A/N: Reviewers: [denverhockeygirl]: I'm so glad you noticed! I was
starting to think no one would realize that maybe Maurae's just a little
too perfect? You're right. I made her a Sue for a good reason. You have
to get to know her a little first. I hope you liked chapter six. And no,
she didn't play for the Select; she's in a boys' league.
[nottshockeygirl99]: Sue's are fun, but she's not going to be one forever. Hope you don't mind.
[antiIRONY]: Like I told preciousbabyblue before, you'll have to wait and see. ;) Also, her nickname (Ro) is actually one I was given a long time ago, for different reasons, but I always liked it.
"Apologize?"
Maurae was quite cheerful as she followed the mob that was her team around Los Angeles, looking around at all the other countries' representatives. Adam was still cool towards her, Dean wouldn't shut up, and the others were going out of their way not to make eye contact with her. Except Dwayne, who kept smiling his goofy smile, as he always did.
'I must have been more of a witch than usual,' she thought ruefully as she looked around at the other hockey teams. One fact was immediately drawn to her attention. "Um, Connie? Jules? Have you noticed we're the only hockey team with girls?" she asked. The rest stopped and looked around, realizing the veracity of her statement almost instantly.
"Great. Just great; it's not enough that we have to put up with these clowns all the time. Now we've got to be the only three girls at the freaking tournament," Connie moaned.
"Look on the bright side," Julie said halfheartedly. "Ay least we won't have to room with girls we don't know."
"You've got a point," Connie said. They both looked at Maurae, whose attention had been captured elsewhere. "Ro, what are you staring at?"
"That guy is staring at me," she said, not pointing. The two girls looked. The guy in question was at least a foot taller than any of them, and twice as broad. His light brown hair hung stick-straight to his chin, and his eyes sparkled as he smirked at them. Maurae blinked as an even taller and broader blond walked up to him and said something in a language she couldn't even begin to decipher.
"He's kind of cute," Julie said, grinning. That pulled Maurae out of her fog enough to break eye contact. "What? He is."
Maurae struggled to hide her grin. "Jules, what are we going to do with you?"
Grinning wickedly, Connie jumped in. "WE aren't going to do anything. Though Julie and I may have to lock you in the bathroom for your behavior this morning." Maurae winced.
"I was that bad?"
"Yes. You were cold and cruel, and you hurt Adam's feelings. And Ken's feelings. Besides, we can hold it over your head that it was Portman that saved you." Maurae groaned, but she was smiling.
"Oh, dear. Do you have to rub that in my face? I was stupid! I know that. I didn't mean to OD, I just wasn't paying attention." Her ears turned pink.
"Hello," said a heavily accented male's voice. Maurae took in her friends' wide eyes before turning around and seeing the speaker, the same boy who'd been watching her before and his blond friend.
"Hello," the three girls chorused.
"I am Gunnar Stahl. This is my friend Olaf Sanderson." He spoke slowly, making sure not to slur his words with his thick accent. His smile revealed straight, white teeth, and his eyes never left her face.
"I'm Julie Gaffney," Julie said when Maurae made no move to introduce herself. "This is Connie Moreau, and Maurae Grabeklis."
"We play for Team Iceland," Olaf spoke up, obviously thinking to impress them. Maurae smiled a sarcastic smile.
"We play for Team USA," she replied. The boys were silent a moment before they started to chuckle.
"That is a good joke, no?"
"Ha ha. No, actually, it isn't. We really do play for Team USA."
"But...but you are girls!" Gunnar exclaimed, still chuckling. "Girls do not play hockey.
"Maybe not where you're from, pretty boy, but here, girls do play hockey, and we're the best," Connie spoke up, her feathers ruffled. Maurae suddenly realized that they'd lost the others.
"Um, guys? Where's everybody else?" Julie started looking around and Connie paled.
"Didn't they go this way?"
"I thought we were headed this way."
"They could be anywhere by now."
"Howdy, ladies. Get yourselves lost?" asked Dwayne suddenly, with that familiar Texas twang. Maurae smiled in relief.
"Dwayne!" she exclaimed. "Boy, are we glad to see you! We got separated." He smiled and patted her shoulder.
"Not to fret, little filly," he teased affectionately. "We all split up after Bombay showed us the locker room and I saw that you'd been missin'. So I set out to find you." Connie grabbed his arm.
