Chapter 2

They Meet

In the car, Nadia thought over the trip. It would stink and be amazing at the same time. For one, Gary and Tina would be in her group. She didn't hate them half as much as they hated her. Tina and Chelsea had known Nadia since she was in Junior High. They had all been best friends until Nadia remained small and child looking and they matured. Tina and Chelsea turned into fashion-obsessed witches while Nadia remained pure and good. They got boyfriends and she got friends that were boys.

'Well, at least it's only one of them.' She thought, 'And Tina isn't even half as bad as Chelsea is so… this trip should turn out quite well!'

Nadia's thoughts had taken her so far away that she didn't realize that they had arrived.

"Hey little girl, we're here." Said Gary.

Nadia's thoughts of happiness were broken and she angrily got out of the car, upset at the comment that was thrown at her. She might have been smaller than he, but she was defiantly smarter. Gary and Tina had their arms around each other and were talking quietly, glancing back every so often to laugh at an alone Nadia. A lump of sadness developed in her stomach, but she was determined not to show it.

'Just because I don't have a boyfriend, doesn't mean I have to be unhappy…' Nadia tried to convince herself, half-heartedly.

In the restaurant, the Russian waiter sat all of the students at 3 connected tables. Nadia sat next to Amy and Jeremy and everyone grabbed a menu. The foods and ingredients were in Russian and even though it was an advanced class, everyone needed help ordering. When the waiter approached Nadia, she sat calmly and spoke to him fluently in Russian, having spoken it most of the time at home. He complemented her voice and kissed her on the cheek as a thank you. Nadia blushed when she realized everyone was staring at her, grinning.

"Show off!" said Chelsea, angrily.

When everyone got their food, the group started to talk. (In English, of coarse!) Amy and Jeremy talked a little, even though both were shy. Chelsea was talking to Red and Tina was talking to Gary. Nadia talked a little with Amy, but got bored with their conversation. She looked around the table and saw that everyone was "paired-off." It was as if every girl had a lover, except her. Even Amy looked as though she had Jeremy, who was speaking softly to her. She began to feel the lump in her stomach come back.

"May I use the bathroom, Mr. Ryan?" she asked.

"Go ahead." He said.

Nadia started to walk to the bathroom quickly with her head down. She didn't see anyone coming and bumped right into someone. The soda that he was carrying spilled all over her. Laughter rang out around the restaurant.

"Oh, I'm really sorry!" he said.

Nadia looked up at him and saw that he must have been at least 6-feet tall and a little younger than 30. He had big brown eyes and wavy brown hair.

"No, I'm sorry." She said, "I wasn't looking where I was going."

The man looked at her white shirt that had a big brown stain on it from the soda. Her shirt had also become see-through from the wetness, causing Nadia to blush as she saw him staring at her. She felt like she was naked in front of a large crowd of people.

"Um, maybe you need a new shirt." He said.

Nadia stumbled and said softly, "I think so."

The man looked over to the table he was sitting at and said, in Russian, "I have a shirt she can use out on the bus." The older man at the table nodded.

"Hey, I have a—." he started to say.

"I know." She said, "That would be great."

Nadia and the man walked outside. Nadia could hear Chelsea and Tina, along with their boyfriends, laughing at her. At this point, Nadia could care less.

Nadia and the man walked out to his bus. Nadia was thinking it would be a small bus, but it was a big tour bus with the words, "USSR Olympic Hockey Team" on the side in Russian. Nadia gasped and looked at him.

He smiled and said, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I'm from the States." She said, "You—you're on the Soviet Union hockey team?"

"Yes. I'm Vladislav Tretiak." He said, "Who are you?"

Nadia smiled, "I'm Nadia Petrova."

"Nice name…" he said, "I wouldn't have guessed you a Russian."

Nadia didn't really know what to say to this and just nodded slightly.

"So, again, I'm sorry for bumping into you." Said Nadia.

Vladislav went into the bus to get her a shirt. He came out with a red shirt that said 'CCCP' on the front and 'Tretiak' on the back.

"I highly doubt it'll fit but, it's dry." He said smiling.

"Thanks, I'll go inside and change." She said.

Nadia shivered on her way back to the restaurant and Vladislav said, "You look cold."

"I'm a little chilly." She admitted.

"Put my jacket on, it's my fault you're cold." He said, putting it on her shoulders.

It was baggy, but it was warm, and Nadia snuggled into it when he wasn't looking at her. She smiled at him and he said, "So," he said changing the subject, feeling a little embarrassed, "What made you come to Moscow?"

"I'm on a college trip. Tomorrow I'm going… wait, I'm going to the hockey rink." She said happily.

"Hey, that's cool! I'm practicing tomorrow!" said Vladislav.

"I'll be able to return your shirt faster than I thought." Said Nadia, jokingly.

He laughed a little and held the door for Nadia. Chelsea and Tina glared at her when she walked in with his jacket on, smiling and talking.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she said.

"Yeah." He said, "Well, bye."

"Bye."

Nadia gave him his jacket back and went into the bathroom to change.

Nadia came out with Vladislav's shirt on and her table gasped, some even choked on what was left of their food. She looked over at Tretiak's table and he was eating. She saw that the older man was looking at her, not with anger, but with amazement, really. She guessed that this was Viktor Tikhonov, the USSR hockey coach. She had read a lot about him. Nadia gave him a little wave and he nodded his head at her and continued eating his dinner. As she neared her table, Chelsea and Tina looked at her shirt. They knew this could only mean one thing; Nadia had a chance to do something with her life, and they would do anything to keep her from being happy.