Off Ice.

Chapter Forty-Seven.

Avery

I think we all just need to take a collective deep breath.

Everything has just been so awful lately, so when nothing is really going wrong - we're all on edge. We all think that something catastrophic is going to happen at any given chance and that's now how I want to live.

That's why I drove to Vegas and why I decided to just stop letting this fucking asshat win.

I know I keep saying that, but I'm not following through on it. Every time I do something based on what I think he would do or get out of it, I'm letting him win. Not going to see my boyfriend who was laid up in a fucking hospital room alone because of the chance that some guy could try and get in the way is just dumb. I can protect myself. I can live my fucking life, I just refuse to not.

Maybe that's naive - maybe that's dumb and arrogant. But I'm so beyond caring at this point. I only have a few months left in Los Angeles and I'm not going to waste it away. I don't know what's going to happen with Mason, but I'm tired of just waiting around until something does. That's not how I want to live.

So I drove myself to Vegas and I'm damn glad I did. The drive was the most peaceful experience I've had in a long ass time. Just having those hours all to myself, cruising and listening to my favorite music was exactly what I needed. It felt fucking amazing to just drive with windows down and sing at the top of my lungs - and it felt even better knowing that I'd be with my love once I got to my destination.

Could something of gone wrong? Sure. But things can go wrong literally any time or any where you go. The maybe just wasn't enough for me to not go.

It's Monday now, which means it's been three full days since I got to Vegas. I'm back in LA now, but this time I took Finn with me.

We talked to his doctor and he said that as long as Finn keeps to his promise of not overextending himself, there's no reason for him to stay at the hospital. Honestly, the doctor preferred him being in a home environment and said that if he has a ride back and doesn't have to drive - he should take it.

I like that Doctor. He was a nice Doctor.

The drive to LA was perfectly uneventful. We spent the whole time laughing and just talking - the windows down and the sun beaming down on us.

Finn was given those medically issued sunglasses that have the lenses on the sides and made him look straight out of a 90s sifi movie. Every time he tried to take them off, I made him put them back on. He's still sensitive to light and I'll be damned if he makes it worse by not doing what he's supposed too.

I was quoting the Matrix at him pretty much the whole way there, though. I'm sure that helped.

Casey cheered loudly when we walked in, obviously thrilled that he gets a buddy to be home with for the next week or so.

There's been a lighter feeling in the air since we got back. The five of us all being in the same house has given everyone a sense of security that we all just want to take advantage of now.

And knowing me, I really like the fact that we have a plan for the next few months. Finn's here for a week until his team comes back, then he's going to San Jose. He'll be able to start training and working out by then, so after a couple of weeks there he'll be able to play. Hopefully that means he'll be able to play against LA when they come here in April, so that would be the next time I'd see him.

It's February 20th, so it's only really the month or March that we'd need to get through until then. I'm confident we can do that. I'm not sure where this sense of reassurance has come from but I'm clinging onto it for dear life.