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Not that Emma had to worry about that.  She was in love with no one.

Her father returned and Emma gleefully took the hot dog and water and wolfed it down before the second period began.

When the third period buzzer went off, the fans cheered.  The score ended up being five to two in favor of the Gulls.  Kyle didn’t score again, but a defenseman did – two of them, actually, as did Matt Peters.  Emma stood, but her father pulled her back down.

“I can’t believe you forgot,” he said.  “They bring out the top three players.”

“Even during preseason?” Emma asked in confusion, sitting back down.

“It’s kind of a Gulls tradition,” Jeremy said. 
“Even though it’s not the actual season, people at the game vote for the top three players and they come out and get recognition.  Ken wanted to make sure that the fans appreciated the players and the players, in turn, appreciate the fans.”

After a few more minutes, a narrow, crimson carpet rolled out from the corner entranceway of the rink, and the Gulls Girls lined up on other side, waving a small, navy blue towel, cheering. 

“Number three player of the game,” the announcer began, causing the room to get quiet, “as voted by you is Kyle Underwood!”

The crowd cheered as Kyle emerged onto the carpet, waving to the crowd.  He skated over to where Emma stood, pointed at her, and then gently tossed his hockey stick over the glass to her.  She caught it with ease, her face no doubt matching the carpet.  She didn’t even hear the announcement that Brandon Thorpe was voted number two, along with both cheers and boos, and Chad Westwicke was voted number one, due to the
two goals he scored in the second period.  In fact, her eyes looked down at the smooth stick, taking in the plain design, the scrawl that was Kyle’s signature.  Above it, written in black felt pen, was a question.

Dinner tomorrow?
7 at the Canary?

Emma’s breath hitched.  He asked her out.  On a stick, yes, but Kyle Underwood, hockey player, had asked her out.

What should she say?  Well first, she needed to figure out if she wanted to go out with him.  Emma didn’t know much about Kyle, but she knew she wanted to get to know him more.  And The Canary was her favorite sushi joint in Newport Beach.  It wasn’t totally exclusive, but it was trendy and normally got busy Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.  Luckily, tomorrow was Tuesday, so maybe it wouldn’t be too crowded.

She looked at Kyle, who was looking at her, and she nodded once before looking away.

“Wow,” her father said as they started to leave.  “Nice souvenir.”

Emma recognized her father’s tone of voice.  Like she knew her interest in hockey was all Kyle’s fault.  But at that particular moment, she didn’t care. 

15
.
 
The next night, Madison, along with her fellow Gulls Girls, was currently at Sea Side Ice Palace, called together for a meeting by none other than Katella Hanson, sister to new Gulls owner Seraphina and granddaughter to original owner Ken Brown.  She stood next to Amanda, who was going on about her awkward run-in with her ex at school.

Amanda was a senior at Cal-State Fullerton.  She actually lived in Anaheim, but made the drive up four days of the week.  She was double-majoring in business and performing arts because, according to her, she couldn’t make a decision by the deadline so she just chose both.  And though the load was hectic, she found that it was fun.  On top of school and working as a Gulls Girl, she apparently had one hell of a social life.  The many stories Amanda had already shared with Madison involved numerous guys that Madison couldn’t keep track of, even if she tried, parties, shots, and the like.  She was bubbly and approachable, and everyone seemed to like her except those who were jealous of who she was.  It was like her life was one big party, and yet, she was sweet and warm and obviously kept her grades up in order to stay on the team.

Madison was always amused by Amanda’s stories, especially when they involved a good amount of gossip, but she knew she could never be Amanda.  Madison wasn’t exactly a party girl and she rarely if ever drank, save for maybe a beer every now and then.  She didn’t take on more than she could handle when it came to her job and school work.  Instead having tons of friends, Madison had Amanda and Rhine and Stephanie from back home.  And possibly her two younger sisters, if they counted.  Yet somehow, the pair of the red head and the brunette seemed to work.  Amanda never pressured Madison to party or to drink and Madison never teased Amanda for her flightiness. 

