connor anymore. We are friends. We grew up together. My god, you are so fucking... so... idiotic!"
"Okay, I got jealous. But I have a reason to be! You're literally the prettiest and nicest girl I've ever been with. Can you blame me?" He was turning on his boyish charm for her tonight, but she wasn't having it.
"Yeah, I can blame you! God, you're so stupid. So fucking stupid. We are done talking for the night. Good night, Sean." She walked out and walked back to her hotel room. When she plopped down on her bed, her phone rang.
Seanahan 💝
I'm sorry
Amber
Yeah
/////
Johnny and Paige decided to be the responsible ones tonight, giving Vivienne and Sam a chance to stop worrying about everyone, for once in their lives. Vivienne was a step past tipsy, and so was Sam. They were having fun tearing it up on the dance floor. Johnny and Paige watched them intently, smiling at how completely adorable they were.
The time had come to go back to the hotel, and bringing Sam and Viv back was a feat. Sam was an entire foot taller than Paige, so it was difficult to make sure he wouldn't fall over. Viv was the same height as Johnny, so that wasn't a fun time either. They finally got up to the ninth floor, and brought Sam and Viv back to the girls' shared room, where Amber was sleeping soundly in the other bed.
Johnny and Paige were so proud of themselves for getting these giants to bed, and Paige decided she would spend the night in Johnny's room.
"So glad we finally got rid of those two. They were a piece of work." She chuckled.
"I agree," he said, grabbing her hand, "and now we have the time for this." Johnny pulled her closer and kissed her like she had never been kissed before. It was intense, and passionate, and he tasted like spearmint gum. Johnny struggled to unlock the door to his room, but once they were in the door was slammed and things were heating up.
A lamp turned on and the two looked like deer caught in the headlights. Sean was sleeping alone tonight, and not with Amber.
"Look, I don't really care if you guys make out, but please don't do it around me, especially after me and Amber just got in a big argument." Sean told them groggily.
The two said a synchronized, "Sorry" before heading to bed.
Johnny wasn't angry, or upset, or sad. He was just disappointed. He liked being around Paige and he wished Sean wasn't there so he could kiss her until their lips fell off.
/////
The next morning, the girls had to check out and go back home. Vivienne was pretty hung over, so Amber and Paige had to drive. Vivienne said goodbye to Sam, even though he would be home later that night. Paige kissed Johnny goodbye, and said their usual, "See ya later" before she checked out. Amber flat out ignored Sean. She didn't want to fight with him anymore, but she had too much pride, and wasn't going to apologize.
He was devastated. He was sad. The only person he actually liked more than Johnny was mad at him for something stupid. She still wasn't answering his texts or calls either.
During their drive, Johnny called Paige to ask about the situation. She just said, "Not your business." Then hung up. Amber thought it was hilarious.
The guys were pretty much at a dead end. They didn't know how to help Sean. He was bad at relationships. Usually he'd just fuck a girl then leave her. But Amber was different. She was funny. She had goals and ambitions. She had a life outside of his and a life that didn't revolve around hockey. He liked talking to her about her day, he liked talking to her about things other than hockey. She was his breath of fresh air, and he felt so dumb for making such a dumb mistake.