Never Ending Equation

I was eighteen when I was drafted and had to move away from her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without my partner in crime," Andy said, faking tears and reaching over for a hug.

"Aw," I gushed. "We'll talk every night, I promise. I'll stay up late just so I can hear your voice. It'll be okay, we'll make it work."

We erupted into a little fit of laughter before going into a conversation about my new teammates.

I was recently drafted by the Penguins and today--two days before I had to leave--was the day my mother decided to throw my Going Away party. Eric and Marc had one of these things when they were drafted, and just as many people were here for me. I didn't really like all the attention, but there was no talking her out of it.

I had a feel for what it was like to leave home, but I didn't know what it was going to be like to be by myself for an extensive period of time. But from what I heard, things would be okay down in Pittsburgh. My brothers said the homesick feeling goes away, eventually. I think I would miss seeing everyone and my mom's homemade dinners most.

"Hey, man. Congratulations," one of my cousins said, appearing from behind me and slapping a hand on my left shoulder.

"Thanks, I'm pretty excited about it."

"Yeah? At least I have an excuse to cheer for somebody other than the Leafs. God only knows how shitty they're going to be next season," Tom told me, starting to head back in the direction he came. "Do me proud!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try," I replied with a light laugh before turning back around to a group of my friends. I was about to say something, but those unsaid words flew right out of my mouth and disappeared in the wind when I saw her.

She wore a simple black dress that fit her just right while her dark hair flowed down her back and shoulders. She was stunning, even in something so simple.

Nicolette had snaked her way into the conversation while I had my back turned. I had no idea that she was even invited; my mom had never mentioned her name. Nevertheless, she was here, and I couldn't just make her leave.

As my father announced that the food was ready, everyone scattered. I, however, stayed where I was. So did Nicolette.

"Uh, food?" I stumbled out awkwardly as I rubbed the back of my neck.

She lightly shook her head. "Want to talk?"

Talk. She wants to talk. Right now. After two years. Was she serious?

Nicolette didn't wait for an answer as she moved to the stone wall in my backyard. And I followed her, like always. We sat down on the ledge and I waited for her to say something.

"Believe it or not, I'm going to miss you," she told me.

I snorted and laughed a little. "I doubt that."

"No, really, I am," she said. "It's going to be.. different not seeing your face or hearing your voice all the time. You've always been around since I was a kid."

"You haven't seen or heard me in the past two years," I began, growing a bit angry. "What difference does it make now that I'm leaving the country?"

Nicolette stayed quiet. It was the first time in all my life that I had seen her speechless. Normally, she was the one making me forget how to speak.

"It's taken you up until now to realize that you'll miss me?" I asked, receiving a faint shrug. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"I didn't mean to make you mad, Jordan," she said, standing up. She looked down at me, her eyes holding some sort of emotion, instantly making me feel bad for getting worked up. "I'll be cheering for you."

~!@#$%^&*()_+

"Welcome to Pittsburgh, Jordan," Mario Lemieux greeted me with a smile, extending his hand out for me to shake.

I took it and grinned as well. "Thanks, I'm happy to be here."

"I hate to cut this short but I've got some things to get done, so I should probably get going. Practice starts in about an hour but most of the boys are already here. Now is a good time to introduce yourself," he said. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

I thanked him and then pushed open the doors to the locker room.

"Ah, if it isn't one of the infamous Staal brothers. Welcome to Pittsburgh, shitface," a guy I knew as Colby Armstrong joked.

I chuckled as I began to get a feel for my new teammates. I walked over to my stall and looked at my name tag, running my fingers over the plate. I felt like I had been playing here for ages, like I belonged and was one of the guys. I sat down on the bench and smiled as I watched some of the guys mess around. I could definitely get used to things here.