Sunday, January 10, 2010

#52 - Press

Alright so, the blubbering mess ended... I was left with the realization that I had deleted 63 pages of updates...
I literally pulled this one out thin air, still not sure how that happened... hopefully there will be nightly updates again... *hopefully*.

Also, just so everyone knows... I have an unhealthy relationship with the World Juniors... if you read any of my other stories, I promise nothing bad will happen if Canada loses the Olympics! haha, I'm strictly crazy about the WJ...


Mad World - Gary Jules


With the high of the Stanley Cup finally filtering off me, I was left with the realization that I had made out with Sidney in front of thousands of people and a fleet of cameramen.
Of course, bigger news was the fact that the Pens had won, that carried on for a while; but a few weeks after even that had died off, the pictures started coming out.
It was a full three days before they realized that I was the same girl caught with Alex Ovechkin a week before the Stanley Cup finals; but once they realized it, it didn’t stop.

Traitor; that was my new nickname. The girl that abandoned Alex Ovechkin for a Stanley Cup champion; or maybe I had abandoned Sidney for him, and was just now flopping back.
It didn’t seem to matter either way, all that mattered was I had officially become the most hated person in the history of hockey - and I didn’t even play the damn thing.
Sidney told me that that wasn’t true, people would never hate me more than Sean Avery; it certainly didn’t feel that way now however.

Apparently every person on the face of the earth had either Sidney or Alex at the top of their favourite player list. Regardless of which one, I had at one point screwed around with both of them - obviously making me a horrible person.
And maybe I was. I hadn’t talked to Alex since the break-up, so I had no idea how he was handling things.
The worse part was, I hardly had time to think about it. Between throwing myself into Cup celebrations, catching up with my family, and Sidney in general; by the time my head hit the pillow I was out.



“Jes… we gotta go!” Sidney yelled as he jogged up the stairs towards my room.

I sighed, finishing off an e-mail to Keisha. “Why, where are we going?” Sid was panting as he through my door open, coming in and signaling for me to get up. “What?” I asked again, following him as he jogged back down the stairs.

I followed him outside, even getting into his Rang Rover and allowing him to drive for ten minutes before I asked again. “Sidney!”

“We’re going to the arena, press conference with your dad.” He explained finally, spinning out onto the highway.

I rolled my eyes as I looked out the window. “Ugh! You and you just assumed that I would enjoy this?” I chuckled, wondering how long we were going to be. It seemed like I could never get away from hockey arenas; not even in the off-season.

“I didn’t think you’d want to come, you have to come… they know.”

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of my body; like my lungs had disappeared and I had no way to draw breath. He didn’t need to say any else, he didn’t need to explain himself; with those two words everything was crystal clear. They knew.



I stood in between my father and Sidney, wondering why so many people would show up to hear about me.
As the story went, so up-and-coming sports reporter had taken it upon himself to figure out who I was. He knew from the first picture ever seen, that I worked for the Capitals; he assumed that would be how I knew Alex. When he couldn’t find the connection between Alex and Sidney however, he began to dig deeper; discovering who I actually was - the teen-aged, harlot daughter of Mario Lemieux.

My father looked livid; like I had never seen him before. He was red faced and furious - a papa bear trying to protect his cubs from the oncoming slaughter. Apparently the press conference hadn’t been his idea. It was all thanks to Pat, Sidney’s agent, he felt like it should be dealt with outright; suggesting it was the only way to insure things could ever be smoothed over.

Luckily for me, I wasn’t expected to talk. Sidney fervently refused it; sharing a few choice words with Pat before the idea was taken off the table. My dad sided with Sidney, he didn’t feel like I should have to say anything; my presence would be enough.

“Sidney, don’t touch her when she’s up there.” My dad said quietly as we waited in the wings.

“What? Why not?” He spun around, looking flabbergasted.

My dad sighed, giving him a knowing smile. “Sidney listen, my whole family is about to be implicated for this - everything that anyone has ever done is going to be thrown under a microscope. I just think it would be better if you didn’t go out there and flaunt my daughter. Some people might view it in bad taste… people are starting to think that you and Ovechkin are using Jespin to get back at one another.” He said softly, avoiding eye contact with me as spoke.

I sighed, watching Sidney nod before he turned back around. My dad grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards him as Pat motioned for us to enter the press room. “Pat wants to say that the whole thing with Alex was just a mistake, a lack in judgment on your part… I told him that I didn’t think that was appropriate. Do you agree?”

I nodded my head, feeling horrified at the though. “Dad, I don’t want to say anything bad about Alex…”

He nodded, his face full of understanding. “Alright, that’s fine. I won’t let him say anything like that… I just thought I should check. The whole family’s going to get dragged over the coals for this…” He added as an after thought.

I looked up at him, confused. “So you think it would be better if Pat said that?”

“No… not better, easier for sure.” He exhaled gently, sounding very tired and worn. “It’d be easier if that’s all people thought it was, as opposed to a full on relationship… I just hope that if we’re gonna get dragged through the fire for this, it’s worth the burn.”

