Unforgettable

Part 23

Casey

"I want a dog."

I laugh as her voice rings in through the phone.

"I'll get you a dog, one day." I reply, hearing her huff loudly.

"Hey, you're staying at mine tonight, right?" I ask, changing the subject before she can convince me into driving to the nearest dog shelter and adopt every single one. It's tempting, but not right for us yet.

"Yeah, Mel and Pers have already gone home, and Lera and Christian are leaving as soon as the games finished, so I'll just wait for you after." she replies, marking the names of our friends off like a roll call.

It's 2 days until Thanksgiving, and most people have already gone home. I've got one last hockey game before the break starts, although neither Nat nor I have any grand plans. Today's Wednesday, and my parents are coming up on Saturday to stay for a day. Natalie didn't even try to contact her mom, explaining she'd skip Thanksgiving with her and aim for Christmas instead. So, that just leaves us to bask in each other's presence for the majority of the holiday, just how I like it.

"Good. I'll just quickly shower after the game and I'll meet you outside." I reply, turning right into the arenas' parking lot. I pull my key out of the ignition, the rumbling of my cars engine coming to a grinding halt.

"Are you there now?" Natalie asks, her voice small.

"Yes, unfortunately." I reply, gathering the few things I have strewn over my car and reaching across to put them into a zipped compartment of my bag. 

"Go, hurry up. Don't let me be the reason you're late." She laughs softly, her voice bouncing around the car.

"I'll look for you in the crowd." I reply, pulling my bag from the backseat. 

"You'd better."

"I love you, I'll see you later."

"I love you, don't get hurt, or else I'm coming over and beating your ass myself."

I laugh as the line cuts out, shaking my head silently as I grab my phone. I jump out of my car, shutting the door softly before I begin walking towards the arena. 

I've been playing better the last couple of weeks, which I think is directly linked to finding my purpose, finding her. I'm no longer searching for something, no longer going out at night and acting like a dick, all of which she's responsible for. I can't even begin to thank her enough for everything she's done for me, whether she realizes it or not. 

"Hey, Lloyd. Do well out there today." My coach says, patting me on the back as I walk past him and into the dressing rooms. I acknowledge him, stepping into the bright room, the smell of strong deodorant hitting me. My teammates all slap me across the shoulder as I walk towards my locker, conveniently placed next to Christian's. I don't know if I should be thankful, or fearful for my life at that decision. 

"Hey, how're you feeling today?" he asks me as I drop my bag onto the bench in front of me.

"Yeah, pretty good, yourself?" I reply, grabbing my padding out of my bag.

"Good. Got any plans for the holidays?" He continues, as I grab my sweater from the bottom of my bag. 

"My parents are coming up for a day on the weekend. Other than that, it's just Nat and myself. What about you?" I reply, grabbing my waterbottle and chugging a mouthful quickly.

"Well, both Lera and I's families live pretty close, so we'll probably just hover between our houses for the majority of the time." He replies, a small smile perched on his lips. "Anyway, let's get out there and do good for who's watching."