It's Never too Late to Try ~ Sidney Crosby

Chapter 3- Confusion

The next day, I drove Eli to camp at 7 AM as usual. Part of me was excited to see Sidney and the other part was annoyed and wanted to go back to bed. I felt bad about not texting him but I honestly didn't feel like coming across as desperate. He was a hockey superstar and I was a single mom.

When we got to the rink, Eli ran away to get ready with the other kids. I made myself breakfast and tea, so I decided to sit at the picnic table by the front door and eat. I looked around to see if Sid had arrived yet. I know that I just met him but when I saw him, I couldn't help but blush. I had to come to the realization that this was strictly a crush and nothing more. He would never actually like me... or would he?

I was in the middle of eating my oatmeal and fruit when I saw Sid sit next to me. "Hey, how are you doing?" He asked while he took off his hat. I looked over at him and smirked. "Pretty good, just exhausted." I yawned, covering my mouth. "Well, that tea will help." Sid assured me while he looked for his water bottle in his bag. "I realized that you're the only parent that stays for camp." he added. "Yeah, I love coming with Eli. Watching him play makes me happy." I replied, eating some of my oatmeal.

"Hey Sid, kids are looking for you." An older man called out to him earning a small chuckle from Sid. "On my way!" He replied, standing up. "It was nice seeing you again, Scarlet." He smiled and walked inside to get ready.

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Sidney
"Am I doing this right?" A little boy asked me while he was doing skating drills. I skated over to him and smirked. "You're doing awesome, bud! You're really improving." I stated causing him to beam at me. I looked around and saw Scarlet taking picture of Eli as he skated around with the other kids. I couldn't help but look at her -- he blonde hair, green eyes, tattooed arms. She was so beautiful. I got caught daydreaming by a puck hitting the boards. "What is wrong with you?" I thought to myself.

After camp, I got ready quickly so I could go see Scarlet but by the time I got out of the locker room, she was gone. I let out a disappointed sigh and headed outside to my car to go home. I hopped into my car, turning it on. I drove home quickly and called my best friend, Geno, as soon as I got inside.

"Hey, Sid. You okay?" Geno asked as soon as he answered.
"I guess... I just met this girl at camp and I like her but I have no idea what to do. She a mom." I confessed.
"A mom? She old?" He chuckled at me and I rolled my eyes.
"No, she's only 24. She's a single mom. I gave her my number and she never texted me. I'm so bad with this dating thing."
"It okay, Sid. Maybe she think you don't like her."
"But we had breakfast yesterday and we had a great time."
"Well, you can't make her like you. Don't go too fast and ask her out yet."
"I guess. I'll just try to be friendly and not be too pushy."
"Good." Geno told me, chuckling. We talked on the phone a little more and then I hung up to go workout in my gym.

After my workout, I decided to take a shower and make myself something to eat for dinner. I walked into my bathroom, ripping my clothes off before stepping in the shower. I turned on the hot water and stood in the steam for a good 10 minutes. Suddenly I heard my front door open, so I quickly ran out of the shower and put my robe on. I walked out of the bathroom to see my friend, Nathan.

"Woah, Sorry. I didn't realize that you were in the shower." Nathan admitted, sitting on my couch. I shook my head and looked at him. "How did you get in here?" I pryed, putting my hand through my hair. "You gave me a key last week, dude." Nathan chuckled, turning on the TV. I nodded my head and looked at the clock. "What are you doing here at 10 PM?" I asked earning a laugh from him. "Well, I actually got kicked out of my house. My girlfriend is having friends over so I can't be in the house." Nathan rolled his eyes, channel surfing. "Why did she make you leave? Are they having an orgy?" I asked, leaning against the wall. Nathan shook his head and looked over at me. "They're having a girls night. Whatever that is." I smirked and headed back into the bathroom to finish my shower.

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"Eli!" I yelled, standing in the kitchen. "Come in here, I made your tea." I added. A minute later, he ran in the kitchen wearing his pajamas and his hair dripping wet from the shower. I handed him his cup of tea and he sat at the dining room table. "You didn't dry your hair, bud?" I asked, sitting across from him. He shook his head while he took a sip of tea. "I didn't want to." He stated proudly. I giggled and took a bite of a tea cookie that was on the table. "When you finish that, go right to bed." I told him, yawning a little. He just nodded and drank his tea. A couple of minutes later, he went to bed and I sat in the living room watching random things on cable. I heard the door open and as I turned around, I saw Darcy. She locked the door and ran over to sit next to me.

"How'd it go yesterday with Sid." She asked me. "Please tell me!" She begged, pouting. I rolled my eyes and muted the TV. "It went fine but I don't think anything is going to happen. He's just being friendly because I'm the only other adult he can talk to." I replied, crossing my legs. "I still think that you should text him." Darcy advised me, laying down. "Why?" I groaned. She laughed and rolled her eyes."Don't you like him?" She looked over at me, grabbing a blanket. Darcy always barges into my house late at night because she's bored. She's really the only friend I have in all of Nova Scotia. "I like him but I'm not gonna have my heart broken again. I can't handle it all over again." I replied. "I totally get that. What Dan did to you is the worst. I get why you're not dating but you need to get yourself out there." Darcy suggested, turning off the TV. "You can't be single forever." She added.

"But why not?" I whined, burying my face in a pillow. "You can't be alone forever. Give it a shot and if it doesn't work out, you can always find someone else." She was right... I needed to get some excitement back into my life. I'm just not sure if I'm ready just yet.