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Allie followed her uncle as he headed towards the large arena. It was her first time ever being at either of the Bruins hockey facilities, and she was excited. It was only a practice, but she hadn't been to anything hockey related in over a year. She loved the sport and everything surrounding it... Except conceited hockey players.

She stared up at the large practice facility as they neared it. Her uncle held the door open for her, saying his goodbyes after making sure she knew where she was going. She made her way to the stands beside the ice and found a seat about halfway up. She knew she was a bit early, but she didn't mind. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She could remember days when she was younger, skating around on her Grand-Père's pond in Quebec. She remembered how her seventh, eighth, and ninth birthdays had all been at the local arena. She had been enrolled in skating lessons from the age of five up until twelve, when she became 'too cool' for it. She had thought she had known everything.

Allie opened her eyes, laughing a little bit at the memory of her old self. Wise, young, Allie. She scoffed.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and shifted her eyes to where the Boston Bruins were taking the ice for practice.

***

Hey, Al. I'm so sorry, can you take the bus home? I have to stay late.

Allie sighed as she read her uncle's text. She knew he wouldn't have left her there if he had had a choice, but still, the idea of the bus wasn't too appealing. She didn't even know anything, really, about the city. She decided she had no choice, and headed out the doors. She walked through the parking lot until she reached the sidewalk, and turned right until she reached the tall sign with the picture of a bus on it. She stared up at it, sighing as she realized the next bus wouldn't be coming for another 20 minutes. She had just missed the last one. She looked down at her phone, sighing again, and as she fiddled with the keys, she heard one of the cars rushing by pull to a stop. Her head snapped up warily. The window of the sports car rolled down, and Allie squinted her eyes before widening them.

"Want a ride?"

She chewed down on her lip, looking back at the arena, before up at the bus sign, and back at the car in front of her. She exhaled and closed the distance between her and the vehicle. Tyler reached over and pushed the door open, and she slid in. She took time putting on her seatbelt, and when she finally looked at him, he nodded in greeting and began to drive.

"Thanks," she said after a moment of silence.

Tyler shrugged. "No problem." Allie watched as he rested his elbow on the rim of the window and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. She bit her lip and looked away.

"Do you, uh, know where my uncle lives?"

"Was there the other day, remember?"

"Right."

It was silent for a few minutes, and Allie stared out at the surroundings around them. She felt awkward, and prayed the ride would be over quickly. Tyler broke the silence. "How do you like Boston?"

Allie shrugged, looking down at her fingers. "It's not bad. I miss home though."

"You from Quebec too?"

Allie nodded. They pulled to a stop at a red light, and Tyler looked over at her. "I'm from Ontario."

"I know," she replied without thinking. As soon as Tyler's lips lifted up into a smirk, she found herself getting annoyed. She didn't want to flatter him. "I'm from a hockey fan, we keep up with the draft. When I met you, I didn't even know who you were," she retorted. She instantly wished she could take it back as Tyler frowned, and she looked out the window again. He had offered her a ride, and he hadn't done anything to her. She sighed.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence. When Tyler pulled up to her uncle's apartment building, instead of getting out of the car, she turned to the man beside her, who refused to meet her eyes.

"Tyler." He glanced at her, and she took that as incentive to continue. "Sorry," she said quickly, hoping that would fix her earlier outburst. Tyler nodded. "Thanks for the ride," she said.

"No problem."

Allie still didn't move. She felt as though what was said wasn't enough. "I'll see you later?"

Tyler looked over at her, and a smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, Allie. I'll see you later." She felt relieved as he gave her a genuine smile, and she laughed before getting out of the car. She turned and gave him a wave, to which he returned, before looking over his shoulder to back up.