First Impressions

"I know Toews through his cousin, Ana," started off Henry, and Lizzie shoved her book back in between the cushions, curious at this new story.

"I'd been making my way through Australia as a freelance photographer a year or so ago, when she and I met in Melbourne. I guess she'd just graduated high school but was taking a gap year and spending six months there, visiting an aunt or something- they have family there, you see. One moment there I was at the grocers, helping her pick out the right change for her stuff, and the next, we were going out to a movie."

Henry picked up his half-empty water glass, swishing the contents around and looking out the window thoughtfully.

"Before I knew it, we were both crazy for one another- I mean, we were both Canadians down under not exactly sure of what we wanted out of life but each other- we clicked...I guess you could say I was in love with Ana from the moment I met her."

"So what happened?" Lizzie asked as Henry trailed off.

"Jonathan Toews, happened," his voice grew hard. "Ana convinced me to come back to Winnipeg with her towards the end of January to meet her family- and he conveniently happened to be back home, out of the All-Star Game with a concussion. From the moment we met, I knew I wasn't going to make it. He had it out for me."

"How come?" Lizzie asked, furrowing her brow, puzzled.

"A lot of things," Henry continued. "First of all, he's very protective of Ana, if not completely controlling. He practically forced her to choose Northwestern so he could keep an eye on her. And the Toews clan is a very proud family, very based on appearance, success, class, all of that. He wants Ana to be introduced to Chicago society and feed off of his connections so not only will she be successful, but so he'll have a hand in the rest of her life."

"So, you're saying she's locked into a life she doesn't want to have?" Lizzie asked incredulously, her anger rising. "That's a terrible way to live."

Henry nodded. 

"Jonathan was at the brim when Ana's parents let her go to Australia, but he overflowed when I came home with her. I'm everything he and his family doesn't want for their precious Ana- adventurous and poor."

Henry said the last bit with a stinging tone, and Lizzie cringed at the pain in his voice.

"And I suppose the Toews family is at least capable of some kindness, but their golden boy hockey player calls all of the shots- and so I had to go."

"So what happened to you and Ana?"

"She broke up with me," Henry shrugged. "Jonathan was ridiculing enough to buy me a plane ticket to anywhere I wanted to go, just so I'd be out of their hair, and I chose New Orleans."

"Just like that? Was Ana at least upset at Jonathan?"

"At first, yes; after spending months away from him, she'd had enough independence to stand up for herself. But of course, he twisted her arm enough to make her believe what she was doing to me would benefit her in the long run," said Henry. 

"She's a beautiful, intelligent young woman,  you see, but extremely passive towards Jonathan and otherwise very entitled towards everyone else."

Lizzie remained silent, letting Henry's experience sink in. When it had, she fumed in fury towards Jonathan. 

"How dare he!" she glared out the window towards nothing in particular. "What gives him the right to treat others in such an atrocious manner? Just because he's a wealthy, professional athlete..."

"Sometimes it baffles me as to how people think they are the superior being," Henry agreed. "But, while I used to be angry about the entire thing, I'm just trying to move past it now."

"That's good," Lizzie nodded. "There's no use in being bitter."

Her expression softened as she searched Henry's face.

"I'm sorry you had that happen to you," she nearly whispered. "I've only known you for an hour and I know you don't deserve that at all; no one does for that matter."

"As long as I stay out of Jonathan Toews' way during my time here, I'll be fine," Henry joked lightly. "I take it you aren't as friendly with him as you appeared?"

Lizzie scoffed at the suggestion, "No, though my sister Jane is sort of with Patrick Kane, so that's how we know each other."

"It always surprises me that people consider Kane the bad seed of the two," Henry mused. "When it's the Blackhawks captain who does the most damage."

"That's the thing about misconceptions," Lizzie said as she stood up and took his empty plate. "They're far from the actual truth."

-------------------------------------------------

"Are you absolutely sure?" Jane asked her sister that night after Lizzie recalled Henry Wickham's entire story to her. "I can't believe Patrick could keep a friend so-"

"Terrible?" Lizzie suggested as she crawled under her covers. "You should have seen Henry's face, you should have heard him speak- it nearly broke my heart!"

"I wonder if Patrick knows-"

"-No! Don't get him into this," Lizzie propped up her elbows to look over at Jane, who gently brushed her hair at the vanity. "I don't want to meddle, and besides, Henry's only staying for a couple of weeks, if anything..."

"You sound a little put out by that," Jane teased, looking behind her shoulder and glancing at Lizzie. "He must have made a good first impression."

"A very good one," Lizzie found herself smiling in a very un-Lizzie-like fashion, and smothered her head under the pillow before Jane could catch her blush. "He's-"

"What was that?" Jane's tinkering laugh filled the room at Lizzie's muffled words.

The headstrong brunette huffed and dove out from under her pillow- "He's different, alright?"

"Different is good."

"Different is very good," Lizzie whispered to herself, turning off her lamp and snuggling into her mattress.