Behind The Looks [Jonathan Toews Fan Fiction]

Chapter 10

March 27, 2013

Here is some advice I feel like I should pass on to every man who likes a girl: Do not and I mean do not tell your crush’s boyfriend that you love her because he will most likely tell her. And she won’t come to any of your games and you’ll feel like crap for the next few days, like I have.

            Twenty-three days and I haven’t heard anything about her nor have I seen the back of her head.

             Practice was easy to everyone; the drills were soft and simple. But too many thoughts and ideas were rushing through my head and I wasn’t concentrating. Plus, I’ve spent countless night staring at my phone, hoping that maybe she would call me. But those things only happen in fairy tales.

            The practice was only halfway done when Joel made his way towards me. “Jonathan, are you okay?” I lamely shrugged my shoulders. “Have you been getting enough sleep, Jonathan?” he asked. I shook my head embarrassed. “Has the cat got your tongue? Speak to me, Jonathan.”

            “I haven’t been getting enough sleep,” I admitted.

            “Why?”

            There were two things I could have done in this situation: one, tell the truth and be done with it or; two, lie and hopefully everything will smooth over and I won’t feel completely embarrassed for my actual reason. I spotted Patrick talking to Brandon Saab then I started to think about Nicolette…

            “My cousin thinks she may be pregnant and she needs some support,” I lied.

            “Would that Nicolette? The one that’s obsessed with Patrick?” Joel asked.

            Patrick began skating over to me after hearing his name. “What about me?”

            “It wasn’t about you,” Joel stated. “Jonathan was saying that the only reason why he hasn’t been getting enough sleep was because of his cousin.”

            Patrick’s eyebrows were furrowed when he looked at me. “Did Nicolette finally move to Madagascar? Dreams do come true!” Patrick yelled.

            “No,” I said trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice. “Nicolette told me that she may be pregnant. So I’ve been trying to help her, to cool down and hold herself together,” I explained.

            “She thinks she’s pregnant? The only man she has eyes for is me and I am never getting in that same bed. Just sayin’,”

            I looked to my left and saw that Joel already skated away. I placed my hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “She isn’t pregnant. I just need an excuse because I’ve been up all night watching my phone,” I told him.

            “Jonathan, are you crazy?”

            “Yes,” I bluntly confessed.

            “Why are you looking at your phone instead of sleeping? Sleep is like your… fourth favourite thing,” Patrick said.

            “What are my first three?”

            “Playing hockey, eating, having sex.”

            “The last one isn’t true.” Patrick raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it is but not with Gabrielle.”

            “You still haven’t broken-up with her, have you?” I stared down at my skates. “Noob.”

            I looked up at him with scorn. “What is that supposed to mean?”

            “Number two rule to dating because we both know the first: if you don’t like a girl, don’t date her. If you’re already dating, break-up with her. It’s as simple as that.”

            “I’ll break-up with her the next time I see her, how about that?” I told Patrick.

            “Fine by me.” Patrick skated away, back to Brandon who was now joined by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Ray Emery.

            I wasn’t going to follow him; I was fine with just standing here. Really, the last thing I needed was an interaction with someone else. For all I knew, all my thoughts could come blaring out of my mouth and who knows what would happen next. I looked over at Joel who was talking to someone of the forward coaches; they were taking occasional glances towards me. So when they called my name, I wasn’t at all surprised.

            “Jonathan, we think it’s the best to take the rest of the practice off and get some rest. But I expect you to be back tomorrow, today is your last freebee.”

            “Thanks, Coach.”

            Joel gave me a pat on the back before I travelled down the hallway back to the change room. After opening the door, I stopped dead in my tracks and said, “Only players are allowed in here.”

            “I’m your girlfriend, I think I am allowed to be in here,” Gabrielle told me.

            “Ha ha,” I laughed nervously. “About that–”

            She had her arms crossed over her chest along with her legs over one another while she sat in my locker. “You’re breaking out with me, aren’t you?”

            “It’s nothing personal–”

            “Jonathan, it’s always personal,” she reminded me.

            I shrugged my shoulders. “Then it’s personal,” I told her.

            “Is it because there’s another girl?”

             “Kind of, sort of, maybe.”

            Gabrielle looked at me with annoyance. “It is a simple yes or no question.”

            “Yes there is… well, kind of,” I said.

            “How can you not know?” Gabrielle asked.

            “Well, I’ve never actually talked to her and she has never acknowledged me. So–”

            “So you’re dumping me for a random woman? For all you know she could be forty years old and be married,” she said.

            I shook my head. “She’s my friend’s step-sister. She’s as old as he is and he is two months younger than I am,” I explained.

            “So you are dumping me for your friend’s step-sister. Do you know how rude that is? Not just to me but to him–”

            “And her boyfriend.”

            “She’s in a relationship! You pig!” she yelled. She walked up to me and slapped my side of my face. Then she left.

            “Totally worth it,”  I said to myself.