Chapter 26: Enough...

Words could not describe the emotions running though me as I saw her run her hand down the side of his neck, exactly where my hands had been mere hours before. I knew she wouldn't let up, but I didn't think she would be this persistent. When Geno finally saw me, he stood up to make his way to me, but I couldn't deal with this right now. I had to get a better hold of myself before I could get a better grasp on what had really happened. I hadn't been present for it all, but what I did see was what I thought was rejection on Geno's part. As I made my way past them and to the trainers room the smile on her face almost made me want to fight her right there. I had been known to take a whack at some of the bitchy girls at my school, and even as satisfying as that was, I didn't work with them or have to get along with them. I had to see Leslie almost ever day, and even if seeing her with a black eye for the next week or so would have been gratifying, I didn't know if I would be able to stop at just one punch. As I walked past her, I couldn't help but size her up. She definitely did have muscle, but then again so did I. Not to mention I was nearly 6 foot tall, and she couldn't have stood more than 5'6. I laughed at the idea of me smearing her. Nobody had ever gotten to me like she had. But then again, nobody had tried to take the one thing I desperately wanted and needed the most.


After I made it to the trainers room I shut the door. I knew I would have about 15 minutes before Kyle would need it, so I intended to use that to my full advantage. I locked the door, assuming Geno would follow me. I was right. I saw him make his way to the door, but then he hesitated before his arm could get all the way to the door to knock. I kept quiet and till I saw him walk away with what I assumed was a defeated expression. It was times like these that I loved how well he knew me, and that now all I really needed was space.


I tended to alienate myself from people whenever things didn't go my way. It was something I had grown accustomed to, but a feeling I hadn't experience in a long time. He was my everything in a sense. That thought alone finally made the tears welling in my eyes fall silently down my face.


I could hear more of the guys start showing up, so I unlocked the door and made my way out of the little room, knowing it would be safe to make an escape without seeing him. I knew his schedule well, because I had become a part of it quite a long time ago, so I knew he would be busy getting prepared for the game. Just as I had figured, he was no where in sight.

When Kyle finally showed up, I made my way back into the trainers room with him. I still didn't get to do much, which bothered me immensely. I had sat and watched enough that I knew exactly what was expected, and I knew that I could handle doing the job right now. But Mario was determined that I have so many days at each stage. I tried to convince him that I was a fast learner, and even though he agreed, he still said that there was no need to rush things.

Soon enough, Geno made his way in to get taped up before the game. I had been around enough hockey players now to know that most of them are extremely superstitious, never changing anything. I knew he was no different, and that I taped him every game, and that tonight he would want to different, disagreement or not.

I could feel his gaze on me while I did my work. The tension was broken up when I heard them making their way toward the room.

"Well hello Tyler, it's nice to see you again," Victoria greeted while plastering a smile on her face. I had grown accustomed to seeing her, with her foundation and all, but that didn't mean that I enjoyed it. Period. Then I saw who she had with her. Leslie. 'You have got to be shitting me,' I thought to myself. 'Perfect match...' I didn't know if I could answer while still being civil, so I just smiled and turned back around to finish my job. Of course Victoria didn't know me as well and she thought she did, so she didn't pick up on my tension.

"Have you met Leslie?" she questioned while smiling toward her. Leslie smiled back, and I couldn't help but be disgusted.

"We work together, of course I've met her," I answered as nicely as I could.

"I think it would be wonderful for you girls to get close. With all these hockey players around, you must have much to talk about," she continued while glancing over at Geno and winking. The look that came across Leslie's face almost made me reconsider my theory of having to be nice. Almost. I could tell that Geno had picked up on my tension because of the way he was looking at me, as if he knew I was about to crack. I knew how Victoria felt about him, because she had told me many times. She thought he was absolutely one of the finest men around. Only second to Sid. She would never understand that I wanted this job for other reasons than the men involved.

"I don't have a lot of extra time, with school and all," I replied while forcing myself to smile. "Well, you're all finished," I said looking back at Geno. "Excuse me," I continued while making my way out of the door.

I had had enough of their little pow wow. The both of them together was unbearable, even though they were the perfect match. Both manipulative bitches.

The rest of the night, Leslie continued to taunt me in whatever way she could. My attempts to avoid her were failing miserably, and I knew that I was very close to showing her how much I hated her when she approached me again. The media had filed out of the locker room, so there as nobody in the room now but the players. I had left the trainers room and was making my way to the door.

"Hey Ty, quick question," she said. I could almost hear the laugh in her voice. She knew she was getting to me, so I didn't even bother to turn around and face her, although I did stop, curious as to what bullshit conclusion she had came to.

"When you two are together, does he still moan my name?"

I dropped my crutches and didn't even think twice. I had had enough of her bullshit, so I punched her directly in the face and had her on the ground in no time. I could hear Jordan and Sid on their way, so I made use of the few seconds I had left and gave her some shots to her abdomen before giving her one more in the face.

"Ty, what are you doing?!" Jordan shrieked in my ear while pulling me off of her.

"What the hell does it look like I'm doing," I answered bluntly while trying to get out of his grasp.

"Sid, get her out of here," Jordan commanded while pointing to Leslie, who in the midst of everything was still smiling.

By this time Geno had made his way over to me. "Here Jordan, I got it," he said while grabbing me from him and picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

Geno's POV

"Put me down," she yelled at me. I didn't listen until I had her back in the trainers room and had the door locked. I sat her on the training table after she had finally calmed down, and just put my hands on the edge of the counter on both sides of her legs while looking down. I knew why she had attacked Leslie, and I couldn't exactly blame her. But I couldn't believe she had lost her composure like that. I looked up, meeting her ice cold gaze for the first time tonight with one of my own. She sat there for a few seconds before breaking the silence between us.

"I don't regret it," she said calmly.

"Do you realize that you could lose your internship?" I asked with a harsher voice than was probably necessary.

"You didn't hear what she said--"

"It doesn't matter! You can't do something like that every time another woman shows a little compassion toward me." I knew I had hit a nerve, and that that was probably a low blow, but it was true. She should have never have let her emotions get the best of her like that. She struggled to get off the table, but I held her there.

"Let me go," she said, her voice cracking. I never intended to make her cry, or even upset her, but she can't go beating the shit out of every woman that looks at me. I lifted my arm and let her hobble out of the room. I heard her grab her crutches, and then the opening and closing of the locker room door. I made my way back out to the locker room, where all eyes were on me.

"How's Leslie?" I asked to Sid, who had appeared again since evacuating Leslie to a safer location.

"Ty did a pretty good number on her, but I wouldn't expect anything more than a black eye in the morning," Sid answered with a smile.

"How's Ty?" Kris asked from his stall. I shot him an evil glance that told him to just drop it.

"Don't go picking a fight with her Geno," Jordan shot at me while smiling wickedly. "After what I just saw, I'd pick Ty," he finished while laughing.