Behind The Looks [Jonathan Toews Fan Fiction]

Chapter 13

May 3, 2013

One month; thirty days. That's how long Adam's step-sister has been away from her sweater. I could have just gone over to Adam's house and given him the sweater but I had no time and I was just lethargic. Like usual, today Patrick and I were taking turns to play Grand Theft Auto; yes the Blackhawk Captain and top-scorer in their prime.

The only noise in the house was the clicks from the controller that Patrick was currently holding in his hands. "Maybe if that woman didn't walk into the middle of the damn road, she wouldn't have died," Patrick told the T.V. screen.

"Maybe if you didn't go through that red light the police wouldn't be after you," I said.

"Maybe if you didn't have a crush on a girl who is dating your friend, you would be agreeing with me on this," Patrick murmured.

I gazed at him with my eyebrows furrowed. "What does my crush have anything to do with Grand Theft Auto?" I asked. Patrick paused the game and looked at the T.V. screen. He left his controller on the couch and stood up from it. He went over and entered the kitchen, started to look in the fridge. "What are you doing?" I questioned.

"Getting a beer, one for both of us," he spoke.

"We have practice later," I reminded him.

Patrick sauntered back into the room, holding two beer bottles one in both hand. He tossed one over at me. "You just proved my point," he said.

I cocked my head to one side while Patrick opened his beer. "What do you mean?"

He took a swig of his beer and looked at me. "You'll probably hate me for saying this but... you've change a lot since you started crushing on this girl," he expressed.

"How so?"

"First of all, you broke-up with Gabrielle and that is a good thing. I am not complaining. But have you noticed that you haven't been scoring lately either?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sometimes you score, sometimes you don't. It's not a big deal," I assured him.

"Jonathan, you've been on a no goal drought for more than ten games," he stated the obvious.

"So has Ray but I don't hear him complaining."

"Jon, he's our God damn goalie. You're a forward, you're a center, you're our captain! You've barely gotten five assists in the last ten games! Jonathan, what is going on?" Patrick asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Scoring drought?" I guessed.

Patrick took another long drink of his beer then started to play GTA again. "Jonathan it's not just scoring though. You've been oblivious to everything that is going around you. Your thoughts haven't been solely focused on the things you're doing; your mind has been somewhere else and everyone on the team has noticed," Patrick enlightened.

"So what if it has?" I asked.

"What happens in your life affects your playing and Coach doesn't like it. If you don't start preforming better and don't start clearing your mind, Coach might even bench you for the whole season. Or even worse, get rid of your captaincy," he stated.

"It's a single letter on a jersey," I said.

Patrick closed his eyes and sighed. With the game continuing, Patrick looked over at me. "Jonathan, you're being an ass right now and I can't handle it," he admitted.

"How?"

He looked at me with shock. "Anyone would kill to be the captain of the hottest team in the NHL and you could care less about being the most valuable person on the team! You've got some nerve, Toews!" he yelled before leaving the living room in a tempered mood.

Was I really neglecting everything that was around me? Was I just thinking about a girl that I may never have a chance with? Patrick is right... I do have some nerve.

After two hours of playing some GTA, it was time to get to get to practice. I made my way towards Patrick's room and knocked on the shut door. "Kaner, we need to go," I told him.

"No."

"C'mon we need to get going or else Coach could get even more pissed at our commitment to the team," I said.

"Do you think I give a damn?" Patrick yelled.

"I get it Patrick, I was an ass. Does that make you feel better?"

"No."

I rolled my eyes with frustration. "If you're not coming I won't pick you up any Subway for after practice," I announced.

Patrick sighed from behind the door. He opened the door without giving me any eye contact he said, "Fine." He already had his sweater on and was ready to go. I quickly got my sweater from my room and came out to see Patrick waiting at the door with his keys in his hands. "You better not be lying about getting Subway after practice because if you are, you can stay home," he assured me.

I held my right hand up next to my head. "I swear I am not kidding."

"Then I guess we should get to practice," he concluded.

We left our house and made our way through the streets of Chicago to Johnny's Icehouse West for practice. We came into the arena and walked to our dressing room side-by-side, like usual. "Jonathan," a voice said from behind us.

Both Patrick and I turned around to see Adam standing there. "Go," I said to Patrick. He left both Adam and I to talk alone. "Fancy seeing you here," I spoke.

Adam shrugged his shoulders. "Had nothing better to do and I thought you deserved an apology from me," he told me, "Sometimes I get too protective and I just lose it sometimes."

"Don't sweat it, Adam," I assured him, "we all get a little crazy at some point in our life."

Adam and I stood in silence before he whispered, "Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Screw with her?"

"With you step-sister?" He nodded. "I didn't. I may like her, Adam, but I don't do that. Trust me."

"You're a good man, Toews," he told me.

"Always have, always will be." Adam gave me a smile then left the hallway.

"Jonathan." I turned around and saw Joel standing there. "May I have a word with you for a moment?" I nodded without saying another word. I walked behind him down the hallway to his office. He opened his office door and allowed me in. "Take a seat," he suggested.

I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Joel's desk. He closed the door behind him and unlike going behind his desk to sit, he leaned against the front of his desk, facing me. "Coach, if this is about my scoring statistics in the past games, I promise I will bring them up. I've just be preoccupied lately," I explained.

"With a girl?"

I nodded shamelessly. "I don't know... I just feel so attached to her and I've never felt this way," I admitted.

"Well either you ask her out and get your head back into hockey. Or you get your head back into hockey without getting the girl. Your choice."

In this situation, there was something you wanted to say and something you had to say. Adam's step-sister, I thought. "Hockey," I said.

*Also to note: There are only 3 chapters and the epilogue after this. But do not worry, there will be a sequel called: Behind the Secret which will be starting sometime in January of 2014 (or maybe even sooner)!