Chapter 25: Model Attitude

September 20, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

After Philip and I got ice cream, we walked back to the house and decided to watch The Princess Bride.

"Let's take it up to my room," I said. "That way, we won't bother anyone else."

"I know I sound like a broken record, but your parents are OK with that?"

I wanted to say my parents would be OK if I told them we were going upstairs to fuck, but I didn't think Philip was ready to hear me say something like that, as nervous as he was about me being only fourteen.

"Yes," I replied. "Dad trusts me to make good decisions."

We went to the kitchen to get drinks, then went up to my room. I put the DVD in the player and turned on the TV, which was smaller than the one in the great room but big enough to enjoy the movie.

"You have your own TV, DVD player, and computer?" Philip asked.

"Yes," I said, picking up the remote and pressing 'PLAY'.

I sat down on the loveseat to watch the movie, though I was careful not to sit too close to Philip. I was concerned that I'd scare him away if I were my usual self. What really bugged me was that the older guys I'd been interested in had all felt I was too young.

That had even been true for Mikael, but thankfully, Katt had convinced him that I was mature enough, no matter what the government thought. I was going to enjoy living in Sweden for a year, and when I came home, I'd be seventeen and no longer 'underage' in Illinois. And when I turned eighteen, I was sure nobody would think I was too young! But that was almost four years away and WAY too long to wait.

We both enjoyed the movie, even though we'd both seen it a bunch of times. I was tempted a few times to scoot closer to Philip but decided against doing that, and when the movie ended, he said he wanted to head back to his dorm. I walked him to the front door, and we went out onto the porch.

"See you Sunday!" I said and kissed him on his cheek.

Philip smiled, "See you Sunday."

He left, and I watched as he walked south on Woodlawn until he turned east to head towards the L, then went inside to the great room where Jesse and his usual Friday evening gang were hanging out.

September 21, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

"Mom said I can stay at Kenwood Academy," Nicholas said when we met in the locker room on Saturday morning.

"She and Dad had lunch yesterday," I said. "It must have gone well."

"I don't think so. I heard her tell Tom your dad is an a-hole."

"Well, that's between them, so long as she's not messing with hockey. Are you ready for the game?"

"Yes!"

We changed into our gear, Coach gave a pep talk and reviewed our game plan, and then we hit the ice for our warmups. I saw a number of cheerleaders in the stands, as well as about half the softball team, plus Libby, Natalie, Brooke, and my dad. Of course, Mom One and Mom Two were there, and all the other parents and some siblings. Lane Tech had at least as many supporters as we did, and that meant it was going to be a very loud game. Their supporters tended to be rowdy as well, which meant the Yellow Jackets, who enforced the rules for spectators, would be busy.

We completed our warm-up and pre-game rituals, and when the referee dropped the puck, we won the face-off and had our first shot on goal just fourteen seconds into the game. The puck didn't go in, but it boded well, and we pressed the attack until Freddy drew a penalty from Lane Tech for tripping. One minute into our powerplay, Tom fired the puck over the Lane Tech goalie's shoulder to give us a 1-0 lead and return Lane Tech to even strength.

The game stayed that way until Lane Tech took a second penalty late in the first period when one of their defensemen hooked Nicholas when he was on a breakaway, giving us a rare penalty shot. The Lane Tech supporters were angry and made a lot of noise, and I heard both profanity and disparaging words about the referee. I saw the Yellow Jackets move into one of the rows to confront someone while Nicholas skated back to me.

"Where is he weak?" Nicholas asked.

"High, stick side. Stay away from his glove side, and either deke and put it in the five-hole or roof it stick side. I'd deke then roof it."

"Got it!" Nicholas declared.

Nicholas skated to center ice, and after the ref placed the puck and blew his whistle, Nicholas took the puck and skated in on the Lane Tech goalie. He deked twice, the Lane Tech goalie went down into a butterfly, and Nicholas easily put the puck over his blocker and into the net, giving us a 2-0 lead. That only enraged the Lane Tech fans further, and two of the Yellow Jackets escorted a pair of Lane Tech supporters from the stands. I didn't like the rules, but they had been made clear to everyone. Unfortunately, I felt that was only going to make things worse.

When the first period ended 2-0, the Lane Tech fans booed loudly, and several of the Lane Tech players muttered insults under their breath so that the referee didn't hear them. I hoped their coach got them calmed down in the locker room because otherwise, they might retaliate, despite the 'no checking' rules.

"Great job so far, Men!" Coach Nelson declared. "Stay disciplined, and don't take any penalties, and we'll bring this one home! Get hydrated, change your undershirts if necessary, and rest your legs!"

Freddy put on some music on the small boombox he always brought, and we chilled while we drank ice-cold bottles of water. When the horn sounded, the team trooped out of the locker room and went to the bench, with the first O and D lines taking the ice with me. A minute later, the referee dropped the puck to start the second period.

The Lane Tech coach had his players fired up, and they won the face-off, then skated the puck into our zone. I turned away three shots before we managed to clear the puck to center ice, but Lane Tech stole a pass and set up for another attack. They got off one clean shot, but I caught the puck in my glove and held it for a face-off, which would be to my left. Nicholas came out with his line with Freddy and Mike as the defensemen.

