Crazy Beginnings and Happy Endings
sixty-one
"What do you think you are doing?" Jordan asked, as I put my skates in the back of his SUV. We had finished our game and everyone was going their separate ways.
"Putting my skates in your vehicle," I replied. "Why? What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks exactly like that," Jordan frowned. "But why are you are you putting your skates in here?"
"I was thinking, maybe we could hang out," I told him. "That is unless your busy or you don't want me around. Then that's cool."
"No," Jordan smiled. "That sounds great. I love hanging out with you."
"Good," I said, nodding my head. "I'll just go say bye to Letang and Max." I made my way to where Kris and Max were standing, waiting for me. "Hey, I'm going to go hang out with Jord. I'll get him to give me a ride home later."
"Ok," Kris said. "Give me a call if he won't drive you."
"I will," I smiled.
"Have fun," Max said. He gave me a kiss before I went back to Jordan's SUV and got in.
"Let's go," I said, buckling my seat belt.
"Where do you want to go?" Jordan asked, putting the vehicle into gear.
"I'm feeling like ice cream," I said, thoughtfully. "Do you know a good place?"
"I do," Jordan smiled.
"Are you going to tell me where?" I asked.
"Nope," Jordan said.
I shook my head and looked out the window at Pittsburgh until we pulled up at an ice cream parlor named Bruster's Real Ice Cream.
"This is it," Jordan said, getting out of the car.
I followed him into the building and looked around. "I'll have to come here more often," I commented. "Once I find a car, that is."
"I'll take you anytime you want me to," Jordan offered.
"Thanks Jord," I said. "What do you say we get a container of ice cream and then go to your place and watch a movie."
"That sounds excellent," he said. "What kind do you want?"
"Peanut butter," I smiled. "I love peanut butter ice cream."
"That's fine with me," Jordan said. He grabbed a container and went to pay before I had a chance to.
~~~~~
"So I take it you played hockey before," Jordan said, once we were in the elevator.
"Yes, a little bit," I nodded. "I wasn't that great."
"You had some pretty nice stops on Sid today," Jordan commented.
"Thanks, but it was totally luck," I said, stepping out of the elevator.
When we got to Jordan's door, I froze. I stared at the door to my old apartment as a shiver ran down my spine as my mind played memories of what had happened not only months ago but the day before.
"Hey, Brylyn, you ok?" Jordan asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I looked at him. "Yea," I nodded. "I'll be fine. Let's get inside before the ice cream melts."
"Ok," Jordan said before turning to his door and leading me inside.
"Why don't you go pick a movie?" I suggested as I took the ice cream into the kitchen. I grabbed a couple of spoons and made my way through Jordan's mess and into the living room where Jordan was putting a movie in the machine. I sat on the couch and opened the ice cream pail.
"I put in a comedy," Jordan said, sitting down beside me.
I nodded as I dug into the ice cream. I stared at the TV, but I couldn't focus on the movie. "Do you think it's weird that I keep thinking Adrian will come after me?" I turned to Jordan.
"Not at all," Jordan replied. His face wore a frown. "What brings this up?"
"Just seeing my old place again, it brought back memories," I told him. "Things that I don't want to remember or experience ever again."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jordan asked.
"I've talked to Max," I said, taking another bite of ice cream. "And I talked to Letang about everything that happened before yesterday."
"Well if you need someone else to talk to, I'm always here for you," Jordan offered.
"I know," I smiled. "Thank-you."
"No problem," Jordan said, digging into the ice cream.
"All you guys are so great," I said.
"By all of us you mean Max, Tanger and me?" Jordan asked.
"No, I mean, you, Max, Letang, Sid, Geno, TK, Marc-Andre, Vero, Marc, Brandon, Eric, Tanya, your parents, even Jared," I clarified. "Basically everyone I have met here."
"That's because we care about you," Jordan told me. "You mean a lot to us all and if something was to happen to you..." Jordan's voice trailed off.
"Nothing is going to happen to me," I assured him.
"When are you going back to school?" Jordan inquired as we finished up the ice cream.
"I don't know," I replied. "I got a letter on Friday, but I haven't looked to see if I got in or anything."
"I'm sure you did," Jordan smiled. "And Marc better take care of you when you go back."
