Say That You Love Me

[SID'S POV]
"Hey this is Emily, uhm, do your thing when you hear the beep," Upon hearing her voicemail, I growled into the device and hung up throwing my phone into my cubby.

"Fuck," I swore, sitting down in my cubby as I began removing my padding. Where was she? I was texting her and calling her all morning and most of last night, and still no reply.

I've called her house phone, Layla's cell and even Jake's and I got nothing. I even sent her flowers and still haven't heard anything back. What was going on?

We got in a fight at the bar, but I didn't expect her to actually break up with me. I got back home and found a note on my fridge, saying if I was going to be immature and act like a child, I should find someone else.

"Sid, okay?" Geno’s voice startled me when he took Fleurys’ cubby spot and sat down beside me. I stopped fidgeting with my skate laces and looked up at Geno. He was just as worried as I was and was asking me if I heard from her, she was even ignoring his calls. I knew something was up when she didn’t even want to talk to Geno.

"Maybe I'm just paranoid, but... I've been trying to get a hold of Emily for about a week now and I got nothing, she's never just disappeared and not messaged me like this before. I'm worried," TK had the cubby across from us, and it looked like he was listening in.

I looked back at Geno, seeing the look on his face; he was upset like I was. She was like a little sister to him. She got along so well with my team and Danny adored her. "I made a big mistake Geno, I... told her I loved her a week ago and now, she's not responding to me," I sighed. I couldn't even believe I actually told her to be honest, I was harboring that for the longest time and when I blurted it out, I scared her... That’s it! I scared her off. "I scared her off, didn't I?"

Geno shrugged. TK cut in before Geno had time to respond. "Maybe not, maybe she's just on vacation. Em told me a few days ago Christmas Break was coming up," I was still believing TK had a thing going for Emily, it wouldn't shock me none.

I snapped, narrowing my eyes."If Emily was going on vacation, she would've told me," I glared at him before turning back to Geno. I didn't really mean to snap at TK like that, but I was worried and upset and mad.

"Maybe she's hurt? Maybe someone kidnapped her? Ohmygod, Geno!" My heart was racing as I leapt out of my cubby and began stripping my padding off and grabbed my jeans.

"What are you doing?" TK leapt out of his cubby. "We still got practice and then we're leaving for LA at 1," Fuck me. I forgot all about the game. Coach was counting on me to be there. It was still early in the season, but to me, every game was a big one.

"Tell Danny I can't make it, tell him it's an emergency," I pulled my t-shirt over my head and grabbed my hockey bag and raced out the doors. I was going to drive to Buffalo right now to make sure she's okay and figure out what the hell is wrong with her phone. I had to see her in the flesh to know she's okay.

I knew Danny would be pissed off like there was no tomorrow, especially one of his star players just leaving like that, but I had no choice, this was the girl I loved and I couldn't go on knowing she was hurt and there was something I could've done to help her.
- - - - -
By the time I got to her house, her Jeep was gone. What the hell is going on? I left my bag in the car and walked up her driveway as I stepped on her porch and looked through the window. It was bare inside. Everything was gone. Everything. A few pieces of furniture here and there, but the plants and the pictures were all gone. All signs of life were not evident.

Where is she? My foot hit against a package and I looked down, seeing my name on it, and my address, from... EMILY!

I got down on my knees and ripped open the cardboard box, finding Cobus' cat habitat inside. Why would she give this back to me? I'm the one who bought it and gave it to Cobus. I picked up the box and decided on a whim to check her mailbox; maybe she's mailed me a letter telling me where she's gone. The flowers I sent her a few days ago, were sitting beside the box.

There was a letter for me inside, but inside the letter was the locket I just gave her, with bits and pieces of pictures of us cut up inside with the locket. "Emily, what are you doing?" I took the envelope and box and got back in my car, as I sat for a few minutes, trying to figure out what the hell was happening.

WAIT! Emily had to have left either last night or this morning because the stuff wasn't picked up. I grabbed my phone out of the console and noticed I had a new voicemail, probably from Coach to chew me a new one for leaving.

I hit the play button and pressed it to my ear. "Hey Sid, it is Emily," Ohmygod. She sounded upset. "You're probably still in practice by the time you get this, so I'll just make it short. I am done, I am moving on... I guess what I'm basically trying to say is... it's over and I mailed out the stuff you gave me. I am changing my cell number and I am moving to a new place. Thank you for the time we spent together, bye" With that, the voicemail ended.

"What the hell?" I slowly put my phone back into the console and started the car. About halfway down the road, it all crashed down on me and tears streamed down my cheeks. Emily just dumped me... What did I do? I pulled over to the side of the road and sobbed into the steering wheel.
- - - - -

The team was still in LA by the time I got home and all I did when I arrived; was go up into my room and crawl in my bed. I had to figure this out, where she went, what she was doing, if she was okay. I was determined to make this right. I loved this girl and wanted more than anything to be the one to take care of her.

When morning came, I sighed, hearing my alarm going off at 730AM. Ugh. Time for drills. I sat up and decided against it, knowing I wouldn't be able to focus right now. I crawled back under my covers and pretended I didn't hear my alarm and that I didn't have drills to do.

I knew this was my hockey career, and my dream was to be in the NHL, but what if I never seen her again? I called her cell over and over, hearing her voice on the answering machine. Her sweet voice.

"Shh..." I heard voices coming up my stairs. "Maybe he's sleeping?"

"That's all he's done for three days, Coach is getting worried," My door flung open and Geno and TK came walking in, letting my door slam behind them. "Sid, come on, Coach wants to see you; you haven't showered or been out of the house in three days, time to buck up,"

"Buck up?" I sat up and climbed out of my bed, dragging my comforter with me. I was only wearing boxers, the same boxers I've had on for three days. I grabbed a ring box out of my sock drawer and opened it, revealing the diamond ring sitting inside of it. "Really?" I spun myself to face them.

"The girl I love, the only girl I've ever really gave a fucking shit about, just up and fucking left me and I don't know what I did," I couldn't fight the tears that rolled down my cheeks. "You know, Layla and I had plans for a ski trip over their Christmas Break, and I was going to ask her to marry me," I threw the ring box in the garbage. "I guess that's not happening now,"

"Sid, come on," TK said, leading me back over to my bed. "I know you loved Emily, but maybe it was for the best, maybe you two weren't meant to be,"

"Shut up!" I yelled at him, making him jump away from me. He stepped back behind Geno. "You don't know shit! This was the girl I wanted to marry, I wanted to… spend the rest of my fucking life with, I loved, and I can't figure out what I did to make her leave!" I crawled back onto my bed and into the fetal position. "Tell Coach I quit," I couldn't believe I was going down that road with this.
"WHAT NO!" TK shouted. "I will not allow you to throw your fucking career away over a fucking girl; Emily would not let you do that,"

"She's not here now is she?" I spat in his face. "No! So this is my decision and I don't want to fucking play anymore, I don't have anyone to play for, or be around for..."