Puck of Passion

Chapter 1

Allie

“Can I borrow your earrings?” Elena asks, holding up the dangly pair Macey got me for Christmas last year.

“You know, with how often you borrow them, you might as well ask Macey where she got them,” I reply, not taking my gaze off my mirror as I draw the perfect cat-eye.

“I tried. She refuses to tell me.”

“Maybe I have a reason for that,” Macey says pointedly as she shimmies into her dress. “But if you insist…”

She heads to her dresser and pulls out a small box. “Happy early birthday.”

Elena squeals and throws her arms around Macey. “You’re the best!”

“Now, I’m starting to feel less special,” I tease, turning away from the mirror.

Macey grins. “Well, I bought some for myself too. Now, we can all match. It’s like a best friends’ necklace, but less tacky.” We may all be going into cosmetology, but Macey has always been the one who is the most fastidious about her looks.

“Then, I guess we all have to wear them tonight,” I say, snatching my set from Elena. “Our last college party deserves to be special.”

As I fasten my earrings into my ears, a sense of unease comes over me. My boyfriend, Justin, is the one hosting the party. He’s waiting to hear where he’ll be drafted into the NHL, so now, it feels like I’m counting down the seconds until we have to end it and say goodbye.

As proud as I am of him and his prowess in the rink, I have this terrible feeling that he will have to make a choice between us and the game. And I’m not about to hold him back, even if he rips a piece of my heart out and takes it with him when he goes.

“Girl, you look hot,” Elena says, admiring me in the mirror.

My cocktail dress is a shimmering emerald, complementing my dark skin tone. The green of my eyeshadow matches it, and I’ve paired it with a bold lipstick.

We all want to look our best before getting trashed one last time as college students. Even if, technically, we’ve already graduated and are supposedly ready to take on the world. Whether or not we’re actually ready is up for debate.

“You’re not so bad yourself. Whose closet did you raid this time?” I tease. Elena is our resident clothing thief. We’ve learned to tolerate it, especially because she makes sure to always wash it and put it back in its proper place. Also, she bakes, and that always makes up for any damaged clothes.

Elena shrugs. “I can’t help it if Macey has a ton of cute outfits in my size.” Macey clears her throat, and Elena bats her long lashes at her. “And that’s she’s an amazingly generous best friend who loves to share her wardrobe.”

Macey rolls her eyes, but the quirk of her lips makes her amusement obvious. “Ready?”

Elena throws her arm around my shoulder. “Ready.”

I feel my smile becoming tight as I nod. There is a sense of finality to it, like this will be one of the many ‘lasts’ I’m about to experience. “Let’s go.”

We hear the party before we get to the apartment. The building reverberates with the heavy base of the music, and Justin should consider himself lucky that pretty much everyone has moved out after graduation because the whole place is a noise complaint waiting to happen.

The door is already open, so we let ourselves in just in time for the show. Justin and his teammates are shirtless and doing planks over bowls of booze. One falls, landing face first into the alcohol. He slurps it all down while the rest cheer.

 It’s down to three competitors, but one is already looking shaky. Justin, though, still sits strong. The only sign of strain is the way his back muscles bulge with the effort. I take a moment to appreciate it while Elena disappears to get us drinks.

The weak link collapses, leaving only two. “Let’s go, Justin!” I cheer.

Hearing my voice, he looks up to me and grins. “I’m winning this for you, babe!”

“A victory for the lady’s favor. And they say chivalry is dead,” Macey quips, though there is no heat to her sarcasm. She has a deadpan sense of humor, one that is easy to read as bitchiness until you get to know her.

I elbow her in the ribs. “You’d better cheer for my man.”

She arches an eyebrow in response, and then does jazz hands. “Woo-hoo, Justin. You can do it.” Her tone is flat and emotionless, and I expect nothing less.

His opponent, Mike, is starting to look shaky. His face is turning red with the effort of holding the plank. And then, with a gasp, he collapses, his face smacking into the bowl of booze.

