Allie is my name. It is as plain and as simple as I am. That's how I introduce myself, "Hi my name is Allie Drew. I am as plain and simple as my name so fuck off." I'm kidding. I would never grow the courage to say that to anyone and that bugs me. I could make a list of things that bug me, that grind my gears. But even if I did, I wouldn't do anything about it. Leave the list on my counter and go on with my life. Then maybe notice a couple of weeks later and end up throwing it out. On that list would be death, divorce, and distance. The triple D's that stop me from living a normal life. Look at me; I am 21 and already complaining about my gloomy life.

Life hasn't been easy. I have made it through my childhood with cuts and bruises and information planted in my brain that shouldn't have been fertile for a while. It all started when we moved to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia when I was 14. My dad was let go of his job and my mom thought it would be a magnificent idea to open up a restaurant in Nova Scotia to pay the bills. She soon realized that even though Nova Scotia is known for its inshore fishing it doesn't mean a fish and chips restaurant would do well. The decision to move from Alberta to Nova Scotia and open up a restaurant sums up my mother; foolish and reckless. A year goes by and the restaurant is for sale along with my parent's relationship. The responsibility of the restaurant and the need to take care of me, my younger brother James and my two older sisters Sadie and Courtney slowly ate away at their bond. I was 16 when their divorce was made official.

I moved in with my mom and brother a month later. Most kids blame themselves for their parents split but I knew it wasn't my fault; it was my parent's lack of responsibility and reliability that separated my family. My two sisters went with my dad back to Alberta where he remarried a young waitress and produced a baby girl named Olive. My mom, James and I stayed in Nova Scotia where we rarely spoke. My mom would bring a man by the house once or twice a month. This man was tall, wreaked of whiskey, and paid our bills. James is 8 years younger than me and thought this tall man we called 'Hulk' was the cable man but I knew well enough that this was the man my mother stayed with just to put food on our tables. There were days where we would go without food, water, and electricity. Those were the days when mom would be fired from her job. At first, she found a job at a local supermarket cleaning toilets and sweeping floors but was soon let off because of the economy. Then she would later find a job as a waitress and once again be fired. Finally, my mom was the proud owner of a headset, apron and McDonalds name tag.

Having a mother working at McDonalds and a dad off in Alberta humping a young waitress was not something I wanted the students at school to find out. But it was bound to happen and as soon as the rumours of my mom being a hooker spread across the halls, I lost every friend I made in the past three years and gained the reputation as Poor Girl. But let me tell you, it was a joy to see the letter in the mail letting me know that I would graduate from Auburn Drive High School and go straight to the University of King's College. The day of the exciting news of my acceptance to college was the day my older sister Courtney had twelve shots of tequila and unsuccessfully drove her friend's home. The impact of the truck killed everyone in the car instantly. The news of my sister's death was what sent me over the edge. I could not wait to escape my atmosphere. Luckily my dad saved up the money and shipped it over to send me to college. I felt bad leaving my 10 year old brother with my mom but I had to escape and do something I love to do which is Journalism. It was my plan ever since I was younger, to attend a university in Alberta and get a degree in journalism. But when we moved, it turned my whole life around and left me without a life blueprint.

Three years at college and I am back at home with an older mom and a more mature brother. My mom prances around the house in her pink and red rob and her fuzzy monkey slippers. My brother stays outside for hours shooting a puck against the garage door; leaving black dents everywhere. And I spend most of my time in my room blasting the music, watching old news reports. I am not going to get a job in Nova Scotia but I don't have enough money to get my ass out of this place. That is when I got the idea to get my tortured self and my brother out of this boring home and go to a local ice rink. The ice rink was located next to the travel agency that would soon go out of business. I grabbed my bag, my hat, mittens and boots and started the car. I told my brother to bring his worn out skates and helmet and get in the vehicle. My brother was up for anything now days. I remember when he was the shy, reserved little boy but he is now loud and forceful.

