Love For A Game

Chapter 13

The week of the Ryerson High Christmas dance comes quickly. We see the first snowfall of the year, falling in thick flakes that quickly cover the ground. Before anybody knew, the ground was covered with a nice layer of pure white snow.

Guys and girls alike at my school are trying to find a date to the dance (the general rule is, if you don't have a date, you don't go). Many are successful, and they walk around the school like its a nice bright sunny day, and nothing could go wrong for them.

Others are not as lucky, however. Those who don't have a date walk the hallways with sullen looks on their faces, and are constantly sulking. It looks kind of pathetic when you think about it.

Two days before the dance, a few of us go to Friedman Clothier to buy our suits. Luke picks out a baby blue suit with a black bow tie and black pants. Not my first choice, but it looks decent on him. Charlie picks out a grey jacket with a red tie, and he looks pretty sharp in it, I must say. Noel sports a dark blue jacket with a black bow tie, and he looks more like a clown than anything.

I take a little while to pick my suit out. I pass on a few before I find what I like. I decide on a black suit with white pinstripes, and a black tie over a white collared shirt.

The guys and myself have all made a deal with each other. We will be separate tonight, and focus solely on being with our dates. A few of them are banking on getting lucky tonight (Luke being one of them), but I know that none of them will.

The night of the dance comes quickly. At six-thirty I am in my room, in my suit already, putting some finishing touches on my hair, attempting to make it less shaggy. I am failing miserably. My hair still sticks up in places, no matter how much I try to comb it down.

My father drives me to Nicole's house. I get out of the car, and walk up the front walk. I knock on the door, using the knocker that Nicole showed me. Her father answers the door.

"Jordan, hello," he says. "I guess you're here to pick up Nicole, huh?"

"Yes, I am," I reply.

"Well? Come on in. She'll be down in a minute. You can sit in the den while you wait. The Canadiens are playing."

"Thanks, Mr. Lavoie," I say, entering the house. "Who're they playing tonight?"

"Detroit. They are winning 2-1."

I sit down in a chair across from Nicole's father. "Nicole is very excited for tonight," he says.

"Is she?"

"Oh yes. You are all she talks about lately. Jordan this, Jordan that. She can't wait until the twenty-eighth to play with your team for the first time."

"Yes. I can't wait either."

"Jordan?" A voice says.

I turn around. Nicole is standing at the bottom of the stairs. Boy, does she ever look beautiful, too. She has minimal makeup on, not too little or too much. Her hair is curled slightly, and she is wearing the most beautiful red dress, that flows down to her knees, and leaves her shoulders bare. My heart begins to race.

"You ready to go?" She asks.

"Uh... Yeah," is all I manage. I stand. We say goodbye to her father, and we leave the house. As we're standing on her front porch, I give her a big hug.

"You look... Absolutely fantastic," I stutter.

"Really?" She asks, wrinkling her nose. "I didn't think it looked that good."

"Trust me, you're absolutely beautiful," I say.

"Why, thanks," she whispers, giving me a soft kiss on the lips. We walk to my dad's car, and I help her in the back before I get in the front seat next to my dad.