My Hockey Boy

Chapter 17

Haley's POV

I sat there, outside of the rink. I couldn't think straight. I could barely form a coherant sentence without stumbling. This was all too much to take in at this point. I started my day with all the stuff with Charlie, found out I got accepted into my dream college, and now Wes has confessed that he's had a secret "crush", if you could even call it that, on me. I didn't know how I was supposed to be feeling at this point. It all just clouded every little bit of my thoughts. It wasn't use trying to form an emotion from this though. I needed to get out of here most importantly. Drive away. Do something. Anything except sit here while my mind devours itself. What surprised me is my feet began running. I quickly got into my car, slamming my hands against the steering wheel before letting the tears fall. I was tired of holding them in. I had to let them go.

I started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot of this godforsaken ice rink to a place I knew I would be able to calm my mind.

********'

Stray leaves crunched under my converse as I walked across the pavement. I looked to the fountain in the middle of the small lake. I watched as ducks swam through it. I smiled at this little thing. Not long after, I found an empty park bench that I gladly took before anyone else could claim it. My eyes scanned over the people. Some jogging, some walking their dog, some playing with their families, and children.

I jumped slightly as something bumped into my leg. I looked down only to be met with the brightest blue eye I'd ever seen. A little boy that seemed to be around the age of 3 or 4 stared up at me.

"Oh I'm very sorry. I was just playing with my truck and it started rolling away." He explained himself as I picked up the red truck that had hit my foot. I smiled, handing it back to him.

"Well you better be careful next time. Wouldn't want to lose this."

"Oh no. Never." He made a pouty face, shaking his head.

An unfamiliar voice echoed from above the little boy and I. "Thomas!" A boy around my age walked up calling the toddler's name. His eyes made full, complete contact with mine. Green pierced into me as I looked up at him. "I-I'm sorry. I took my eye off of him for a minute and the next thing I knew he was running down the sidewalk chasing this truck." He laughed.

"But Tyler this girl is so nice." He moved closer to the boy who's name I now know to be Tyler and whispers "quietly" to him, "And she's pretty too."

Tyler's head shot up before he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry. He....um...."

I laughed before assuring him, "It's fine."

"I'm Tyler."

"Haley." I stuck out my hand to shake his.

"So is he yours?" I timidly asked.

"Oh no. Just my little brother." He chuckled as the boy began making car noises with his mouth.

"He's cute." I smiled.

"Yeah. So do you go to school around here?" He sat down next to me on the bench.

This is what I needed. A distraction.

"I just graduated from Myers Hill High School about 20 minutes from here."

"Ah, I know where that is. I just graduated from West Abney High."

As soon as he said that name I knew exactly what he was talking about. West Abney High. It was the first game I had gone to of Charlie's. That's the school they were playing when Charlie got all battered and beaten from the fight he had encountered with one of their players. The fact that I remembered that still blows my mind. But what was his name? Think, think Haley.