I just shook my head at Jordan and started thinking about the letter that was sitting on the island in Kris' apartment.
"Putting my skates in your vehicle," I replied. "Why? What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks exactly like that," Jordan frowned. "But why are you are you putting your skates in here?"
"I was thinking, maybe we could hang out," I told him. "That is unless your busy or you don't want me around. Then that's cool."
"No," Jordan smiled. "That sounds great. I love hanging out with you."
"Good," I said, nodding my head. "I'll just go say bye to Letang and Max." I made my way to where Kris and Max were standing, waiting for me. "Hey, I'm going to go hang out with Jord. I'll get him to give me a ride home later."
"Ok," Kris said. "Give me a call if he won't drive you."
"I will," I smiled.
"Have fun," Max said. He gave me a kiss before I went back to Jordan's SUV and got in.
"Let's go," I said, buckling my seat belt.
"Where do you want to go?" Jordan asked, putting the vehicle into gear.
"I'm feeling like ice cream," I said, thoughtfully. "Do you know a good place?"
"I do," Jordan smiled.
"Are you going to tell me where?" I asked.
"Nope," Jordan said.
I shook my head and looked out the window at Pittsburgh until we pulled up at an ice cream parlor named Bruster's Real Ice Cream.
"This is it," Jordan said, getting out of the car.
I followed him into the building and looked around. "I'll have to come here more often," I commented. "Once I find a car, that is."
"I'll take you anytime you want me to," Jordan offered.
"Thanks Jord," I said. "What do you say we get a container of ice cream and then go to your place and watch a movie."
"That sounds excellent," he said. "What kind do you want?"
"Peanut butter," I smiled. "I love peanut butter ice cream."
"That's fine with me," Jordan said. He grabbed a container and went to pay before I had a chance to.
~~~~~
"So I take it you played hockey before," Jordan said, once we were in the elevator.
"Yes, a little bit," I nodded. "I wasn't that great."
"You had some pretty nice stops on Sid today," Jordan commented.
"Thanks, but it was totally luck," I said, stepping out of the elevator.
When we got to Jordan's door, I froze. I stared at the door to my old apartment as a shiver ran down my spine as my mind played memories of what had happened not only months ago but the day before.
"Hey, Brylyn, you ok?" Jordan asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I looked at him. "Yea," I nodded. "I'll be fine. Let's get inside before the ice cream melts."
"Ok," Jordan said before turning to his door and leading me inside.
"Why don't you go pick a movie?" I suggested as I took the ice cream into the kitchen. I grabbed a couple of spoons and made my way through Jordan's mess and into the living room where Jordan was putting a movie in the machine. I sat on the couch and opened the ice cream pail.
"I put in a comedy," Jordan said, sitting down beside me.
I nodded as I dug into the ice cream. I stared at the TV, but I couldn't focus on the movie. "Do you think it's weird that I keep thinking Adrian will come after me?" I turned to Jordan.
"Not at all," Jordan replied. His face wore a frown. "What brings this up?"
"Just seeing my old place again, it brought back memories," I told him. "Things that I don't want to remember or experience ever again."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jordan asked.
"I've talked to Max," I said, taking another bite of ice cream. "And I talked to Letang about everything that happened before yesterday."
"Well if you need someone else to talk to, I'm always here for you," Jordan offered.
"I know," I smiled. "Thank-you."
"No problem," Jordan said, digging into the ice cream.
"All you guys are so great," I said.
"By all of us you mean Max, Tanger and me?" Jordan asked.
"No, I mean, you, Max, Letang, Sid, Geno, TK, Marc-Andre, Vero, Marc, Brandon, Eric, Tanya, your parents, even Jared," I clarified. "Basically everyone I have met here."
"That's because we care about you," Jordan told me. "You mean a lot to us all and if something was to happen to you..." Jordan's voice trailed off.
"Nothing is going to happen to me," I assured him.
"When are you going back to school?" Jordan inquired as we finished up the ice cream.
"I don't know," I replied. "I got a letter on Friday, but I haven't looked to see if I got in or anything."
"I'm sure you did," Jordan smiled. "And Marc better take care of you when you go back."
I just shook my head at Jordan and started thinking about the letter that was sitting on the island in Kris' apartment.