"Dwayne, do you know where Guy went?"
"I think he went over to the gymnastics place." Connie zoomed off. Julie saluted and followed. Maurae suddenly remembered that she still had company.
"Oh, forgive my lapse in manners!" she exclaimed, feigning cordiality for Dwayne's sake. "Gentleman, this is Dwayne Robertson. He also plays for Team USA. Dwayne, this is Gunnar Stahl and Olaf Sanderson. They play for Team Iceland." Dwayne lifted the brim of his cowboy hat in salute.
"Howdy, boys."
"Tell me, Dwayne," Gunnar said, his accent thick. "Is it true that Team USA has girls?"
"Why, you're lookin' at one of them now!" he explained cheerfully. Maurae smiled smugly and grabbed his arm.
"It was nice to meet the two of you. I'm sure I'll see you around sometime. Dwayne, could you show me where the locker room is? I kind of want to get a general idea of the layout." He smiled and led her away.
Adam, Charlie, and Jesse were sitting in the locker room when she arrived with Dwayne. She stiffened, but he let go of her arm. "Talk to them," he whispered.
"You want me to apologize too?" she sighed. He smiled and gave her a little push into the room. Charlie looked up.
"Well, look who it is," he said quietly. Adam and Jesse looked up; Adam scowled and Jesse looked slightly confused. "Come to abuse us with some more silence? Or are you going to cut at us with your acid tongue like you did Portman?"
"He can handle it, he's a big boy now," she retorted. "And no, to both. I came to get my bearings. But as long as you're here, I suppose I should say something. The truth is, I don't really remember anything after breakfast this morning. I do remember I was scared witless about getting on another plane. I didn't mean to snap or be as mean as I can tell that I was. It happens sometimes, when I forget to take my sedatives beforehand. One of the many reasons my parents decided to let me go on them in the first place. So whatever I did or said, I'm sorry."
"You were a total witch, Ro. To everybody."
"I'm sorry that you had to find out about my bad side under circumstances like these. But that's just part of it, okay? I am who I am, the good and the bad. And the worst, which you no doubt experienced today, from the look on Adam's face. All I can say is that I'm sorry, all right? And I am." She turned and left the locker room, on her way to hunt down Connie and Julie again for some company.
[nottshockeygirl99]: Sue's are fun, but she's not going to be one forever. Hope you don't mind.
[antiIRONY]: Like I told preciousbabyblue before, you'll have to wait and see. ;) Also, her nickname (Ro) is actually one I was given a long time ago, for different reasons, but I always liked it.
"Apologize?"
Maurae was quite cheerful as she followed the mob that was her team around Los Angeles, looking around at all the other countries' representatives. Adam was still cool towards her, Dean wouldn't shut up, and the others were going out of their way not to make eye contact with her. Except Dwayne, who kept smiling his goofy smile, as he always did.
'I must have been more of a witch than usual,' she thought ruefully as she looked around at the other hockey teams. One fact was immediately drawn to her attention. "Um, Connie? Jules? Have you noticed we're the only hockey team with girls?" she asked. The rest stopped and looked around, realizing the veracity of her statement almost instantly.
"Great. Just great; it's not enough that we have to put up with these clowns all the time. Now we've got to be the only three girls at the freaking tournament," Connie moaned.
"Look on the bright side," Julie said halfheartedly. "Ay least we won't have to room with girls we don't know."
"You've got a point," Connie said. They both looked at Maurae, whose attention had been captured elsewhere. "Ro, what are you staring at?"
"That guy is staring at me," she said, not pointing. The two girls looked. The guy in question was at least a foot taller than any of them, and twice as broad. His light brown hair hung stick-straight to his chin, and his eyes sparkled as he smirked at them. Maurae blinked as an even taller and broader blond walked up to him and said something in a language she couldn't even begin to decipher.
"He's kind of cute," Julie said, grinning. That pulled Maurae out of her fog enough to break eye contact. "What? He is."
Maurae struggled to hide her grin. "Jules, what are we going to do with you?"
Grinning wickedly, Connie jumped in. "WE aren't going to do anything. Though Julie and I may have to lock you in the bathroom for your behavior this morning." Maurae winced.
"I was that bad?"
