Chapter 4

After almost 3 hours of parking lot hockey, Mattie and I made our way back to our room to get showered and change into our formal wear. The dorm was fairly quiet now, all the boys were either getting ready or already in the dinning room.

"Hey, what's this?" Mattie asked, pulling out two booklets from the door 'mailbox'. They had our names on them, he handed mine to me.

"...schedules..." I said flipping through the books contents. They had the 4 weeks divided off into week long sections. Everyone would be spending the first week in lame 'get-to-know-each-other' activities, work-out rooms and going through the 'viewing' process of scouts and the World Juniors' medical team. The second week we would be divided into our first choice for positioning. I would be spending my whole second week with all the other centres, apparently in a 5-day workshop with 'specialists', whatever that meant. The third week we would be divided into teams for scrimmages and more work-out room. After that week would come the first cuts. The final week we would be put into permanent teams and we would play a mini tournament, we would find out whether or not we made the team the last Saturday we were here. "At least it looks like we have all the weekends off... not alot of actual hockey games though... that's surprising" I said giving the book another one-over.

"Yah, looks like we won't get to spend much time with each other either..." Mattie sighed, "Hopefully we get put on the same team at the end though." I nodded in agreement, "You take the shower first... you take longer to get ready anyway." Mattie laughed as I gawked at him in mock hurt.

After towel drying my wavy brown hair, which fell halfway down my back, and applying some lip gloss, I deemed myself good to go. Mattie was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a button down white shirt, I was wearing the dress that Kelsie (Marty's girlfriend) had lent me.

Mattie and I made our way outside towards the dinning hall, I was moving much slower than usual. Mattie of course picked up on my apprehension; "Everything alright CC?" He asked, resorting back to my childhood nickname - something he often did when he could tell I was upset or anxious about something.

"Yah, just worried you know... about the tryouts, about tonight..." I trailed off. Mattie reached for my hand and I extended it to him, we walked in silence for a few more minutes.

Mattie stopped walking suddenly, he spun me around to face him, never letting go of my hand. "You're gonna be great you know. Not just the hockey either, although we know you'll be great then too. But I mean this kind of stuff, once they see you play they'll never doubt why you're here. I know you're not use to all the attention you're about to get but... it's all pointing you in the right direction. So, don't be nervous... besides," he smiled, leading me towards the dinning hall once again, "if anything starts going south... we can get Consti to start a fight and then sneak you out the back!"



The dinning hall was almost full. For the first time in my life I was happy I was so short, it would have been alot harder to blend in - the only person in a dress - if people could actually see me. Mattie was still holding my hand as we made our way through the mess of tables until we reached Carrol and Consti.
Carrol stared at my hand intertwined in Matties', then he looked at Mattie and then back down to our hands. As if my hand was on fire, Mattie dropped it and quickly sat down. Carrol smirked to himself before introducing us to the rest of the table. "Alright guys this is Carlie Simone and Mattie Doiron, you guys this is Chris Rayner, Jeremy Butler and you already met Jake McQuaid on the bus" Carrol said, pointing each one out.

All three smiled and said 'hey', Jake looked like he was about to say something else but Dean Richards took to the make-shift stage and the room fell silent. "Hello everyone! It's with the greatest pleasure that I welcome you to the USA World Junior training camp in the beautiful Lake Placid!" The room errupted into cheers. "You are all here, for one reason, and one reason only... You're the best of the best." Dean stopped for a minute to allow the screaming and cat-calls to quiet down. "Over these next three weeks you will be tested physically by our trainers and medical staff, our 'specialists' will be here to give you advice and to give us their opinions on you... and then we will be letting some of you go. Our last week will showcase our traditional training camp tournament where you will be watched by not only World Junior staff and coaches, but by NHL general managers and owners as well. This month will be one of the best opportunities you have to showcase your talents to the men that will have a hand in deciding your future. So remember, have fun, and play hard!"

The rest of the dinner involved an introduction to the coaching staff and some damn good food! As the dinner was drawing to an end, people began getting up and introducing themselves to each other. I got separated from Mattie, Consti and Carrol and ended up wandering around by myself; however, I wasn't alone for long. "Carlie right?" someone asked from behind me. I turned around to see a group of boys, all staring at me.

"Yah that's right." I smiled, trying to appear confident.

"Oh it's cool to meet you. Everyone's been talking about you... first girl invited to the training camp and all... you nervous about the tryouts?"

"Umm... a bit I guess. I was just really excited to even get the opportunity to be here at all though. Anything that comes after this is just a bonus!" They all laughed, they seemed genuienly interested to talk to me, and they also seemed not upset in the least that there was a girl competing against them.

"Oh well... good luck! I mean, I heard you're really good so you probably don't need it but... I guess we'll see you around." The six guys all smiled and said goodbye, as they turned to leave I saw Jake walking towards me.

