A Little More You (Jonathan Toews)

Chapter 31

Another two weeks had gone by, with barely a word spoken between the two. They had both tried to talk about it but it ended after a handful of awkward texts.

Mati had flown back to Nashville for a few days but only to make an appearance at the studio and to check on her apartment. The last thing she wanted to do was sing or write, which only proved how hung up she was on Jon. Her guitar had sat in its case since the day she left Chicago which hadn't happened since....

Ever.

The label was making noises about a tour, maybe with Miranda Lambert. An all girl power tour. Maybe with one of her boys, TR or Luke.

Honestly, the thought made her sick.

She missed Jon more than she'd ever let on. She quietly questioned her decision to walk away almost daily and it made it worse when she queued up her phone to call or text him and the words didn't come.

Sorry you were an ass but you regret it and I regret walking out because I still love you more than I ever thought possible even though I'm hurt?

Maybe she should work on a more eloquent sentence first.

Jon was missing shots, passes, and Mati. He was playing like the pick up guy on a beer league, and while his teammates were trying to be supportive, he could tell it was wearing thin.

One night after a loss against the Canucks at home, Corey finally broke the silence.

"Tazer, I say this for your sake not just the team's, but will you go fucking talk to her already?" He moaned.

The locker room immediately went silent.

Jon felt himself get tense. This was not how this was supposed to go. A full team intervention.

The guys all mumbled agreement and nodded their heads.

Jon counted backwards from 10.

"I can't just go talk to her, Crow. She's in fucking Texas." He spat.

Kaner sat by Jonny's side with wide eyes.

Jonny was piiiiiiised.

He knew the man sitting next to him well and he also knew that he was on the edge of a full on meltdown. It'd been a rough few weeks.

Crow didn't seem to notice or care however.

"We took care of that for you." He sassed at his Captain as he exaggerated his steps to Jon's stall and presented him with a folded piece of paper.

It turned out to be a crudely drawn interpretation of what looked like a boarding pass.

"What's this?" He mumbled.

"A one way ticket to Texas to figure this shit out." Shawzie chirped excitedly.

Jon took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Thanks boys but I can't just up and leave whenever the hell I want if you forgo-"

He snide "thank you" was cut short by Coach.

"Give your team credit, Jonny. You're a healthy scratch for the first two games of the trip. Media asks, your great aunt Myrtle died."

Jon stared at the man in disbelief.

"Close your mouth, you'll let a fly in. And finish getting changed. You fly out tomorrow morning." Q informed him before turning on his heel and leaving the locker room.

Mati was thankful to be back in the solitude of McKinley. The best part of a small town was that when something like this happened, it traveled fast and was swept under the rug for the newest gossip even faster.. In Nashville, every other question had been "how's your boyfriend?" or "how are you holding up?"

The days of going out every night were past Mati, after a lengthy lecture by her parents and grandma. She promised them to deal with this more maturely and healthily; which was not to say she didn't spend every waking moment in search of something to do to keep her occupied.

She was fairly certain everyone around her was about ready to perform an intervention of some sort if she bugged them another day, so she had decided today would be a good day to go for a ride. She had saddled up Galaxy, Taylor's horse that she had claimed as her own, and been lost in the rhythm of the ride and the serenity of the creek bed they were trotting through. That had to have been the only way she had missed the distant sound of the four wheeler that came ripping across the bed in front of them, spooking the horse, and sending her flying.

When she got her bearings and Galaxy calmed down, the realization that she couldn't step on her left ankle washed over her.

What next?

Somehow, she managed to half-assed get up back into the saddle and get back to Taylor's, where her mom freaked out and forced her to the ER.

A broken ankle, a bruise the size of Texas, and a damaged ego later, Mati was sprawled out on the couch of her childhood home with Mak draped over her and Mari curled up on the floor, watching Say Yes to the Dress.

"Yuck! She does not rock a fit and flare....promise you won't lie to me like her sisters are, Mateo?" Mari asked, horrified.

Mati laughed.

"Whatever, you can look like Cinderella pre-pumpkin and I'll still have to say you look good or Mama will slap me."

"Mati, I don't want to look like Cinderella before her fairy godmother!" Mak worriedly interjected.

"Mak, we would never let you." Mati faked dismay that her sister would even think her older sisters would steer her in the wrong direction.

"Exactly....we won't let you look like a pumpkin...buuuut we might tickle you." Mari snickered as she went for her sister's feet.

Mati held Mak down and laughed right along with two of her favorite people in the world.

Somehow, over Mati and Mari's giggling, Mak's shrieking, and the dogs barking at the three of them, Mati heard the doorbell.

"Wait, wait, STOP!" She commanded Mari as it rang again.

"I'll get it!" Mari yelled as she bounded towards the door. Mak and Mati settled back in as Mari talked to whoever was there. Mati supposed she should be a little worried, but it was McKinley.

"Uhh Mak?" She half shouted as she ran back into the room after a few minutes.

Mak perked her head up.

"Let's go upstairs and play, 'kay?"

Mak nodded and crawled off Mati.

"I'm uh-gonna join her and just leave y'all here." Mari stuttered as she followed her younger sister up the steps.

Mati was utterly confused until the last person on Earth she expected to see walked into her living room.

"Jon." she gasped.