Seeing the youngsters pass around the puck calmed me down. Something about the game of hockey really seemed to tranquil all my thoughts and make all the bad in the world subside. I didn't know how to skate; I didn't even know how to hold a stick properly. I wasn't interested in learning the sport as much as James. Poor kid had to skate on used skates and wear my dad's old helmet from the 80's. His curly brown hair would seep through the edges and his rosy cheeks would grow redder with each hour but he loved to skate even if he were skating on figure skates, he would do it with a grin spreading from ear to ear. I yelled onto the ice that I would be a few minutes and made my way towards the exit. I opened the heavy doors with one hand and put on my hat with the other. The door shut all the way when I felt the tug on my bag. I tried to brush it off and move forward but the tug on my bag pulled my back. I spun around to realize that my bag was still in the arena and the handles of the brown bag were between the metal doors. I looked around the door for handles but all I found was an aluminum sign with big yellow letters saying, 'Cannot enter. Exit only.' "Shit" I muttered while trying to claw my way through the door. I let my eyes explore the outside of the ice rink in search of people but everyone was inside. "Come on, not today. Please not today" I pleaded with the door hoping it would magically open and give me my brown bag. I kicked the door once, twice, three times but no one came to my rescue. I began to think, what if I died trying to get a hold of my hand bag? I immediately brushed that thought because, once again, my mind went straight to tragedy instead of reality. I kept my left hand clamped on my bag, brushed my hair out of my face and began to pull. Surprised that the bag didn't tare under the pressure, I placed my left foot on the door and continued to pull. How could no one notice a bag moving up and down the crease of a door for God's sake!

I continued the never-ending struggle to retrieve the bag that held my belongings when I heard a car pull up not too far behind me. I twisted my neck to see that it was an expensive car; the ones you see in the movies. The driver's door opened and a young man stepped out of the car in jeans and a blue sweater. This young man had dark brown hair with one or two curls escaping from his tuque. The passenger's side door opened as well and another young man exited the vehicle, but this young man was in black track pants and a red jacket. They shut the doors and made their way towards me. "Need help?" the curly haired one smiled with his rounded lips and hazel eyes. I quickly shattered my stare into his eyes with the snap of my head and returned to looking at my bag helplessly. "I seemed to have closed the doors on my bag." I gave him a weak smile and tugged at the bag. "Ah I see," he gave his friend a glare and nodded his head. Curly hair made his way towards the main doors of the rink and disappeared into the revolving doors. "Hi, I'm Marc" he extended his hand towards me and I shook it with my right hand, refusing to let go of my bag. "Hello Marc, I'm Allie." We exchanged looks and returned the attention on the doors that were slowly separating. My bag was released from the clutches of the metal door and I could not be happier. I looked up to find curly hair holding the doors open for me to retrieve my bag. Marc began to laugh while I brought my bag to my chest and clutched it. "Thank you so much. I literally saw my whole life flash before my eyes while trying to rescue my bag." I said with a massive smile on my face. Both of the men chuckled with their hands in their pockets. "How did you get your bag caught in the door anyways?" Marc's French accent was the first thing I noticed from his question then after a few moments I figured I should respond with what I thought happened, "I was going somewhere close by for a few minutes and when I tried to open the doors that are too heavy for humans, I guess I didn't salvage my bag fast enough and it became a victim of these monstrous gates." When I finished my explanation, I immediately regretted it because of how childish it made me sound. Curly hairs laugh came to my rescue and made me feel less of a dork.

"Anyways, I'm Allie" I said while I extended my hand towards curly hair. "Sidney." He shook my hand with his and held onto it for longer than expected from a stranger. The look on his face gave it away that he also knew that this handshake went on for way too long. He pulled his hand away and let it fall to his side. "Are you guys from around here?" It was an obvious question with an obvious answer. No one here owns cars like that. Marc smiled at me and pointed his thumb at Sidney, "He is." "Oh really?" I was honestly surprised and couldn't hide it in my voice. "I grew up here." His smile stayed glued on his face with whatever he said. With every muscle in my body I tried to restrict myself from smiling but the sight of his grin, all I could do was smile. We were two strangers smiling like fools at each other. I could see Marc inching towards the entrance leaving Sidney and I here smiling at each other. "I better get inside and check on my brother," I whispered more to myself than anyone else. "Brother?" "Yea, my brother James is in love with hockey and I had to get him away from the house and onto ice. He was putting holes in the garage doors with all the missed shots on net." We both laughed at the thought of a young boy practicing hockey when all he was really doing was damaging the house. "So, where were you headed when the 'monstrous gates' closed on your bag?" he asked as we made our way to the entrance. I pointed to the small, damaged building not too far from the rink, "There. It's one of those local travel agencies." "Going somewhere?" he asked with, of course, a smile across his face. I smiled back and decided to save him the details, "Just hoping to get out of Nova Scotia in the next couple of years." We were past the revolving doors and inside the ice rink before he could ask why.

