Post Olympic

Urban Lumberjack

Okay, so I feel like I'm totally going to end up looking like Nico at some point in the future. I've got an inevitable Mental Collapse From Shitty American Public Education breakdown in my future, and I'm so totally copying her look for it. 

Uh, music, it doesn't really match word-for-word to this chapter, but the vibe is the same - - - Silvertongue by Young the Giant.

Yeehaw and hawyee and all that lies in between, 

-rabid

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"So what look are we going for here?" Maggie and Adelaide stand in front of me in the entrance to the mall.

"I don't know," I laugh.

"Well, I mean, you don't strike me as a girl that dresses overly show-ey, but," Maggie raises her eyebrows at me. "But,"

"God no," I snort. "I don't do show-ey."

"Flannel?" Maggie asks.

"Yeah, I like flannel."
"Jeans, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Important question," Adelaide interrupts. "Ripped or not ripped." I look between them. Maggie rocks a look that I would have to say leans close to post-emo kind-of-a-witch look. Dark clothes, dark blue hair. Adelaide hits on a green tea look. Pastels and light colored jeans, whites, long hair that falls loose past her shoulders.

"Not ripped." I give them a look. "I tan really fast and having spots like a panther is not on my to-do list." They start to walk me through the mall, I'm on their right.

"Flannels, jeans, do you like boots? Are you a boots person?" Maggie questions.

"What type of boots?"

"Dressy," Adelaide answers.

"Combat." Maggie says at the same time.

"Work boots." Adelaide suggests right after.

"Winter boots." Maggie supplies.

"I've always liked timberlands but couldn't ever afford them." I prompt. They both nod.

"I'm catching, like, an urban lumberjack vibe off of you." Adelaide laughs. I nod.

"Yeah, that's what I'm getting too." I snort. They pull me into a store, and I'm standing in front of a rack of jeans.

"Generally, you'll need two pairs of jeans." Maggie says. "Pick two that look different, maybe one lighter blue and one dark."

"Black jeans and normal blue jeans." I turn around and grin. "I hate shopping."

"Well, let's get going then." Adelaide grabs a pair off the rack.

We get out of that store a half hour later, two pairs jeans up on the day. They drag me into a shoe store immediately after. Two pairs of jeans and boots.

"You've got Wolves merch, yeah?" Maggie asks.

"Unlimited, basically." I snort. "I've got all the hoodies and t-shirts I could ever want."

"But we need to complete the lumberjack look, so, we're going into LLBean to get a couple flannels, and then lunch, because I'm starving." Maggie laughs.

"Nico?" Adelaide leans closer to me. "Do you have second piercings in this ear?"

"They're probably long closed, but yeah," I feel around my ear. I've got two at the bottom and two at the top of my left ear, then three on the bottom and a helix on my right.

"They don't look closed," Adelaide mumbles. Keeping track of jewelry on the street was incredibly difficult, especially when selling it is an easy way to get something to eat.

"Well, I mean," I yawn. "They might still be usable."

"Oh perfect," Maggie says. "That's exactly the badass catch on this look."

"I mean," I shrug. "I did them when I was a junior in high school, you know, my little rebellious half."

"Something happen? 'Cause normally that stuff has a cause." Maggie lifts her shoulders.

"Yeah," I scoff. "I was fighting with one of my friends when I did the seconds on the bottom. I hit a wall with hockey when I did the third on this side and the two on top on that side." I point. "And I did the helix after graduating high school, as a little celebration."

"Wild." Maggie mumbles. "They would look cool as hell, what did you have in 'em?"

"Rings, simple." I shrug. "Occasionally I would change the regulars, but I had rings in the others."

"Color?"

"I had in a silver, but if I put anything back in them, I'd try a brushed steel kinda thing." They pull me into an LLBean.

"Well, sounds like I know what to get you for your birthday." Adelaide laughs.

"Don't," I snort. "I don't need anything."

"When is your birthday?" Maggie asks.

"November 28th." I sigh. "So, not too far off."

"Yeah, no kidding, how old are you going to be?"

"Twenty two." I snort. "Old."

"Hey, I'm twenty five, you're not old." Maggie laughs. "Adelaide is older."

"Twenty eight." She mumbles. "Ancient."

"Oldest guy on the team is forty two. That's insane." I shake my head. "I really didn't think I'd make it past twenty, but every day is a surprise."

"Okay, flannel." Maggie spreads her arms at an enormous display. "Of course you need red, but, any other colors."

"Green, I'm cool with green too."

"Red and green, alright." Adelaide chuckles.

An hour later, we're done with lunch, and packed back into Maggie's car. I'm exhausted, I've never liked shopping, so this wasn't a fantastic idea to do it all in one day.

"Do you have practice now?" Adelaide asks.

"Yeah, just basic stuff, we've got our first game this week." 

We chit-chat about sweet nothings until Maggie pulls into the rink parking lot.

"Alright, good luck." She stops the car and I stumble out of it, saying quick thank-you's, and then heading up to my room.

The time is 2:15, practice starts in 5 minutes. So, I put on my new boots, which is a weird feeling since I've never really dealt with new shoes before, and head down to the weight room.

"Hey Nico," It's none other than Sauerkraut.

"What's up?" I lean against the far wall, waiting.

"Would it be rude to ask if we could go light on this practice because I'm sore."

"No, but I'm not going to do it."

"Dang it." He gives me a once over. "Nice shoes."