Good In Goodbye

Lyla found herself shocked as she was walking through town, passed an old diner she had frequented as a teen. For a second, her heart stopped at the sight of the blue eyed man seated at the window, tickling a little girl who looked like the spitting image of himself.

Lyla grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Her friends over the years changed, from playing sports in elementary school with the boys, to hanging out with more girls as she got older. However, the constant in her life was always the Staal boys, who looked after her like she was their long lost sister. No matter where the boys were playing as they got older, they always checked in on her and in the summers when they were home, they made sure boys stayed away from her, as best as they could. Marc especially, with them being in the same grade, which is how they met.

It all started the summer Lyla turned seventeen. She hadn't seen the Staal boys since the previous summer because the entire Staal family decided to spend Christmas in North Carolina with Eric since he had finally moved out of his small apartment and into his own home. In the year they hadn't seen each other Lyla did a lot of growing up. She started straightening her hair, thanks to her hanging around more girls, she began doing her makeup every day and not just on special occasions and more than that, she was definitely filling her swim suit out better and the boys around town were definitely noticing.

The first night Lyla and Marc saw each other since he arrived home for the summer was at a bonfire held at the home of a schoolmate to kick off the summer, like every other year. Marc was with his brothers Jordan and Eric, talking to Tom and Taylor Pyatt, as well as a few other guys who went to the local high school in Thunder Bay that they were all friends with, as well as people he made sure looked out for Lyla while he was gone.

Marc was in the middle of his second beer of the night, listening to some of the guys rehash stories from the year they had all been apart, when they all at once seemed to spot her.

“Hey, Andrew, is that....is that Lyla?” Marc stumbled over his words and pointed with his free hand.

Andrew, who was a couple inches shorter than Marc, looked in the direction Marc pointed him in. “Yeah man, that is. She sure has changed, hasn't she?”

“You could say that...”

Marc was shocked. The girl in front of him was not the Lyla he grew up with. She had matured a lot in the time since he had seen her, not that there was anything wrong with the way she looked before. Granted, in the past, Marc had always had a little crush on her and quite enjoyed the fact that he seemed to be the only one with interest in her but this girl he was seeing now, she seemed to be catching more than a few guys attention, especially Tom Pyatt's.

Tom grinned, “Hey man, do you mind if I talk to Lyla?”

“Uh, sure?” Marc questioned, a little taken back by Tom, too shocked still by Lyla.

“Great!” Tom told him, clapping Marc on his shoulder. “See ya later, guys!” he said, and then he was off, talking to Lyla and making her laugh while Marc stayed with his brothers and friends, watching on.

“You should've told her long ago how you feel,” Eric told Marc in his ear, noticing the look of longing on Marc's face as he watched Tom and Lyla sit close together near the fire, trying to keep warm as the night became a little chilly.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” mumbled Marc, sipping a new beer.

The rest of the summer, Lyla spent most of her time with Tom. Sure, she saw Marc and his brothers every so often but she wasn't over at their house on a constant basis like she had been in the past. Tom was taking up most of her time and it quite honestly had Marc a little jealous. He missed his best friend.

Toward the end of summer when all the boys were getting ready to head back to their teams, some for their final season before being drafted, Tom took Lyla for a ride in his truck and they had a little picnic in a field, watching the stars from the bed of his truck as they began to peak out into the night.

“This summer has probably been one of the best I've ever had,” she mumbled, leaning her head onto Tom's shoulder.

“Me too, baby,” Tom told her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer.

“Tom, would you think it was crazy if I said I love you?” Lyla asked hesitantly.

“Not at all. I love you so much Lyla, you don't even know. These next few months are going to be insanely hard without you,” he explained to her, pulling away to look into her eyes as he spoke sincerely. “But this time next year, we'll be getting ready to move into our own place once I've been drafted.”

Lyla smiled even though tears were clouding her vision. She couldn't wait for her future with Tom, even if it seemed so far away.

Over the next year, Lyla only saw Tom briefly at Christmas. They spoke when they had the chance to on the phone, but with both having busy schedules with friends, sports and school, it was hard. But they made it work.

When Tom came home the following summer, before he headed out for the draft in Ottawa, Lyla knew something was different with Tom. He didn't make any special effort to spend time around her and that killed Lyla inside. Her she had been, spending the last year of her life, waiting for her boyfriend to return and being patient with him and he couldn't even bring himself to face her.

In February, they had talked about how she would attend the draft with him and be seated by his side the entire time, but the closer it got, her hopes of that happening dwindled. The Tom Pyatt that arrived home for the summer didn't feel like her Tom. He was cold and distant and that wasn't someone she wanted to be around, let alone pretend everything was fine and dandy with for the cameras.

As the days leading up to the draft came closer and closer, Lyla decided to spend some time with the Staal boys and Henry and Linda. She went over there for dinner and a movie night, something they all used to do a lot as children, but hadn't happened much since the previous summer when Tom entered her life.

All throughout dinner, Marc could sense a change in Lyla so when dinner ended and the movies began and he could tell everyone was too engrossed in the movie to notice their absence, he took Lyla from the room and they headed to the roof right outside his bedroom window.