The crowd erupts in cheers as he slurps it up and Justin gets to his feet, pumping his fists in victory. He chugs the bowl and sweeps through the throngs of people to me.

“Where’s my victory kiss?” he says, taking me by the waist and dipping me.

Rolling my eyes, I can’t help the giggle that escapes in response to his antics. “My hero.”

We lock lips, the room erupting again as the seconds tick on. He tastes like Red Bull and vodka. Underneath the smell of booze, though, is his musky scent. Closing my eyes, I inhale, savoring this moment as though it might be our last together.

But all things must come to an end, and unfortunately, we need to breathe. We come up for air at the same time, but he doesn’t let go. He tugs me in close, his arm wrapped possessively around my waist.

“You are so hot,” he says.

I lean my head against his chest. “And you’re drunk.”

“Yeah, on loving you, babe.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a corny drunk?”

“Yeah, you. Whenever we drink.”

I chuckle. “Well, it’s still true. You’re the corniest drunk I’ve ever met.”

“You know you love me.”

I stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“And I love shots!” Elena proclaims, returning with her hands full of shot glasses. I have no idea how she can carry them all, but she does. “Two shots each!”

Macey and I take ours and we pound them back without batting an eye. A warm, pleasant buzz fills my system, and I lean against Justin. “Let’s dance,” I say.

“Hell yeah!” Elena exclaims, dragging the four of us to the dance floor. As always, Justin’s choice in music is impeccable, and perfect for a college blowout.

Tomorrow, we can be adults. We can start our jobs and plan our futures. But tonight will be fun, even if I have to drag Fun Allie kicking and screaming out of the little hole she’s crawled into in order to escape the anxiety of losing him.

We dance until we’re dizzy and our feet are sore, stopping only to drink. As the night wears on, our moves become clumsier and more ridiculous. It seems like everyone has collectively decided that we’re going to make the most of tonight.

“I need food,” Justin announces. “I’ll grab you a slice of pizza while I’m there.”

“Thanks, babe,” I say, and stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. I miss a little and get his ear, but I don’t care. I’m having a great time.

But Drunk Allie is an impatient Allie, so I’m only dancing for another minute before I decide to join him in the kitchen.

But he isn’t there. He’s not in the main room either, so I make my way down the hall and to his bedroom.

I find him standing in the dark, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. He holds his cell phone to his ear. For a moment, I worry that something terrible has happened.

But then his face lights up, and in spite of myself, my heart sinks even further. “Yes, sir,” he says. “Thank you, sir. I’ll be there by Friday. You won’t regret this.”

He hangs up his phone, and overjoyed, he scoops me up and swings me in a circle like I’m a Disney princess. “I got drafted into the Florida Mustangs!” he announces and then kisses me.

Despite the growing lump in my throat, I kiss him back. And before I can get a word in, he sets me down and rushes to the party in the living room.

“I just got drafted into the Florida Mustangs!” he shouts, announcing it to everyone. The whole party explodes into exclamations of excitement.

I should be out there. I know I should. But I can’t bring myself to move from this spot.

A sickly feeling curdles in my stomach, and it’s not fair. I know it isn’t fair, but I feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

I am so proud of Justin. I really am. But Florida is so far away, and he attended here as a student from out of state. He has nothing tying him here.

He has no reason to come back to me.

This really is goodbye, and the knowledge threatens to break my heart. But it won’t be fair of me to beg him to stay, not when he’s the best hockey player I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen plenty of great players at his games.

He’s going to go far. I know it. He just might be the next big star if he plays his cards right. So, I can’t let him be distracted. I can’t hold him back.

Because that’s love, isn’t it? You love someone so much that you’re willing to let them go if that’s what they truly need.

I watch him smiling as people clap him on the back and shake his hand. He’s worked so hard all his life. He deserves to have a great career and a great future.

And who knows? Maybe we’ll find our way back to each other again.

It’s a vain hope, but it’s something I can cling to. It might not be goodbye forever. Just for a little while.