"Yes. You were cold and cruel, and you hurt Adam's feelings. And Ken's feelings. Besides, we can hold it over your head that it was Portman that saved you." Maurae groaned, but she was smiling.
"Oh, dear. Do you have to rub that in my face? I was stupid! I know that. I didn't mean to OD, I just wasn't paying attention." Her ears turned pink.
"Hello," said a heavily accented male's voice. Maurae took in her friends' wide eyes before turning around and seeing the speaker, the same boy who'd been watching her before and his blond friend.
"Hello," the three girls chorused.
"I am Gunnar Stahl. This is my friend Olaf Sanderson." He spoke slowly, making sure not to slur his words with his thick accent. His smile revealed straight, white teeth, and his eyes never left her face.
"I'm Julie Gaffney," Julie said when Maurae made no move to introduce herself. "This is Connie Moreau, and Maurae Grabeklis."
"We play for Team Iceland," Olaf spoke up, obviously thinking to impress them. Maurae smiled a sarcastic smile.
"We play for Team USA," she replied. The boys were silent a moment before they started to chuckle.
"That is a good joke, no?"
"Ha ha. No, actually, it isn't. We really do play for Team USA."
"But...but you are girls!" Gunnar exclaimed, still chuckling. "Girls do not play hockey.
"Maybe not where you're from, pretty boy, but here, girls do play hockey, and we're the best," Connie spoke up, her feathers ruffled. Maurae suddenly realized that they'd lost the others.
"Um, guys? Where's everybody else?" Julie started looking around and Connie paled.
"Didn't they go this way?"
"I thought we were headed this way."
"They could be anywhere by now."
"Howdy, ladies. Get yourselves lost?" asked Dwayne suddenly, with that familiar Texas twang. Maurae smiled in relief.
"Dwayne!" she exclaimed. "Boy, are we glad to see you! We got separated." He smiled and patted her shoulder.
"Not to fret, little filly," he teased affectionately. "We all split up after Bombay showed us the locker room and I saw that you'd been missin'. So I set out to find you." Connie grabbed his arm.
"Dwayne, do you know where Guy went?"
"I think he went over to the gymnastics place." Connie zoomed off. Julie saluted and followed. Maurae suddenly remembered that she still had company.
"Oh, forgive my lapse in manners!" she exclaimed, feigning cordiality for Dwayne's sake. "Gentleman, this is Dwayne Robertson. He also plays for Team USA. Dwayne, this is Gunnar Stahl and Olaf Sanderson. They play for Team Iceland." Dwayne lifted the brim of his cowboy hat in salute.
"Howdy, boys."
"Tell me, Dwayne," Gunnar said, his accent thick. "Is it true that Team USA has girls?"
"Why, you're lookin' at one of them now!" he explained cheerfully. Maurae smiled smugly and grabbed his arm.
"It was nice to meet the two of you. I'm sure I'll see you around sometime. Dwayne, could you show me where the locker room is? I kind of want to get a general idea of the layout." He smiled and led her away.
Adam, Charlie, and Jesse were sitting in the locker room when she arrived with Dwayne. She stiffened, but he let go of her arm. "Talk to them," he whispered.
"You want me to apologize too?" she sighed. He smiled and gave her a little push into the room. Charlie looked up.
"Well, look who it is," he said quietly. Adam and Jesse looked up; Adam scowled and Jesse looked slightly confused. "Come to abuse us with some more silence? Or are you going to cut at us with your acid tongue like you did Portman?"
"He can handle it, he's a big boy now," she retorted. "And no, to both. I came to get my bearings. But as long as you're here, I suppose I should say something. The truth is, I don't really remember anything after breakfast this morning. I do remember I was scared witless about getting on another plane. I didn't mean to snap or be as mean as I can tell that I was. It happens sometimes, when I forget to take my sedatives beforehand. One of the many reasons my parents decided to let me go on them in the first place. So whatever I did or said, I'm sorry."
"You were a total witch, Ro. To everybody."
"I'm sorry that you had to find out about my bad side under circumstances like these. But that's just part of it, okay? I am who I am, the good and the bad. And the worst, which you no doubt experienced today, from the look on Adam's face. All I can say is that I'm sorry, all right? And I am." She turned and left the locker room, on her way to hunt down Connie and Julie again for some company.