you can either complain that the roses have thorns, or you can be thankful that the thorns have roses. ((2))

Wow, I didn't realize it's been so long since I started this without updating, sorry :/

i'm sorry its so short and rushed, i'm quite stressed at the moment.

feedback pleaseeeeeeeeee
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**JARED'S POV**

I was tired of it all. Tired of the pressure, tired of the talk, and, honestly, tired of the girls throwing themselves at me. Not throwing themselves at Jared, but at Jared Staal. If I didn't love hockey so much, I would have avoided all of this much more easily than I was. If it wasn't for my brothers, I would be able to be me.

I think that's my problem. I spend too much of my time blaming my troubles on my brothers' success. Instead of pushing myself to be at their level, I give up, accept that I'm not as good, and go back to blaming them.

So that's where I find myself now, laying in Jordan's guest room, in the rain cloud covered Pittsburgh, complaining. While he goes off to practice playing NHL hockey, I lay on my ass, because my OHL team didn't make it. I didn't make it. I finally will myself to get out of bed and call my parents, who are flying in for one of his games tonight. Myself, I've been here for a week or so, sleeping, drinking, going to his games, and repeating the cycle.

It was rough, no lie, to see Jordan succeed night after night in a sold out arena with screaming fans. It was rough to see his face everywhere, to see fans fawning over his every move, all because he's good at something he loves. Something I love.

I was starting to think about leaving Pittsburgh and just going home to Thunder Bay, then she started coming to the games. I knew she was the trainers sister or something, Jordan had told me when I asked about her, but I couldn't get the guts to talk to her. I would just sit a few seats away from her in the box and watch her watch the game. Every movement intrigued me. The way her eyes moved with the puck, the glare she got at a dirty hit, the glow in her eyes at a goal.. I could tell, she loved this game, this beautiful game. When the last regular season game ever at the Mellon rolled around, I watched her smile while she watched the ceremonies. And, yes, she did cry, but I think she thought no one saw. THen, with warm-ups starting, I decided to give it a shot.

"Hey, you're the trainer's sister, right?" I walked toward the open seat next to her, taking it when she looked at me.
"Yeah, April's my sister." She looked at me confusedly, like she was trying to study me with her gorgeous green eyes.
"Cool, cool," Oh my God, I sounded like some 15 year old kid trying to hit on his crush, "I'm Jared by the way." I offered a handshake, which she returned, placing her tiny palm against mine.
"I'm Tegan." She smiled, pulling her hand away.
"Tegan? That's a weird name." I winced at my answer, hoping she wouldn't notice or think I was insulting her name.
"Yeah, well my dad is Welsh, so he picked it."
"Oh, well I think it's cute." I winked, trying to charm her up a bit.

I watched the game with her and we talked hockey during the intermissions. This girl really knew what she was talking about. As we were exiting the box, we exchanged numbers so we could meet up before games in the future.
Then, right before leaving, she stopped me.
"Jared," she turned to me, "What's your last name anyway?" The dreaded question. Every girls asks it, then flips when they hear it.
I took a deep breath, looked at her and said "Staal." before winking and running to meet up with my parents before I could see her reaction.

"So, trainer's sister?" Jordan threw his bag at me on the couch as he walked in the door, "April knows, she told me."
"I just met her Jord, no big deal" I threw his nasty crap off of me and flipped through the channels.
"Jare, two words. Get. Some." I heard him laugh in the other room.

Just as i went to flip a pillow over my reddening face my phone vibrated and the scrren lit up with a new name.

Tegan.

Nothing at All ((1))

I was always the "different" one in my family. While my sister was the angel, I was the shadow in the corner. I marched to the beat of a completely different drum.
My parents always said I needed to take my life more seriously. In some ways, they were correct. If it weren't for April, I would have never graduated from high school, let alone make it to college.
Growing up, my sister and I were close, but we were two different people. Compared to her brown haired, blue eyed, athletic form, I, a skinny black baired, green eyed awkward kid, was a ugly duckling. She was the light of my mother's life.
April looked more like my mother than my father. Hence, the attention she got from my mom. I was the spitting image of my cheating father, which caused my mother to want barely anything to do with me. April would be praised for washing a dish, while I would be ignored if I won a music medal.
Dispite our differences, April and I turned to each other for anything and everything. When Bryan died, I tried to be as supportive of my sister as I could. She had been there for me, it was the least I could do.

When I entered high school, I was rebellious just like most teens are. Toward the beginning of my sophomore year, when I turned 16, I started to get in with the wrong crowd. I started going to their parties, drinking, smoking, and even doing drugs that I knew risked my life. My sister slowly pulled me out of my bad ways. She helped me pull up my grades and really got me into music.
The transformation I went through was incredible. I went from failing evey class to being in honors classes in a span of a year. I couldn't have done it without April, or music. I took voice lessons when I was young, but lost sight of the talent over the years. After my rebellious phase, I rediscovered my voice and music, and enrolled in the Music Theory courses at my school.

I made it through high school and into the University of Pittsburgh as a Music Composition major. That's when I met Matt.
Matt never got out of his rebel stage. He was a living Kurt Cobain. When we met, he invited me to some of his bands shows at IUP. At first I fell in love with his music, but over time,I fell for him.
The relationship was far from perfect. IUP is a big party school, and Matt took complate advantage of that. Anytime I would go to visit him he was wasted. And with Matt, wasted meant abusive.
We had the cliche abusive relationship. I loved him, no matter how mean he was and no matter how many times he hit me. I just couldn't pull away.

Everything started to change after Bryan died. I moved out of my apartment with Matt and moved in with my sister. She needed me more than anything. Matt and I slowly grew apart. but stayed close. Sort of what could be called "friends with benefits".

When my sister became an intern with the Pens, she managed to get me tickets to sit in the family box in the Mellon. Most of the staff and players' family members sat in this box.
There was one guy who was in the box every game toward the end of the season. He had been at a few games before, but nothing long term. He looked to be about my age, but I didn't find out who he was until the last regualr season game at the Mellon when he sat next to me.

"Hey, you're the trainer's sister, right?" The tall red head took the seat next to me during warm-ups.
"Yeah, April's my sister." I knew I recognized him from somewhere but I couldn't placce it.
"Cool, cool. I'm Jared by the way." He stuck out his large hand for a handshake which I returned.
"I'm Tegan." I smiled at him while retracting my hand.
"Tegan? That's a weird name."
"Yeah, well my dad is Welsh, so he picked it."
"Oh, well I think it's cute." He winked at me before turning his attention back to warm-ups.
I watched the game with Jared and he seemed to really know what he was talking about. Before leaving the arena, we exchanged cellphone numbers and promised to watch more games together.
"Jared," I turned to him just before exiting the arena, "what's your last name anyway?" He stopped dead in his tracks before turning to me and smiling.
"Staal." He winked before joing Henry and Linda for the first time tonight and walking away.

Info.

Call me crazy, if you wish.

I've been plotting this out for quite some time, and it will follow in time with my Kris story.

CHARACTERS:

Tegan Miller
19 years old.
April's younger sister
Freshman at Pitt.
In a troubled relationship.

Jared Staal
19 years old
I think we all know who his brothers are.
And I think we know what he does.
And who he is.
Feels pressured by eberyone in his life.

Matt Turner
21 years old.
Tegan's "boyfriend"
Junior at IUP.