Breakeven

"To my favorite liar, to my favorite scar: I could have died with you."

Jonathan Toews may have only been 21 years of age, but he knew he wanted to marry his girlfriend. He had never been more sure of anything in his life and he couldn't wait another year or two until he could make her his forever. So he went out with his good friend Patrick Sharp and bought a ring- a beautiful one. A 24 carrot pink diamond sat in the middle of the ring, while more diamonds surrounded it. It was gorgeous, exactly what a girl like his deserved.

So he waited until he had a few days off and planned everything out perfectly. Though it was nearing the end of January, he planned to take a short walk with her through one of their favorite parks. He would walk out with her to the middle of the small pond that had been frozen over and have her make a snow angel, something he was sure she would do no questions asked. While she was making a snow angel, Jonathan would write "Marry me?" in the snow, and she would say yes and tackle him to the ice with kisses. Everything would work out perfectly.

But when his girlfriend saw the question in the snow that night, she looked at Jonathan seriously and shook her head quickly. She gave him a short "no" before pushing herself up from the snowy ice and walking away. She didn't give an explanation, she didn't even say sorry. She just left, carrying Jonathan’s heart with her.

The next time Jonathan saw her was when she was cleaning her things out of his apartment. And that was the last time. Jonathan had heard about heart-break from his friends, movies, songs- but he had never experienced it. The closest thing he had ever felt to heart-broken was watching the Detroit Red Wings throw their gloves and sticks into the air as he staked off the ice, knowing he wouldn't be making the Stanley Cup Finals that year.

But now that he was feeling it- really feeling it- he didn't know if he could handle it. In all of Jonathan Toews’ twenty one years he had never felt anything quite like it. And then, to add insult to injury, he didn't make Team Canada for the Olympics in February.

For the rest of January and in the beginning of February, Jonathan Toews was a mess. His game was off, he was moody, he was quite, and he didn't want to be bothered. Everyone noticed his change of mood quickly, but no one ever asked if he was okay. They all knew how much his ex-girlfriend meant to him, and now that she was gone and he didn't even have the Olympics to keep him occupied he was falling apart at the seams.

His brother Davey called him up the first week of February, letting him know how sorry he was to hear about his failed engagement and the fact he didn't make Team Canada. Jonathan thanked him for his concern (though he didn't really mean it) and was about to grumble a good-bye when Davey told him he should go home for the two weeks he had off.
As soon as Jonathan hung up, he booked a flight back to Winnipeg.

He didn't know why he hadn't thought of going home sooner. It amazed him that his much dumber younger brother would be able to suggest such a good idea to him, but he didn't dwell on it. He prepared for the last few games of the month, and then began to pack.

- - -

Reese Santino's relationship was perfect. Her boyfriend was gorgeous, sweet, and smart (not to mention extremely successful and wealthy). He was the kind of boyfriend you grow up dreaming of having, the Prince Charming that just swept you off your feet, the boy you could grow old with. Which was exactly what Reese was planning on doing. Her boyfriend, now fiancé, had proposed to her when he swept her off to Paris for a week. Reese Santino was proposed to on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Her ring was gorgeous, three huge diamonds on a platinum wedding band. And even though Reese wasn't exactly concerned with the size of the diamonds as much as she cared about the fact that was engaged to the man of her dreams, she couldn't exactly complain either.

When they got back home to Chicago she was ecstatic and began planning her dream wedding quickly. She found a venue, picked out her dress (a gorgeous Vera Wang one of a kind), and chose all of her flower arrangements in less than a month.

Reese was a hopeless romantic and the fact that she was able to plan her dream wedding with her dream guy was overwhelming in the best way possible. She was so completely happy with her life that when it came crashing down around her, it was a hundred times worse.

She was coming home from a long day with the wedding planner and all she wanted to do was lay in bed with her fiancé. She was home early too, and she brought home take-out from their favorite Chinese restaurant as a surprise. After slipping off her brand new Jimmy Choo, Nina design platform sandals she began her way towards the bedroom they shared, chicken lo mien in hand. Upon pushing her door open, the chicken lo mien as well as her jaw fell to the floor.

There, in her own bed was her fiancé and her maid of honor. His eyes locked with her's quickly, but he didn't stop moving and he didn't try to apologize. Instead he looked at her with his baby blues and said, "Thanks for the lo mien."

She cried as she packed her bags, unsure of where she should go. Her ex-best friend and ex-maid of honor's house was out of the question, all of her other friend's apartments were too small, and she had sold her apartment when she moved in with her ex-fiancé.

She was just about to give up hope when she decided to call her parents up in Canada and see if she could stay there for a while. They accepted her without question, excited to see their only daughter.

Reese Santino was on the next flight to Winnipeg.