Portland wins the face-off and a Viking gains possession. He passes it to another player and he lifts his stick and between the legs of one of our defenseman, the puck travels right on through, under the goalie’s arms, and straight into the net.
Fans are not happy because who wants to lose at home? There’s four minutes left. We do our best to keep the puck away from our net, shoot the puck every time we have it, and nothing makes it past their goalie. Portland snaps their losing streak and their goalie earns a shutout. There’s just some games where you play well, do all you can do, and it simply doesn’t end in your favor. Life can be like that, too.
~
I stare down at the costumes Jade laid out on the bed. She picked the combo of a slutty cop and a prisoner. Guess which one of us will be the slutty cop? At least this is simple. Probably better than the vampire. No makeup and my only prop is handcuffs, which will only be on one wrist. I drop my towel from my waist and start getting dressed.
I’m pretty excited about the party. Last year’s was borderline insane and the costumes were ridiculous on a few of the guys. It’ll be interesting to see what they pick this year. Jade enters the room just as I’ve finished getting dressed. I hold up the handcuffs and hold out one arm.
“Want to do the honors?”
“Hmm, I would love to. Do you know your rights?”
“If I say no, are you going to recite them? I am from another country, you know.”
She leans in close to my ear. “I have my own version I would love to recite to you later. You know, when no one is around.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Get dressed, so we won’t be late. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back here, and I can hear your version.”
The party is being held at the same banquet hall as last year and it’s not but a twenty-minute drive. Some of the guys really love it for the simple fact that they get a chance to be with their wives or girlfriends without their kids.
I place a hand on Jade’s lower back and usher her inside. By the looks of it, we’re one of the last few to arrive. I glance down at Jade.
“Want a drink first?”
“Love one.”
We make our way to the bar in the back corner. Standing there are the three stooges. I start laughing when I see my teammates, Russell, Marshall, and Jay. They are the biggest goofballs on the team.
“That costume is perfect for you guys,” I say, still chuckling.
“We’re just happy to see you as something new this year,” Russell comments, though his eyes are on Jade.
“You can thank my friend here. Jade, that’s Russell. Then there’s Marshall and Jay. Guys, this is Jade.”
“We’ll be sure to get rowdy later, so you can arrest us,” Marshall tells her with a wink.
“I’m sure my friend here,” she pats my chest, “can keep you guys in line without me having to use my spare cuffs,” she curtly tells them.
“Valo can’t keep anyone in line, so keep those cuffs handy,” Jay says. He glances at Marshall and Russell and adds, “Derek’s here. We need to go talk to him.”
They nod. “Nice to meet you, Jade,” Russell says before they all start walking away.
The bartender comes over to us and I order a beer then glance at Jade to see what she wants. She’s looking at the crowd of people though. I touch her hip, so she’ll turn around. “Jade, what do you want?”
“A screwdriver is fine.”
The bartender goes to fix our drinks. “Well,
what do you think so far?” I ask, looking over all the costume choices. From the stooges to an Elvis to the cookie monster, I kid you not. Then, of course, there are a few zombies, vampires, and grim reapers.
“It’s a great party to bring a friend to.”
I frown and realize I did indeed call her my friend, which really seems like the best term at the moment. “You’re mad?”
Jade doesn’t answer right away. “No, I’m enjoying the party. What about you?” It definitely does not sound like she’s enjoying this.
“The reason I said friend aside, I do remember someone saying they’d agree to whatever I say. That implies you’re not going to be pissed about it.”