Waiting For Superman

You Clean Up Nice

"Campbell and Jones, room 229 and Penelope in 231. I'll be in 240.  Everyone have your keys?" Coach Phillips said as we prepared to get off the bus.

          "Yeah," everyone replied.

          "Alright, we'll unload our luggage and take it up to the rooms. We have three hours until we have to be at the banquet at seven. The awards are at eight. We'll see you guys back here at 6:45."

          "Want some help?" Logan asked as I searched for my bags.

          "If you don't mind," I said.

          "I'll grab a luggage cart," he said, picking up two of my duffel bags.

          "Thanks," I said, opening the door to the lobby for him.

          "231?" he asked.

          "Yeah," I replied.

          "Here, jump on," he said with a grin.

          "What?" I laughed.

          "Get on the luggage cart," he laughed.

          "Okay," I laughed, sitting down on top of my duffel bags.

          "Let's find the elevator first," he said as he rolled the luggage cart through the lobby of the huge hotel.

          "Here it is," I said, pointing over to the left.

          "Let's go," he said, carefully steering the cart over to the elevator and pressing the up button.

          "This place is huge," I said, standing up and peering out the other side of the elevator that was covered in glass.

          "It's gorgeous," he said, "I've only been to New York City once."
           "I've never been," I said as the elevator arrived on the second floor.

          "Well then I'll have to show you around on our free day," he said with a grin as we walked down the hallway to find our rooms.

          "Here it is," I said, sticking my keycard into the slot on the door and opening it up, "Wow."

          "You get the good room," he laughed, complete with a balcony.

          "From the outside it looked like they all had one," I said.

          "I know, I'm just giving you crap," he laughed, setting my bags on my bed.

          "Thanks for taking my bags for me," I said with a smile.

          "No problem," he said with a sly grin.

          Holy shit I love that sly grin. I swear, hockey players with hockey hair and a sideways grin are my weakness. Damn you heart of mine.

          "You still there?" he asked, the same goofy grin on his smug face.

          "Yeah," I laughed.

          "I'll see you at 6:30?" he asked.

          "Yeah," I replied, "I still have to shower and get ready."
           "See you then," he said, "If you need me you know where to find me."

###
           Two and a half hours later, I was checking my appearance one last time in the mirror before going to find Logan.

          I had on a form fitting three quarter length sleeved dress that was a turquoise, black , and white geometric pattern. It fell a few inches above my knee in a large scalloped pattern. I had on a black leather jacket over top and a pair of black patent leather pumps with a matching black clutch. My hair was down and wavy with my bangs pulled back over the top of my head.

          I grabbed my camera bag and attached the smaller lens onto my camera and walked over to Logan's room.

          After standing there for a few moments, contemplating whether or not I should just go back to my room or not, I knocked on the door.

          "Hey, whoa. Logan, Penelope's here," Troy said as he answered the door.

          "Wow," Logan said under his breath when I came around the corner.

          "You clean up nice," I said, my ruby red lips smirking.

          "You do too," he said, flashing an equally smoldering smirk back at me, "Ready to go down to the bus?"

          "Yeah," I replied, "I'm ready when you are."
           "Let's go," he said, "You first," he said, opening the door, causing my heart to flutter in my chest.

          It will be a miracle if my heart and I survive this weekend.

###

          Two hours and lots of pictures later, the top prize at the gala was about to be announced, the rookie of the year award. All the critics, the writers, the coaches all speculated and came to a unanimous prediction on who would win this award, Logan Campbell.

          There was no doubt in my mind that Logan would be getting the award. He led the country in points and goals, he set a record for points by a rookie in both the NCAA and at Aladine, becoming the first player in Aladine hockey's history to post a fifty goal season. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he would be chosen.

          But as his name was called by the commissioner of the league, the look on his face was a surprised one. As he walked up to the makeshift stage, he was beaming with joy.

          "I guess I'm supposed to talk now?" he asked with a smirk as he accepted his award, "Well, I'd like to thank my parents and my coaches for getting me here, especially Coach Phillips for dressing me in every game as a rookie. I was pretty lucky to get to play so much as a freshman. I've gotten so much attention this season, I think it's only fair that I bring someone who doesn't get enough recognition up here. Penelope, I know you're back there with your camera come up here!"

          I looked up at him with a horrified look on my face. There was no way I was getting up there in front of God and everybody so he could brag about me.

          "I know you don't want to but I want you to," he smirked as I came up to the stage, camera in hand, "This girl has come to every single game of ours and taken tons and tons of pictures and written an article in her blog about each one. She doesn't even get paid for it either! She came all the way to New York with us, so I think it's only fair that I have everyone in here applaud her for all her hard work this year."

          "Thank you," I whispered with a smile across my face as the room full of people began to applaud.

          "You deserve it," he said with a smile before we walked back to the table.

###

          We got back to the hotel that night at around eleven. The next morning would be their first official practice at eleven and the semi-final game was scheduled for four o'clock.

          "Thanks again for coming with us," Logan said as we got to my room. He has insisted that he walk me to my room, even though I had argued that there was no chance of me getting kidnapped walking a few yards from his room to mine.

          "Thanks for getting me here," I laughed, "I never would've come if it weren't for you insisting I came I wouldn't have."

          "No problem," he said, "We're meeting downstairs at eight for breakfast if you want to join us."

          "I probably will," I said, "I might as well get used to the lighting in the arena during practice and get some shots."

          "Sounds good," he said, "See you in the morning."

###

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