If You Ever Come Back

FLASHBACK - Alison - 17

I smiled at myself in the mirror. My blonde hair had been curled by my best friend Anabelle Wilson while Carlie Sanders had taken care of my makeup. Noelle Marie had picked out my outfit for after the graduation. My eyes flew to the right of my mirror, where my Buffalo Sabres bear from Patrick sat. I smiled at it but tried not to think about Patrick as I ran a hand through my hair again.

"Ali! dépêchez-vous, ou nous allons être en retard!"
(hurry up or we're going to be late!) Noelle, the only one of the four of us who could speak fluent french called to me. I know a little bit, I can't speak french but I can understand it when it's spoken and sometimes I can read it.

"Coming!" I called, my heart rate picking up. The nervousness was eating me alive. I'm wearing a white tee shirt and black leggings that I'll put my graduation gown over.

Anabelle was standing at the banister. "Belle, why are you wearing your party outfit?" She looks beauiful, her strawberry blonde hair is pulled into a tight and neat pony tail behind her head which she banana curled herself earlier. Her elegant pink dress goes all the way down to her ankles. The color goes from a magenta like color at the neck line to a very soft pink at her ankles. She's sporting beautiful white heels that go very well with her dress. She always looks stunning, but she looks especially beautiful right now.

Anabelle smiled, "Because it makes me feel beautiful and I'll change when I get to the school."

I shook my head, a small smile playing at my lips. "Anabelle don't lie about forgetting your under outfit, just borrow a shirt and leggings from me."

She grinned and agreed.

When we got to the graduation, my heart was beating a billion times a minute. "Hey," Carlie pulled me aside, "Hey Alison, you're going to do great okay?"

The four of us were doing something very special. We had written a speech about our futures. There had been a contest where groups of people wrote a speech and submitted it to the principal. The two groups that won got to say their speech at graduation. Why did I agree to do this? We had won, and now I had to speak in front of EVERYONE.

I hugged her. "You'll do better. Good luck Carls!"

"Good luck Ali!"

Names started to be called. My mind wandered, Lees is pretty far from the front of the alphabet. I wondered what my old friend Patrick Kane was doing. Is he graduating today too? Does he wonder if I'm graduating today? Does he remember me?

I basically jumped out of my skin when I heard Kim Lee was called up. I'm next.

"Alison Lees."

I walked up to the stage, trying to remember all of Noelle's tips. She's always on me about my terrible posture. Head up, shoulders squared, back straight!

I smiled at the crowd and took the diploma from the principal's hands. I exited the stage quickly and met Anabelle, one of the last people to be called. "Enjoy those thirty seconds up on stage that you get!" I told her.

Anabelle smiled slightly, "Told you! I told you Alison Lees! I told you that you would have fun on stage!"

My cheeks flamed red and I hugged my best friend. "Have fun Belle!"

She smiled her dazzling smile and hugged me back.
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Noelle, Anabelle and Carlie and I got ready for our speech. As we were called up to the stage we all put our hands in and used our old cheer from when we were kids. "All in!"

We walked out together and everyone clapped. My cheeks became tomato red again. Once the applause died down, Carlie started her portion of the speech. "This is one of the greatest moments we'll have in life as humans, isn't it? Wow! I honestly never thought that this would be happening to me. Just wow. When I was a kid here in Vancouver there was always someone better than me at everything. Especially academically. I struggled with math and science the most. I came into this school program and every single teacher I had was not only able to explain these subjects to me, but they were all patient, loving and celebrated each small victory with me. The teachers in this school district helped me along academically, and even acted as friends and people to go to when you have regular life struggles. Thank you, Carlie Sanders."

Noelle's speech was about how she, the opposite of Carlie, excelled academically and the teachers were able to get her to the places she needed to go to.

Anabelle's was about how she was bullied because of her charming, sort of aloof personality that I had fallen in love with the day I met her.

Next up, me. "Well, I moved here to Vancouver when I was twelve years old. I moved here from Buffalo, New York where I only had one real friend named Patrick. I was bullied. But this school system was really a breath of fresh air. They did amazing in making sure I was with my best friends for my whole first year here, Anabelle Wilson, Carlie Sanders and Noelle Marie Roquefere. They had Anabelle show me around and help me make friends. This school system made sure my needs were fulfilled. Thank you, Alison Lees."

The whole crowd clapped as we walked off together and wrapped each other in a group hug, happy tears in our eyes.
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At the party, I sat at a table with Anabelle, Noelle, Carlie, Martin, Jason and Ian.

"Hey!" Martin suggested, "Let's go down to the old ice rink since we won't be back for a while! One last skate together!"

I nodded and gave my ex a friendly look. Somehow we salvaged our relationship and made it into a friendship.

At the rink I was skating next to Anabelle when I stumbled forward and Martin caught me before I fell. "Thanks!" I told him, imagining Patrick doing the same thing. I wonder where Ateick is right now.
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At our last skate at the rink after graduation, I saw Alexa skating with her new friend Taylor. She stumbled forward and I caught her and she looked up at me gratefully. For a second I pictured Alison. I wonder if she graduated today too. I wonder if she misses me. I wonder if she hates me. I wonder if I'll ever even see her again. Does she have a lot of friends.?
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Anabelle hugged me as I stood in front of my packed up car. "You better call me when you get to Pennsylvania. Call me when you make your first friend and get your first college boyfriend. And I'll have to meet and aprove him first Ali. I love you, thanks for moving to Vancouver!"