Kelly, the center on Nicholas' line, won the puck back to Mike, who passed to Freddy, who hit a streaking Nicholas with a perfect pass into the neutral zone. One of the Lane Tech defensemen was back and in good position and forced Nicholas wide, and just as he was about to pass to Kelly, the defenseman, who was about a foot taller and fifty pounds heavier than Nicholas, ran Nicholas into the boards.

Nicholas went down, and the referee's arm went up, and he pointed at the Lane Tech defenseman and signaled a five-minute major.

🎤 Steve

Nicholas didn't get up, and Kelly frantically waved for the coach.

"Fuck!" I swore under my breath, pulled out my mobile phone, and dialed 9-1-1.

"I'm at Johnny's Ice House, and we have an injured hockey player."

"He was checked into the boards by a much bigger player and is down on the ice. He appears to be unconscious."

"Yes. The player is a thirteen-year-old male."

"Stay on the line. I'll dispatch the paramedics. Someone should go outside to meet them."

"I'll do that; it's not my son who's injured."

I put my finger over the mic of the phone and asked Natalie to go to Coach Nelson and let him know I'd called for the paramedics and that they shouldn't move Nicholas. She jumped up, following after Tom and Bethany, who had gotten up right away. Once she was on her way, Suzanne and I went outside to wait for the CFD and CPD, who I was sure would both respond.

"I hope he's OK," Suzanne said as we went out the doors.

"Me, too," I replied, keeping the phone to my ear with my finger over the mic.

"That was a cheap shot," Suzanne observed.

"It was. I suspect we'll see a game misconduct and a suspension because this is a 'no check' league."

"Thank you."

I heard sirens two minutes later, and a CFD ambulance pulled up, followed by two CPD squad cars.

"The paramedics are here," I said to the 9-1-1 operator.

"Thanks."

The paramedics grabbed their gear and a gurney, and I led them into the arena and to the door to the ice used by the Zamboni. Nicholas was still down on the ice with Tom and Coach Nelson next to him, with Bethany at Tom's side. The rest of the players were on the benches, so once the paramedics and one of the CPD officers were on the ice, I went over to speak to Jesse.

"Anything?" I asked.

"He's conscious," Jesse replied. "His hands and feet are tingling, and his neck hurts, so they didn't move him."

"Good. Game misconduct?"

"Yes. Five-minute major and a ten-minute misconduct, which is an automatic ejection. That's at least a three-game suspension."

It took about fifteen minutes for the paramedics to get Nicholas into a neck collar, onto a backboard, and then onto the stretcher. They rolled him off, followed by Tom and Bethany, and Coach came back to the bench.

"Where are they taking him?" I asked. "Cook County?"

"Yes. His mom wanted them to take him to UofC, but they have to take him to the closest trauma center."

"Those are the rules," I said. "Will the game continue?"

"Yes. Thanks for calling 9-1-1."

"It was obvious as soon as Nicholas was hit that we'd need them."

Suzanne and I went back to our seats and let Josie and Jennifer know how Nicholas was doing.

"They ejected the kid who hit him," Josie said.

"Jesse told me. He also said he expects a three-game suspension, at least."

"Deserved," Jennifer agreed.

"The ref isn't going to give Lane Tech any grace," Natalie said. "They'll take at least four more penalties, and that'll only rile them up even more."

"I suspect the Yellow Jackets will eject more fans before we're done," I observed.

The guys ended up winning the game 5-1, with Lane Tech getting a goal on Jesse in with about four minutes to go when they stole a pass and had a two-on-one rush against him.

"We got a little careless at the end," Jesse said when he came out of the locker room. "Where did they take Nicholas?"

"Cook County," I replied.

"I'm going there," Jesse said. "I'll take Libby and Lilibeth with me, along with Freddy. That means I need a licensed driver over eighteen in the passenger seat."

"I'll go with you," Natalie offered.

"Suzanne and I will be right behind you," I added.

🎤 Jesse

"They won't tell me anything," I said to Dad. "And I think Bethany and Tom are in with Nicholas."

"HIPAA doesn't allow it," Dad said. "Let me call Jess and see if she can get a status for us."

"How does that work?" I asked.

Dad smiled, "Professional courtesy."

He pulled out his mobile phone and called Aunt Jess, but she didn't answer, so he left a message then dialed Doctor Al. He answered, and he and Dad spoke for a minute, then Dad waited for a couple of minutes, then thanked Doctor Al.

"Mild concussion and spasms in his neck muscles," Dad said. "He'll be released in the morning after observation in neuro. Nobody will be able to see him except Tom and Bethany."

"When can he play again?" I asked.

"There's no way that Al can answer that question. That's up to the doctors here and to Tom and Bethany."

"Shit," I replied.

"You're free to stay if you want," Dad said. "But I'm going to head home so I can teach my afternoon karate class."

"I think we'll go home, too," I said. "If they won't let us in to see him, it doesn't make sense to sit here."

"OK."

Dad walked towards the doors, and Coach stopped him, and I was positive Dad filled him in on Nicholas' condition. I walked over to talk to Natalie, Libby, Lilibeth, and Freddy.

