crossways: a jack hughes story

chapter 13

you spend the next few weeks just hanging at home, spending quality time with your family and other friends that stayed in florida.

carly hasn't come back to florida yet, she's been traveling with cole to watch his games. the canadiens won their first series against the maple leafs, and their second series against the jets. carly's been texting you updates the whole time, when cole has a good night or a bad night. you don't mind the updates, but it makes you miss jack.

back at home, you and your family have been watching the tampa bay lightning's playoff run on tv so far. your dad and brother are huge lightning fans, so you root for them too. they've also won their first two series, and the third is just about to start. 7 games later, and the lightning are onto the stanley cup. the canadiens are off to the cup too, barely winning their third series. carly isn't happy your team beat her team, as the lighting beat the islanders 4 games to 3. she's upset that she can't see both of her "boyfriends" play in the same series.

about an hour later, you get a facetime call from carly. you answer and you see carly in a crowded, loud, dark room. she's screaming over music, and you can barely hear her.

"hey! i'm coming to florida next week for the games! you should come, i'll get you good seats." she screams, and you have to say "what" a few times so you can understand her over whatever noise.

once you realize what carly's saying, you ask where she is.

"i'm at cole's apartment, he threw a party to celebrate the canadiens going to the cup." carly says, flipping the screen to reveal cole, other players, and random people partying.

"oh okay, have fun!" you say, and carly says she'll see you next week.

a few days before the series starts, carly texts you that she's landed, and that she's on her way to the hotel the team is staying at. she gives you the address and you drive down to tampa to see her. you meet carly in the lobby around 5 pm, and you go out to a nice dinner, just the two of you. you catch up with each other of everything's that's happened since you last saw each other.

after catching up at dinner, you hang out in carly's hotel room.

"do you wanna sleep over?" carly asks.

"yeah, but wouldn't i be third wheeling?" you say, as you point to the two beds in the room.

"oh no, i'll make cole sleep in another room, it's fine. he shouldn't care." carly says.

"oh, okay, if he won't mind, then sure i'll sleep over." you say.

cole goes to sleep in josh anderson's room, and you get in carly's bed next to her.

"so, how are you and your boyfriend?" you ask carly, a smile curling onto your face.

"he's NOT my boyfriend." carly says.

"oh stop it. he practically is. everyone thinks it anyway. and do you see how he treats you? how he looks at you? girls would kill for a guy to act like cole." you say.

"yeah i guess. maybe we're dating? i don't know. he's never asked me to be his girlfriend."

"but have you gone on dates?" you ask.

"yeah." responds carly.

"so you guys are dating." you declare.

carly just rolls her eyes.

"well have you heard the way jack talks about you?" carly asks.

"what? he talks about me to you?"' you say, as your voice gets higher, as it does when you get excited.

"well not directly to me. he tells cole all about you, and cole tells me what he says."

"well what does he say?!" you say, practically begging carly to spill.

"he brags about you; how you're perfect, funny, hot, like everything he could ever imagine in his soulmate. he really likes you, zoe." your cheeks start to blush, and you start to get warm.

you and carly keep talking about jack and cole, and you start to plan double dates to go on.

"you should ask jack to come down to watch cole in the cup, or maybe cole should ask him." carly suggests.

"oh yeah, that would be so fun." you say.

"ask him now!" says carly.

"he's probably sleeping, it's late. carly, it's 3 am."

"what? how?" carly says.

"it's way past my bedtime, i'm going to sleep." says carly, plugging her phone on the charger.

"okay me too." you say as you climb into the other bed and close your eyes.