James was still on the ice playing with the other kids and their Reebok skates and two hundred dollar equipment. I smiled at the thought of me being able to afford all the gear needed to become a great hockey player for James. "Hey, Sid! Check this change room out." Marc was half way in the room when Sid left my side and went into the change room. I walked up to the glass, rested my hands and bag on the edges of the wall and continued to watch James enjoy himself. I could recognize James' friends as each one of them got the puck. First was Luke, second was my brother, third was Rob and fourth was Rachel; the only girl on the ice. Once they passed the puck to each other a few times, more and more people went on the ice; mostly kids. I looked over at the boys change room to see a crowd of people jamming their way into the tiny space. There were flashes of light and waving of papers and pens. This was unusual. The crowd of people didn't seem to distract the kids on ice, so I felt safe knowing my brother wouldn't get crushed trying to see what it was all about; doesn't mean I wasn't going to find out. I took a few strides until I reached the massive crowd. "Can I have your autograph?" "Picture please!" "My son loves you!" "My daughter wants to marry you!" I got onto my tippy toes to see who they were shouting at. I managed to get a glimpse of the back side of the origin of this non sense, but I was pushed away instantly by an older gentleman. Once I got my balance from being pushed, I asked a familiar looking woman who was standing not too far from the crowd, "What's all this about?" She gave me a glare that made me feel like a lesser being. "Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury," she continued after realizing I needed more explanation. "You know, Sid the Kid from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the goalie." My eyes widened along with my jaw. "You're kiddin'?" "Don't think I am."

"What are they doing here? Shouldn't they be in Pittsburgh?" The woman chuckled and placed her hand on her large belly. "The seasons over sweetheart," She continued to laugh at what I thought was a reasonable question. I brought my attention back to the now empty ice. I scoped the whole arena, looking for James. "James, you little bugger, where did you go?" I tried searching for him with my eyes in the crowd but saw nothing. Before I could reach panic mode, he exited the enormous crowd with a piece of paper in his hands. I ran to James, "Buddy you can't just pile into crowds without telling me," I hunched over to see what he had in his hands. It was a little card with a picture of Sidney holding a hockey stick, ready to play. And on the card was a signature in blue magic marker. "Where did you get this?" James had this gigantic grin across his face as he tried to explain; looked as if he was star struck. "Uh, dad sent it-uh-a year, I think, ago and umm...Sidney Crosby just signed it." He finally took his eyes off the card to look into mine. "How did you manage to get to the front of the crowd?" I rested my hand on his helmet and listened to his exaggerated story. "...and then I finally managed to push this 700 pound man out of the way and get to Sidney where he was more than happy to sign it." "I am so proud of you," I managed to say without bursting out laughing. "Are you ready to go home?" "Can we go get something to eat?" "Didn't you just eat an hour ago?" His rosy cheeks subsided as his stomach began to twist and turn. "I'm a growing boy, I need my food." I laughed and continued towards the exit.

