Follow the Echoes // Ryan Lindgren, New York Rangers

Chapter One

"Where on earth are you running off to?"

Ryan Lindgren looks over at the commotion going on in the other corner of the locker room. Their hockey team's alternate captain, Chris Kreider, has already dressed in a hoodie and pair of sweatpants. He looks to be in a rush to leave the practice facility, which is uncharacteristic of him. Chris usually likes to be the last man out of the locker room, even during practice skates.

The team's other alternate captain, Mika Zibanejad, glances at Chris expectantly as he waits for an answer to his question.

"I have to go see Syd," Chris responds quickly, reaching for the duffel bag in his cubby. His dark eyes roam over to Ryan's corner of the locker room in alarm.

Ryan freezes. Syd..

"Sweet! Syd's visiting? When can I come over?" Mika exclaims excitedly, oblivious to the tension between Chris and Ryan's corner of the locker room.

Ryan slowly turns to the man beside him. His best friend.

Adam Fox is doing everything he can to avoid Chris's gaze. The last thing he needs is a sequel to the conflict between himself and the team veteran. Ryan places a hand on his best friend's shoulder and gives him a few reassuring pats. He knows how hard this is for Adam and wants more than anything for Chris to look away from them.

"She is uh... staying here on a more permanent basis. Jade just picked her up from the airport so she's probably too exhausted to entertain guests," Chris says tersely.

Mika frowns while Ryan listens in on the conversation intently.

"What about law school? Thought she was only in the middle of second year. Oh, she's a Kreider, so she graduated early?"

Chris sighs. It is clear he wants more than anything to have this conversation with Mika privately. However, Mika is not getting the hint for some reason. Ryan pretends to ignore the duo's conversation as he looks down to unlace his skates.

"She has decided that uh, law school is not for her. She's still a smart cookie but I think she just needs some time to think about what she wants to do next," Chris practically responds to Mika in a hushed tone.

"I get that. I really hope she finds what she is looking for," Mika responds.

And it better not be what I think it is, Ryan looks over at Adam, who is pulling a shirt over his head. He can tell Adam is listening in on the conversation too while trying to appear like he is not. Ryan sincerely hopes that the drama that is Sydney Kreider stays far away from his friend. Her return can only mean bad news and at this moment, Ryan vows to make sure that she steers free and clear of his friend and defense partner.

Sydney Kreider took the world by storm when she entered their lives. She had just graduated from UMass Amherst and took the year off to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Chris and his wife, Jade, took her in and basically let her run wild during her stay in New York City. It had been Ryan and Adam's first full year playing in the NHL. Ryan had met Sydney first. It was at a team event where everyone dressed in suits and cocktail dresses, and the deep green dress that Sydney wore captured his attention. She was standing next to Chris, which confused Ryan at first. He knew Chris was married and not to the raven-haired beauty beside him. He walked over casually to introduce himself and immediately discovered that Sydney was Chris's youngest sister.

Ryan and Sydney became fast friends after that. They were around the same age and seem to have a lot in common. They liked the same books, music, and movies, and enjoyed many of the same activities. However, things changed when Sydney's focus on their friendship was diverted. Of course, Ryan and Adam were and still are peas in a pod. Sydney and Adam had opportunities to interact with each other through Ryan. Ryan later realized that the two were gelling a bit too well, and the next thing he knew, the two entered into a romantic relationship.

Things changed abruptly after that. Ryan did not think Sydney was good for Adam. As his friend and defense partner, Ryan wanted the best for Adam. He wanted Adam to play his game and live up to his potential on the ice. However, it always seemed like Sydney was trying to take that away from him. She wanted to consume every part of his life, which did not sit right with Ryan. He watched Adam's performance on the ice decline as Sydney took up more and more of his time. This created conflict between Ryan and Sydney. He tried to keep his animosity at bay for Adam's sake, but it was difficult sometimes.

