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I jogged up the front steps to the house that is almost as familiar as my own and opened the front door, letting myself in. I dropped down to a knee to greet the true owner of my heart, Charlie the golden retriever. With a slobbery kiss hello and some wiggles from the big blonde guy I walked further into the house toward the kitchen where I helped myself to a cold water bottle from the fridge and a couple grapes.
"Holy shit, Elle. You scared the shit out of me." The voice of my best friend, Jack, said from behind me as he took his airpods out and placed them back in the case.
"Sorry," I laughed. "You just get back from a run?"
"No, I sweat this much sitting on the couch." He quipped sarcastically. "You're like four hours early for dinner."
"We have a tutoring session first." I replied.
"Must we do chemistry on my birthday?" Luke, Jack's younger brother, appeared with his backpack.
"Well being that you failed it last year and if you don't pass the summer school final tomorrow you have to take it again sophomore year, yes Luke. We have to do chemistry on your birthday, I'm sorry." I smiled, holding out my arms to hug him. "Happy birthday Dukes!"
"Yeah, yeah." He hugged me back reluctantly.
"Look, I do have a gift for you but you can't have it til you pass your practice exam." I said.
"Alright then let's get this shit over with." Luke said, sitting down at the island.
"I'm gonna go shower." Jack said as he walked past me, leaving a light kiss on my temple.
Jack and I have been best friends, almost inseparable, for the better part of two years. Ever since him and my twin brother, Johnny, started playing on the NTDP together. I usually stayed far away from my brothers teammates and the hockey world being that so much of our lives are already shared, birthdays, graduations, etc, I like that he has his own thing. While our high school experiences have been fairly different; seeing as Johnny attends Plymouth-Canton with the remainder of his team and I attended Our Lady of Good Counsel, an all girls private school, the only one of Johnny's teammates I've ever even talked to is Jack and even that wasn't of my own doing. About a year and a half ago Jack's mom, Ellen, was talking to my mom at one of the boys games and had mentioned that Luke was struggling with eighth grade english and that Jack had barely passed by the skin of his teeth, while their older brother Quinn managed to "block all of it out" the moment he got to high school. Ellen then asked my mom if Johnny could tutor Luke because Johnny was deemed one of the smartest on his team. However my brother is not much of a writer, so my mom offered me up to tutor Luke for a couple extra bucks. I was only babysitting about two weekends a month at the time and I had just gotten my license so that was not enough for gas money, I wasn't exactly in the position to say no. So I started tutoring Luke two nights a week toward the end of that year. Jack and I started talking a little bit before and after Luke's tutoring sessions and it turned out we just had a lot in common. We ended up hanging out even on the days I didn't have to tutor Luke and it carried on through the summer. The following year, Jack and I remained the same and Luke became a freshman and started taking chemistry which also appeared to be lost on him but Luke being the hard head he is didn't ask for help until almost June which resulted in him failing. Therefore re-employing me for the Hughes family for the entire summer, which I had no complaints about because outside of my brother I really didn't have many friends. I liked staying to myself and the girls I went to school with were bitchy, to put it simply, and as I said I liked that my brother had his own thing so I never impeded on hanging around his teammates. Sure, a small group of them come by the house as they are friends with Johnny but I just stayed out of their way beyond saying hello. It made things easier on Johnny and I's relationship too, being that when I started hanging out with Jack the team naturally started the whole "Jack's wheeling your sister John" joke that kinda drove a wedge between them. Not that my brother even remotely believed that, it was just an awkward thing to think about that Johnny never fully recovered from. He's completely fine with my friendship with the Hughes brothers, now that the jokes have subsided, but he just never felt the need to spark his own. So in a way, this was my thing. Johnny had hockey and I had Saturday night dinners with the Hughes'.
That was all going to change though, while I used to go to Our Lady of Good Counsel, I decided that I wanted to have a different experience for my senior year. During the school year it was hard to find time to spend with Johnny, as for previously mentioned as my brother and only friend, with his hockey schedule and my extra curricular activities, and clubs. So before Johnny and I possibly never live in the same state again, we decided it'd be best for me to transfer to PCEP for my senior year. I get a fresh start, new friends, maybe even a couple classes with my brother and Jack. Most people would be nervous to start over so late in the game but me? I am thrilled, no more bitchy girls or mean nuns telling me my skirts a quarter inch too short. Goodbye Our Lady of Good Counsel and hello to a life of normalcy!
"Is this right?" Luke snapped me from my inner monologue.
"No it is not." I told him, peaking at his practice exam.
"God damnit, can you help me then? I'm dying out here Elle." Luke shifted in his seat.
"Okay, okay." I laughed.
After helping Luke complete his practice exam, Jack had rejoined us in the kitchen.
"Fuck, I'm so going to have to take Chemistry again." Luke stressed out, running his hands through his hair.
"Okay, and that's fine because I will help you through the whole year so you won't fail." I rubbed his shoulder.
"Yeah, the only down fall is you're gonna have to double sciences and drop an elective." Jack said as he sipped his iced tea.
Luke looked at me with pure shock and heart break displayed across his features before letting out an exasperated groan and dropping his head straight onto the counter top as I looked at Jack with an aggravated look.
"Thanks Rowdy, that helped." I said flatly.
"Sorry." Jack mumbled into his glass before taking another sip.
"Okay, on a better note I have your gift!" I jogged out to my car and retrieved the gift bag from my back seat.
When I walked back in Luke had begun packing up his school work and I put the bag on the counter.
"Elle, you didn't actually have to get me anything." Luke said.
"Shut up and open it." I smiled.
I had gifted him new hockey gloves because his were ratty.
"Jack helped me pick them out."
"Thank you, they're awesome." Luke hugged me.
"Boys come help me!" Ellen called from the front door.
Jack and Luke hustled to help their mother as I met her to take some bags.
"Hi, sweetheart." She greeted me.
After we helped Ellen begin prepping dinner, Jack's family began to arrive as this wasn't a typical Saturday dinner.
"Hey, since it's Luke's birthday some of the guys from the team are coming over later. It'll be a good way for you to meet them before school on Monday. I texted the team group chat but I doubt Johnny thinks the invite is extended to him so you should tell him to come." Jack said.
"Oh, okay." I half smiled.
"Elle, don't be nervous. They're going to love you." Jack reassured me with a friendly pat on the arm.
