S C O T T
The next few weeks went by quickly.
Elle and I barely argued, and at a couple of practices, I convinced her to do other stuff besides hockey. Of course, the first hour or two was spent doing hockey and perfecting everything. But after that, I convinced Elle to do something else - anything ranging from golf, to going out to Tim's and trying whatever new coffee there was.
And in those few weeks, I learned something: Elle wasn't as annoying as I had originally thought.
Sure, Elle was sarcastic and didn't exactly have a filter. She didn't always think about what she said before she said it, but for the most part, it was funny stuff. And when she was in a good mood, it was just amazing. She was funny and nice, and easy to talk to. And I liked Elle a lot when she was like that.
But recently, that side of her had been shadowed by the serious, hockey tutor side. With the final try-outs coming up, Elle had started pushing and taking things more seriously than before. There wasn't a lot of room for joking, or even sarcastic comments. She was serious and focused - and I appreciated that, because it did help me with practice. It was just - Elle never really shut off that side of her. Not even at practice for the Marlies.
"That was good," Elle said, sitting down next to me as I unlaced my skates. She leaned forward and I rolled my eyes, dragging my bag towards me, "the turns are getting so much better, but you need to slow down. You hit too fast and - "
"Elle," I cut her off. I took off my jersey and shot her a small smile, "practice is over. So I think we're all right for this."
Elle huffed and turned around, blowing out a dramatic sigh. I snickered and zipped up my bag, dropping it onto the bench next to me. I bit my lip and looked up, seeing a couple of the guys standing in a loose circle around the benches. I could hear Jay's loud laughter and I leaned forward, wondering what they were talking about.
Jay turned and caught my eyes. Out of all the guys on the team, I had gotten the closest with Jay. He was loud and sarcastic, and said some weird stuff, but he was one of the best guys on the team. Plus, he was amazing at hockey. Out of everyone, we all knew he would easily make the team, no questions.
"Scott!" Jay called, brown eyes narrowing. He grinned at me and stood up on a step, making his short frame a bit taller, "What're you doing tonight?" I opened my mouth, but he cut me off before I could say anything, "Great - you're coming to dinner with us!"
"What?" I called, scratching the back of my head and furrowing my eyebrows.
"Dinner," Jay called back, ruffling up his dark hair, "the team - we're all going out, dumbass. Elle's coming too."
I didn't have time to protest before Jay was telling me we'd meet in a half-hour and what restaurant we'd be going to. But really, it was pointless to argue with Jay. He always managed to get the last word in, and eventually, I had learned to just go with what he said.
I grabbed my bag and made my way through the hallway. In the few months I had been at the stadium, I had completely learned to make my way through the hallways and not get lost. And the fact that I knew the stadium so well that I could easily maneueved it made me happier than I could explain. I knew the Marlies' stadium. How many people could say that?
I walked across the parking lot and threw my bag in the backseat of my car. Snatching a hoodie, I pulled it on and slipped into the drivers side. Apparently Jay had made reservations, and everyone just had to show up around the same time.
Before I could drive off, someone knocked on the window. I sighed and turned, only to be met with Elle's bright eyes. I bit my lip and rolled down the window, cocking an eyebrow and wondering why she had come. I figured she was going to get a ride with one of the guys - she seemed to be friends with them all.
"Are you going to the dinner?" Elle asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the edge of the window.
I nodded and half-turned in my seat, ignoring the way the seat-belt dug into my ribs, "Yeah. It's a team thing, y'know? Are you?"
"Yep. Can you unlock the door? I need a ride." And with that, I unlocked the door and Elle got in quickly, not giving me a minute to even say 'no.' Not that I was going to say no, at that.
Jay picked a sports-themed restaurant. The walls were plastered in pictures of famous sports players. The TV's showed past games and highlights, and I couldn't help but snicker when the whole team cheered whenever a Marlies' preview came on.
Elle and I stood waiting by the table. The whole team was a here - a total of twenty-something guys, and we were all looking at how we were gonna make it work. We had a booth and then two tables, but still the guys were pushing against each other.
I rocked back on my heels and looked around the restaurant, my eyes locking on a familiar-looking person. The guys hair was light brown and styled-up in a ridiculous way, and I instantly caught the blonde girl sitting across from him. I mumbled a 'be right back' to Elle and made my way through the crowd to their table.
I stopped in front of them and Connor's head shot up, light brown eyes widening when he saw me. Kelly choked on her water and shot me a small, nervous smile. The two of them were so laughable - they had gone out without telling me, and judging by their expressions, were shocked to see me.
"Is this a date?" I smirked when Connor's cheeks flushed bright red and he awkwardly laughed. Kelly's eyes widened and she ducked her head, avoiding my gaze.
Connor kicked my shin with his foot and I grunted, stumbling back, "You're here with Elle, eh?" he smirked and now it was my turn to flush lightly, "Go enjoy your date, Scotty."
Before I could protest, Jay called my name and started making his way over to me. I saw Elle's blonde-head seated at the table; I hadn't even realized everyone had gotten their seats. I cursed and turned, but Jay clapped a hand on my shoulder and spun me back towards Connor and Kelly's table.
"Connor!" Jay cheered, leaning around me to ruffle Con's hair, "Good to see you and your," he eyed Kelly, lips drawing up into a wide grin, "girlfriend."
"What - " Con coughed and bit his lip, "Kelly's my friend - "
"What's up with you and Scott being bitches and not admitting that these girls aren't just friends?" I didn't get a chance to respond before Jay wrapped his arm around my shoulder and started dragging me back to the table, "I think there's a free seat next to Elle. I saved one next to her."
"Of course you did," I muttered, cheeks flushed red. I ducked out of Jay's grip and stood by the table, seeing Elle right away.
She was one seat from the edge, sandwiched between two guys. I recognzied the one to the left of her as Jake and I scoffed, wishing he hadn't even come tonight. The guy to the right of her, on the edge, though, I didn't recognize. But he was staring at her and was sitting a bit too close, so I made my way forward.
I tapped the guy on the shoulder and he turned. I recognized him as James, a fairly quiet guy on the team. He was a defensiveman; he didn't talk that much, but I did catch him looking at Elle a good amount of times. James quirked an eyebrow and I frowned.
"Do you see that?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder and twisting him to the right. Elle didn't seem to notice, "I think that girl over there is looking at you, man."
"Really?" James asked, leaning forward, his legs hanging off the edge of the booth, "Which girl?"
"Stand up," I helped James up and pushed him forward a bit, pointing to a random person. I slid behind him and dropped into the now-open seat, grinning at Elle when she turned to me. James turned and glared at me, and I shot him an innocent smile, "Sorry, I thought it was an open seat."
James' eyes narrowed further, "There's a few seats over there."
"Go sit in one?" I offered, laughing when James huffed and walked away. Elle turned to me, eyes filled with amusement, "James gave me his seat."
"You stole his seat," she clarified, lips twitching up into a small smirk.
"You sound hostile," I smirked and leaned forward, resting my elbow on the table. I grinned at her, unable to stop myself. Elle's lips drew into a frown, but I knew she wasn't actually annoyed, "are you still mad that you lost at golf?"
"You cheated!" Elle protested, turning in the booth. She twisted as best as she could, "I hate you, Scott."
"No you don't," I laughed, poking her cheek.
Elle huffed, "I know. But I can still say I do."
It didn't matter how many times Elle said she hated me; she didn't and I couln't stop myself from grinning at that.