“What's up, Lyla? What's got you in this funk?” he asked in a tone of concern.

“You're going to think it's dumb,” she mumbled.

“Ly, you know I wouldn't think that, even if you told me something like...like you still watch Barney.”

Lyla let out a small laugh at that. “It's boy troubles...” she trailed off and Marc tensed up but eased up before she could notice.

“Tom? What did he do?” Marc managed to push out.

“He's just not the Tom I fell in love with. I've hardly seen him since he got home, he doesn't care to talk to me and when we're around each other, it's plain awkward. I don't know what to do. We haven't talked about it in a couple months so I don't know if he still expects me to head to Ottawa with everyone for the draft or what,” Lyla rushed out.

“I don't know what you want me to tell you, Lyla,” Marc mumbled.

“I don't know what to do about my future. I got into University in Toronto but then I got into some places in America. I'm just so confused, Marc. I did this all for him, so we could decide our future together and it's like he doesn't want me anymore. What did I do wrong?” she sobbed into Marc as he held her.

There wasn't really much Marc could do to give her answers. He just held her all night and walked her to her house when she felt it was time to go to bed.

“You'll figure it out, Lyla. You always do. You've just gotta find your way again,” Marc told her as he walked her to her doorstep that night.

“Thanks Marc, you're the best. Good luck at the draft, if I don't see you,” Lyla told him, hugging him around his middle.

The next few days, Lyla made her decision. She had her entire room packed up to the point that all that remained in it was her bedside table that held a single lamp and her bed. Her dad came in as she was taking one last look around her childhood room and grabbed the heavier of the two boxes left and took it down to the trailer that would follow her to her future.

Lyla took a deep breath and picked up the box after she turned off the light. As she set the last box inside, a car pulled up.

“Lyla? What's going on?” Tom asked.

She took a look at her father who nodded and finished closing up the trailer. He then headed inside. Tom grabbed Lyla's arm and turned her around so she was facing him. That was when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

“I'm leaving,” she mumbled, in fear that if she spoke louder, she would let loose a sob.

“Leaving?” he whispered.

“Tom, you haven't really spoken to me in weeks. The last real conversation we had was months ago and I can't sit around here waiting forever for you to get over whatever is going on. I need to do this for me. Everything in the last year has been about you, what makes you feel comfortable about our relationship. What about me? I need to go.”

“What? Fine Lyla! Do whatever you want,” Tom shouted and headed back to the car where his brother and parents were.

“Ready sweetie?” Lyla's dad asked, coming out a few minutes later.

That was when she let out a sob. She was ready but that didn't make her heart break any less. She knew moving on and building herself back up would be a process, but she felt ready for it. She knew it was what was needed to feel whole again after losing such a big part of herself.

When Lyla moved, she needed to get a new number. Her Canadian phone wouldn't work in the states and she wasn't willing to pay international fees on it. She immersed herself in her studies, making new friends and enjoying the nightlife. Her father came to see her at Christmas in her small, one bedroom apartment and they would spend a week on vacation together in the summer. Lyla didn't spend time back in Thunder Bay, let alone try to maintain contact with anybody.

It wasn't until two years into her new life in New York that she ran into a familiar face. She was out with a group of friends, celebrating the end of finals when she was spotted. If it was possible, Marc thought she looked even more beautiful than the last time he saw her, if it was even her. He couldn't believe his eyes. It couldn't be, could it? he mumbled to himself.

“What?” one of his teammates asked. Marc didn't pay attention to which one, too entranced by the sight before him.

“I'll be back,” Marc said, leaving his drink at the table and walking towards her. “Lyla?' he asked as he approached and tapped her on her shoulder.

Lyla turned around and gasped. “Marc!” she giggled and threw herself at him. “How are you?”

Marc laughed. “Good, but I don't think I'm as good as you. Fake ID?”

“Maybe,” she told him smirking.

“You never change,” he said, pulling her in for another hug.

“Hey babe,” Marc called, walking out of a coffee shop with a cup for her and one for himself.

Lyla turned around and smiled at him. “Hey hun. That's where you disappeared to.”

“I didn't want to stick around and wait for you to finish trying on all those clothes, so I went for a pick me up. You okay?” he asked, seeing what she had been staring at.

“Of course,” she told him, taking his free hand in her own.

“You sure, Mrs. Staal?” he smirked at her.

“You know it! Things are good, real good, Mr. Staal.”

Marc cringed. “Okay, never call me that again. Makes me think of my dad. And the things we do, I definitely don't need that image in my mind.”

Lyla laughed at him, “You're such a goober. But you're my goober.” She then leaned up to kiss him softly on his lips. As she came back to rest on her feet, she looked at him and then to the cup he handed her. “Decaf, right?”

“For sure. Don't want anything hurting this little guy,” he told her with a smile as he rested a hand on her bump.

“I love you,” Lyla mumbled as she rested her head on his chest.

“Love you too,” Marc replied, kissing the top of her head.

“I'm so happy I went to New York,” she told him.

“I'm so happy that there are idiots in the world who let you go.”