If You Ever Come Back

FLASHBACK - Age 11 (6th grade)

I was bundled up in my big winter coat. Thin gloves covered my hands and a hat was pulled over my head. It would mess up my hair later I'm sure. I gripped the cold arena seats, sitting by myself. There was a group of girls from school sitting a few feet away from me.

One is Alexa McGovern. She's pretty with pale skin and she has piercing crystal ice blue eyes that pin you down. It's virtaully impossible to break eye contact with her. Her hair is silky and long and jet black. Her skin is great, not one pimple or zit to be seen. Her nails are long and always painted a pretty color. Her eye lashes are so dark and long without any mascara. She's gorgeous and she knows it. She's also tall. Alexa McGovern is every guy at this stupid school's dream. She's had boyfriends and she's only 11 years old. Sixth grade! She's popular and has so many friends. Her parents have so much money and Alexa always wears brand names. She's mean to everyone but no one can see past her appearence except for me! I try and tell people she's awful, but everyone seems to just hate me more after that. It's just the truth.

I tried not ignore the five girls to my right, but it's hard to not pay attention when you know they are looking at you and giggling.

Soon, all of Patrick's team mates came out onto the ice. "Hey Alison." Alexa said loudly.

I looked over at her, captivated by her stare. "What?"

She said overly sweetly, "Who are you here to see? Your brother?"

I tried not to look down and murmer no, but I held her stare. "I only have a younger sister."

The girls were all looking at me, snickering. I bent my head down as they laughed at me. "Ohh Alexa! She's here to watch Patrick! She thinks that Patrick will like her if she comes to his hockey practices!" Another girl Jessica Lowry yelled so I could hear her.

The clique laughed. And another girl Michelle Speno said, "He likes Alexa!"

I wanted to tell them that Patrick has very... strong opinions on Alexa McGovern. Alexa would cry all her makeup off if she knew. But I kept my mouth shut, unsure of what to say. At my silence they laughed some more.

I focused my eyes on the ice, spotting number 88 in seconds by his curly blonde hair that really needed a cut.

"Patrick! Patrick Kane! Alexa is here!" Jessica, Alexa's best friend called out.

I saw Patrick turn his head up, but he made eye contact with me, and gave me a thumbs up. I stole a look at Alexa and Co. They were all yelling, "Alexa! He gave you a thumbs up! He gave you a thumbs up Alexa!"

I looked at my red converse, and then fixated my eyes on the shiny, newly zambonied ice that Pat and his team were stretching on. Pat looked up at me again and I gave him a big smile that he returned.

Alexa yelled, "Alison! Get out!"

My head snapped around towards them. Alexa's ice cold crystal blue eyes with perfectly done black eyeliner were full of blue fire. "Out." She said, her voice as icy cold as the ice we sat in front of.

They can't kick me out of the ice rink, can they? I didn't turn to look at them again until something hit my arm, which was now out of my coat. My coat hung on the seat with the gloves and hat stuffed in the coat pockets. Something hit my bare arm. I looked at my skin, there was a huge patch of mustard on it now. On the ground beside me there was a half eaten hot dog with a little bit of mustard left on it. The rest was smudged on my arm. My eyes found Alexa's, and she smiled evilly. "What's wrong, Ali?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the ice. "Leave this rink Alison!" Alexa yelled angrily. "Get out of here!"

I ignored her, hoping for rescue from someone. Anyone.

After I made no move to leave, the popular 6th graders stood over me. "Get. Out." Alexa hissed through her teeth.

"No." I said simply, shaking inside and praying for someone to come and save me.

Alexa said one more time, "Alison Lees, get out of here!" I looked at the ice. "Fine then." She took the top off of her soda cup and I didn't have time to yell before she pulled the neck line of my shirt, and poured the soda down. The fizzy liquid made my thin tee shirt stick to my body. The freezing ice cubes slid down my chest and onto my jeans, just like the soda. When I stood up, Michelle was already standing on the seat behind me, pouring her own soft drink on my head. The ice cubes falling to the ground.