* * *

I watched as he jammed twenty fries into his mouth at once. "You know, you should be careful, you could choke." His attention was still on digesting the fries when the pale waitress placed the tab on the corner of the marble table. "Let me pay," he said with a full mouth. "With what? Monopoly money? I don't think so and don't talk with your mouth full." I looked to my right and then to my left and slowly felt panic scurry through my veins. James noticed the drastic change in my emotions and tried to ask what was wrong but began to cough on fries. "My bag," I whispered kicking under the table, hoping it was beside our feet. "What?" the coughing stopped and it seemed as if the tab grew larger and larger. Was it in the car? No, I would have grabbed it if it was. I gasped when I realized where I had left it. "I left it at the rink." I said with my hands over my mouth. "Smart-""Shut up!" James started to laugh uncontrollably at the sight of his sister panicking; what a lovely brother. "Okay James we are going to do something I do not recommend in the future okay?" He looked at me with eyes of confusion. "When I say run, I mean run!" His eyes were filled with joy when he realized what I was talking about. He downed his cherry soda and got into position. "Ready, set...run!" We got up, grabbed our jackets and headed out the door. "Hurry!" I shouted as we reached the car. I could hear the pale waitress cursing at us as we drove away. "That was fun!" James was practically jumping up and down when I had to tell him to calm down. "I don't want you to ever do that again. This was an emergency, it wasn't for fun!" he sat still the whole ride. I pulled into the parking lot of the arena and was pleased to see that there was practically no one here. I let out a breath of relief and opened the door, "Promise me you won't move," He purposely froze and nodded his head, "I promise. Hey, if Sidney is in there tell him I say 'Hi.'""He isn't in there." I got out of the car and ran towards the exit. "Run Forest-""James!" I stopped in my tracks and looked back at the boy in the car. He positioned himself back on the seat.

I closed the distance between the entrance and me by sprinting. I bolted through the revolving doors and started towards the ice. It wasn't there. "Crap" I muttered trying to catch my breath. Face palm seemed like the only good way to regain my strength and head to the car. "Looking for something?" I twisted my body to see Sidney leaning against the change room door with my brown bag dangling from his left hand and a grin slowly growing on his face. I let out a breath of relief and a gasp of joy soon after. I ran to him and received my bag. "Thank you so much," I said looking into his hazel eyes. "Your very welcome," he returned the stare. "Twice," I whispered. "Pardon?" "You've saved my bag twice in one day, that's pretty impressive." His laugh seemed to lighten up my mood. "Do you think you can do me a favour?" I asked after minutes of silence past by. "Anything," he smiled and took a few steps closer to me. "My brother is apparently a fan of yours and he would be ecstatic if you were to say hi to him in person," I could see the disappointment in his eyes once he realized the favour was aimed towards my brother instead of me. "Sure," Sidney and I exited the arena and went towards my car.

I could see James distracted by the radio and totally oblivious to the fact that his hero was two inches from his window. I tapped on his window and he jumped but he situated himself once he saw who I was with. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Me and Sidney laughed at the young boy and signalled for him to roll down the window. James struggled with opening the window fast enough but when the glass that blocked Sidney and I from James was gone, I just stood there and watched my brother stare at Sidney in bewilderment. "Hi," Sidney extended his hand towards my brother. James took his hand with his right and placed his left on his forehead. I laughed and said, "This is my brother James." James let go of Sidney's hand and continued to stare. "Well, this was productive. Say bye to Sidney, James." James' mouth moved but nothing came out. I chuckled and followed Sidney as he moved away from the vehicle. "Sorry for that, he is usually a lot more talkative than that." "That's okay" He sighed as his body shifted closer to mine. With most cases, I would move my body away from the person as soon as they got into my personal space but with Sidney it was different; I didn't mind him standing this close to me. He smelt good; very good actually. She was distracted by his Calvin Klein scent and began to look him up and down. He was wearing expensive, blue jeans that would fade around the knees and pockets. His blue sweater really caught her attention because it had dark blue writing across his built chest that wrote, 'Reebok'. She made her way to his face. He had full lips and a gorgeous white smile. But of course, his hazel eyes that were rimmed with black eye lashes made her heart beat a mile a minute. She could see one or two curls escape from under his dark blue toque and caress his forehead.

"Would you like to go get a coffee with me sometime?" he scratched the back of his scalp with his right hand and pulled off his hat with his left. I looked into his eyes, "You want to have coffee with me?" He dropped his eyes and whispered, "If you don't want to that's fine-""I'd love to." His head shot up to look into my eyes. "Great. Cold Coffee?" I began to laugh while his cheeks grew red of embarrassment. "That place has been closed for quite some time." "Shoot, really?" His smile grew larger as his embarrassment diminished. "How about Tim Horton's?" I asked through a smile that didn't want to dwindle. He laughed, "Which one?" "Good point. Um, how about the one over there." I pointed to the coffee shop that was located right next to the ice rink. He showed me his pleasing smile and concluded our conversation with five small words, "I'll see you at seven."