"Over here", Cole and I hear someone say to us as we walk out of the terminal. We turn our heads to see Noah standing near baggage claim. I run up to him and give him a huge hug, and Cole isn't far behind me.
"Long time, no see Buddy", Cole says to Noah as they give each other a hug.
The three of us walk over to the baggage carousel and our bags are one of the firsts to come up. Noah decides to carry my bag, and we head out to his car. I let Cole sit in the front seat with Noah as they get into a conversation about the playoffs.
I find it a good time to text Aiden to tell him I made it safely to Maine while I listen to hilarious story Noah starts to tell about when I was down in Boston back in September, when he got drunk and I had to bring him home.
We soon reach Orono, and then Penny Lane. Noah drives slowly, then we find number eighteen. A light blue house split in half. No one lives in the other condo beside us, they moved out about a year after we moved in. Noah parks his car, and I'm the first one out. Cole and Noah grab the bags out of the trunk, and I run up to front door. I scramble for the keys in my purse.
Cole and Noah are right behind me when I finish unlocking the door. I rush in, and the two follow me in. I take an excited look around. I guess Mrs. Smith has come in and cleaned it while I was gone, knowing how dusty it would get for the amount of time no one was in the house. It looks even better than it did before. Mrs. Smith redesigned the pictures on the walls, and decided to move a chair in the living room from one place to another. Cole and Noah immediately head up the stairs. I listen to their bedroom doors open and then the sound of them jumping onto their beds. They don't grow up, I'm telling you.
I run up the stairs and into my room. My suitcase is front of my door. I roll it in and sit on my bed. I look around and take in the nostalgic smell of my room. I get up and open the balcony doors. A cool breeze comes through. I go into my bathroom and all I can smell is my hairspray.
My closet is mostly empty, but I've kept some clothes so I wouldn't have to pack everything when I came back. I unpack my suitcase and hang my shirts in my closet, and the rest of the things in my dresser. Cole and Noah are yelling to each other about something ridiculous, and I just laugh at them.
As I finish everything in my room, Noah and Cole rush in and land side by side on my bed. I stare at them, and they look back at me with smirks on their faces. "What's cha doing?" I ask.
"Just getting comfortable", Noah says as he wriggles around on his spot. I laugh at him.
"What are we going do to tonight?" Cole asks Noah and I. We all think.
"What about the hockey game? It's the last game of the regular season. They're going to playoffs this year", I say.
"Where are our jerseys?" Noah jokes. "Let's go!"
Cole and Noah race out of my room. I look for my closet and find my one of many Bangor Township high school jackets, though it's the only one I still have. It's purple with yellow lettering. On the sleeve, it said my last name with my number nineteen.
"Let's go, Princess", Noah yells from the stairs as he stomps down them. I grab my purse and walk down this stairs, Cole not far behind me.
We lock up the house and head out to Noah's car. I've yet to check how mine has been in the garage, but I had asked Mr. Smith to check in and make sure nothing had gone majorly wrong with it, and he's said its still in great shape for not being used in almost five months.
Driving from the condo to the rink is nostalgic. I took this route more than half of senior year. I would leave the house at exactly 7:25 in the morning, I would arrive at 7:40, then drive back after school at 4:15, or 5:15 if I had hockey practice with the guys team.
The rink hasn't changed in three years, and it still feels like I'm driving in to watch Cole and Noah play. Noah parks the car and we all head into the front lobby. The tickets cost eighteen dollars between the three of us, and we head into the rink. It's all so nostalgic. I even lived twenty minutes from here for two and a half years and I didn't see a single game. I was either busy, or at one of the guy's games.
Noah decides on seats behind the home goal. It's the first time being here that I've actually sat in the bleachers. Coach had always sat me in the VIP, or I was on the bench.
"Hey, are you Noah Smith and Cole Anderson?" A group of boys come up to us just before the game starts. Their eyes gleam in excitement.
"Yeah, we are. How did you know? We aren't that recognizable", Noah says to them.
"You faces are all over the school. In the hall of fame cabinet, and on posters in a lot of the teachers classrooms. You guys are legends for our school", a second boy says to Noah and Cole. "We heard you guys were coming to talk to us, and we were hoping you'd show up here tonight for our game. Coach wanted us to look around for you".
"Oh, you were sent by Coach?" Noah asks. Each boy nods. "Does he want to see us?" They nod again.
I guess we're wanted by Coach. This could be a long night, but that's not a bad thing.
YOU ARE READING
Counting Down The Days (Counting on Hockey #3)
RomanceDuring their senior year of high school, after 2 years of dating, they were the golden couple that everyone envied. Cole was captain of the hockey team, and had scholarship to University of Maine for hockey. Cole and Meredith are going to move into...
