Her Feet in His Skates
Chapter 5
A few weeks later, Mark gets called up by Carolina and I manage to be able to fly out to New York for the weekend so I could watch his first NHL game, despite finals being in a few days.
Thankfully, both going there and on the way back, I got a pair of seats to myself in the back on the plane, so I had room and quiet for studying.
UVM, my college of choice for its hockey and academics, required me to do well on my finals in order to be accepted into the Physical Therapy undergraduate program.
----
Finals are over and today is graduation; I still have no idea whether I've been accepted to UVM.
However, that changes when on the way to the school's gym, I get a call from the Admissions Office at UVM. Yelling at my noisy brothers to shut the hell up, I answer the phone, only to find out that I did not do well enough to get accepted into the program.
So, when I greet St. Michael's principal, I mumble that I will not be attending UVM, instead, my second choice, Boston University.
Jordan is the only happy one in our family, he claims that it’ll be better, since he can show me around the city, and we can be closer, Boston University being only three miles from TD Garden.
----
When my name is called, I put on a smile and walk onto the stage while the principal tells the gathered where I am going to college. While getting my diploma, I look into the crowd and see my dad, brothers and Caroline, the one girlfriend- yep, Eric’s the youngest and he’s the only taken one- smiling wildly and taking pictures like mad.
My depression decreases by the end of graduation, and is replaced with excitement: Third got a high enough average score on his finals to be accepted into Boston University as well. We had wanted to go to UVM together, but he didn't get accepted either. However, he doesn’t have the same excitement I do.
“What? Come on! We’re both going to the same school! I know it’s not UVM, but… Oh, Kendall, right?” He nods. Kendall decided to stay semi-local and committed to Notre Dame on a volleyball scholarship a couple months ago.
“I don’t care how much her dad’s hockey scars scare the shit out of me, I lov-” he cuts himself off when he sees Kendall walking toward us. I smirk and give him a knowing look which Kendall furrows her eyebrows at. Waving her off, I leave them to go find the boys and my dad.
-----
I return my tragically hip, rented graduation robe a little while later and then change from my dress into a shirt, shorts and a pair of vans, only to be immediately dragged from the bathroom by Adam; he literally barges into the girls’ bathroom, finds me in one of the stalls (I had finished changing by then, thankfully) and pulls me all the way to the subway station near school with Caroline and the other four boys.
He never gives me a chance to speak, always shushing me loudly every time I try to object, Mark laughing when I mouth for help. Adam finally lets me down when a yellow line train comes to a stop in front of us, but he still prevents me from speaking as he lets Andrew guide me to an open window seat.
On the way to wherever we’re going, Eric and Jordan get asked for a few autographs. I can understand Eric since he plays for the Hawks, and I guess Jordan gets stopped because he’s a regular first-line winger on the Bruins. But Chicago, is still bitter about Jordan's game winning goal for the Bruins, defeating the Hawks in the Stanley Cup Finals a few years ago.
Realizing that the yellow line only goes to the northern part of Chicago, I begin to list the places that are there that my brothers would find necessary to drag me to on my graduation day without Dad in my head. Then I remember: my mom and dad met in the North End after one of his games and that’s where they bought their burial plots.
Jor notices my emotion change and sits down in the empty seat next to me. I look at him, my eyes asking the question I wouldn’t dare myself to say in this condition. He simply nods then pulls me into a hug, my emotions finally overwhelming me, tears pouring out. The other four and Caroline quiet down when they hear my sobs. Thank God we’re the only ones in this car. When I cry, I cry hard and I’m still shaking from the sobs hours later.
We get to the cemetery and then walk to my mom's grave, Caroline not included. She decided not to "intrude". The boys hang back, letting me enter the half full mausoleum, the sobs I finally stopped a while ago still plaguing my body.
"H-hey, mom," I say into the darkness.
Thankfully, both going there and on the way back, I got a pair of seats to myself in the back on the plane, so I had room and quiet for studying.
UVM, my college of choice for its hockey and academics, required me to do well on my finals in order to be accepted into the Physical Therapy undergraduate program.
----
Finals are over and today is graduation; I still have no idea whether I've been accepted to UVM.
However, that changes when on the way to the school's gym, I get a call from the Admissions Office at UVM. Yelling at my noisy brothers to shut the hell up, I answer the phone, only to find out that I did not do well enough to get accepted into the program.
So, when I greet St. Michael's principal, I mumble that I will not be attending UVM, instead, my second choice, Boston University.
Jordan is the only happy one in our family, he claims that it’ll be better, since he can show me around the city, and we can be closer, Boston University being only three miles from TD Garden.
----
When my name is called, I put on a smile and walk onto the stage while the principal tells the gathered where I am going to college. While getting my diploma, I look into the crowd and see my dad, brothers and Caroline, the one girlfriend- yep, Eric’s the youngest and he’s the only taken one- smiling wildly and taking pictures like mad.
My depression decreases by the end of graduation, and is replaced with excitement: Third got a high enough average score on his finals to be accepted into Boston University as well. We had wanted to go to UVM together, but he didn't get accepted either. However, he doesn’t have the same excitement I do.
“What? Come on! We’re both going to the same school! I know it’s not UVM, but… Oh, Kendall, right?” He nods. Kendall decided to stay semi-local and committed to Notre Dame on a volleyball scholarship a couple months ago.
“I don’t care how much her dad’s hockey scars scare the shit out of me, I lov-” he cuts himself off when he sees Kendall walking toward us. I smirk and give him a knowing look which Kendall furrows her eyebrows at. Waving her off, I leave them to go find the boys and my dad.
-----
I return my tragically hip, rented graduation robe a little while later and then change from my dress into a shirt, shorts and a pair of vans, only to be immediately dragged from the bathroom by Adam; he literally barges into the girls’ bathroom, finds me in one of the stalls (I had finished changing by then, thankfully) and pulls me all the way to the subway station near school with Caroline and the other four boys.
He never gives me a chance to speak, always shushing me loudly every time I try to object, Mark laughing when I mouth for help. Adam finally lets me down when a yellow line train comes to a stop in front of us, but he still prevents me from speaking as he lets Andrew guide me to an open window seat.
On the way to wherever we’re going, Eric and Jordan get asked for a few autographs. I can understand Eric since he plays for the Hawks, and I guess Jordan gets stopped because he’s a regular first-line winger on the Bruins. But Chicago, is still bitter about Jordan's game winning goal for the Bruins, defeating the Hawks in the Stanley Cup Finals a few years ago.
Realizing that the yellow line only goes to the northern part of Chicago, I begin to list the places that are there that my brothers would find necessary to drag me to on my graduation day without Dad in my head. Then I remember: my mom and dad met in the North End after one of his games and that’s where they bought their burial plots.
Jor notices my emotion change and sits down in the empty seat next to me. I look at him, my eyes asking the question I wouldn’t dare myself to say in this condition. He simply nods then pulls me into a hug, my emotions finally overwhelming me, tears pouring out. The other four and Caroline quiet down when they hear my sobs. Thank God we’re the only ones in this car. When I cry, I cry hard and I’m still shaking from the sobs hours later.
We get to the cemetery and then walk to my mom's grave, Caroline not included. She decided not to "intrude". The boys hang back, letting me enter the half full mausoleum, the sobs I finally stopped a while ago still plaguing my body.
"H-hey, mom," I say into the darkness.