One Chance

2011
"Hello?" Jordan opened her door hesitantly.
"Hey! How are you?" Alexa chimed.
"I've been better." Jordan answered honestly. "Uh, come in."
Jordan walked into her cottage. Alexa followed her in, with Freddy, Matt, Jake, and Tyler trailing behind. Tyler sighed as he closed the door. They followed Jordan through her cottage, to her living room. She sat in a chair, grabbing a mug off the table.
"Sit down, if you'd like." She almost whispered.
Freddy plopped on the couch, leg thrown over the arm of it. Alexa sat right beside him, grabbing his hand with both of hers. Matt and Jake sat beside Alexa, leaving the chair, on the opposite side of the table from Jordan, free for Tyler. He sighed and sat. He still wasn't all set on this 'giving her a chance' shit.
"So, how's life back in Etobicoke?" Alexa spoke with a smile.
"I don't really have anyone there anymore so pretty shitty." Jordan chuckled.
"Oh my god, Jordan!" Alexa cried, standing up. She grabbed Jordan's hands. "If you ever wanna hang out, I'm twenty minutes away. Okay?"
Jordan nodded. She let out a deep breath. Her eyes met Tyler's. She leaned forward and out her mug on the table.
"So I guess I owe you a huge apology for telling you, you were going nowhere with hockey." She rubbed her hands on her thighs.
He smiled, shaking his head. "No, Jordan, it's fine. I said some shit too." He waved her off.
"But everything you said was true." She stated. He shrugged. "You made me feel just as shitty as I made other people feel."
"That wasn't my intention. I'm s,"
"No. I needed it, seriously." She smiled. "You gave me a full blown reality check that treating people like they were below me was getting me nowhere. You helped me change for the better."
"You helped me too. If you hadn't said I was a duster, I wouldn't have trained as hard." Tyler joked, but he was completely serious.
"Guess we owe each other a lot." Jordan said, picking her mug back up and bringing it to her lips.
"I guess we do." He nodded, giving her a tight lipped smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for your dad's memorial. I feel like a total dick."
"Hey, it's not a big deal. You were focusing on your dream." She shrugged. "And I have another parent's passing to worry about now so it's in the bag." She chuckled a bit.
"Jord, that's terrible." Matt whined.
"Sorry. I keep making crude comments to keep myself from being a mess." She explained. "Might not be the best idea."
"I'm here if you need someone, Jordan. Really." Jake broke his silence. "No one deserves to go through this alone. We're right down the road." He gestured between him and Matt, who nodded.
"And we're here too. Just a few cottages over." Alexa squeezed Jordan's knee while speaking for her and Freddy.
"I'm right next door so shoot me a text and I can be here, or just come pound on my door." Tyler said.
Jordan laughed. "Thanks, guys." She rolled her eyes.
"No, seriously. Anytime at all, I'm there." Tyler stared right into her eyes.
He could tell she was different. He could tell she regretted how she was. He could also tell she was hurting. Sure, laugh through the pain, that's what she was trying, but he could see her close to falling apart.
She nodded, staring right back at him. She swallowed hard and pulled her eyes away from him. She could feel him reading her and she didn't like it. She just wanted to spend a summer at her cottage, mourning over the loss of her mother, without anyone knowing the hurt she had.
She stood up. "Do you guys want anything to drink or to eat? I could like go get a pizza and we could watch movies and shit." She suggested.
They all agreed. Jordan nodded before setting her way to her room. She changed from her sweatpants and tank top into some shorts with a v-neck and a baseball cap on her head. She looked herself over and sighed.
She looked sick. She hadn't been sleeping or eating since her mom passed and it was starting to show. She didn't know if she'd even be able to eat pizza if she got it. She didn't want the group of people reaching out to her to worry though.
A knock on the door caused her to jump. She gave a faint 'come in' and the door slowly opened. Tyler's eyes met hers. They watched each other before his eyes trailed down her body. She watched him eye her.
"You look nice." He smiled, meeting her eyes with his. "I was gonna ask if you wanted me to come with to get the grub?"
She nodded. "Sure. Nothing wrong with some catching up." She grinned.
They walked downstairs. Freddy had a smirk on his face like no tomorrow. Tyler rolled his eyes. Jordan caught the exchange and shook her head.
"Order two large pizzas so they're ready when we get there." She slapped Freddy's leg.
He nodded and did as he was told. Tyler and Jordan walked outside to her scratched car. She let out a long sigh as she walked past the damage. Tyler frowned. He knew his party was the reason for it.
"I'm really sorry about that." Tyler admitted.
She shrugged. "It's okay. It won't cost much to fix." She explained and dropped into the driver's seat.
He sat in the passenger's seat. "You gotta let me pay for it." He pleaded. "It'll eat me alive."
