The One

Jerk!

December 7, 2008.

It's been two months since I last saw her. She's busy with her tour and I'm busy with hockey. We've been texting and calling each other non stop. Sure, our phone conversation were a bit awkward in the beginning. But as we continued talking it became much easier.

Our topics can be about anything. We talk about her tour, my hockey season, friends and family. Hey! We even talk about her dog Ace! I could spend hours talking to her. I love hearing her voice on the other end. It's so nice and soothing.

I began to realize that I like her. I want to be more than friends. And I need to get to know her more.

*Phone ringing in the background*
I grabbed my phone and I smile as I see Carrie's name in bold.

"Hey, how's it going ma'am" I said trying my best southern accent.

"Oh my gosh, Mike!" She giggled. "That is the worst southern accent I've heard!" She said, laughing.

"Ouch! Carrie, who knew you could be so harsh." I said trying to sound hurt. "I thought I did great."

"No, no. Mike. That was actually kind of bad to be honest." She said slightly giggling.

I chuckled. "I tried." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Yeah. So how was your game last night?" She asked.

"It was great. We took the W and I scored a goal too!" I said as I laid down my bed.

"Way to go, Mike. That's great." She said with such enthusiasm.

"Thanks, you should come see me play sometime." I nervously asked.

"I would love that. My tour ends in about 2 or 3 weeks." She said.

"Alright, I can't wait for that. Where are you right now?" I asked.

"I'm in Nashville. I just finished soundcheck." She sighed.

"You sound a bit tired there, you alright?" I asked a bit concerned, standing up from my bed.

"It's been a long day, that's all." She said as her voice cracked a bit.

My heart sank. "Care, hey, what's wrong?" I asked with a soothing voice.

I heard her whimper through the phone. "It's not that I'm tired......It's about..Travis." She managed to say through her tears.

"What happened?" I asked. Eager to know what went on.

"I ended things with him." She paused as she took a breath. "He didn't take it very well." She softly said.

"Did he hurt you?" I asked worriedly.

"Not physically but he...he did verbally." Her voice cracked again. "He was furious! He verbally attacked me! He called me some horrendous names..... And he was punching and kicking the walls! ..... Thank god Mark and Ivey were there." She said sobbing.

"Hey, it's okay, Carrie. He's gone now." I said, trying my best to cheer her up.

"I know....it's just, I can't believe he said those things about me. That's what really hurt the most." She sniffed.

"Hey don't listen to what that asshole said. He's a fucking idiot! He.." I managed to say as Carrie cut me off

"Mike! Language!" She softly giggled.

"Sorry." I chuckled. "Look, what he did to you, you don't deserve any of that. I don't know how someone can say such bad things about you. You're the most sweetest person ever." I said, running my fingers through my hair.

"Thanks." She managed to say.

"You don't need him." I said, calming my voice a bit.

"Why am I such a jerk magnet? I swear, all these men that I attract end up being complete jerks!" She raised her voice a bit.

"Does that make me a jerk?" I asked trying to lighten her mood.

I heard her laugh through the phone. That's it. "Oh gosh, I hope not." She said as she continued to laugh.

"Trust me, I won't be a jerk. I promise." I chuckled as I sat back down on my bed.

"You just always know when to lighten the mood, huh." She said, slightly chuckling.

"That's what I do best." I said, smiling.

She sighed through the phone again. "Thanks Mike. Thanks, I really needed that." She softly said.