It was draft day and Allison has gone with the Stromes as Kara's moral support.
Allison's eyes were locked on Connor. He looked so nervous. He was nervous. She wanted to be sitting with him on the other side of the arena. She squeezed Kara's hand.
She felt like she owed it to Connor to experience this with him today. But she wasn't. She took a deep breath when the Oilers walked towards the stage. There wasn't a doubt in her mind about Connor going first. He was the best of the best.
She felt numb as Peter Chiarelli thanked Florida. He was taking forever to get to the point. She just needed to hear Connor's name. As much as she didn't want him in Edmonton with her, but she didn't want him to go any lower in the draft. She was conflicted. Peter went on about the fans back in Edmonton.
"And with that being said, the Edmonton Oilers would like to select with their first pick, from the Erie Otters, Connor McDavid."
Allison was crippled. She hadn't expected any less but she didn't know what to do. Her heart was racing. She was so proud of him. She felt Kara's eyes on her. She looked over at her. Kara squeezed her hand.
They continued watching the draft. Jack Eichel went second. Dylan was picked by Arizona.
Allison had to pull Kara to her feet. He hugged his family. He smiled wide at Allison, hugging her. She was happy for Dylan. Top three was great.
She noticed Connor watching from the side. He was looking up at the group. Connor waited to see Dylan go up. That made Allison smile. Connor really wasn't a complete asshole.
The girls went with the Stromes down to where photos were taken. Allison was laughing with his brothers while they walked down. Kara was out of it. Allison understood why.
Allison froze when she saw orange. Kara walked right into her. Connor was shaking hands with the Stromes and hugging them. Allison took a deep breath. Connor looked over at her. Kara walked off with the Stromes, leaving Allison with Connor.
"Hey." He cleared his throat, tucking his hands in his pockets.
Allison let out a sigh before she hugged him. She squeezed her eyes shut while she held onto him. He was holding onto her just as tight. He was so upset she hadn't been there to kiss him when his name was called. She hadn't been the first person to smile at him. He took in her scent. He could smell her perfume mixed with her shampoo. He missed her.
"I can't even tell you how proud of you I am because I can't sum it up into words." She told him before they pulled apart. "Holy shit, Connor."
He smiled. "Guess I'll be seeing you around, huh?"
She frowned. "Uh, I didn't get in." She lied. His brows furrowed. "They didn't like my essay."
"That's bullshit." He shook his head. "I'm still crazy proud of you."
"University is nothing compared to first overall." She teased.
"It's more impressive than first overall. You're the smartest person I know. Alberta doesn't know what they're missing." He argued.
She giggled a bit. "They're not missing anything now that they have you."
He rolled his eyes. "Do you want to get a couple pictures with me and my family? You and I both know it would make my mom's day even better." He shook his head.
Allison nodded with a smile. "That sounds alright."
Allison followed Connor over to his parents. She hugged them and Cam. They all went into the photo area. Connor and Allison took one with his parents, then with Cam, and then all of them. Allison and Connor took one together too.
Dylan came over with Kara. The four of them got pictures together. Dylan and Kara went back to his family and Allison stayed with Connor.
"So uh, I guess this is it." He lifted his hat, rubbing his hair.
"Huh?" She furrowed her brows.
"I leave for Edmonton like, yesterday, and you're gonna head back home." He sighed. "It'll be weird not seeing you for a while."
She nodded. "Yeah, it will." She smiled at him. "I might actually miss you."
"Feeling's mutual." He smirked.
The next day, both had to head their different ways. They didn't say goodbye to each other or anything. Allison was taking care of her heartsick best friend.
Kara was more than sad about Dylan and Allison didn't know what to do for her. She hugged her friend while they sat in the airport. Allison felt for Kara. She'd been here before.
Being home wasn't very calming. Allison was getting ready to make the big move to Edmonton and Kara would be going to London. The duo hadn't lived more than twenty minutes away from each other in fourteen years, and now they were going to be in different provinces. It was hard. Allison knew she was gonna be a mess her first week. Especially having to do the most to avoid Connor.
She hadn't told Kara she lied to Connor about where she'd be going. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want Connor in her life. Well, she did. But she didn't want him to be such a vital part. She wanted to survive in Edmonton without him. She needed to.
Summer went on. Allison worked while Kara dealt with her drama. They made as much time for each other as possible. But it wasn't enough. Their time was winding down. Allison was dealing with the fact she'd be moving so far by working as much as possible. She was interrupted by her phone while deep in her thoughts.
"Hey, how are you?" Connor asked after she answered.
"Not too bad. What do you need, McDavid?" She sighed.
"Will you come to the airport with me?" He exhaled. "When I leave for good, please?"
She smiled a bit. "Yeah, when's that? I'll probably have to get my shift covered."
"Thursday." He beamed. "It would mean the world to me."
She rolled her eyes. "I'll be there."