Jordan rolled her eyes as she started her car. She pulled away from the cottage and they began their drive into town. It wasn't far at all. Three minutes up the road and they could see the tiny town.
Jordan turned on her radio. The only station they received in this town was a country station. She didn't mind. Tyler was a different story. He let out a groan as Luke Bryan sang.
"Really? You're a Canadian hockey player who doesn't like country?" She asked. He nodded. "Disgrace."
"Hey, I have a taste in music." He argued.
"Yeah, yeah. There's a bunch of CD's under your seat." She gestured as her eyes stayed focused on the road.
Tyler grabbed one of the CD holders. He unzipped it and started flipping through. He saw a mixed CD and assumed it'd be good. He slid it out and into the CD player. Black by Pearl Jam blared out.
Jordan gasped. Tyler reached for the dial to change the song. She smacked his hand away. He looked at her in confusion.
"What are you doing?" She almost yelled.
He pouted. "I don't know this song."
"Listen to it. It's a really good song, Tyler." She said, staring straight into his eyes.
He nodded. He never noticed her eyes before. The bright blue shade he remembered was pale and grey. He assumed it was from how upset she was. They were hardly close, but he hated seeing her go through this and trying to pretend she wasn't hurt.
Silence fell over them as the song began. Tyler listened like he promised. It was a good song. He could see why Jordan liked it. When they pulled up to the only pizza store in town, Jordan turned to him.
"Coming with me?" She asked.
"I wanna listen to the rest of this song." He smiled.
"Okay." She nodded, leaving the car on as she climbed out.
He watched her walk into the store. She smiled before a group of people crowded around her to hug her. She embraced them all. They all knew about her mom and she more than expected this.
"What'll it be?" The little old lady named Linda, who ran the pizzeria, asked.
"Just two large. I think Freddy ordered over the phone." Jordan explained.
"Yes, he did and they'll be done in two minutes." Linda smiled at Jordan.
"Can I pay now?"
Linda nodded. "Wanna get back to your boyfriend, huh?" She teased, ringing in Jordan's pizzas.
"That's not my boyfriend! That's Tyler." Jordan told her.
"Tyler? The little hockey player?" Linda pieces together. Jordan nodded. "Wow, my god, has he matured."
"He's in the NHL now. He can't be tiny." Jordan laughed.
"Hm, well you better hold onto him before another girl snatches him." She winked, grabbing the pizzas.
"Hey, I'd be fine with it. I have too many other things going on." Jordan stated as she grabbed the pizza.
Linda's hands held onto Jordan's, which held onto the pizza boxes. "You need someone right now, Jordan, and I can guarantee that boy's the one you need." She look to Tyler.
He was sitting, rocking along to the song. It made Jordan smile. Yeah, Tyler was cute and being totally sweet to her, but it was pity. She knew he wouldn't give her the time of day if she wasn't in the position she was in.
Jordan nodded at Linda before walking out of the store. She opened her back door and put the pizzas in. She sat in her driver's seat. Manhattan by Kings of Leon played. She looked at Tyler and he smiled while strumming along to the song.
"Linda's a talker, eh?" He spoke.
"Yeah. She was telling me how I'm not alone and everyone's here for me and how great my mother was and all that. I just went for some pizza." Jordan giggled.
Tyler fell silent. He hated how awkward it felt when she brought things like that up. He sighed, quietly, as they began their drive. He needed to tell her she really wasn't alone and he was there, but he didn't know how to.
They pulled up to the cottage. Jordan put her car in park before she shut it off. She opened her door but Tyler leaned across her and closed it. Her eyes spun to him, brows furrowed.
"I need you to know that you don't have to keep this all bottled up, Jordan. You have people that are here for you. Everyone sitting in your living room is here for you. I'm here for you." He said, his dark eyes on her light ones.
Her mouth formed a small smile. "I'm okay, Tyler, and I know you're all here for me. I appreciate it." She squeezed his bicep.
He exhaled before removing his hand from her door handle. She smiled at him again before they both climbed out of the car. Jordan grabbed the pizzas and walked right into the kitchen. She put the boxes on the counter.
It had taken everything in her to not burst into tears when Tyler stopped her in her car. She wasn't okay. She wasn't at all. She was trying to keep it together for her five childhood friends who had never seen her anything but happy. She was far from happy.
She wiped her eyes as she heard Tyler's mumbling get louder. "I guess they went to Jake's to grab movies." He shrugged and looked up from his phone.
She nodded. "Okay." She breathed out and walked out of the kitchen.
Tyler followed. He saw how glossy her eyes were. He mumbled on about stuff before she stopped and spun around. Her body crashed into his as her arms wrapped around his torso. His arms held her close by her shoulders as she finally let out what had built up through the day.
