"Cara!", I squeal. I run up to my sister, who jumps up from her chair. We hold each other tightly.
We finally release each of our grips. "I thought you were coming home next week?" I say.
"I really needed to do laundry. Plus, I wanted to see how your first week here went. How did it go?"
"It went really well. Some douche bag hit on me, I met a girl friend named Addison", I almost forgot that I brought Aiden home. "And today I met Aiden, Addison's twin brother". I motion to Aiden.
Both Cara and my parents give me a look. "Mind telling us why you want to hang out with a boy when you have a boyfriend, and I'm guessing he has a girlfriend, because he is adorable", Cara says. Aiden looks down at the floor for a second, chuckling.
"Yes Cara, I know I have a boyfriend", I hesitate for a moment, looking Aiden in the eye. "But, so does he". We both wince.
"Oh, really? Well, good for you, son. I'm Randy". Dad steps forward, going to shake Aiden's hand. They shake firmly before dad gives me a kiss on the forehead, the same with Cara.
"It's great to meet you, Sir", Aiden says with a smile.
"Do you play a sport?" Both Cara and Dad ask at the same time. Everyone laughs.
"Yes. Hockey. Defense". Dad's impressed. Dad seems to be impressed with all of the guys I bring home, but all of them have played hockey. We all know how Dad feels about hockey.
"Well good. It was great to meet you. This is my wife, Kerry", Dad motions to Mom as she walks back into the kitchen. She probably had left to finish Cara's laundry.
"It's very nice to meet you, ma'am", Aiden says, shaking mom's hand as well.
"You are a very handsome young man, Aiden. I'm sure your boyfriend is very lucky", Mom says. Why is everything about looks around here?
"Okay guys. Cara, I'm very glad you're home. I will give you more details later. Mom, Dad, we are going upstairs now. I'm sure we will be down soon". I pull on Aiden's hand, dragging him out of the kitchen, into the living room, and up the stairs to my room.
I sit on the end of my bed, and Aiden sits in the arm chair in the corner across from my bed. He looks around my room. Pictures of my family and of Cole sit on my dresser. I think he notices the picture of me in my hockey gear back in 7th grade. The last picture of me playing hockey before my injury.
"You said something happened and you couldn't play hockey. May I ask what actually happened?" Aiden looks to me.
I take a deep breath. "Well, that picture of me and my team was the last game I played before my injury", I stop for a second. "It was the playoff game that got us in the championship. I had just scored a goal and the girls on the other team weren't happy with me and a girl named Danielle. They had started to attack us for no reason. We hadn't done anything. I was face-up on the ice. They were kicking us and some were on the ice punching us. The entire team had started in on us. One girl had stepped on me so hard, it ripped through my pants and pads, and hit my leg. So hard, that she broke my hip and cut through the entire muscle. They left me there just long enough to do that. My hip never healed right. The muscle took almost three years to heal semi-correctly. I played hockey last year for my team in Maine".
"Oh my god, Meredith. I'm so, so, sorry. That's horrible".
"It's fine. I have a best friend who's getting into the NHL at some point, and the best boyfriend who is extremely good at hockey, and is probably getting into the NHL at some point too. And now a very good friend who is an amazing hockey, who I'm sure could at least get into college hockey, and the NHL if you wanted to".
"Well, duh. I know I'm amazing", Aiden says sarcastically.
We talk for a couple hours, which only seems like a few minutes. Aiden gets a call from Eric, who wants to meet up. I reject the offer to go out. I'm starting to feel tired, and just kind of want to stay in for the night. Aiden soon leaves, and Cara rushes into my room.
"He's cute", Cara says in a high pitched voice. She's meaning that I should date him.
"He's not into us", I say in an equally high voice, mocking her.
"Okay, fine. But he is really nice. He's good for you", my older sister says to me as she sits on the bed next to me.
"I miss them. I miss them more than I miss you. But, you are also closer to me than they are. Noah went off to College, Cole and I are seniors. This was supposed to be my year, doesn't every senior feel like that. But it's falling apart. I don't have Noah, I don't have Cole, I barely have you. I'm done with this. I want to go back to Maine, forget finishing high school. I will go back right now and I won't look back. Live with one of the guys until I Cole moves into the condo with Noah this summer. Turn eighteen, get my GED and go to college". I break down. Tears stream down my face. Cara takes me in her arms.
Another moment of crying, and Cara takes my face in her hands. She leads my eyes to hers. "As much as I'm offended that you like your boyfriend more than your sister, I don't want you crying. You're not going to drop out of high school. You're going to finish school with flying colors, make new friends, and forget how much you miss the old ones", I laugh a little, just a little. "I know who you need to see".
"My boyfriend would be nice", I say, sniffing back the rest of my tears.
"No, better. I promise. Get your hockey bag ready. We leave tomorrow morning at nine. Don't ask questions", Cara says with a playfully evil look on her face.
Oh good. What's going to happen now?
YOU ARE READING
One More Day (Counting on Hockey #2)
Romance*book two of the Counting On Hockey series. Read Just Another Goal prior to this book* Meredith and Cole are going into their Senior year of high school. They are inseparable together. Now both playing hockey, and being together for now more than a...
