Gotta Get Back

Born and raised in the small town of Hannaford, North Dakota, Hailey Jennings seemed like just an average, all-American girl through most of her life. Especially when she finally left home and started a new life in one of the most popular college towns in the United States: Grand Forks.

Home of the Fighting Sioux, the University of North Dakota gladly welcomed the smart girl- who had graduated high school in the top five percent of her class, with honors –with open arms. Expecting to attend school, the thing she would focus the most on, and come home with a degree in Biology in only four short years, Hailey was more than excited to start her journey.

Her class schedule as a freshman was one that even a four-year senior could have envied- she was allowed to skip many basic courses, putting her in classes with second-year sophomores and third-year juniors. With her amazing luck, she had even been placed in a class with some of the schools best-known students, players for the school’s most coveted possession- the men’s hockey team.

Not used to a city any size bigger than the palm of her hand, Hailey quickly befriended a few of said players, in what was first an attempt to learn where the nearest shopping mall was. After hanging out with them a few times, Hailey declared one sophomore, Jonathan Toews, as her best friend, and never looked back on it.

As the two grew closer, they learned nearly everything about each other. Though she grew up with as much freedom as she could want, she never used it; her mind was too set with focusing on her studies and making something of herself, not getting high and having sex, something that he loved about her. Despite having guys throw themselves at her left and right, Hailey politely turned each and every one of them down, explaining to Jon that she just didn’t find college hook-ups appealing.

Just as Jonathan had allowed himself to admit that he had grown feelings for Hailey, he found himself being entered into the 2006 National Hockey League Draft, where he was chosen, third overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks. As happy as she was for him, Hailey couldn’t help but be disappointed when she learned he’d decided on pursuing his career as an athlete, instead of staying in North Dakota for his last two years of college.

Their goodbye wasn’t tearful until after he was gone- she cried in her dorm for nearly an hour, and he even let a few tears silently roll down his cheeks as he waited for his plane to take off.

Without his knowledge, Hailey watched Jonathan play his first year in Chicago, prayed for him to win Rookie of the Year in 2007, and fell, disappointed when his own teammate, the blonde, curly-headed Patrick Kane, took it, instead. She watched, surprised, as he played for his second season, his first as Captain, and led his team into the Playoffs, where they were eventually knocked out by the Detroit Red Wings. Becoming less-than a closet Chicago fan, Hailey openly cheered for Jonathan as she watched him play in 2009, the season he led his team all the way to the end- and won the Stanley Cup.

The buzz around the school was going as Hailey prepared to begin her senior year, that Jonathan Toews would be going on a “tour” with the Cup, where he would stop in his hometown of Winnipeg and visit for awhile, before he went to his old high school, Shattuck St. Mary’s, in Minnesota, before he came “home” to Grand Forks. Upon hearing this from one of her closest friends, Ashley, who knew about her crush on Jon, Hailey almost fainted.

“Do you wanna go?”

“Do I wanna go?” Hailey looked at her best friend as if she were stupid, before she rolled her eyes. Ashley only laughed, knowing that the brunette’s conformation was serious, not sarcastic, like she’d intended.

It was no secret to anyone who really knew him that Jonathan missed North Dakota with everything he had in him. And that was exactly the reason he wanted to take the Cup back to the place he had really started at.

As he sat in the backseat of the SUV, which was driving him from his former high school to his former college, Jon’s mind raced a million miles a minute, wondering just if the girl he still hadn’t been able to get out of his head, Hailey, would be at his celebration. As he let his mind race backwards, he couldn’t help but drift off into thoughts of Hailey and her long, luscious brown hair, infectious laugh, and bubbly personality.

“Mr. Toews, we’re here.”

Jon had been so busy thinking that he hadn’t even noticed that they were, in fact, sitting in the parking lot outside the assembly hall that had been so familiar to him- it was where the school held pep rallies for every hockey game he’d played there, along with the ones before and after his time spent.

The celebration- a loud one, at that –was nothing short of amazing, to both the winner, Jonathan, and the watcher, Hailey. The second he’d stepped out onto the stage, carrying the thirty pound trophy high over his head, biceps flexing under the weight, his bright white smile on his face, she felt her eyes well up with tears.

Even though they hadn’t talked in nearly three years, Hailey knew that they both still cared about each other, even more so when he gave his speech, one line stating something about “the ones he left behind that were still waiting for him”. Knowing he was either talking about she, because she had been the only lower classman he’d gotten close to, or his younger brother, David, whom she’d only held a few conversations with, Hailey was more determined than she had been before to find the Conn Smythe winner after the party.

After nearly two hours of unsuccessful searching through every nook and cranny of the school’s campus for Jonathan, Hailey just decided to label herself unlucky and go back to her dorm. On her way, however, she couldn’t help but let her ears perk up at the sound of the smooth, familiar voice she’d loved, coming from the hallway of the bottom floor of her building.

“I don’t know,” the voice sighed. “That was the last place I could think of. Maybe she went home for the summer, or something.”

From next to her, Ashley could only watch as she followed Hailey around the corner, and down the hall, approaching the superstar at a normal pace. Deciding to not look like acomplete stalker, Hailey let her eyes fall to the plastic cell phone she held in her hands, pretending the empty screen was actually entertaining her.

When she bumped into someone, however, her eyes moved from the screen to the familiar face of a certain Toews. She let a smile slide onto her face, “David! Hi!”

He smiled back and mumbled a hello, giving her a quick hug, before he used his arms that were wrapped around her to turn her around. She came face to face with the boy she’d had a massive crush on when he was a sophomore, her eyes nearly tearing up at the sight of him all grown up, in person.

“Hailey,” he breathed, not being able to believe that he’d gotten lucky enough to find her; he wasn’t going anywhere, not now. “How’s everything going? Still majoring in Biology?”

She laughed as she nodded, “Jon, let’s talk about you.”

A smile slid onto his face as she grabbed his arm and turned him around, taking him down the hallway, where a small lounge was, so they could sit and talk. None of Jonathan’s security guards, or even his brother followed him, so they were free to discuss anything, and, in Jon’s case, get something off of his chest.

They chatted about everything- college, hockey, and even how she had had a crush on Jonathan when they first met (she just left out the part that her crush was still there, and bigger than ever).

“You know, Hailey, I liked you, too.”

She smiled at his words, shaking her head until he spoke again. “I think I still do.”

Confused at his confession, Hailey looked up, only to find Jonathan closer to her than he had been previously. Without a word, she took the initiative and pushed her lips to his, pulling them back away quickly. Moving his hand behind her neck, Jon pressed his back down to hers and held her there, not wanting to let go. When he did, however, he pushed his forehead against hers and uttered six words.

“You’re the reason I came back.”