Tyler held her without saying a single thing. He felt as if he had to help Jordan. Yeah, they were never really friends, but they helped each other in the past. She helped him push himself to where he was today. He rubbed her upper arms as she held onto him.
Her hat was falling off from him holding her. He smiled and grabbed it, slowly pulling it off her head. She looked up as he did so. Her eyes were glossy while her cheeks where damp and red. He gave her a small smile before she buried her face again.
After a good fifteen minutes, Jordan pulled away and walked straight to the washroom. Tyler looked down at his chest and thanked himself for wearing black today. The door to the cottage opened and Freddy walked in with their three other friends trailing behind.
"Where's Jordan?" He asked as he made his way over.
Tyler sighed. He had to think of something. He didn't want to tell them she broke down and have them baby her. That's clearly why she held it together for the time being. A hand rested on his back while holding onto his wrist. He looked over his shoulder and saw her.
"Just went to the washroom. I kinda just walked off without letting him know." She explained.
Freddy nodded, throwing himself on the couch. The other three joined him. Tyler looked back down at Jordan who had cleaned herself up. She moved her hand down to his and gave it a small squeeze to thank him.
She dropped his hand and walked away. Before she was out of reach, he grabbed her hand to pull her back. He guided her into the kitchen. She chased after him. Once in the clear, he turned to face her. His hands grabbed onto her face.
"If you ever need to do that and I'm not around, just call me or come over, and I'm there. Okay?" He spoke.
She nodded, smiling. Her took a step forward and gave Tyler a hug. He hugged her back. He swayed her a bit, resting his chin on her head. They broke apart and smiled at each other.
A few days passed, and Tyler's day with the cup was going to be here the next three days. He and his group of friends had cleaned his cottage from top to bottom to prepare for his mom and sisters arrival.
It was late that night and he was sat at home on his couch, beer in hand, as he watched some weird movie. His lights flickered on and off since there was a storm. It was pretty bad and he worried about his mom and sisters getting here okay, but he realized how his mother wouldn't drive if she didn't feel safe.
A knock on his door pulled him from the thoughts of his family. He immediately got nervous. Wow, a six foot one hockey player scared of someone at his door. He stood up and walked over to it, placing his empty beer bottle in the case. He couldn't figure out who would be here at this time of night, in this kind of weather?
He opened the door, expecting it to be the end for him. Instead, a sad pair of blue eyes met his brown ones. He looked over the damp little girl in front of him and recognized it to be Jordan. He pulled her inside instantly. She was crying.
"Let me get you something dry to wear." He whispered, kissing the side of her head.
Tyler ran upstairs and found a sweatshirt of his with some sweatpants. He hopped down his stairs with a towel for her. She was covering her face now. He wrapped the towel around her and hugged her. She leaned into him as she cried.
"Jordan, you should change. You're gonna get sick." He kept his hushed tone.
She nodded, pulling back from him. Her sweater was pulled up and she stood on only her bra and shorts. He hands her the sweatshirt, which she pulled over her head. Her teeth rattled as she slid out of her shorts. He handed the sweatpants to her. They pooled around her feet as she tied them around her tiny waist.
Her eyes met his through her damp hair. "I'm sorry." She sobbed. "I didn't mean to come over and bother you. I jus,"
Tyler pulled her back into his arms. "I'm glad you're here and you're not bothering me." He held her close.
He guided her to the couch where he let her lay down. He squeezed in beside her, holding her close. He hated seeing someone so vulnerable, well, outside of hockey at least.
"Wow." A voice boomed, waking Tyler up.
He looked up and saw Candace leaning over him. Her arms were crossed as she shook her head. He looked around before feeling the body against his. He looked down and saw Jordan still asleep.
"Couldn't stay girl-less for one night?" She mocked.
Tyler shook his head as he stood up. "It's not like that. She's just a friend." He argued.
"Who has clothes in a pile near the front door and was just tangled in your body wearing your clothes." Candace stated, crossing her arms while she pursed her lips at her older brother. Her eyes shifted behind him. "Oh, hi."
Tyler spun around to see Jordan standing up. "Hi, Candace." She smirked.
"Wait, Jordan?" She gasped. Jordan nodded. "Oh my god! What are you doing with my stupid brother?" Candace cried as she hugged her.
"I needed a friend last night." Jordan sighed.
"Well, now I'm here so you don't need him." Candace grinned at Tyler.
"Yeah, whatever." He rolled his eyes as he walked upstairs.
Cup day arrived two short days later. Tyler spent the day with his family, friends, and the most important guest of all, Lord Stanley. They drank out of it, ate out of it, everything you could think of. Some of Tyler's teammates made the trip out to celebrate with him.
Nearing the end of the night, Tyler was very drunk. Brad and Freddy had tried to persuade him towards different girls all night. He brushed them all off. He only had one girl in mind. The one girl that had everything else on hers. He spotted her walking into the cottage alone, where he knew no one was around. He ran up the beach and inside.
