New Times

After that night, Robbie had kept a close eye on his sister plus two other's had their eyes watching her too. Maddie watched the practices, Alex right beside her. Occasionally a glance by either her brother or Jack was noted and Alex got a lot more that that. Johnson, Schneider, Silk and Pavelich eyed her.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Alex walked in front of Maddie as the two girls wandered towards the change room. Alex, being the daring one she was, knocked and walked in, pulling Maddie with her.

"Hey!" A few players shouted.

"Hi." Alex smiled, none of them were totally dressed, nor totally naked.

"Madds?" Robbie questioned.

"Can you see the grip on my wrist?" She asked with a glare.

"Well you always were a follower." Alex teased.

"Only 'cause you dragged me." Maddie retorted.

"Don't worry about it." Rizzo broke in.

"Oh I wasn't." Alex said deviously.

"No see it's perfect. Normally we have to wash our own jersey's but now that the two of you walked in and there is not yet a pile, you can do it." Rizzo smiled.

"The white ones?" Alex asked.

Maddie looked at her and Alex read her mind. Alex nodded and Maddie gave her the pleading eyes. Alex raised her eyebrows and walked out, not yet followed by Maddie.

"What was that?" Johnson asked.

"Never mind, I'll have them clean and stink-free by tomorrow."

"Great." Rizzo grinned.

"Yeah, you do realize I'm not going to do it right?"

"I did." Robbie muttered.

Maddie grinned at his comment and wandered out of there with a hand on her hip. She waved behind her head as she stepped through the door and disappeared.

"Mac, your sister is one weird girl." Buzz remarked.

"Yeah, I know." Robbie replied.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Maddie was getting ready for bed that night. Alex was sharing the room with her and Gwen, expecting for there to be enough room. Alex hopped into Maddie's bed and shut her eyes. Moments later, Maddie went to get into bed beside her but she fell off the edge. She didn't want to sleep on the floor and it was quite early still. Ten o'clock was early. Maddie wandered through the hockey player filled halls, she and Gwen always slept early, they had to get up earlier too, and all the guys in the hall acknowledged her presence as she walked towards Mac's room in her white tank top and blue flannel pants.

"Where you going?" Buzz asked.

"To talk to my brother." Maddie answered.

"Right." Silk added.

"Maybe." Maddie replied.

"No worries, we won't tell anyone."

Verchota, Pavelich, Harrington and Eruzione stood behind Silk, Schneider and Johnson. Maddie waved to them all as she turned into Robbie's room and peeked her head back out at them. Her tongue popped out of her mouth and she made a face, then she pushed herself off the frame and into the room, standing in the middle of the two-bedroom room.

"Yeah?" O.C. asked.

"Or is it no?" Maddie replied confusingly.

"What do you want twerp?" Robbie joked.

"I have a dilemma, Alex is sleeping in my bed, Gwen's on hers, I don't have anywhere to sleep." Maddie explained.

"How about the floor?" Mac asked.

"It's not comfy." Maddie shrugged.

"Well you're not sharing with me." Robbie remarked.

"I wasn't planning on it." Maddie retorted than turned and looked at Jack.

She smiled at him pleadingly and bit her lip to look helpless. He looked at her, dumbfounded, then chuckled.

"What is that?" Maddie asked with a huge grin.

"Yeah right." Jack laughed. "Not with your brother right there."

"You want me to sleep on the floor and make me hate you forever?" Maddie pleaded.

"I've lost all control." Robbie muttered.

"Please?" Maddie got on her knees and crawled over to where he was sitting on the bed and set her chin on his knee. "I'm begging you, please?"

"Fine just get up."

"Really?" Maddie asked, standing up.

"Yes." He sighed.

"You for real?" Maddie asked again.

"No I'm an illusion." Jack replied sarcastically.

"Pretty realistic." Maddie joked.

"No, I'm the illusion." Robbie laughed and broke up the sentimental moment.

"No, I just don't pay attention to you."

"Just, stay away from the funny stuff." Robbie warned. "I don't want to be an uncle."

"You're just mad because you can't tell me what to do anymore." Maddie grinned and jumped up on the bed behind Jack, who was making eye contact with Mac. "Do you remember that one guy, uh, that guy, what was his name, um…you're friends brother or something like that, what was his name?"

"Jake?" Robbie asked.

"That's it, remember when he wanted to sleep with me and I told him off then punched him 'cause he wanted to get in my pants, I'm still like that." Maddie informed her brother.

"If you two keep talking, you can both leave." Jack stated.

Maddie flopped her arms onto his shoulders and pulled his head back so he was looking up at her.

"I'm joking." Maddie smiled.

"Everything you say is a joke isn't it?"

"Yeah. Except when I say I love you."

"I love you too."

She kissed his forehead and let go of his head, causing him to look back at Mac. Maddie gave him the pleading look and he shrugged it off.

"I'm related to a dork."

"Cute dork, get it right." Jack laughed.

Mac smiled at the comment and Maddie lay down beside the sitting Jack. She hung her head over the edge of the bed, laying on her back, looking at her brother upside-down. She set her feet up and her knees stuck up in the air. Robbie watched as a few of the guys wandered by the open door and peeked in, catching a glance at the upside-down Madison.

"Why aren't you in bed with the rest of the girls?" Buzz joked.

"I am." Maddie retorted, hanging her hands by her head.

"Your bed." Buzz corrected himself.

"This is my bed." Maddie stated. "You can go sleep with Alex if you want, there's not much room but I'm sure she'll move when she finds out it's you."

"Thanks." Buzz joked.

"No I'm serious, she'll move closer." Maddie nodded her head and started to slip off the bed.

She landed on her shoulders with her legs in the air. She grunted as she hit the ground and then slid across the floor until she could get up. Buzz watched and when she succeeded in her mission, he, and everyone else in the room, laughed. It was a room full of laughter until the girl in question stood up and glared at them all. Robbie pushed her and she stumbled back onto the floor.

"Alright Princess, you sleeping or not 'cause I'm tired." O.C. broke in.

"Yeah."

XxxxxXxxxxX

Maddie shut her eyes; Robbie wandered out into the hall to hangout with the others while Jack tried to sleep. She had her back turned to him with his arm around her waist. Maddie wriggled around and eventually faced him. He opened his eyes to look at her.

"Do you think you'll win?" Maddie whispered.

"Yes, you?"

"I think so but what are you going to do after, I mean, no more team, no more hockey with the team-"

"No more you?" Jack asked. "Is that what you're thinking?"

"I guess."

"We have a while longer to figure things out I mean not to sound pessimistic but 'we' might not even make it."

"Yeah." Maddie sighed. "But what if 'we' do?"

"Then you marry me and we move in together." Jack said out of nowhere.

"You'll be related to Robbie." Maddie smiled.

"As long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

Maddie blushed although Jack didn't see her because the room was pitch black. Maddie shut her eyes, hoping to God that the next day would be better than the previous one and being Christmas, she knew it would.