“What are we doing here, exactly?” Madison asked once Amanda had finished her story about how she smiled and waved at her ex, but refused to go up and speak to him due to the fact that they only broke up a couple of months ago, and while she wanted to be the bigger person, she also didn’t want to revert back to the pain she experienced immediately after the goodbye.  “We don’t have a game until tomorrow, right?”

“I don’t know,” Amanda said.  “Surprisingly enough.  All I know is that while technically, Lara called us all together, Katella’s actually going to be running the meeting.”

“That’s what I don’t get, though,” Madison murmured.  “Why?  She’s not the owner, and besides being Seraphina’s sister and Peters’ girlfriend, I don’t understand how she has any authority on calling a meeting.”

“Ooh, someone has it out for her,” Amanda said with a grin.

“No, that’s not it at all,” Madison said, shaking her head.  “I don’t even know Katella.  She actually seems really nice.  I just don’t get why we’re here.  Did we do something wrong?”

“You need to calm down, Maddy.”  Amanda gave her friend a pointed look.  “Seriously.  Who cares?  The only thing I might get upset about is the fact that the gas is so expensive right now.  What’s the problem anyways?  Got a hot date?”

Madison laughed at the ridiculous claim, but that didn’t stop her face from turning red.

“Spill,” Amanda said, pouncing on the telltale blush.  “Right now.  Is he a player?  Oh my God, is it Alec Schumacher?”  She whispered the last part, ensuring that the surrounding Girls didn’t overhear.

“What?” Madison asked. 
“Oh, God no.  No.  It’s definitely not Alec Schumacher.  Why would you say it’s Alec Schumacher?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders.  “It’s
just, he always seems to find a way to interact with you, even though technically, he’s not supposed to.  Be careful.  I already told you about his reputation but…”  She let her voice trail off and took a step closer to Madison so Amanda’s pink lips nearly reached Madison’s ear.  Whatever Amanda was about to say was going to be big.  “At the end of the last season, Faye hooked up with him.”

“Gaye?” Madison whispered, surprised. 
“The captain?”

“Shhhh!”
  Amanda looked at the person they were talking about, but as far as the two girls could tell, Faye didn’t overhear them.  She seemed to be wrapped up in her own conversation with two Girls Madison recognized as Erica and Kim.  “Yes.  Nobody’s supposed to know about it.  I only know because, well it’s a long story, but to shorten it, she was hoping for something more serious, he wasn’t, and somehow I was in the only other Girl in the locker room when they ended things.  Faye looks really strong and is no doubt definitely a bitch, but when she told me everything and I comforted her, she seemed… broken.”

“But I thought everyone knew his reputation,” Madison said.  “Shouldn’t she have known better?”

“Well, yeah, but every girl wants to be
that
girl, you know?  The girl that gets a guy to commit or to get off drugs or to get over himself.  Rarely does it ever happen, and that’s what heartbreak is all about.  But for whatever reason, Faye truly believed she could be Alec’s One, and he pretty much rejected her.”

“When you say hooked up…”  Madison let her voice trail off, but she didn’t have to finish the sentence for her question to come across.

“Yeah, they had sex,” Amanda said with a curt nod.  “The thing is, Faye admitted that Alec told her that he wasn’t interested in anything serious but Faye thought that after they did it, he might change his mind, you know?  When Alec stopped taking her calls, she went over to his place and confronted him, only to find him with another girl.  Not a Gulls Girl, mind you.  But still.”

“I mean, yeah it sucks that he likes to play the field, but at least he was upfront about it.”  Madison crossed her arms over her chest.  “I feel like girls sometimes think guys play games with them or will change their mind, but when they say something, I always tend to believe it.  It’s high school all over again.  I don’t have any patience for mind games.  I feel like they’re a waste of time.  It was stupid for Faye to have sex with him after he told her he wasn’t interested in anything serious, and she had no right to go over to his house.  They weren’t ever exclusive.”

“No, I agree,” Amanda said.  “But that’s why I say be careful.  Listen, I’m as romantic as the next person.  I think one day, Alec’s going to meet
that
girl and he won’t know what to do with himself.  But he has a history with the Girls, and even more than that, he has a history, albeit a very short one, with Faye.  She doesn’t seem to like you all that much anyways, and you really don’t need to give her another reason to increase your ranking on her shit list.”

