A/N: I don’t know a thing this is all fiction!
Chapter 200: Joey IX—Is She a Good Girl?
Swift
Current,
“Hey Joey, you.. you think we’re gonna be stars someday?”
Joe rubbed his nose quickly on the sleeve of his jersey and he looked at his linemate. Sheldon hadn’t said a word to him throughout the entire practice, and now as their drills were done and they were skating off the ice, did he say something.
“What does it matter?” Joe replied. “I mean, we’re stars now, aren’t we Kennedy?”
Sheldon half grinned, his eyes seemed sleepy and dark. “Yeah, I know that, but when it really counts, when it really matters. Do you think we’ll make it?”
Joe yawned and stretched. “I don’t know, Sheldon,” he said. “If you think about it too much, if you want it too much, I doubt it’ll happen. It’s bad luck you know.”
“Oh,” Sheldon said.
Joe saw him frown, saw a scowl and the tears appear and disappear in Sheldon’s eyes. He thought about the whispers and bragging. “Hey Sheldon,” he said.
Kennedy raised his eyebrows, “Yeah?”
Joe pressed his hand into his shoulder. “How about not hanging out so much with the guys? You look like hell, like you could use some rest. Why not just hang out by yourself or get a girlfriend or something.”
Sheldon swallowed and shook his head. “I don’t like being alone.”
“Well you need to do something,” Joe replied. “You can’t keep your production up if you’re all washed out, you know?”
Sheldon closed one eye and wrinkled his nose. “Yeah,” he said in a low, slow voice. “We’ll see. You’re right though, I’m tired, real tired.”
“Sakic!”
Joe saw Sheldon scowl again, shrug his shoulders and the boy skated quickly away jumping into the locker room. Joe watched him go and then looked at Coach James, a heavy set man with a rather pleasant attitude. “Yeah coach?” he answered.
“That girl over there, she belong to you?”
Joe frowned and looked in the direction James was pointing. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized Debbie. She was not in the seats with the other girlfriends, and she was in a pretty outfit, her face made up. “Debbie!” he said.
“She’s been here the entire practice,” James said, “She’s been watching your every move. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed her.”
Joe swallowed. “I.. I never really notice the girls.”
James smiled and Joe felt a quick urge to push him off when he put his arm over his shoulders and squeezed. “You’re a good boy. The girls can be a waste of time aye?” It wasn’t that he didn’t like James, he just didn’t feel comfortable sometimes around him. The whole team knew the man was a homosexual, at least they thought he was, and Joe didn’t want to think of himself as being an ignorant bigot but still… At least he never came into the locker rooms when they showered or changed, that was a good sign.
“She’s not a waste of my time,” Joe said. “I just don’t notice much other than the puck when we’re practicing.”
James’ arm quickly left Joe’s shoulder. “Oh,” he said in a pleasant voice, “is she a good girl? I don’t recognize her.”
“She won’t get me into trouble,” Joe said quickly and he skated away from James, he made eye contact with Debbie and he lifted his stick to acknowledge her. The smile, the sun, the light in her face was immediate and it set Joe’s heart aflame. He smiled back at her. She blew a kiss…. He felt his whole body tingle all the way down to his toes.
“Jeez Joe,” Debbie said as he met her outside the practice center, her face was smiling and that’s all that mattered to him. “I was there for the entire practice and you didn’t once look at me. Do I look that bad aye?”
Joe felt his cheeks burn and he wanted to grab her tightly in his arms, squeeze her, devour her, discover every inch of her skin. Instead he reached out and grabbed her hand and squeezed it, she was a good girl. She wasn’t like one of those girls who rubbed against their bodies in parties, chugged down beer to impress everyone, vomited and moaned when they were finally touched, left parties with mascara running down their cheeks. He could never see Debbie ever doing that, being caught like that.
“You’re beautiful,” Joe said. “I can’t get over it, I mean… you like me.”
Debbie laughed, tossing her head back, a throat as soft and cool looking as an icy glass of milk. Joe wanted that much too, he wanted to sink his teeth into that flesh, taste her, smell her…
“Why wouldn’t I like you hon?” she said when she had stopped laughing. There was a lovely rose flush to her cheeks now, Joe knew he would just pass out, he knew it. “I’m the one who can’t believe that you… well…” She blushed more, looked away. “Nevermind,” she said.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t give you a wave earlier,” Joe said, not knowing what else to say, wanting to distract himself before his lust for her became obvious enough to scare her away. He was burning everywhere.
