Northern Lights
fourteen.
Thanksgiving at college usually met a nice break. Everyone got to go home, see their families, and eat tons of food before going back to a place where they mostly consumed ramen and alcohol. However, to the men of the Fighting Sioux Thanksgiving didn't mean much this year, for they weren't able to go home; they had a game the day after. With some of them being Canadian it didn't matter much anyway, but those who were American were somewhat despondent.
"This is gonna be my first Thanksgiving away from home," TJ informed Ava as she worked on an English essay.
"It won't be too bad," she tried to comfort him.
"That's easy for you to say," TJ said. "You live right in town, you can go home."
Ava looked up at the blonde boy in front of her, the most serious of looks on her face. Having never seen her like this, TJ didn't know to react and stayed silent.
"I'm not going home," she informed him grimly. Silence hung over the pair as Ava typed furiously on her laptop. After what seemed like forever she looked back up at TJ, looking considerably less intense than she had a few moments ago. "Maybe I can make Thanksgiving dinner," she stated.
TJ raised his eyebrow at the red head, "You would do that?"
"Of course," she smiled. "I love to cook. And you boys can help me. We can invite all of the guys born in the US and then tell the Canadians they can come if they want too," she mused, still smiling. TJ grinned at his friend, excitement bubbling inside of him at the thought of a nice big Thanksgiving dinner. College wasn't exactly the best place to eat full meals, and although when they went to away games the team was fed pretty well, TJ missed the feeling of a real home cooked meal.
"That'd be fucking awesome," he beamed. "But, are you sure you wouldn't mind? That's a lot of food to cook."
"It's no problem, it'd be really fun," she nodded with a smile. "We'll get everyone to throw in twenty bucks and we can go food shopping in a little while."
"And we can get everyone to bring their kitchen tables over here," TJ added on, becoming almost giddy the more he thought about the dinner. Ava giggled and nodded in agreement.
"That sounds like a good idea Teej," she told him.
The pair spent the next two hours brainstorming for their Thanksgiving feast. Ava made a list of the foods they would all eat, and TJ texted all of his teammates informing them of the dinner. After they made their plans final, Ava made a short trip back to her dorm room to gather a few things and get changed before walking back to TJ's apartment.
Two people stood at the front of her dorm she never expected to see in a million years. Stopping in the middle of the hallway with her jaw hanging slightly ajar Ava stared at her dorm room door, watching as her parents argued in front of it. From the looks of it her mom was drunk and her dad looked like he was about to hit her, so she walked over quickly and tried to look excited to see them.
"Hi," she said shortly. Both of her parent's eyes found her's and they didn't look happy.
"Why aren't you home?" Her mother asked, slurring her words slightly. Ava knew she had probably consumed more alcohol than she had witnessed, even in college, but her mother's tolerance was so high that she only seemed tipsy right now.
"I'm making dinner for the boys," she responded, shifting her weight uncomfortably on her feet.
"Oh, so you're a slut now?" Her mom laughed, looking up at her father who seemed unfazed.
"You should come home," he said sternly. Ava looked back and forth and her parents, trembling only the slightest bit. To be honest, they both scared the living shit out of her, but she'd never let them know that. She was stronger than that and right now she needed them to see that.
"No," Ava stated. "I'm having Thanksgiving here with my friends. I'm not coming home."
Her father's hands swooped down on her quickly, wrapping his large fingers around her wrist and holding on tightly. Ava knew better than to try and pull away but she wanted desperately for this all to stop. That maybe someone would walk by and save her, but she knew they had all went home yesterday.
"Don't you speak to me like that," he seethed. Mustering up all the strength she had inside of her, Ava stood up tall and looked her father right in the eye.
"I'll do whatever I want. You can't come here and pretend to be a parent now when you haven't been one for the other 18 years of my life. Let go of my wrist now. I need to get a few clothes and go back to my friend's apartment to get ready for tomorrow."