“Trust me, I am not interested in Alec Schumacher,” Madison said.  “Actually, I met this guy in my social psychology class.”  Madison went on to tell her friend how she and Brady met, how they had a connection, and how silly she felt at the way her body reacted to his mere attention.  “I don’t know.  It’s too
soon to say what’s going to happen, but…”  She felt herself blushing once again.  “But I hope something does, you know?”

“He sounds like one of those rare species you don’t believe in until you actually see them,” Amanda said.  “Like Big Foot. 
Or the Loch Ness Monster.  And no one believes you because they haven’t seen it for themselves.  Wow, a hot guy who seems super sweet, reads literature, and sat right next to you.  It was like he chose you.  You have to keep me informed about what happens, okay?  Promise?”

Madison threw her head back and laughed.  Despite the fact that she and Amanda were pretty much polar opposites, she loved having a friend like Amanda to talk to.  It helped her keep things balanced and also offered her another viewpoint on an issue, one she might not have previously considered.  And it was always nice to have a bubbly friend she could discuss boys with.

At that moment, Lara Stinson walked in wearing her usual black.  A respectful hush came over the Girls.

“Sit, sit,” Lara said, gesturing with her hands.  The Girls followed her instructions, taking a seat in the crimson-carpeted meeting room.  As they did so, Lara turned and began to wipe away plays Henry Wayne had scrawled out probably during intermission during the previous game.  “Girls, let me start by thanking you for being here, especially with so little notice.  Katella Hanson should be here soon, and then we’ll officially get started.”

As Lara finished her sentence, Katella herself walked in.  She gently closed the door behind her and walked to the front of the room.  Madison noticed that she seemed dressed for work.  Maybe she had just gotten off and rushed over here to give this meeting.  The bun her hair was in had loosened, causing stray locks to frame her face.  She wore a high-waisted skirt with a small slit in the back and a long-sleeved collared white shirt.  She looked beautiful but exhausted, something Madison didn’t blame her for.  On Katella’s feet was a pair of worn black flip flops, the only piece of her outfit that seemed mismatched.

Madison smirked.  In all likelihood, Katella had taken off the heels she probably wore to work and slipped on the sandals to make sure her feet didn’t continue to ache after eight hours on the job.  Comfort in lieu of fashion. 
Madison’s kind of girl.

“Sorry for my lateness,” Katella said, turning to the sitting Girls.  “I’m not usually late, but the 55 is horrible right now.”  The Girls nodded or murmured their assent.  “Okay, so let’s get this meeting officially started.  Firstly, thank you all for coming.  Sorry this is on such short notice.  In all actuality, this meeting should have happened sometime last month, but what with everything that had happened, that
is
happening, it got pushed back and it got pushed back again and then again.  Somehow, this date and time managed to work, and for that, I’m grateful.  So again, thanks.”

Madison had to hand it to Katella, even though the young woman touched upon her grandfather’s death, her voice didn’t shake.  Her eyes seemed to turn a blue-green color, but besides that, she really managed to keep it together.  If something like this had happened to Madison, she’d probably be the same way, except maybe not as eloquent as Katella.

“I know you’re probably wondering what this is about,” Katella began, and then turned to the white board.  With her left hand, she began to write out the words Season Activities.  “I guess before we discuss that, I should give you some quick background on me and what I do.  My name is Katella Hanson, and I am Ken Brown’s granddaughter, Ken being the owner of the Gulls.  Former owner, I should say.”  There it was.  A crack.  Vulnerability.  But then, just like a magician made rabbits disappear, her sadness was gone.  “I apologize.  Now my sister, Seraphina, is the owner.  I have my own company that focuses on doing charity events for various corporations, celebrities, and sports teams, including the Newport Beach Seagulls.  As such, I coordinate the event, what happens, who shows up, the theme or the message of the event, the venue, the catering, the music if there is any, that sort of thing.  Normally, after every hockey season ends, I sit down with my grandfather and we discuss the events we want to do next season.  What charities do we want to support?  What should we do differently?  How can we involve fans from all financial backgrounds?  How can we incorporate the team players more?  That sort of thing.