Counting Down The Days (Counting on Hockey #3)

Epilouge: My Life

Noah, Cole, and I stand in our driveway, looking up at our house. We stand side by side and look over our house. It's our last day here. Noah is in Boston, so he's not in college here, Cole is already in Minnesota, so he's not here for college, and I finished packing everything up of mine here so I can move out to Minnesota and start my part time job for the journalism department at the Wild's stadium. I'll finish my degree at Concordia University in Saint Paul. I'm moving in with Cole and I'll graduate in May, then start my full time job at the Wild Stadium.

"I'm going to miss this place", Noah says quietly.

"We practically grew up here", Cole says.

"I don't want to sell this place", I say after.

"Come on. Let's have one last peek around. Before we pack the furniture and decorations", Cole says, looking over at the two of us. We both nod, agreeing.

The three of us walk into the house and look around slowly.

"Do you remember that game? That fall you took was epic", Noah laughs at me. I stick my tongue out at him.

"What about that game where the puck got caught in your skate?" I say to Cole, laughing hysterically. He starts to laugh too.

The three of us go through the house and take down all the pictures on the walls. We pack it into two separate boxes. Stuff Noah is going to keep, and stuff Cole and I are going to keep. Each decoration holds a special memory for us. Things we've gotten from around the country, or pictures of special events. All the pictures were either taken by me or Mrs. Smith, since she's a photographer, and she always seems to get the best pictures to symbolize the moments.

"When do we get to meet Ariana?" Cole asks Noah as we finish packing away everything. The only thing left in the house are our beds and the living room furniture.

"You're flying out of Boston. You can meet her then, tomorrow night", Noah replies.

After a few minutes of talking, there's a knock on the door. I walk to the door to see two people standing out on the front porch, a couple. 

"Cara", I squeal. I open the locked screen door and her and Matt rush in. Cara and I jump into each others arms and hug each other tightly. I hear Noah and Cole come in behind us, then greet Matt. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"We didn't know we were coming. It was a last minute thing. Matt has the week off, and I start my new job next week", Cara says. We hug again. I haven't seen my sister since her graduation from Ohio State a few months ago, and before that was her last hockey game of the season.

"Oh, I'm glad you're here. Both of you".

"It's so good to be back. I missed it so much", Cara says to me. "Come on. Let's sit down. It's been a long time".

Noah, Cole, and Matt catch up in the foyer, and Cara and I head into the living room. We sit on the couch and start to talk. She tells me about her new job at a hospital outside of Detroit, close to where we grew up. Our old house is for sale right now, and she wants to buy it with Matt. They got engaged a few days after his graduation last year. They don't have a wedding date, though they want it to be next fall. She asked our parents to buy, and they would start to pay our parents back after they both got settled in jobs and in life. Cara was so excited to go back to that house. We both loved it. Matt hasn't seen the house, though he doesn't really care if he likes the house, he's just glad to see her childhood before they met.

"So guess what", I say after our long conversation ends. I smile evilly.

"What?" Cara asks, kind of suspicious.

"Noah's got a girlfriend, and she's real", I reply. Cara gasps, a happy surprise.

"No way, really? He's never had a girlfriend", she reacts. "What's her name?"

"Ariana. She works for his team. They've been dating for almost six months".

Cara still can't really believe Noah has a girlfriend, though everyone knew it was bound to happen someday. Noah still doesn't like talking about it, but he has pictures and I've actually talked to her on the phone once, a few weeks ago. She sounds nice, and I'm going to out her through the ultimate test to make sure she's okay for Noah, he would do the same thing me, or for Cole for that matter.

~~~~~~~~~~

"This is it", I say to Noah and Cole as the movers move the living room furniture and our beds. It's all going into storage until Noah's parents decide what to do with it all.

"I guess we don't live here anymore", Noah says.

"Somebody else owns this place now", Cole finishes all of our thoughts.

"As soon as we close that door, we can't get back in. It's not ours", I tell them.

We all look around to make sure nothing is on the walls, or in cupboards or rooms. The house is entirely empty. I pick up my purse from next to the door, and all of us slip shoes onto our feet. As soon as we leave, we drive down to Boston for two days, then I start my final year of college next week in Saint Paul.

I open the door for the guys and they walk out. I take a second and stand in the doorway. I close the door slowly and take a moment before I shut it all the way. The locks have been changed, because it's what the neighborhood manager wanted us to do, so we can't use any keys to get in.

I click the door shut for the final time, and shut the screen door.

Another chapter in my life. Stored away forever.

Goodbye Maine. Hello Minnesota.