I smiled tearfully. "You to Ana, I want a call when you get to Montreal, when you make your first college friend, when you get your first college boyfriend. I'll have to approve of him first though Ana. You were my first friend here. Thank so you much and I love you!!!"

She let me get in the car and through her tears she waved goodbye.
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*Present Day – Alison *
 
In the hotel room, Vero and I got ready for the game. “So, you lived next to Patrick Kane your whole life, huh?”
 
I shook my head, “Nah, just in Buffalo. Half of my life!”
 
Vero looks gorgeous as always. Her dark hair is pulled away from her face and she is wearing silver earrings and her Fleury jersey. Her dark eyes fixed me and she said, “When was the last time you talked to him Ali?”
 
When I was twelve. I had always wanted him to write a letter or call or just give me some sign that he remembered me. “The day I moved away.”
 
Vero breathed out a sigh of relief. “Why didn’t you say so Ali? James almost blew a fuse in there!”
 
“Why?”
 
Vero looked at me and put her hands on my shoulders, “Alison, he’s the biggest player in the NHL and I don’t mean that literally. He sleeps around all the time and has a criminal record and just wow! You have no idea how happy I am to hear that you haven’t seen him since you were a little kid. Stay away from him is my advice.”
 
I gave Vero a fake smile and asked, “A criminal record? For what?”
 
Vero laughed softly, “Oh Ali.”
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At the game, Vero and I sat down right by the glass. I wore my Neal jersey and Veronique was sporting her Fleury jersey.
 
The Penguins won the first faceoff and had an easy first rush. Deryk and Paul passed around up top and then looked to James and Deryk gave him a beautiful pass right through a Sabre and even Paul who had come in lower. I watched intently as James and Evgeni passed a few times back and forth. It was Evgeni who finally put it on the net, but Ryan Miller was able to glove it before Pascal could come up for the rebound.
 
The first two periods flew by with no score and no penalties. There weren’t many stoppages either. Both teams were playing great.
 
During the 2nd intermission Vero and I sat back in our seats. “So Ali, if you tell me about Patrick as a kid I’ll tell you about Patrick as an adult if you really want to know.”
 
I nodded and said, “Okay. He was a sweet kid; he seemed to always be there for me when I needed him and even when I didn’t need him. He was really my only friend. There was this one group of girls here who were always so mean to me and Patrick always swooped in to rescue me, you know? There was this one time I went to one of Pat’s practices and the ringleader of their group had a thing for Pat. Anyway they really all wanted me to leave so much that they started throwing stuff at me and when I refused to leave they poured their sodas down my shirt and over my head. So I left and Pat was already in the door, skates and all, there for me.”
 
Vero smiled, “Ah the ring leader was the one you thought I would bitch slap into next week if I were to meet her.”
 
I giggled, “Yep! She was so mean to me and to everyone. Yikes I can’t even remember the names of the other girls! Sad, huh?”
 
Veronique said, “Not really. I can’t remember any of my old friends’ names.”
 
I smiled. I really do love to hang out with Vero. She’s so kind and she knows me so well. I can tell her anything and I can’t lie to her. “Was she pretty?” Veronique asked out of nowhere. “The mean girl.”
 
I nodded, “Gorgeous. Everyone loved her. She had a thing for Patrick and I was always surprised he didn’t go after her.”
 
Vero nodded and said, “Hmm. I see. You’re gorgeous too Alison. I bet you’re prettier than her.”
 
I shook my head, “No, if I was as pretty as her I would have actually had friends here. If I were as pretty as her most of my life in Buffalo wouldn’t have been living hell. People like pretty people and I’m just not.”
 
Veronique rolled her eyes, “Alison Rachel Lees. You’re kidding me, right? How did this turn into a talk about this? I thought I told James to tell you that you are beautiful and gorgeous and flawless and amazing every single day ma cherie! Well it looks like James Neal and I will be having a talk after this game, huh?”
 
I blushed and ducked my head, “Yeah he tells me that all the time. Day in and day out.”
 
Vero said, “Okay then. Believe him because it’s all true Ali. You’re freaking amazing in every single way. I’m sure you’re a great wife, and the one thing I know is that you’re a great best friend. The best best friend I’ve ever had Ali!”
 
I smiled and hugged my friend. “Stop talking about yourself.”
 
We chatted about meaningless things for the rest of the intermission and pretty soon the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. I said to Vero, “Can you believe I grew up a Sabres fan?”
 
She laughed, “Name me five players on the Sabres when you were twelve years old ma cherie.”
 
I said, “I would have been able to do that a couple years back, but I was a Canucks fan too. So now I can’t name any Canucks from that year or any Sabres for that matter. Sorry about that. I can name all the current Penguins players right now though.”
 
“Congratulations on that one Ali!”
 
We laughed as we watched the last period of the game go by. It dwindled to the very last seconds and then Chris Kunitz got a goal in the last fifteen seconds or so to win the game for my new favorite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.