Love For A Game

Chapter 9

Nicole and I walk to my house first. I drop my hockey equipment off, and change into more presentable clothing- black jeans, a white shirt, and a Queen's University sweater. We then walk to where Nicole lives.

Nicole's house looks nice from the outside. It is relatively large, two stories tall, and made mostly out of brick. A long walkway slopes around towards her front door, where a brass knocker sits.

Nicole opens the door, and we both enter the house. A curved staircase leads up to the second floor, where I imagine the bedrooms are located. The living room looks big, with a small television in the middle of it, an NHL game blaring in French.

"It's an old house," Nicole says. She smiles at me.

Suddenly we hear a voice. "C'est toi, Nicole?" The voice says in a thick French accent.

"Oui," Nicole replies. Suddenly a man walks into the entryway, a smile on his face. His face hardens when he looks at me, however.

"Tu as un garçon avec toi?"

"Il est juste un ami, Papa," Nicole replies.

"Hélène! Viens ici! Viens ici!" Nicole's father shouts.

"Quoi! Quoi! Paul..." a woman's voice replies. A woman, who is assume to be Nicole's mother, rushes into the room. Her eyes find me, and her annoyed look is quickly replaced by one of shock.

"Nicole? Qu'est ce que c'est?" she squeaks.

"C'est mon ami, Jordan, Mama," Nicole replies. "Il m'est donné l'essaye pour son équipe d'hockey. J'ai le fait."

Nicole's parents both smile. They look at me, and are met with my look of pure confusion. I have no skills in the French language, so naturally, I understand none of what they're saying.

Luckily, her dad switches over to English. "Do you speak French?" he says.

"Unfortunately, I do not," I reply sheepishly. "I didn't understand that whole exchange there."

"That's my bad," he says. "My apologies. I'm Paul. And this is Helen." He sticks out his hand, and I shake it firmly.

"Can he stay for dinner, Papa?" Nicole asks hopefully.

"Yes," Paul replies. "I hope you like spaghetti, Jordan. Because Helen here makes one hell of a sauce."

"Of course I do," I say proudly.

"There's a game on in the living room. Montreal versus Hartford. You could watch that, unless you're one of those guys who support the Toronto Maple Leafs."

"Are you kidding?" I ask incredulously. "The Canadiens have been my team since I was three! Toronto... Hah!"

Paul laughs. "I think I like this kid."

"Could we go upstairs, Papa?" Nicole says. "The door will stay open."

"Fine," Paul says. "That door better stay open, too, or I won't be happy."

"I promise," Nicole says, putting her hand on her heart.

"Run along, then," Paul says, and we go upstairs.

We reach Nicole's room, and we go in. The walls are a light blue, and the floors are hardwood. Her bed is in one corner- a big queen-size, with red sheets and blankets. A vanity sits in another corner, where she must do her makeup.

Nicole sits on her bed. I remain standing. I'm not sure if she wants me to sit with her, or not.

"So, you like it?" Nicole asks.

"Yeah, it's not bad," I say. "I mean, it's not quite my taste, but-"

"I get it. Want a seat?" She pats the area of the bed next to her. "Sit." I do.

"You want music?" Nicole asks me. "I have a tape deck."

"Yeah, that'd be great." I feel super awkward sitting on Nicole's bed.

Nicole gets up, and puts a tape in her tape deck. "Bryan Adams okay?"

"Yeah."

She presses Play, and the first song starts up, Summer of '69. The music fills the room quickly.

She sits back down. She's a little closer to me now (more awkward). "Is hockey your passion?" she asks me.

"Yes," I say. "I hope to play in the NHL someday. If I'm good enough."

"You ever think of something to fall back on, in case hockey doesn't work out?"

"Not really. I mean, Chemistry is pretty interesting. Maybe that could be an option."

"That's pretty cool. I've always liked Law. Maybe I could be a lawyer one day."

"I feel like you'd be a good lawyer."

"Thanks."

"Hockey is my prime focus, though. Although my teammates are pressuring me right now to get a girlfriend."

She suddenly grins, as if she finds this very interesting. "Oh, are they? That's interesting."

"Yeah, they say I need to get one before the Christmas dance on the seventeenth," I say.

"There's a Christmas dance?"

"Yeah. Every year they do it. It's actually quite fun."

"Is it a tradition for couples to go together?"

"Uh, usually. Why?"

"I don't know. I feel like we have clicked over the past two weeks. What you did for me, getting me on the Raiders, and standing up to your teammates like that, was pretty awesome of you. I'm beginning to like you, Jordan."

For a moment, I'm dumbfounded. A girl liking me in such a way doesn't happen often, much less them openly discussing it with me. I do like Nicole, because of her pride and her independence. She knows how to fight against all odds and stand up for what she believes in. For that, I will always respect her.

Although, a few questions run through my brain. Is it too early? Is this going too fast? Do I know really know Nicole yet?

"You know," I say, not really knowing where to begin. "You're cool, you really are. I think I like you too. But, I want to see where this is going first. I mean, how long have we known each other? Two weeks? Listen, there's the dance on the seventeenth. Why don't we go to that together?"

She doesn't look exactly happy. I mean, I kind of rejected her. However, she looks grateful, that I told her the truth.

"Yes," she whispers, smiling. "Let's do that."

"Honestly, I've never had anybody tell me they like me before."

"There's a first for everything," she replies.

"Yeah," I say. "I guess there is."

______

The song on the side is "Summer of '69", by Bryan Adams.