Stupid Love Songs

16. - I will fight with you

A lot of things have happened,but at the same time nothing has actually happened. Our lives are practicallyexactly the same as before. Actually, the numbers on the calendar have changed.Although that's not all that's changed. Max is a world champion; I'm spendingall my free time in the studio working on my first album and slowly becoming asinger. Mainly, my life and Max's life turned one hundred and sixty degrees inone fell swoop and then went back to normal.

Right now we're back to our old ways, only our old lives have taken on a bit more pizzazz.

Except for a few things, everything stayed the same.

I'm with my hockey player at the crime scene right now.

Gym.

Where we did gymnastics for three hours straight. This training of ours is completely different from when we liked each other. I don't know if it's better or worse, but it's definitely different. We're slowly leaving this venue, which, thank God, hasn't had a murder in all the time we've been here. We just have to keep our heads down.

"Amy."

"No." I jump down from the gymnastics goat I was sitting on and Maxim has just put it away in the tack room. He grabs the mat, pulls it away himself, and meanwhile I'm sitting on the bench with our stuff on my lap.

"The playoffs start tomorrow." He yells at me across the gym.

"I know." I yell back. He then emerges from the dark room full of sports equipment and runs up to me at a faster trot.

"Are you coming?"

"I'm not going to Prague."

"Oh, come on." He helps me to my feet, and I let him know with my eyes that he really can't get me to Prague. I'd love to watch their hockey on TV or at the local rink, but not in Prague. Canada was enough for me, and we're three months past that.

Three months full of happiness, joy, love, hockey and music success.

The best three months of my life, thanks to a boy who decided to sit next to me at school one morning.

"Amy."

"Maxie, you know I have a lot on my plate. School, music, Grandma, animals, and someone has to help your mom when her men decide to leave at the same time."

"It's not my fault my dad and I have work obligations in Prague."

"I'll cheer from a distance."

"Fine." He puts his hand on my shoulder and looks into my eyes. "But if we lose, it'll be because of you."

"Asshole." I say with a laugh and walk out of the gym. He takes off right after me. I'm excited to see the little hockey players skating again, and even more excited to see how everything is just too perfect right now. I'm afraid something bad is going to happen.

Maxim slaps my ass and I'm so happy about all the stuff I don't even hit him.

Instead of a slap, I grab his hand, intertwine our fingers, and grip his palm tightly. I see it as he chuckles and feel it as he squeezes my palm back. With his free hand, he waves to both his little charges he sometimes trains and his fellow trainers. In the hallway, almost at the entrance, we meet a man in his early thirties. He and Max smile at each other, and as we pass him, he pats Max on the shoulder and says hello to me.

As soon as we come out of their famous stadium, where not only hockey is played, but also many other things, there is a not very tall blonde standing a little bit from the main entrance. I know her from somewhere, but from where, I don't know, I can't tell at this distance. She can't see me yet because I'm hiding behind Max.