Her father's eyes burned holes in her, but she didn't back down. After a few more minutes of gripping her wrist as tight as he could, he dropped it as he continued to glare at her. Ava didn't back down either, keeping a confident look on her face even though she was shaking inside.
"I'm leaving now," she stated, walking past them and slipping into her dorm room carefully. "Don't come back please."
Little did Ava know at that moment, but that would be the last time she saw her parents again until she would find out her father was dying a few years later.
She got her things quickly and ran the entire way back to TJ's, nervous her parents would find her again and do something a little more forceful to get her to come back home. As she walked into TJ's apartment, she realized how red her wrist was and that she would probably develop a bruise.
"Woah, what happened to you?" TJ asked as he walked past the front door as Ava caught her breath, her back against the door.
"What do you mean?" Ava asked quickly.
"You're out of breath," TJ pointed out. "And your wrist is all red," he said, only noticing it right then. He grabbed her arm gingerly, bringing it up to his eye level to assess the damages done to the red-heads body. "What happened to you?" He repeated, only this time a hint of worry coated his words.
"My dad," she grumbled, keeping her eyes locked to the ground.
Ava never talked about her parents much because she didn't want people to feel sorry for her. Ava had a tough life, but she didn't want a constant pity party about it. She wasn't a broken girl who needed everyone's help to get through her tough times, she could do it alone. And she didn't need anyone to feel sorry for her.
"What?"
"My mom and dad were at my dorm when I got there. They told me to come home. I said no, my dad grabbed my wrist a little too tightly. No big deal."
"Ava," TJ began slowly. "Why don't you go home?"
"Because I don't want to," she said loudly, catching TJ off guard. "That place I grew up in is not my home. This is," she told him, her eyes boring into his own. "I don't want this to be a
big deal. I just want to make you guys Thanksgiving dinner."
In the short time TJ had known Ava he had never seen her like this before. She was usually so upbeat and happy, so self-assured. But she was leaning against the door looking like she was about to completely break down at any given moment. It almost scared him.
This would be the only time TJ ever saw Ava so weak and fragile looking. At least up until the next time Ava would see her parents.
"This is gonna be my first Thanksgiving away from home," TJ informed Ava as she worked on an English essay.
"It won't be too bad," she tried to comfort him.
"That's easy for you to say," TJ said. "You live right in town, you can go home."
Ava looked up at the blonde boy in front of her, the most serious of looks on her face. Having never seen her like this, TJ didn't know to react and stayed silent.
"I'm not going home," she informed him grimly. Silence hung over the pair as Ava typed furiously on her laptop. After what seemed like forever she looked back up at TJ, looking considerably less intense than she had a few moments ago. "Maybe I can make Thanksgiving dinner," she stated.
TJ raised his eyebrow at the red head, "You would do that?"
"Of course," she smiled. "I love to cook. And you boys can help me. We can invite all of the guys born in the US and then tell the Canadians they can come if they want too," she mused, still smiling. TJ grinned at his friend, excitement bubbling inside of him at the thought of a nice big Thanksgiving dinner. College wasn't exactly the best place to eat full meals, and although when they went to away games the team was fed pretty well, TJ missed the feeling of a real home cooked meal.
"That'd be fucking awesome," he beamed. "But, are you sure you wouldn't mind? That's a lot of food to cook."
"It's no problem, it'd be really fun," she nodded with a smile. "We'll get everyone to throw in twenty bucks and we can go food shopping in a little while."
"And we can get everyone to bring their kitchen tables over here," TJ added on, becoming almost giddy the more he thought about the dinner. Ava giggled and nodded in agreement.
"That sounds like a good idea Teej," she told him.
The pair spent the next two hours brainstorming for their Thanksgiving feast. Ava made a list of the foods they would all eat, and TJ texted all of his teammates informing them of the dinner. After they made their plans final, Ava made a short trip back to her dorm room to gather a few things and get changed before walking back to TJ's apartment.