"Hey Carlie! I was wondering where you went... you heading back to the dorms?"

"Yah, I was going to look for my friends and then head back."

"Oh, I just saw Carrol and them leave, I think they were looking for you. Wanna walk back together? You still owe me a game of Guitar Hero!" He winked at me and offered me his arm.

I laughed and took it, he lead me out the doors and towards the dorm, the evening was warm and we walked slow, laughing about the most random things.





After about a gazillion songs on Guitar Hero, my hands were killing me. "Ugh! I'm not gonna be able to do anything tomorrow... damn you DragonForce!"

Jake and the assorted group of guys laughed. "Yah, I think I'm gonna call it a night too... who wants to play again?" Jake asked standing up and taking the guitar strap off his neck. We left the rec room at the same time and headed down the hall. The room I shared with Mattie was on the first floor so I walked past the stares, but Jake stopped me; "Hey Carlie... can I see you again?" He asked leaning up against the railing.

"Ummm... I would assume so" I laughed, "seeing as how we're going to be living in the same building for like a month."

He started to turn a slight pink colour, "Oh yah... I know I meant like, I could I see you... again... to hang out? Like maybe just us two?"

"Oh!" I said, my confusion clearing up. "Umm, yah sure, I mean if you want to... that'd be cool."

"Alright cool, awesome, yah so, I'll see you around." He smiled at me again, not moving from where he was leaning.

"Alright bye!" I said abruptly turning and walking off towards my room. Did that just happen? Did he just ask me out? No... he was just asking to hang out, no biggie. Alone though? He did say alone right? Just us two, I played over in my head. But that didn't really mean what I think it means, he couldn't really want to go on a date or anything.
Without realizing it I was already back to my room. I opened the door slowly hoping not to wake Mattie up, to my surprise he wasn't there. I undressed quickly and threw on some boy shorts and a tang top before hoping into bed.

I lied in bed for a few minutes, thinking about Jake, when I heared the door open. "Oh, you're in here." I heared Mattie breath a sigh of relief.

"Of course I am," I said, stiffling a yawn "where else would I be? It's like... almost 2! Where were you?"

"I went for a walk with Carrol and then we went back to the dinning hall but, you weren't there so I went to find you."

"Oh, I was playing Guitar Hero in the rec room, sorry, I didn't know you guys were looking for me." I rolled over just in time to see Mattie crawling into his bed in his boxers.

"No worries, just wanted to make sure you got back alright."

We lay there in silence for a while, I looked over and saw Mattie staring up at the ceiling. "Mattie, can I ask you something...?"

"Sure."

"It's a little strange... and you might think it's gross..."

"Umm... ok..."

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

He hesitated for a minute, "why?"

"Ugh! I'll take that as a no." I sighed to myself, I hadn't expected anything different.

He started to laugh, "I didn't say that, but, why are you asking me this?" He rolled over and looked at me.

"Oh just cause, I mean I've never had a boyfriend before, I've never even been on a date before... I've always just been 'the hockey girl' and I've always thought no one ever saw me as a real girl..."

"Before? Before what?" Mattie asked, sitting up now.

"Well, I think that Jake might want to go on a date with me... and I was just wondering if that sounded crazy to you cause he's cute and I'm... well... I'm me."

Mattie lied back down on his bed. "Well..." he said slowly, picking his words carefully, "I don't see why he wouldn't want to go on a date with you but, I'd maybe just keep it friendly while you're here I mean, you don't know anything about this guy and this is a really great opportunity for you hockey-wise, I wouldn't want you to mess that up."

"Hmmm" I said thinking over his words "that makes sense... I should probably stay focused it's just... can you believe it? A guy that might actually like me! That's so crazy..." I sighed rolling over. "Night Mattie."

"Night Carlie."

I started drifting off to sleep, I could hear Mattie moving around restlessly in his bed, and before I was totally taken by sleep I could have sworn I heared him say my name.

Mattie's POV

I couldn't get comfortable anymore. This morning I thought today couldn't get any better, here we were heading off to the training camp, a full month together. Then Dean tells me that he wants me to bunk with Carlie, wanted her in a room with someone she trusted, and I thought for sure this was as good as it gets. Then she lets me hold her hand all the way to the dinning hall, hell, she let me hold it in the dinning hall... all those guys noticed to one the way in, I felt eight feet tall.
Now that Jake guy is hanging around her, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she's interested in him, he looks like an Abercrombie model. I know I shouldn't care cause it's not like she picked him over me... at least she didn't do it knowingly. God! There's so many things I want to tell her, Carrol's right, I just need to man up. I can't keep living like this... I just hope I'm not too late.

Her breathing's almost even now, I know she's almost totally gone and I can't help but answer her question now; "No, I don't think you're pretty Carlie, I think you're the most beautiful woman in the whole world."