The Lonely Hour

Chapter 14: Swallowed

After my classes for the day were done and I found myself consumed by hockey. Only another week until we had our first game and this weekend was our first scrimmage.

As I was sitting in the locker room
re-taping my sticks Rebecca peaked her head in from the door.

"Ella?"

"Yes Bec?" I mumble

"Coach wants to see you in her office" She tells me before disappearing behind the door to go back to her off ice workout.

"Me?" I question to myself.

I finish the one stick up and lay it in my stall before heading out to Coach Jenner's office.

When I came into her hallway, I immediately noticed her blinds were shut. Coach J never like to close them, she liked to look out and have us look in.

Slowly I turned the knob of the door and pushed it open. Sitting there in the black chair behind the desk was not Coach Jenner, but Jonathan Toews.

"I'm so sorry" I say as I begin to close the door a lot faster than I had opened it.

"Ella" Toews calls out, he knew my name?

"Ella Brooks" He calls out, he knew my whole name.

"Listen, I can't make you do a anything you don't want to" Jonathan assured me "But I know Patrick better than anyone else and I've never seen him like this... Not even over Melanie" Jonathan sighed loudly, he wasn't sure if his words were affecting me.

"Why did he brake up with her?" I question

"You" He says abruptly "They had talked about marriage but he ended it because of you"

"He doesn't know anything about me except my name, why would he do something like that?" I squint my eyes and shake my head trying to understand.

"Like I've said, I've never seen him like this over anyone...There's nothing more I can do here" With that Jonathan slides ofer a piece of paper with two numbers, his and Patrick's.

"I'll show myself out" With that Jonathan leaves me in the office by myself. I fall down into the cushioned seat. Picking up the card I play with it in between my fingers.

I didn't need this, I didn't need this at all. I had hockey to worry about, I had college to worry about. The last thing I needed was a love story.

A helpless love story