"He has a mild concussion and muscle spasms in his neck," I said.

"Son of a bitch!" Freddy swore. "He's out for at least a week, if not longer."

"That's what concerns me, too," I said. "We can manage one game short a winger because the next game is against Providence St. Mel, and they're a low-ranked team. But we play Brother Rice in two weeks, and they're one of the top three teams with us and St. Rita. Coach is going to have to call one of the guys who was cut and see if he can get them to play for a few weeks."

"That's going to suck," Freddy said, shaking his head. "When we play these assholes again..."

"We're going to play clean and beat them," I said. "You know the league will be looking for even a hint of retaliation."

"So we just take it?"

"No," I replied. "We shove it right up their asses by beating them without resorting to breaking the rules. Let's go. I'll make sure I get an update from Tom."

We left the hospital, and I dropped everyone at their houses, then headed home.

🎤 Birgit

"This is my neighbor, Meghan," Bob said when I arrived at his house. "She's going to help with lights. Did you bring changes of clothes?"

"Yes," I replied. "Hi, Meghan."

"Hi, Birgit," she replied. "Nice to meet you!"

"We'll do one roll here in the studio," Bob said. "Then one roll outside along Halsted."

"OK," I replied. "What should I wear?"

"For the inside shots, your skirt and blouse," Bob said. "For the outside shots, your shorts and polo shirt. You can change behind that screen."

I laughed and didn't move. I took off my jeans and polo shirt and put on the skirt and blouse, noting a wide-eyed Meghan. I wasn't modest, and I was wearing a simple white cotton bra and panty set that covered more than my string bikini!.

"I see you already have the model attitude!" Bob said with a smirk.

"What grade are you in, Meghan?" I asked.

"Tenth, like Bob. You're in ninth, right?"

"Yes. How long have you guys known each other?"

"Since we were born," Meghan said. "I live next door. My dad's a fireman, and my mom is a police officer. How about you?"

"My dad runs a computer software and consulting firm, and my mom is Assistant Chair of the UofC Chemistry Department."

"And you know my parents are professors at UofC," Bob added.

"What kind of shots are you going to take?" I asked.

"The inside ones will be casual, with you reading a book, watching TV, and so on. The outside ones will be window shopping, walking along the street, and sitting on a park bench. I'll take some shots with my DSLR first to determine the settings and get an idea of what the shots will look like. What are you doing for yours?"

"Pictures of my dad around the house and at the dojo where we train. So, where do you want me?" I asked.

"Let's start with the couch. There are some magazines there. Try lying on your stomach, your knees bent, and the magazine on the couch in front of you."

I got into position and looked at Bob.

"Look at the magazine," he instructed.

He took some shots with his digital camera, had Meghan move some lights around, then took one more. He was obviously satisfied, so he took a shot with his film camera, then had me change to sitting with my legs curled up, reading a book. He had me make several more poses, then change into my shorts and polo, which I did without going behind the screen. Once I had changed, we left his studio and headed to Halsted Street.

"Just walk casually down the street, the way you would, and stop to look in windows," Bob directed. "I'll just take the candid shots as you walk."

We left his studio, walked down the stairs to the driveway, then walked a few blocks to Halsted Street. I simply walked, looked in windows, and otherwise tried to be casual. About five minutes later, my mobile phone rang. I slipped it from my pocket and saw it was Jesse calling.

"Hey! What's up?" I said after flipping the phone open to take the call.

"Nicholas was hurt in today's game," Jesse said. "Some jackass on Lane Tech boarded him."

"How is he?"

"He has a mild concussion and muscle spasms in his neck. He's at Cook County, and they're keeping him overnight."

"Did you get to see him?"

"No. Just Tom and Bethany were allowed in."

"Will Nicholas be able to play?"

"Probably not this week, and I don't know about after that. We need to wait to see when the doctors will clear him."

"That sucks. Did you guys at least win?"

"5-1," Jesse said. "I gave up a goal on a two-on-one after a stolen pass."

"What happened to the other kid? The one who boarded Nicholas?"

"Ejected. He'll be suspended by the league and might even be banned."

"Does Stephie know?"

"I have no clue if Dad told her or not. I just wanted to let you know."

"Thanks. I need to get back to the photo shoot!"

"Cheesecake?" Jesse teased.

"Not yet!" I giggled. "Later!"

We said 'goodbye', I closed my phone, and slipped it back into my pocket.

"Sorry," I said to Bob. "That was my brother letting me know one of his teammates was hurt in their game this morning."

"What sport?" Meghan asked.

"Hockey. My brother is the goalie. Our friend Nicholas is a forward, and he was hurt when a guy from the other team illegally checked him into the boards."

"Is he OK?"

"He has to stay in the hospital overnight because he has a mild concussion."

"Ready to continue?"

"Yes!"

Bob finished shooting his roll of film, and we decided to have lunch at a diner not far from his house. When we finished, he suggested I join him in developing the photos so he could teach me how to do it, and I quickly agreed. We went back to his studio, over the garage, and into the darkroom. It was a tight fit for two, so Meghan decided to go home rather than sit and wait for us.