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     I left and walked over to the skate shop. Once I got there, Hans was sitting on a chair sipping coffee and hearing the radio. "Hans, I'm back." I told him. He looked up and saw me before smiling.

    "Marcelli, it's nice to see you." He said.

    "Hans, I come here everyday." I joked.

    "I know and I enjoy your company." He coughed harshly.

    "Ya good? Want me to bring ya water?" I got slightly worried.

    "I have my coffee. It's okay." 

    "Water would help more and refresh yo throat a little. You sure you don't want some?"

    "Yes, Marcelli."

    "Sure?"

    "Yes."

    "Positive?"

    "100%"

    "'Kay..." I smiled at him. Still worried because he would cough harshly every now and again.

    I stayed for a while. For eleven hours. It just turned eight at night. I told Hans everything that happened and he told me events that happened to him. We listened quietly to each other.

    "Imma head out. See ya, Hans." I stand up from chair and put my empty tea cup onto the table.

    "Bye, Marcelli. Get back safe, I'll see you later if I can." Something about that made me feel unsure. But I ignored the feeling. He coughed harshly saying that. I didn't want to question him further, so I just left.

    I got back to my dorm with Julie and finished my history project on World War II. I procrastinated it so bad. We got it the second day of school and we had two weeks to write two thousand word essays about it. I'm going to try and do them both in one day.

    Julie laughed at me and said I should've done them sooner. "Not everyone is good at school like you." I snapped at her, putting down my stack of papers.

    I fell asleep after finishing them both. I started at nine and finished at five in the morning. I saw the sunrise.

-.-

    I woke up at 3:30 pm, half an hour before a surprise practice. Well, Julie woke me up. We got to the rink and started practice. Everything was fine until Coach called me to him. I skated over and he handed me a phone.

    I took it and heard the worse news possible. I dropped the phone and fell to my knees. The team stopped and looked at me, confused. Coach came to my side, having heard everything.

    I stared blankly at the ice. "Aruna, is everything okay?" Averman asked, clearly worried.

    "Hans... Gone." Was all I could get out. I felt like my emotions were gone. Hans was the only person in the world, who wasn't Jesse, that I could confide in. Now, he isn't here. The look on the whole team was shocked. Some of them had tears falling down on their face while looking down. Others couldn't speak. Averman and Guy hugged me.

    "Practice is over." When he said that, I rushed out. I went to the locker room and threw a chair at the wall. My heart began to race fast. I felt like if my chest began to get tighter. I started punching and kicking the wall repeatedly. I didn't notice I was bleeding a lot on my knuckles.

    I turned to the lockers and start kicking them, denting a few of them. Hans is dead. He isn't here no more. What am I supposed to do? Why me? Why Hans? Why couldn't it be me instead of Hans?

    I started going erratic. I was seriously not okay. The last time I acted like this was hearing the news about Max. I was way worse then I am now. I started busting the lockers and throwing chairs around, smashing them into the wall.

    The team came in. Guy ran to my aid, trying to calm me down. The whole team looked terrified, looking around the locker room. I continued to try and punch out the wall, but Guy held my hands in his. Averman ran to us, seeing how Guy was struggling to hold me. Averman assisted Guy and before I knew it, I passed out.

-.-

    I woke up in my dorm. Guy and Averman were the only ones in the room. Julie wasn't here. Averman was passed out on Julie's chair and Guy was sleeping on my chair, holding my hand. I looked to the time and it was the next morning. I moved my hand and Guy woke up.

    "What happened?" I said, taking in my surroundings.

    "You let all your anger out in the locker room. Then you blacked out." Guy answered.

    "How bad was the locker room?"

    "It ended up a disaster. Everything was disoriented." Averman woke up from the talking.

    I shake my head. "That always happens."

    "Huh?" Averman asked, rubbing his eyes.

    "I hold in my anger and let it out at once. It always ends up badly and someone  ends up hurt 'cause of me. Thank, God I left before I harmed ya guys. I'm a mess." I look down.

    I feel a hand lift my face. I look up and see Guy moving my head to look at him. "No you aren't, Aruna. After what happened, you had the right to. But, you are not a mess, never say that." Then there was a knock on the door.

    Averman stood to open it. "We have a surprise for you." He kind of sang. When he opened the door, I couldn't believe my eyes.

    "JESSE!" I shot up, quickly and ran to him. I hugged him and he hugged back. "Why didn't ya mention you were comin'?" I smack him on the shoulder.

    "It was a surprise!" He defended himself.

     "Say it."

    "Say what?"

    "What we talked 'bout yesterday. Say it."

    Jess looked confused before realizing. "OH! You're in love with-" I smacked him before he could finish. "G-HEY! What was that for!?"

    "I said I'll smack ya if ya said it in person." I grin at him. He grinned back. "Seriously neva say it though."

    "Say what?" Averman asked.

     "Oh, for how Aru-" I cut Jesse off.

    "Nothin'!" I put my hand over Jesse's mouth. I saw him wink to Guy and smacked him slightly.

    "How you been holding up?" Jesse looked concerned as he asked this.

    "Boys said I fucked up the locker room. My knuckles are bandaged up." I looked at Jesse. He was tall now and skinnier. His face was getting more sculpted, his hair had more curls to it. His teeth got straightened and no gaps. He grew up. I was proud of him.

    We talked all day. He told me he was planning on either moving back to Minnesota, or getting a dorm and starting his scholarship that was given to him.

    I later got a call saying that Hans funeral was going to be in a few days. And that my parents will pay for all of it. Jan would be attending. He was the last remainder of the trio. Grandpa Juan, Hans, and Jan.

    Jesse was leaving the day after the funeral and I was dreading it. I'll hopefully see him next year.