It's Never too Late to Try ~ Sidney Crosby

Chapter 2- Hockey Camp

The following weeks were crazy hectic due to my long 12 hour shifts and Eli's early morning hockey practices. I feel like my body is running solely on caffeine and three hour sleep. I was excited for Eli's hockey camp because I would get a few hours to myself -- I can finally get some sleep. I was sitting outside on the patio while Eli practiced his slapshot on a net in the driveway. I made sure to sit far away because he's caused some bruises before.

Having Eli home has been wonderful yet tiring at the same time. The luxury of having him in school was that I could sleep during the day while I worked at night. I watched as Eli shot the plastic puck into the net over and over again. I couldn't help but smile while I was watching him. All of a sudden, my phone started buzzing, so I picked it up and the ID read: United States. I rolled my eyes and answered, "Hello."

"Hey Scar. It's me, Dan." the familiar voice said to me. My heart started racing and I quickly stood up and walked inside. "What do you want?" I asked, annoyed. Dan is my ex boyfriend who abandoned me and Eli. He was always a selfish person who wanted to keep his options open... He cheated on me multiple times and got drunk while watching Eli. "I wanted to wish my little Eli a happy birthday." Dan responded while I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Wow. his birthday was 3 weeks ago." I looked outside and saw Darcy walking up the driveway. "Listen, I have a friend coming over and I can't talk to you. I'll tell Eli that you said happy birthday." I explained in an annoyed tone. "But Scar-" I hung up the phone and laughed to myself.

"What's so funny?" Darcy asked me, while walking in holding a tray of food. "Dan called me." I sighed, plopping down on the couch. "Oh no! What did he want now?" She pried, rummaging through his purse. "He wanted to wish Eli a happy birthday..." I laughed, turning around to look at her. "His birthday was 3 weeks ago." She yelled, looking up at me. I chuckled and walked over to her. "That's exactly what I said." I sighed, pouring myself some water.

"What did you see in him anways?" Darcy interrogated me, sitting at the dining room table. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "What was it?" I bit my lip and looked at her. "The sex was amazing." I admitted, sitting down across from her. The shocked look on Darcy's face stayed there for a few seconds and then she lightly hit my arm. "You're not that innocent girl that I thought that you were, Scarlet." Darcy laughed, eating some of her sandwich.

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Today was the day! It was Eli's first day of hockey camp and he was so excited that he woke up on his own and was already dressed when I woke up. I couldn't help but laugh at how adorable he was. I've never seen him this happy in such a long time and it made me feel so thankful to be a mom. Eli had his Sidney Crosby practice jersey on and matching hat that I received for registering him for the hockey school.

"You excited, sweetheart?" I questioned him in a cheerful tone. He nodded his head what felt like 100 times and I chuckled at him. "I couldn't be more ready, mommy! I can't wait to learn from the best hockey player in the whole galaxy!" Eli beamed at me. "Wow, the whole galaxy? That's a pretty high title." I joked with him, making myself coffee. "He's the bestest hockey player in the solar system!" He looked at me and I couldn't stop laughing at how cute he was being.

After I got ready and made myself coffee, Eli and I headed to Cole Harbour. It was a 30 minute drive, so I wanted to leave early. Eli talked the whole time about Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins while I drove the 111. I had Taylor Swift playing in the background to wake me up a little bit. I had packed a small breakfast because I wanted to watch Eli play. The man that registered Eli said that I could stay and watch after I dropped him off.

As soon as I parked the car in the parking lot, Eli jumped out of the car and grabbed his equipment bag. I grabbed my purse off of the passenger seat and got out of the car. I looked at my watch, 7:01 AM. We were a little early because only two other boys were walking to the rink's front doors. I locked the door to the car  and as I looked up, I saw him. I saw Sidney Crosby, himself, getting out of his black range rover wearing a blue baseball cap and a matching windbreaker. I looked at Eli and then looked back at him, only to lock eyes with him. He gave me a polite smile and walked over to the door.

"That was him!!" Eli yelled, looking at me. I giggled and he ran to the door to catch up with him. He had brought his Sidney Crosby jersey for him to sign -- It was his christmas present from me this past year. I quickly ran with Eli to the door and he abandoned me to get ready for camp. I sighed and walked over to the bleachers to sit down and eat. I started eating my apple and I noticed someone looking over at me. "Hey." A low voice said to me. I looked over to see Sidney, looking at me with a water bottle in his hand.

"Hi, how are you doing? You look tired." I smiled at him, putting my apple down. He walked in my direction and sat down next to me. "I am fucking exhausted." Sidney told me with a big sigh. I chuckled and drank some of my coffee. "My son thinks that you're the best hockey player in the galaxy." I told him, making eye contact. As soon as I said that, Sidney gave me the biggest smile ever; His eyes crinkled. "Who's your son?" He pried, drinking some water. "His name is Eli. He's your biggest fan." I brushed my blonde, wavy hair out of my face. "Oh, I just saw him actually. I signed his jersey for him. What a happy kid he is." Sidney told me. "I'm Sidney by the way. Call me Sid." He introduced himself. I smiled at him and quickly shook his hand. "I'm Scarlet. It's nice to meet you, Sid." I said looking at him.

"It was nice to meet you but I have to get ready for camp. I'll see you afterwards maybe?" Sid asked me. I nodded and he stood up, shaking my hand again, and walked off to his locker room. I picked up my apple, biting in it. "I just met Sidney Crosby. No big deal." I whispered to myself, laughing. I drank some of my coffee and looked around on my phone until camp started.

While I watched Eli and the other kids skate around with Sidney, I couldn't look away. Watching how he interacted with my son, made me ecstatic knowing how much Eli loves him. Sidney was showing him how to do stickhandling drills 1 on 1, while the other kids waited their turn. "Brandon's mom was right." I thought to myself. "He definitely is a looker."

After camp, Eli ran around with the other kids while I waited by the door for him. The camp was about 5 hours, so it was time to go home and nap before I pass out. As I was waiting, I noticed Sidney walking over to me with a smile on his face. "Hey, Scarlet right?" Sid asked me. I nodded and smiled back at him. "Hey, that was amazing. You're so great with the kids." I admired him, fixing my jeans. "Oh thank you. I love those kids, they're so passionate and focused. They remind me of myself in a way." Sidney told me with a huge smile on his face, still. "I wanted to ask you if you would want to come earlier tomorrow and we can get coffee with me. Eli can skate with Nathan for a little bit." He offered me. I just looked at him, checking to see if he was serious or not. Am I dreaming or am I dreaming? He chuckled to myself and I smirked. "Of course, that sounds great." I replied, looking at him. "Great! Here's my number if you wanna talk." He said, handing me a small piece of paper. I gladly accepted it, putting it in my purse. "See you tomorrow!" Sid said, walking out the door. I waved and waited for Eli to come out of the locker room.

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"So what do you do for a living?" Sid asked me, sitting across from me at the diner. I took a sip of my coffee and looked up at him. "I'm a nurse at Camp Hill hospital. I got my degree in New York and then moved here with Eli." I explained to him while I ate my fried eggs. "Why did you leave New York? I don't mean to be rude, you don't have to tell me." He pried. I sighed and put down my fork. "I moved here to get a fresh start with Eli. I love it here, it feels so quaint." I replied. "Yeah, I love Nova Scotia. I miss this place when I'm in Pittsburgh. Don't get me wrong, I love it there but here just feels like home, ya know?" Sid drank some orange juice and ate some of his scrambled eggs. "Yeah, it definitely feels like home here." I smiled at him.