“You should be,” Debbie said. Her eyes flashed angrily, beautifully. “I could have been at the mall, finishing my homework, baking a pie with mom, and instead I chose to do myself pretty and show you some support and all I get is a little wave after your coach points me out? How embarrassing!”
Joe gnawed on his lips, looked at his feet, not wanting to see her impassioned face anymore, tormented by it’s beauty, he couldn’t think of a good girl like that. “It’s the puck you know.”
Debbie frowned. “The puck?”
Joe nodded. “I need to know where it is at all times on the ice, even during practice. It’s important. I don’t notice who is in the stands very often.”
Debbie smiled. “You mean you didn’t notice all those pretty girls by the net?”
Joe shook his head. “Nope.”
Debbie narrowed her eyes. “You’re lying! Everyone noticed those girls.”
Joe sighed, he was fast learning that with a girl, a boy never won.
“You know,” Debbie said in a low voice as they sat on the carpet of the school library the next morning organizing books into piles on the floor. Joe couldn’t stop glancing at her pretty knees peeking out from underneath her woolen skirt.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“This is our last day in library duty.” She said, “And I don’t think I like that.”
Joe looked into her soft smile. “How come?”
Debbie frowned and she threw a check out slip at his head. “Cause I won’t get to be with you here anymore you dummy!”
Joe smiled, and looked back at the book in his hand. “It’s not like we’ll never be together again,” he said.
“True,” Debbie replied, “but I liked having assigned time with you, all by ourselves.”
Joe sighed, closed his eyes, smelling her lotion. “Can I… can I…” he said, and his voice faltered. “I…”
He heard Debbie laugh quietly. “Yes! Please Joe! You haven’t so much as kissed me…”
That was all he needed to hear. As soon as she gave her permission Joe almost pounced on her, grabbed her soft, smooth calf in his hand, squeezed it, lifted her leg and pressed his mouth against her knee, tasted it.
“Joe!” he heard her gasp, exclaim, and he felt her fingers in his hair, lighting an unquenchable thirst in him, a thirst for more of her.
He kissed above her knee, slid his hand up the warm flesh under her skirt, squeezed her there… the blood was rushing so fast in his brain that he didn’t really know if she was protesting, he could feel her pull at his hair. He heard her gasp when he let go of her leg and before she could say anything he grabbed her in his arms and kissed her soft mouth, felt it open, kissed her deeply, he wanted more.
Her hands were pressing on his chest, was she encouraging him or was she pushing him? Again he didn’t know or barely cared, he squeezed his fingers around her tiny wrist and he slid his mouth to her soft throat at the same time he pushed her hand down his body, pressed it against the part that was aching for her the most…
“Joe!” he heard her surprised exclamation, heard some of the fear there and it woke him up.
Feeling burned and confused he pushed away from her, jumped to his feet and leaned his forehead against the bookshelf. What had he just done to her? How could he have ruined everything? How could he have scared her like that? What sort of animal was he?
“I’m sorry,” he moaned. “I just meant to kiss you that’s all…”
“No,” Debbie said softly, in a shy voice. Bless her heart she was trying to deflect blame off him, “Joe it wasn’t bad.. I mean… I wasn’t telling you to stop. I was just surprised is all.”
Joe looked at her, saw her disheveled clothes, the pink splotching around her lips, on her cheeks and throat. She would have let me, she was scared and helpless and she would have let me. How could I be so cruel to her? She’s so sweet and gentle that she’d accept what I would do.
“I won’t do it again, I’m sorry, Debbie, I promise. I don’t want to scare you,” he whispered
“Oh,” Debbie said and she looked away. “I’m a good girl, you know.”
“I know,” Joe said. “I don’t want to hurt you, I love you too much.”
He reddened, felt it burn his throat and his heart exploded with anger at himself. Again he was coming on too strong. He was going to scare her away forever, and perhaps she deserved to be somewhere better.
“You love me?” Debbie whispered.
Joe swallowed, tried to read her face. He couldn’t understand it though. She looked horribly saddened but she was smiling, tears were starting to fall.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t mean to..”
“You love me Joe Sakic?” she said.
Joe nodded. Was the truth the best route to go? It was his only option. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” He said. “I’m intoxicated.”
Debbie smiled and she pressed her hands against her mouth, tears were pouring. “Say it again! I have to believe it.”
Joe smiled nervously and he sat back down on the carpet. “I love you,” he said. “I love you.”
Debbie laughed, fell onto her back, her elbows pointed high in the air as she pressed her hands over her face and Joe couldn’t begin to comprehend that he could feel anymore happy, or confused as he was at that moment.
“That’s a good thing?” he asked. “Right?”
“Of course dummy!” Debbie exclaimed. “Of course!”
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