Sydney eventually figured out what she wanted to do with her life. She was going to go to law school. The dream was for her to attend Columbia so she could stay in the city and maintain a relationship with Adam. Ryan did not know what happened to change Sydney's mind, but she later decided that she wanted to go to UC Berkeley instead. She got accepted to both Columbia and UC Berkeley, but she chose to leave anyway. Ryan knew Adam tried to stay strong after Sydney left, but he suspected that Sydney's decision to choose California over him hurt him deeply. For that, Ryan has and will never forgive Sydney Kreider.

As far as Ryan is concerned, Sydney broke his friend's heart after trying to take everything from him. He has no respect for her, and maybe he is overly protective of Adam and being irrational. All Ryan knows is that Sydney's return to New York is not good news for himself or Adam.

"Dude, are you going to take your skates off or what?"

Ryan snaps out of his thoughts and turns to Adam.

"Huh?" He realizes that he has not made any moves to undress his hockey equipment save for one skate. He has been in the middle of unlacing his second skate for god knows how long. Everyone else has cleared the locker room at this point.

Adam sighs.

"Is this about Syd?"

Ryan scoffs, playfully shoving his smaller friend.

"You think that wench lives rent free in my head? She'd like that, wouldn't she?"

Adam responds to his comment with a scowl. He clearly still does not like the way Ryan addresses her.

"Again, can we not with the name calling? She does not deserve that!" Adam pleads.

Ryan pulls the skate off his foot and continues removing his gear. He admittedly is embarrassed about how long he has been lost in thought for. He will never admit it to anyone but Adam hit the nail on the coffin. Of course this is about Sydney Kreider. She is back in town to ruin their lives again and they all need to brace themselves. However, Ryan would rather die than admit that out loud.

"I didn't call her anything she is not. She is a wench, is she not?"

His friend is not amused.

"She's not a prostitute, Lindy."

Ryan scoffs again.

"Oh please, you think she'd be able to pick up anyone if she worked corners?"

Adam smacks the back of Ryan's head as he picks up his belongings to make his departure from the locker room.

"Kreids will kill you if he heard you talking about Syd like that," he warns.

"Hey, you should watch your own back! You're the one who dated his baby sister!" Ryan retorts back.

The shorter man runs his free hand through his curly hair. Ryan can tell that he is stressed just from the thought of his conflict with Chris about his relationship with the younger Kreider sibling. This is another reason why Sydney needs to stay the hell away from Adam. Any conflict or awkward encounters between Chris and Adam will distract the team from what really matters this season: to win the Stanley Cup.

"Alright, I'm out of here. See you in a few hours!" Adam does not wait for a response and makes his way out of the locker room.

"See ya later, man," Ryan gives his retreating figure a response anyway.

Ryan is now alone with his thoughts. He continues to remove his equipment as he tries to prevent his mind from wandering to Sydney Kreider again. Unfortunately, his anxiety over the raven-haired minx disrupting their lives again is too overwhelming to ignore.

She's going to be the death of me, isn't she?

-*-

"This place has not changed a single bit!"

Sydney Kreider hops off the last step on the staircase and stalks over to her sister-in-law, who is situated on the couch in the living room. She finds herself next to the brunette and plops down right beside her.

"We're a pretty boring bunch," Jade Kreider shrugs and hands the younger Kreider sibling the remote controller.

Sydney believes it. Jade and her brother are undeniably perfect for each other. Her brother is a simple man with a routine that he will follow to a T until the day he dies. Jade is predictable like that too. Change has always been something that gives her anxiety so her solution is to avoid it at all costs.

"What do you want to watch?" Sydney asks.

"No preference," Jade murmurs, turning her attention to her phone. Her focus is no longer on the television screen.

The younger woman laughs and starts surfing the channels. She has not been interested in television lately, so she is not sure what she even wants to watch. Law school does not allow her much time for leisure and when there is an opportunity to avoid studying, she partied, socialized, and drank to excess. Catching up on whatever raunchy reality show she was into at the time was not a priority.

The decision to drop out of law school was difficult. She received a pretty hefty scholarship for her high LSAT score and academic excellence in her undergraduate studies. Chris had paid for any other expenses not covered by the scholarship. She had a free ride and the financial support of her superstar brother. There was no reason Sydney should not finish law school and obtain a license to practice law. However, she had to convince herself that moving on was the better move. Wasting her brother's money on a career path she was not passionate about is worse than sticking it out because of guilt.