A few people were scattered around the inside. He looked around for Jordan before he caught her vibrant, orange shirt walking out the front door on her phone. He walked straight to the door and followed her outside. He stood on his porch as she stood down the drive way on her phone. Her back was to him. He finished his beer, tossing the cup to the ground as she hung up and walked back up with her head down.
Her eyes met his, causing her to smile. "Hey!" She called as she approached.
"Can we talk?" He slurred.
She giggled. "Yeah, c'mon, Drunky." She grabbed his hand a guided him from the cottage where loud music was blaring.
They held hands as they walked down the street. The sun was setting over the summer homes. Tyler watched Jordan as she stared at it. He'd never found anyone as beautiful as her, drunk or sober.
"Jord," He spoke, gaining her attention. "I've really liked having you around this last week."
"Me too. It was really nice having someone." She smiled up at him, one eye was closed as she squinted.
They fell back into a silence as they walked. He stopped, tugging her back by their grasped hands. She stumbled into him, but he steadied her.
"I really like having you around and I really want you to stay around. I like how I am around you." He explained. "Tonight, I wasn't thinking about which easy slut I was gonna fuck tonight. I was thinking about you."
Jordan took a deep breath. "Let's head back, you're missing you time with the cup." She pulled but he was a lot stronger.
"I'd rather have time with you." He stated.
"You can have time with me and the cup." She gave him a small smile.
He nodded, starting to walk again. He put an arm around her, pulling her into himself. Her arms wrapped around him as she rested her head against him.
Truth be told, she liked being around Tyler too. He made her feel like she wasn't alone. Sure, she had a lot of other people there for her, but being with Tyler was just entirely different.
They didn't bother getting to the cottage. They found where the beach was open to public and walked down to where Tyler's gathering was. They were now only holding hands.
"You're walking really slow." Tyler growled.
"I have stubby legs, stop." Jordan whined.
He laughed at her before he stopped. She looked up at him as a devilish smirk appears on his face. He scooped her up in his arms and ran back to where everyone was. As they approached, he slowed down. He placed her on her feet. She glared at him while he smiled. He started walking again.
"Tyler, wait!" She yelled.
He stopped and turned around. She took two steps towards him. She looked up before she pushed herself up on her toes, pressing her lips to his. It was gentle and only lasted a second, but it was enough for both of them.
He smiled, taking her hand in his. She felt her cheeks burning as they continued to walk. His lips found her cheek before the arrived back to where everyone was.
Jordan stayed by Tyler's side the rest of the night. He always had a hand on her, wether it be, their fingers laced, an arm around her, a hand on her thigh, he was touching her all night. As it neared two a.m, the beach began to clear. Tyler looked down at Jordan who was leaning her head on his shoulder.
He placed his lips on her head. "Can I ask one thing?" He whispered. She sat up, looking into his eyes. "Stay with me tonight?"
She smiled and nodded before resting back on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head as the pair watched people file down the beach and through the house. They yelled 'goodbyes' and things about how great the Bruins were.
Tyler woke up the next morning to an empty bed. He frowned at his sweatshirt and sweatpants that were folded at the end of his bed. He got up, changed, and made his way downstairs.
His mom and sisters had obviously already cleaned up. They all looked at him and frowned as he walked down the stairs. He saw their stares and knew something had happened.
"Where's Jordan?" He hissed.
"She had to leave early this morning." Cassidy sighed.
"Why?" He said in the same tone.
"Her brother got hurt. They needed someone back at his home before they could send him back. She came down in hysterics this morning." His mom explained. Tyler's face softened. "She didn't want to wake you after last night and ruin your buzz, Ty."
"It wouldn't have ruined anything. I would've been there for her. I like being there for her." He growled, shoving something off the TV in anger.
Candace stood up and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting out a sigh as he put his chin on her head.
"She has a lot going on and she's really reserved, Tyler. You can't be mad that she doesn't want to be a burden to you." She spoke.
"She wouldn't be a fucking burden! I like being there for her! I like cheering her up! I like being around her!" He shouted. "I like the fucking girl and she won't let me show her."
"You know that, and we know that, but she doesn't know you how we do, Tyler." His mother added.
Cassidy walked over, handing his phone to him. "You need to read what she said." She demanded.
He took the phone from his youngest sister. He went to his messages. He had sixteen but he was only looking for one contact. He found Jordan's name and opened it.
I'm sorry for just leaving you like that. I'll call you later tonight and explain everything, if you even want to hear from me...
Tyler exhaled as he typed back:
Don't be sorry. I understand. Of course I want to hear from you. I'm worried about you too.
She replied nearly instantly.
That's a relief. I thought you might hate me. No worrying about me! Enjoy your time off. We'll talk tonight.