Chapter Thirty-Four

It's kind of a short chapter but there is, indeed, more to come. But I do have to say, how about those Pens totally kicking Flyer ass! The overtime game the other night had me on the edge of the couch holding my breath. A wonderful two-man advantage goal by Billy Guerin. :]

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Coasting Down Memory Lane;
Chapter Thirty-Four

“Good luck, baby.” Riley kissed Sidney sweetly on the lips.

Baby, she thought as she walked towards the seating area of the arena. They’d both been calling each other that lately, along with others as well. She kind of liked it. It made things more intimate.

They’d been together for over half a year, Riley calculated. Only half a year and she’d all ready let down every guard she’d ever had for him; let him in. Yes, she mused, he now held the power to break her, the power to destroy her.

She probably had the same power over him, too. But now was not the time to hurt him, it was the time to be there for him. To understand.

They probably wouldn’t win the ultimate prize in all of hockey that year. Their competition was too skilled, too strong, too prepared. Their competition was too ready. Both Sidney and Riley know that, but they never spoke of it. Perhaps they should’ve, but there was never a right time for it.

And there never would, she thought sadly.

All she could do for Sidney right now was to support him. They started their playoff run in fifteen minutes. How far would they go? She’d asked herself that many times. How would Sidney react to losing the Stanley Cup again? Riley only hoped that he wouldn’t take it too hard and shut her out.

They had, after this game, another three guaranteed. She would make sure that she’d be present for all of them. She’d make sure to be encouraging to Sidney. To be optimistic for him.

Deep into thought, Riley nearly bumped into several fans. Shaking off her thoughts she walked to where she would sit whenever she came to a game; with the other girlfriends. She saw them, sitting there looking gorgeous as always.

“Hello ladies,” Riley greeted with a bright smile.

“Rye, come sit next to me!” Vero patted the empty seat next to her.

It had taken a little while, but Riley now felt completely comfortable sitting with these women. At first she had been a little intimidated by them, thinking that she’d be judged – and judged harshly because of who had introduced her to them.

But they’d been so warm and so kind to her. They’d been quite welcoming to her. Some didn’t understand why she continued to carry on a career that inevitably gave off a lot of stress. She’d merely pointed out that she’d worked hard for years to get that job and that she wasn’t giving it up any time soon.

Riley chatted along with them as they, along with everyone else, awaited the drop of the puck. They talked about clothes and shopping then somehow drastically but subtly veered off to the topic of trashing the opposition. She had laughed when she heard some of the creative things those women came up with.

Once the anthems were sung, the teams positioned themselves for the puck drop. The Penguins won it and spent the majority of the first period in the other end. Their defence was strong, very rarely letting the opposing team slip past centre ice. The forwards were strong as well. They fired off a lot of shots on net but Carey Price was astounding between the posts.

The first period went by quickly because there weren’t many whistles. Off-sides and penalties were kept to a minimum. Hits, however, were thrown more than ever. The game was played at a faster pace during the playoffs. There truly was nothing better than playoff hockey.

With the time winding down in the first, the score still tied at zero, a Montreal player laid a massive and arguable hit on defenseman Kris Letang. He went down and stayed there for several minutes.

“Oh God,” Vero whispered as she grabbed a hold of Riley’s hand, held tight.

The Penguins captain, however, would have none of that. Sidney went at the guy full force. For the first time since they’d started dating, Riley saw Sidney drop the gloves. She was having an internal battle between being excited or frightened. She tightened her grip on Vero’s hand and sat on the edge of her seat, holding her breath the entire time.

She let it out audibly when Sidney’s fist collided with the other guy’s face, knocking him to the ice. The refs got in there and pulled the two apart. Both players were lead to their team’s dressing rooms. But before Sidney stepped off the ice he shot Riley one dazzling smile.