Going back home to Massachusetts and living under her parents' roof was not an option. Chris and Jade allowed her more freedom when she was living with them. This was an easy choice for her.

Except for the fact that I'll have to see him if I hang around here, Sydney's stomach churns at the thought of her ex-boyfriend.

"Your brother will be home soon," Jade looks away from her phone. Sydney surmises that Jade relinquished her television privileges to engage in a text conversation with Chris.

Sydney is nervous to see her older brother. He had been so excited and proud of her when she left for law school. She remembers the overwhelming joy he felt when she opened her acceptance letter from Columbia Law right in front of him. He told her how smart she was and how excited he was for her to become a lawyer. However, she gave up on all that. She was a quitter who spent her brother's money on a career path that she stopped pursuing.

Chris had been supportive when they discussed this on the phone. He did not sound disappointed in her. However, Sydney knows how stoic and unbothered her brother can appear to be. She believes there is a possibility that he really is disappointed in her. She dropped out of law school and moved back to New York to leech off him and his wife.

If Chris is not disappointed in her, she is disappointed in herself. Sydney does not know if she can even muster up the courage to make eye contact with her older brother when he gets here.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Jade asks, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Sydney sighs. It's Chris, she reminds herself. There is no need to be afraid. Chris is her older brother and he always has her back. No matter what, he had said to her countless times throughout her life.

"Do you think Chris is mad that I threw my life away?"

Jade's expression softens as she leans over to pull the younger woman in a hug.

"Oh, Syd! Never!" Jade vehemently denies, "You did not throw your life away! He is so proud of you for trying."

"Is he proud of me in like a 'you get a participation trophy' kind of way?" Sydney is not convinced.

Jade pulls away from her and frowns.

"I don't even know how to answer that," she takes the remote controller away from Sydney and turns the television screen off.

Sydney should believe her sister-in-law. She knows her brother better than most people in his life. She should know that Chris will never fault her for knowing when to stand up for herself and her passion. He always wanted her to be the best version of herself and to never quit. He will likely see her dropping out of law school as her standing up for herself, not as quitting. Sydney just has to convince herself of that.

Her breath hitches when she hears the sound of a key entering a lock. The lock turns and the front door slowly opens. Sydney shoots up from her seat and turns in the direction of the front door. Chris walks into the house and immediately spots her from across the room. Sydney practically sprints over to Chris to pull him into a bone crushing hug.

"Hey, Syd! How was your flight?" Chris chuckles.

"It was a bit exhausting but so glad I'm here now!"

"We're glad to have you here," he removes himself from the tight embrace and kicks off his shoes, "are you settling in your room okay?"

Sydney smiles.

"Absolutely! How ya feeling about the game tonight?"

"It's preseason but I am still a little nervous," Chris admits.

Sydney knows how important this season is for him. When the New York Rangers lost the Eastern Conference Finals during the team's playoff run last season, Chris was devastated. No one was more broken than he was. Chris took full responsibility for their series loss, even though she tried to remind him that hockey is a team sport. Sydney was in the middle of her summer internship in California, but she was able to fly to the city on a weekend to see her brother. She tried to cheer him up, but he was inconsolable. Last summer, he declared that this next season will be the team's season. He vowed to win the Stanley Cup and nothing short of that goal will satisfy him.

"You got this! Do you want me to go?" Sydney asks.

Chris shakes his head.

"No, it's fine. You get some rest!"

He doesn't want me to cause trouble again, Sydney surmises. The last time she lived here, she made quite a mess of things. She promises herself and to Chris that this time will be different. She will not put her brother's relationship with his teammates at risk for personal gain ever again. For that reason, she does not fight him on her activity for this evening.

"Alright, I'm going to freshen up and take a nap. Good luck at the game!"

Sydney waves at her brother and his wife before retreating to the guest bedroom.

I will stay as far away from Adam Fox as I possibly can, Sydney vows to herself.