Rain on the ice // Trevor Zegras

Chapter 2

   "ANNAA, IM BACK!" I lightly yell, while pushing open the heavy door. I take a survey of who is in the living room, and I see Anna on the couch, along with my other suitemates, Sara and Audrey. I get a few hellos, and small smiles, but evreyones focus remained devoted to the TV screen in front. I look to the screen, and let out a small "yay" when I see a classic, award winning show on the screen, Nickelodeon's own, SpongeBob SquarePants.

   I am quick to rush to my room, placing my cello and bag down in the corner, switching my jeans out for a pair of sweatpants, grabbing a blanket off my bed, all before joining my friends for an episode. I do have homework to do tonight, so I am not sure how long I should spend watching TV.

   Before I know it, an hour has passed. Reluctantly, evreyone begins to stand. A few groans escape lips, and Audrey says that she has to go down to practice. "Have fun, I hope you have a life changing practice session" Anna wishes. Sara let's out a small chuckle, and I follow up with a quick "REAL!". Sara's attention turns to her phone, leaning on one arm as she scrolls through her Instagram reels. The sudden quiet in the room is rather striking so I decide to end it with a song.

   "BUT NOW. THERES NOOOOOWHERE TO HIDEEEEE, SINCE YOU PUSHED MY LOVE ASIIIIDDEEE" I squeal while plopping myself on the ground so I splayed out on the rug like a starfish. Anna of course took up this invitation, creating a duet "OUTTTTT OF MY HEADDD, HOPELESSLLYYYH DEVOTEDDD TO YOUUUUUUU" she continues, reaching high in her shelf to fetch a packet of spicy ramen.

   "You know who I wish I was hopelessly devoted to?" I ask to the room. To this no, one replied. How rude. "This is the part where you guys ask, who Erica? Who are you hopelessly devoted to? Your fans are dying to know!!" In a shattered chorus, Sara and Anna say, with little to know enthusiasm

Omg Erica
Your fans they need to know
Who
We are so curious
Who are you devoted too?

   Although there performance was underwhelming, who am I to critique their interpretive performance. "I'm so glad you've asked!" I say dramatically, sitting up and moving to lean against a wall. "So I was telling Anna about this earlier" I begin, before another voice intercedes mine, "oh my god, is this about the hockey players?" Anna asks, light humour on here face as she stands above a saucepan, her left hand propped on her hip as she stirs her ramen dutifully with a pair of teal chopsticks. "HE IS MORE THEN A HOCKEY PLAYER HE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE" I exclaim, rolling over to my side. "Who's that?" Sara asks, phone still in hand, but now her gaze has turned to me. "His name is Trevor Zegras, he's 21 and he's in the NHL. He's a Pisces, from Bedford, New York and he will be my husband." I say, as I pull up his Instagram account. I am quick to send Sara, who still has her phone in her hand, a few of his more recent posts. "Ohhhhhhh, I see" she says, while scrolling through her feed. I wait for a greater reaction, although I know she won't give me one. "What do you think?" Anna prods sara. "Is he hot or not?" After a brief hesitation sara looks up, and says "yeaaa he is". "YEA I KNOW RIGHT!!" I yell, while bounding up to the kitchen. I open the fridge and take out two hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise. Anna makes a comment about how she hates condiments, and I refrain from telling her that Chili paste and Sriracha are, in fact, condiments. I busy myself with making a hap hazard egg salad, before grabbing some pretzels and sitting down at our square table that we are "borrowing" from the second floor lounge. For 3 months.

"He only has a few hundred thousand followers Erica, if you DM him, he could see it." Anna teases, squatting on a bar stool, while slurping up a big mouthful of noodles. "That's so true!" I say. It's bittersweet, knowing that our paths will never cross. Im a student who rarely leaves campus in upstate New York, and he is a professional hockey player on the other side of the country. Even if we did meet, evreyone would say that there was a power imbalance and that I was being groomed. I think evreyone needs to be quiet if I got with a millionaire. They need to trust that I'm not the one being manipulated.

"Unfortunately, ladies. This live is one sided, and I have a fear that this passion will remain that way." I sigh, while closing Instagram and opening the books app on my phone. Only a little bit left and I officially will have actually finished one of the many books I buy and say I will read. "Never say never" Sara chimes, her attentions back to the reels that her mother has sent her. "OMG ALEXA PLAY NEVER SAY NEVER BY JUSTIN BIEBER"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Again, Erica" my teacher, Mr. White says, during my weekly cello lesson. I nod, and quickly place my bow upon the string. I feel a tension in my chest, and I immediately recognise the anxiety of wanting to play perfectly for him, to impress him. I admire my teacher a lot. He is older, very kind, but very hard to please. Or at least, I find it hard to please him. I play the excerpt again and he nods. "Good." He says, and i await his next directive. He glanced at the wall, and then says "well, I believe you've had enough for one day" with a small smile, which I return. With that, my lesson is over and I begin to pack up my instrument, and gather my sheet music.

I grab my bag and my cello case, and I wish him to have a good day, a nicety which he returns. I open the door to the hall, and begin to walk down it. As I exit the building, I see a tour group walking in. I offer small smiles, and continue out to the dorm building. One more day lf college? Completed.