I’m on vacation, in the middle of winter, in Colorado. I’m staying with my family in a run-down motel, in a tiny town, I can’t even remember the name of it… something with little… Littlecity? Littleville? Littletown? Little—Littleton! That’s the name! Anyway we are from L.A. but we don’t have very much money so whenever my parents get a little too overwhelmed we go on vacation in a shitty motel like this one. I try to steer clear from my parents so they can’t piss me off more than they already do, right now I’m reading a book for English class, or at least I’m supposed to be. Instead I’m watching some boys play ice hockey. I don’t know what it is about ice hockey, maybe it’s the fights, but I love watching it. I’m sitting on a snow bank, right at the edge of the ice, and it’s snowing right now. The boys have make-shift goals of trash cans and every once in a while I hear the preceding *Thunk* to cheers from two of the boys, while the other two attempt to get a head start and score a point before the prior knows wiser.
The puck sinks into the bank I’m sitting on with large force.
“Sorry!” one of the boys yells to me. I dig right into the snow with the entirety of my arm and grab out the puck. I skip it like a rock on water across the ice to the hockey players. “Thank you!” They all scream.
I give them a quick wave as if to say ‘No problem’. That’s when I realize I shoved my book deep in the snow when I went for that puck. I turn around and start digging, and digging until I feel something hard, must be my book. I stick my upper body in the hole, including my head. Just as I grab it out and I’m resurfacing I hear someone yell “Watch out!” when I see the puck shoot in front of me, I turn to the left to see where it came from but all I could see was black and all I could feel was about 160lbs on top of me.
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“She’s out cold, dude”
“You’re screwed”
“Shut up! Don’t say that!”
“I still think we should take her to the Emergency Room”
“No wait! Look!”
I flicker my eyes open to find four boys looking over me, and I see hockey equipment on the ground. The shorter blonde begins to speak.
“She’s alive!” He screams out “I didn’t kill her!” he then hugs me impulsively.
Pain shoots through my body and I can’t help letting out a small yelp. “Oh shoot! Sorry, what hurts?” he asks sweetly.
“Everything” I groan in the most unattractive way possible. The other blonde steps up.
“Can we get you some water or something? Maybe some soup?” That’s when I realized I wasn’t in the snow anymore; I was in what seemed to be a large cabin.
“Soup sounds delightful” I sit up in my seat, and only then realizing the extent of my injury “and maybe some aspirin?”
“Okay got it, Ryland you want to get her some aspirin?”
“Yeah sure” The husky brunette stands up and speeds up the skillfully crafted staircase.
“I’ll grab her a glass of water.” The other brunette jumps up, causing his long hair to flop in his face. I am left there on the couch watching this Blondie stare at me… do I have something on my face? I quickly move my hand around my face to check for something, but I don’t feel anything. So to cease the awkwardness I hold out my hand “I’m Madison”
The blonde boy snaps out of his trance and grasps my hand. He begins shaking it rapidly “I’m Ross, the one that almost killed you” he laughs and I just look at him confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, well…” he nervously scratches the back of his neck “Me and my brothers were playing hockey, and I was so focused on the puck that I skated right into you.”
“Oh and where am I?”
“This is my grandparents’ house” he grins “its right near the pond.” All three of the other boys seem to come back in the room simultaneously. I take some aspirin and drink it down with the water. Then I begin to eat the soup, it is a Tomato Bisque. Yum. Eventually my pain fades and I get captivated in the boys’ stories and I end up telling a lot about myself, which is different, I’m normally somewhat of a closed book. It’s about five o’clock when I decide I should go, before my parents start freaking out. I hug each of the guys, but Ross seems to linger. “Okay Rocky, Riker, Ryland, see you guys later?” I found out that they actually live near me in L.A. They all nod. I turn till I meet two big brown eyes “And Ross?”
“Yeah?” he says.
“Try not to trample anyone” I smirk while I pat his shoulder. I walk outside. It is still snowing like crazy out here. I feel a hand on my shoulder so I turn to see Ross standing there with my book. Oh my book!
“You forgot this” I grab it and give him another hug.
“Thanks! I need to finish this before I get back to school.” I smile.
“Madison” When I hear him say my name my heart melts, it fit so perfectly. “I figured, you know since I did skate into you and all, I should probably make up for it, how bout a date?” he says quickly.
“No” I reply simply and I begin to walk away but I’m quickly yanked back by the wrist.
“What?” he replies with a confused look on his face.
“No” I say with the same tone as I begin to turn around again just too quickly be pulled back again.
“But why?”
“I don’t want you to date me if you feel obligated, I’ll just end up getting hurt” I say calmly.
“I really don’t feel obligated; I want to take you on a date.”
“Now why exactly should I believe that” my tone is harsh now.
He doesn’t reply immediately, at least not with words. He cups my face with his hands and lays his lips into mine, only for a moment until he pulls back “Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Um, ye—yea—yeah, yeah” I stammer, tongue-tied by what just happened.
“Okay, so now that we are boyfriend and girlfriend… will you go on a date with me?” He smiles
“Yeah” I giggle as I push his chest.
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“And that, kids, is how I met your father.” I smile as I hug each of my five kids. The front door to my house opens up.
“Honey I’m home!” I stand up and run over to Ross.
“Hey baby” I smile and he kisses me.