Two people stood at the front of her dorm she never expected to see in a million years. Stopping in the middle of the hallway with her jaw hanging slightly ajar Ava stared at her dorm room door, watching as her parents argued in front of it. From the looks of it her mom was drunk and her dad looked like he was about to hit her, so she walked over quickly and tried to look excited to see them.
"Hi," she said shortly. Both of her parent's eyes found her's and they didn't look happy.
"Why aren't you home?" Her mother asked, slurring her words slightly. Ava knew she had probably consumed more alcohol than she had witnessed, even in college, but her mother's tolerance was so high that she only seemed tipsy right now.
"I'm making dinner for the boys," she responded, shifting her weight uncomfortably on her feet.
"Oh, so you're a slut now?" Her mom laughed, looking up at her father who seemed unfazed.
"You should come home," he said sternly. Ava looked back and forth and her parents, trembling only the slightest bit. To be honest, they both scared the living shit out of her, but she'd never let them know that. She was stronger than that and right now she needed them to see that.
"No," Ava stated. "I'm having Thanksgiving here with my friends. I'm not coming home."
Her father's hands swooped down on her quickly, wrapping his large fingers around her wrist and holding on tightly. Ava knew better than to try and pull away but she wanted desperately for this all to stop. That maybe someone would walk by and save her, but she knew they had all went home yesterday.
"Don't you speak to me like that," he seethed. Mustering up all the strength she had inside of her, Ava stood up tall and looked her father right in the eye.
"I'll do whatever I want. You can't come here and pretend to be a parent now when you haven't been one for the other 18 years of my life. Let go of my wrist now. I need to get a few clothes and go back to my friend's apartment to get ready for tomorrow."
Her father's eyes burned holes in her, but she didn't back down. After a few more minutes of gripping her wrist as tight as he could, he dropped it as he continued to glare at her. Ava didn't back down either, keeping a confident look on her face even though she was shaking inside.
"I'm leaving now," she stated, walking past them and slipping into her dorm room carefully. "Don't come back please."
Little did Ava know at that moment, but that would be the last time she saw her parents again until she would find out her father was dying a few years later.
She got her things quickly and ran the entire way back to TJ's, nervous her parents would find her again and do something a little more forceful to get her to come back home. As she walked into TJ's apartment, she realized how red her wrist was and that she would probably develop a bruise.
"Woah, what happened to you?" TJ asked as he walked past the front door as Ava caught her breath, her back against the door.
"What do you mean?" Ava asked quickly.
"You're out of breath," TJ pointed out. "And your wrist is all red," he said, only noticing it right then. He grabbed her arm gingerly, bringing it up to his eye level to assess the damages done to the red-heads body. "What happened to you?" He repeated, only this time a hint of worry coated his words.
"My dad," she grumbled, keeping her eyes locked to the ground.
Ava never talked about her parents much because she didn't want people to feel sorry for her. Ava had a tough life, but she didn't want a constant pity party about it. She wasn't a broken girl who needed everyone's help to get through her tough times, she could do it alone. And she didn't need anyone to feel sorry for her.
"What?"
"My mom and dad were at my dorm when I got there. They told me to come home. I said no, my dad grabbed my wrist a little too tightly. No big deal."
"Ava," TJ began slowly. "Why don't you go home?"
"Because I don't want to," she said loudly, catching TJ off guard. "That place I grew up in is not my home. This is," she told him, her eyes boring into his own. "I don't want this to be a
big deal. I just want to make you guys Thanksgiving dinner."
In the short time TJ had known Ava he had never seen her like this before. She was usually so upbeat and happy, so self-assured. But she was leaning against the door looking like she was about to completely break down at any given moment. It almost scared him.
This would be the only time TJ ever saw Ava so weak and fragile looking. At least up until the next time Ava would see her parents.
♠ ♠ ♠
so i realize this isn't very good but i really wanted to post it anyway because i can redeem myself with the next chapter. hopefully, hahaha.i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving!<3
feedback would be lovely.<3
xoxo.