Chapter 1-Behind Those Blue Eyes

It was April 2nd, 2008; a Pens fan was getting ready to go to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ last home game of the season with her mother when they stopped at a restaurant in the city.

It was there she saw him, at first she thought she was seeing things. She hesitated at first on going up to him because the Pittsburgh fans never bothered the opposing team’s players, unless of course they were the Staal brothers.

At first she looked at her mom and said, “OH MY GOD THAT GUY AT THE BAR IS JOFFREY LUPUL FROM THE FLYERS.”

Her mom looked at her and said, “What kind of name is Joffrey and go up to him just don’t sit here.”

DeAnna responded with, “you don’t understand no Penguins fans go up to Flyers for autographs; it’s like one of the Pittsburgh Penguins fans hockey sins.”

“Well why don’t you be the first one to put a slap shot to your hockey soul,” her mom said. “

Fine I’ll do it,” DeAnna said getting up from the table and slowly walking towards the enemy.

As she approached him, he couldn’t help but notice that a Pens fan was coming towards him. “Penguins fans never approach us there has got to be something up here,” Joffrey though to himself.

“Uh will you please sign this,” DeAnna said pulling out a hockey puck from her purse.

“I don’t mean to sound rude or anything,” Joff said while signing the puck, “but why are you, a Pens fan at that approaching a rival player?”

DeAnna hesitated for a minute before responding, “I-I I uh….I sort of have a crush on you,” she said while blushing.

Joff just smiled saying, “well I am flattered, I cannot wait to tell the other guys they’ll get a kick out of a Pens fan liking one of us.”

“Oh Geeze thanks,” DeAnna replies sarcastically.

“So how long have you been a fan of me, might I ask,” Joff said handing the puck and the sharpie back to her.

“Since like the beginning of the season when we played you guys,” DeAnna said, “although I did hate that one game where you guys thought it was okay to humiliate us on national television 8-2.”

Joff just smiled and replied, “We were just doing our job.”

“Doing your job my ass,” DeAnna said getting very angry, “I hate your whole team, you guys think it is okay to bully people around and as for Downie…well don’t even get me started on him because we will be here all night.”

Joff just stood there amazed at the fact that DeAnna felt this way about the Flyers.

“You seem like you are a die hard hockey fan and not a puck bunny like some of the other girls that go to hockey games,” Joff said.

“Trust me, my friends and I can’t stand them,” DeAnna replied, “they go to the hockey games yelling ‘OH MY GOD CROSBY I LOVE YOU,’ ‘MALKIN I LOVE YOU,’ and so on and it gets really annoying. Do you know what else I hate about them?”

“I’m afraid to ask,” Joff said smiling, “if you don’t mind please have a seat and keep me company.”

“Sure I might as well just let me go tell my mom where I am then I will be right back to finish boasting to you,” DeAnna said walking away to go tell her mom she was talking to Joff.

Joff sat there as she walked away thinking that this girl was really different. He was pretty much amazed that he was able to have a long conversation with one of the opposing team’s fans without getting booed or cursed at. Joff was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when DeAnna returned.

“Yoo Hoo Lupul come back down from Joffreyworld,” DeAnna said sarcastically.

“Are you always this smart,” Joff said smiling back.

“Unfortunately…yes,” DeAnna replied while looking into those big blue eyes that Joff had.

She absolutely loved his eyes, every time she found a picture of him on the internet she would save it because she always seemed to make eye contact with the picture.

“So anyway as I was saying before about the puck bunnies,” DeAnna said.

“Go ahead, I enjoy hearing stories,” Joff said ordering another drink.
“Shouldn’t you slow down on the alcohol you got a game in two hours,” DeAnna said.

“Whatever we drink before games all the time,” Joff said, “it helps boost our energy.”

“Do you share with the refs,” DeAnna said smiling.

“Once again another smartass comment. I could talk to you all night,” Joff said taking a sip from his drink, “do you want one?”

“No I can’t I’m only 16...well almost 17. I‘ll be 17 on May 17,”DeAnna said smiling and thinking about the all night comment, “thanks for offering though.”

“No problem so back to the puck bunny boasting,” Joff said, “by the way 17 on the 17th, that’s cool.”

“I hate when they come to hockey games in short mini skirts and halter tops and then they have the nerve to complain that it is too cold,” DeAnna said.

Joff nodded his head in agreement, “to be honest, half of the time we look and say that the girl is hot and other times we just sit there saying, ‘I can’t believe that crazy ass wore that to a hockey game.’”

“One time I was at our one home game against Montreal last year and some girl had a mini skirt, tube top, and a push up bra on and ran up behind the Canadiens bench yelling, ‘SHELDON SOURAY SHELDON SOURAY,’ he didn’t pay her the slightest bit of attention and she got pissed and went back to her seat,” DeAnna said, “to make it so bad it was like thirty degrees and snowing outside.”

“WOW I am happy Souray ignored her,” Joff said, “I hope she froze her silicon off.”

DeAnna laughed and just nodded her head in agreement. Joff suddenly looked at his watch and said, “Wow I have to be at the arena before six o clock, I guess I’ll see you there, where are you sitting at?”

DeAnna replied, “East Club suite 4 row A.”

“Alright I’ll look for you,” Joff said, “oh by the way thanks for the talk and here is my number,” he said while picking up her cell phone to program the number into her contacts, “don’t give it to anyone now as payback.”

“I won’t see you at the game and good luck you are going to need it,” DeAnna said.

“We’ll see about that,” Joff said smiling and walked out of the restaurant.
DeAnna just sat there in total shock, was this really happening? Did she seriously just get Joffrey Lupul’s phone number? She got up from her seat and walked back over to her mom.

“Come on I don’t want to miss warm-ups,” DeAnna said.

“What happened you seemed really happy over there,” her mom said.

“It was nothing I was boasting about how much I hate his team and puck bunnies and he agreed with every word I said,” DeAnna said.

“I am happy for you, he’s really cute wait not cute, gorgeous,” her mom said.

“Tell me about it and those eyes are mesmerizing ,” DeAnna said smiling.

“Sounds like someone has a crush to me,” her mom said smiling.

“I do not,” DeAnna said denying everything, “although I do have his cell phone number.”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME,” her mom said, “DELETE NOW HE’S TOO OLD FOR YOU.”

“Relax mom it’s not like I am going to call him,” DeAnna said, “besides he could care less about me.”

“Yeah I guess your right,” her mom said.

Meanwhile they didn’t know that Joff couldn’t get his mind off of the opposing rival’s fan that stole his heart.