They all stared at me with huge grins on their faces. Tears stung in my eyes, and I pushed one of the girls, Emily, to the side, bolting out of the rink without my coat.

Patrick was waiting at the exit, and embraced me as I sobbed into his shoulder. "They are such BITCHES!" He growled angrily. "And they are so going to get it for treating my best friend like this! I am so sorry Alison, I noticed it happening, when Alexa threw her hot dog... I came up here as fast as I could but I was too late I'm so, so, so, so, so, SO SORRY!"

Tears streamed down my face as I listened to him talk. "It's okay. It means the world to me that you came for me."

Pat said forcefully, "Alison, I'll always come for you."
************************************************************

PRESENT DAY

I leaned back in the uncomfortable brown chair in front of the huge mango wood desk that's way too big for this small little office space. I reread my email that was up on the computer a few more times. I hit send and my phone lit up. A new text from my boss.

I didn't even get finished reading the text when my work phone started ringing and two people walked into my office. A new email popped up from a co-worker. I sighed inwardly and picked up the phone as my cell started to ring too.

"Hello?" I asked, chosing to take the work phone call. It was just some automated advertising call.

I looked at the two people standing in my door way. My best friend and her fiance. "Hey guys." I said dully.

They both pulled chairs up to the huge desk as if they were clients. My best friend handed me a cup of Starbucks coffee. "Here, thought you might need this."

I smiled tightly, even though I was really genuinely grateful for the cup of energy.

Before anyone else could say anything, there was a knock at the door. I groaned, "More people! Come in!"

I was surprised when my own fiance opened the door. "James!" I yelled happily. "Why are you here?"

He laughed, "Love you too Ali." He came in, closing the door behind him. He kissed the top of myhead and asked, "How's today been?"

"Busy as hell." I confessed. "I hate this stupid job." I crossed my arms like a little kid. "We hired a new secretary today and she's a huge bitch! She walks around like she fuckin' owns the place and she bosses everyone around. She's a college kid, but we had to hire her because she's the president of the company's daughter. It's retarded. How about you James? Marc Andre? Vero?"

Veronique, my best friend laughed, "Well not quite as frustrating as yours it seems. We went to work out at that gym place at it wasn't very good. So I came home and took a nap and he went to practice." She gestured to her fiance, Marc Andre Fleury. He's a hockey goalie in the NHL.

I knew Vero before James, and she introduced me to him at a Pittsburgh Penguins event. So we have been dating for tgree years now, and he proposed to me on Christmas Eve. The wedding plans have already started. They're overwhelming to be honest.

Marc said, "Well, I went to practice with Nealer. It was an open practice so fans could come in, and there was this girl," He looked at James and they both tried to contain themselves. But it was too late they were already doubled over laughing about who knows what.

They collected themselves as quickly as they could (which wasn't very quickly) and Marc continued, "Okay, so there was this girl. It's freezing outside, it's January! And she stood right in front of the glass. So she starts taking her clothes off and she's in this REALLY slutty bikini. Across her boobs it says , 'SIDNEY YOU KNOW YOU WANT ME.' And on her stomach there's this tatoo that said, 'I am married to Sidney Crobsy 87!' "

He and James continued to laugh hysterically. James continued, "So Sidney, he skates in to the tunnel and comes out like ten minutes later with a huge piece of a card board box and he wrote on it," Both boys burst into laughter again and I looked at Vero with a smile and an eye roll. This happens. A lot. Especially with these two jokesters. "So he writes on it, 'I'd rather have a concussion!' It was his response to the words across her boobs and her stomach. But other than that today has actaully been really uneventful."

I smiled, "Sid tries to go for the joke sometimes. He's just not that funny, is he?"

James and Marc Andre both exchanged looks and Marc said, "He's very witty, and he can be very funny sometimes. But the sign wasn't his best effort was it?"

