Chapter 19

So I'd written this chapter before the trade that sent Ryan Whitney to Anaheim :(. So we're just going to pretend that he never got traded.










I grimaced as I swung my leg out of the car and stepped down. Sidney was standing there holding a hand out to me, but I didn’t take it. He shook his head at me when I began to walk to my front door without my crutches. I heard him take them out and shut the door before he caught up to me.

“You really should use these, or at least accept a little help after a therapy session,” he scolded me. I glared at him.

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, waving the white flag here,” he said holding his hands up in the air. I took each step up to the porch slowly using the banister for support. Sidney opened the door for me and after glaring at him again I stepped inside.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me right now!” I heard Hailey’s voice yell from the living room. I paused in the doorway causing Sidney to run into me from behind.

“Tanner, what the – "

“Shut up,” I told him.

“Oh, that’s mature. Just because you fucked me, you think you own me?” Hailey yelled, obviously on the phone. I turned to look at Sid, and his eyes were wide. He’d definitely heard Hailey that time.

“Maybe I should just go now instead of coming inside,” he said leaning the crutches against the wall next to the door. I nodded and he kissed me quickly before getting in his car. I closed the door behind me, but didn’t move from my spot.

“You are fucking psychotic! Leave me alone!” she screamed into the phone. I heard footsteps and she stormed into the foyer, headed for the stairs. She froze when she saw me standing there.

“Rehabs over,” I explained with a shrug.

“How much did you hear?” she asked.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding thinking you own me you fucking psycho,” I told her. She groaned and walked back into the living room and collapsed on the couch. I followed her in and sat down next to her. “Who was that?”

“Ryan.” My eyebrows shot up. I hadn’t seen that coming.

“Ryan? Like Ryan Whitney?” I remembered that Hailey and Ryan had gone home together after that one night at Diesel but as far as I knew, that had been all that happened between them. She put her face in her hands.

“We’ve been sleeping together since the night we met. I haven't told anyone.”

I was both surprised, and not at all. Hailey wasn’t exactly the good girl in the house. In fact we often referred to her as our pseudo-male friend. She wanted no part of dating, choosing rather to hook up with whoever she wanted whenever she wanted. She also loved giving us all the dirty details, which was why I was surprised she’d been sleeping with him, since she hadn’t told any of us.

“And what’s the problem?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Now I was really surprised.

“You want him to be?” I asked. She looked at me like I was certifiable.

“No way. He’s just good in bed. Problem is he thinks he can sleep around but I can’t. I saw him out with another girl and I didn’t care. Seriously, what other girl wouldn’t care? Then he saw me out with a guy last night and he flipped his lid,” she explained.

“So you’re mad at him because he doesn’t want you seeing other people,” I stated.

“No, I’m mad because he doesn’t want me seeing other people, but he still feels like he can.”

“So you want him to stop seeing other people, and just see you?” I asked.

“What? No, that’s not what I said,” she started back peddling. I cracked a smile.

“Has it occurred to you that maybe you like him?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“I’m leaving.”

“Hailey, wait.”

“You can’t follow me upstairs!” she called as she took them two at a time. I rolled my eyes and picked up my phone.

“Is everything okay?” Sidney asked when he answered my call.

“Hailey and Ryan have been sleeping together and she’s mad at him for getting mad at her for sleeping with someone else, when he’s done it to her,” I told him. Sidney laughed.

“Whit’s not sleeping with Hailey,” he said.

“You’re calling her a liar?” I asked angrily.

“No, not at all,” he defended himself.

“The definition of a liar is someone who claims something is truth when it’s not. Hailey is claiming she’s been sleeping with Ryan,” I huffed.

“Okay, look, this may not make Ryan sound like the greatest guy, but he loves to brag about every girl he hooks up with. He hasn’t mentioned Hailey since that one night at Diesel when they first met. He just doesn’t keep anything hidden,” Sidney explained.

“Well, Hailey’s basically the same way and she never told any of us about it either. It sounds to me like Ryan likes her, and that’s why he didn’t tell any of you, and why he got angry when he saw Hailey out with another guy last night.”

Wheels started turning in my head. I told Sidney to meet me later at a bar and to bring Ryan, but not to tell him I’d be there. Then I got to work convincing Hailey to come out with me. She finally agreed and we got ready together and she drove. I texted Sidney to ask if he was there yet and he told me they were at a table in the back. When I walked in I walked straight over to them, with Hailey following behind.

“What the fuck is going on?” Ryan asked when he saw Hailey and I walk over. He didn’t exactly look thrilled.

“You two need to talk. Stop fucking around, and just say what you mean,” I told them both. I sat down next to Sidney and we both leaned back and looked at the two of them expectantly.

“You really think I have anything to say to this nutjob?” Hailey asked me jabbing a thumb at Ryan.

“Nutjob? You’re the one who turned me asking who the douchebag with you was last night into me trying to control you! You are severely unhinged!” he yelled at her.

“Matt is not a douchebag. He has more class than you could ever hope to have!” she yelled back.

“If that’s the kind of guy I’m supposed to model myself after to get in societies good graces, I’d rather be looked down on,” he shot back. I glanced over at Sidney and he was trying to keep from laughing.

“What exactly is your malfunction? We hang out, we sleep together, that’s it. You’re not my boyfriend!” she spat at him.