I gave him a sad smile as he hooked his arm through mine, leading me down the way Sidney had gone. “Thanks dad.” I said quietly as we stopped outside the door. “I’m sorry that all this happened and… I know it’d be easier if Pat said that Alex was just a one time thing but-”

“-but you love him… and it wouldn’t be fair to lie like that.” He sympathetically, staring straight ahead as I readied myself to face the music.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Tonight I Wanna Cry - Keith Urban


I only saw the press release because we had the NHL channel on demand. I knew I eventually would have seen it anyway, everyone was talking about it; about how Alex Ovechkin got crossed over for Sidney Crosby. The same Sidney Crosby that was now a Stanley Cup champion.

So they all knew who she was now; having put two and two together. I didn’t watch the finals, so I didn’t see the Penguins win; nor did I see that part where Sidney apparently threw himself on Jespin.
It wasn’t like I could be mad about it or anything, we were over and really, there was no reason for her not date Crosby.

Obviously people might disagree with that; if she had an issue with dating on NHL star, why would another be any different? And that could have been true, maybe, if that star also didn’t live with her father.
It made sense - whenever I looked past the sick feeling I got in the pit of my stomach every time I thought about her - and I realized that it would be natural progression. The expected route her life would have taken if she never met me.

People wouldn’t be so hard on her now; there would still be the people that talked shit, but it wouldn’t be so bad.
They wouldn’t ask ’why’, ’how’, or anything like that; because it made sense. Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux’s golden boy, dating his daughter. It was like the perfect little steel city romance.

That didn’t make it any easier to deal with. Yet in all honesty I had expected her to drop me off completely, stand up in front of the room of people and tell them that her relationship with me was all just a misunderstanding.
She didn’t though, she didn’t say anything at all; but the people representing her didn’t say anything bad about me either.


That night when I climbed the stairs and headed down the hallway towards my room, I tried to get the image of Sidney and Jespin out of my mind. They didn’t touch at all while the cameras were on, for her part, Jespin didn’t even look in his direction. Sidney had looked at her though, with the unmistakable glow in his eye; the look of a man finally getting everything he wanted.
He had the win, the Cup, and now he had the girl.

I dropped into my bed beside Masha, praying she didn’t wake up as I tried to get comfortable; the last thing I wanted was to have to talk to her again tonight.

It wasn’t my plan, for us to get back together; my parents had decided it was best for me. They saw how upset I was after Jespin and I ended things, and my mother used that as an excuse to complain about not having grandchildren and me being too old to be single.
It didn’t even matter anymore why she wanted to be with me. I had experienced what it felt like to love someone - to still love someone - and in my mind, if I wasn’t with Jespin, than why did it matter who I was with?

It might be a pitiful thing to do, but it didn’t really matter much. I had already given away my heart and hockey ruled my mind; the physical things were all I really had left, and in that sense, one girl was as good as any other.

I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the only girl I wanted to think about; running over in my head the end of everything. The last kiss, the last touch, the last smile; I had to keep it fresh in my mind even if it hurt.
I needed to remember that it was real, I needed to remember that at some point in my life someone actually cared about me.

7 comments:

  1. Woo hoo for updates again!!!

    I got so angry when Mario said that it would be easier if they told everyone that Jespin's dating of Ovie was a mistake. To me, that would make it WORSE, that she had no judgment and just slept around with anyone. It's easier to be honest--Jes had a relationship with Ovie, and it didn't work. They've moved on, and that's that. Whether or not that's the whole story, well, the details don't need to be spilled. But ugh, Ovie wasn't a mistake. No matter what--or who--Jes picks at this point, that fact remains the same.

    Sorry about the rant. Just a differing opinion on Mario's logic. But I at least love that he's being understanding and doesn't want to say anything bad about Ovie for Jes's sake.

    Once again, poor Ovie. Seriously, I don't think I can feel any sorrier for him. The two last sentences KILLED ME. I just... oh man. So good, that I can't even begin to describe how that affected me. Zigh, it was worth the wait.

    Sooo glad you're back!

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  2. so glad you're back!! (:
    and something about Sidney just pisses me off, I'm not sure what but god he is obnoxious and annoying! Lord I hope Sid and Jes don't end up together, not that my opinion means anything. Haha glad to have you back Zigh(:

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  3. Awwww. I can't believe my heart is breaking for Ovie. But it is.

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  4. Ok first off... YAY FOR UPDATES!!! =D Good to see you're back in action sweets

    Second... Awesome music choices... Tonight I wanna Cry is making me cry, but I love it!

    Thirdly... I'm happy Mario was 110% on Jespin's side, and that he stood up to Pat for her.

    Forth... Poor Alex... And damn him at the same time for going back to Masha! Please let them get back together... I love Jes and Alex!

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  5. YES. So happy that you are updating again! I'm also with anyone that commented in support of how amazing Mario is.

    Fabulous, fabulous update even if you claimed to have pulled the chapter out of your ass. I still loved it!

    I just want them to get back together. I miss them together! And I feel like Sidney needs to grow up and now be such an asshole. Ergo, Alex wins!

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  6. Yes yes yes yes! Three cheers for updating again! I missed this story like crazy!

    Mario, Mario, I adore you. Protecting Jespin like that, being such an understanding father! You sir, are amazing.

    But on the sadness front, poor Ovie! Ugh, I hate how this whole situation is tearing him apart! I hope he doesn't do anything crazy and I hope he and Jespin work it out soon!

    Zigh, the update was so worth the wait<3

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  7. Oh I cried through this... and then I got my iTunes bill for all the songs I've downloaded from this blog (and cried a little more). Oh Zigh, what have you created? I would be mad if I wasn't so addicted!

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