Vero and I both nodded, "Yes, yes I can tell." My best friend said.
"So Alison, we came here to ask you if you need a break. There's a cute little place we can go to for lunch. It's a little far, but only like twenty minutes."

I looked longingly at my two friends and fiance. I glanced at the computer. Six new emails all from people at the company. I clicked the home button of the iPhone that James had just bought me. Eight missed calls all from these people who work in the same building. I shouldn't go, but I need a serious break from all this. I said, "Okay sounds good. In fact, I think I'm going to check out for the day. And turn my phone off."

Vero clasped her hands together, "Yes! We come like very week and you finally said yes!"

Yeah. These three come all the time at this point in the day. It's after practice and James and Marc are always famished. And when they go out with the team, Vero comes alone because she's hungry and wants a lunch date. I almost always turn them down. It's so hard to work here. There's just no mercy. I'm always working.

James came over the desk and kissed my cheek, "Yes! The workaholic is finally taking a... BREAK!"

Our lips met for a second and he pulled me up, "Let's go! I'm starved!"

I laughed, "Aren't you always?"

He kissed the top of my head, "I guess so. Let's go!"
************************************************************
We stayed out forever. Lunch, then a movie. The movienwe saw was a chick flick, but Marc and James didn't know that. They left fifteen minutes into the movie to see the new James Bond movie.

After the movie, it was already dinner time. The four of us went out to a casual pizza place in the heart of Pittsburgh where James and Marc were recognized several times. The two hockey players were very cool about it. Someone like Sidney Crosby would have thrown a fit about signing autographs right now. After the first request he would have said no and we would all be forced to leave.

After dinner, James and Marc met up with a couple more team mates and went out somewhere. I set James a one AM curfew.

Vero and I headed back to her place, and by that point it was already eleven o clock. Man, what time did I leave the office. "Weird." I said out loud, seeing a missed call from my younger sister Katelynn.

"What?" Vero asked.

I answered, "My sister called. It's so strange. She never calls, even though we were close as kids. I'm going to call her back, it was probably important."

Vero nodded, "Okay. I'm going to see if there's anything good on TV. I think the Blackhawks played tonight, maybe I can catch the post game. We're playing them next I think. On Saturday."

Oh Saturday. So close but so far away. I dialed Katelynn's number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Alison! Hi!" She said awkwardly.

I asked her, "You just called. What's going on?"

"Not much," Katelynn said. "I got to Chicago a couple of weeks ago and I already have a boyfriend."

This is so odd. Why is she doing this right now? "Yeah..."

I could almost see her twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger. "Well, he's great. He's very serious about things."

"Serious? You've been dating for HOW LONG? Aren't you like, a virgin?"

Katelynn laughed, "Um no. I'm not actually."

"HE STOLE YOUR V CARD?"

"NO! That was some one else."

I said, "Ryan?"

She sighed, "Yes it was Ryan now shut up. Anyway, his name is Jon. He's really sweet and cute and I was wondering if you know him."

How the hell would I know her boyfriend? This is just weird. Katelynn doesn't do this kind of thing. "How would I know him Kate? You're in Chicago and I'm in Pittsburgh."

"Well... He's your age."

"You're dating a 24 year old?"

Katelynn blurted out, "I'm dating Jonathan Toews!"

I was in utter shock. "You're dating Tazer? Like THE Jonathan Toews? Like the captain of the Blackhawks Jonathan Toews?"

I could almost see her gulp and nod. "Yeah."

"Well good for you. He's a player according to James though, be careful. Look at the two of us, dating NHLers! Not bad at all!"

Katelynn was hesitant, "But I just met his team mate-"

I interrupted her, knowing what shenwas getting at. "Either keep Tazer or drop him. But don't go fucking his team mates. That looks bad."

Katelynn said, "That's not what I mean."

"Then what DO you mean?"

She sighed. "Well, it's kind of hard to tell you something like this."