“Thank God for that!” She grabbed his almost full beer and chugged it down in one gulp, much to Ryan’s dismay. Then she grabbed my arm and started to drag me off to the bathroom.

“Ow, Hailey, you need to slow down,” I told her.

“What is wrong with you? Why would you bring me here with him?” I rolled my eyes and wanted to slap her.

“Would you just tell him you like him already?”

“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t like him?”

“A few more obviously, because I don’t believe you. You’ve never been like this with anyone before. Maybe you’ve just found your match.” She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again. She put her head in her hands.

“What the hell am I going to do?” she asked.

“Go tell him to take you to dinner,” I suggested. She looked up and smiled and nodded. We started to make our way back over to the table but stopped when I saw a group of girls standing there.

“Ooh, groupies,” Hailey commented. “Want to interrupt?”

“No, it looks like they just want autographs and pictures. Let’s just give it a minute,” I told her.

This was my first experience with autograph seekers outside of the rink and I found it amusing. We stood off to the side watching the girls take turns standing between Sidney and Ryan and posing for a picture. When it was time for the last girl she did the same as the others before her. Then just as the camera flash went off she turned her head and planted her lips right on Sid’s. He freaked immediately and pushed her off of him with wide eyes.

“No she didn’t,” Hailey whispered. Okay, time to interrupt.

“Hi,” I said cheerily giving a bit of a wave to the girls. “Hi, sorry, but do you often come to bars to kiss other people’s boyfriends?” Usually I wasn’t a bitchy person, but come on.

“Babe, I swear I wasn’t trying to do anything!” Sidney exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I saw the whole thing,” I told him. I looked back at the girls who were just standing there, surprised. “I think it’s time you left now. Thanks.” They turned and walked away without a word.

“I want dinner,” Hailey announced. Well, that was blunt.

“It’s kind of late to get food,” Sidney started. I elbowed him and Hailey rolled her eyes. She turned to Ryan.

“I want dinner next time.” He looked at her in shock. He was quiet for a moment, but then nodded.

“Fine, dinner,” he replied. She smiled and he smiled back at her. I looked over at Sidney and winked.

“Anyone need refills?” I asked.

“Let me get the drinks. It’s crowded up there,” Sidney offered standing up. I glared at him.

“I am completely capable of walking up to the bar and getting drinks,” I told him slowly. He sat back down.

“Sure, I’ll take another,” he said.

Ryan and Hailey both nodded and I made my way up to the bar to get our four beers. As I stood there I felt something wet get dumped over my head. When I turned around I saw the girl who had kissed Sidney. I couldn’t believe that she had done that.

“Slut,” she said staring right at me. I snapped.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I know that you spend all of your waking hours sitting your loser ass in front of the computer fantasizing about dating Sidney Crosby. It must have been such a thrill for you to see him out someplace that would actually let you in. It was also pretty nice that you managed to recruit one of your stalker friends to take a picture of you planting your desperate, dirty lips on his just as the camera clicked so you could go home and post it all over the internet bragging to your other no life friends that you kissed Sidney Crosby. Just know that while you’re bragging about merely touching his lips, I’m bragging to actual real live friends what he’s doing to me in bed on a daily basis. Between us, he’s amazing. I’d be jealous too. Have a nice night.”

I turned to walk away without the beers because there was no way I could stay here with what looked and smelled to be a vodka tonic in my hair. As I took a step and had all my weight on my left leg I felt her shove me. My right leg crashed down on instinct trying to stabilize me and pain shot up through my leg. My hip couldn’t handle the impact and I collapsed to the floor in pain.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? She’s just recovering from a dislocated hip!” I heard Ryan yell as Sidney dropped to the floor next to me. I could feel tears building up.

“Are you okay?” he asked me, concern filling his eyes. Before I had a chance to respond I saw the girl hit the floor next to me, holding the side of her face.

“Since she’s both too nice and too injured to do that, I did it for her. I fucking dare you to stand back up,” I heard Hailey say from above me. The girl pulled her hand from her face and I could see both a bruise forming and blood trickling from her nose.

“Hailey!” I yelled in shock.

“The bitch deserved it. Oh, one more thing.”

Hailey ripped the camera out of one of the other girls’ hands. She opened the section with the memory card, took it out, smashed the camera on the floor, and dropped the memory card into someone’s drink. I wanted to laugh, but the pain in my hip was preventing that from happening. Sidney helped me up.

“Can you walk?” he asked.

I tried to put pressure on my leg and a new wave of pain shot through me. I shook my head. Then right there in the middle of the bar he picked me up and carried me out the door. Ryan and Hailey followed right behind.

“Did I seriously just see the girls start a bar fight?” Ryan asked trying to hold back a smile. I managed a smile and upon seeing that, Sidney started to laugh.

“You must have really said something awful to her,” he commented. I just smiled and shrugged.

“I guess we’re switching passengers.”

Ryan looked over at Hailey and she nodded. Ryan got into the passenger side of her car and Sidney carried me over to the passenger side of his car. He put me down and opened the door for me. Then he picked me back up and put me in. He walked back around the car and got into the drivers seat.

“I’m so sorry about that. I can honestly say that’s never happened to me before,” he apologized.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I told him. He smiled and leaned over to kiss me. “Oh no, you need to wash, rinse, repeat before I touch you.” He laughed and shook his head, starting the car.