Fire in her Heart and Ice in her Veins.

Chapter 3

July 22, 1979. New York University. 

"Please stay Chelse!" Shelby whined, as I watched her pace around our dorm. She's been doing this for at least 5 minutes now and I was starting to get worried.

" Shelby" I said, as I finished putting away my last bit of things into a box. 

My eyes met with her and I gave her a small smile, seeing the sadness in her eyes. I knew Shelby was upset that I was leaving and this was hard on her. It was hard on me too. 

" You know I can't stand playing for that dick anymore. That's why I quit" I added on, telling her information she already knew. Information I've told her a thousand times already. 

I don't want to leave Lindsay alone here, but I can't stay here anymore. My time at NYU was over. At least for now it was. 

Its weird seeing my side of the dorm room empty, it's usually full of band posters and tapestries. Now it was just a plain old brick wall. I loved living with my best friend, she was like a sister to me and it was really hard leaving her.  

" At least tell me where your gonna go then?" Shelby asked, sounding more put together but you could hear the sadness in her voice.  She sat down on the bare mattress of my bed and gave me a look that made a lump rise in my throat. 

 " I'm not sure to be honest " I said, rising to my feet, setting the box down with the others by the door.  

 " I was thinking of going back home for a while, then try applying to some colleges I guess, see if they'll take me for anything. But I really don't want to do some stupid office job with my life" I said casually. 

" Great just great Chelse" Shelby groaned, as she collapsed back on my bed. Well my old bed. 

 I chuckled to myself. I have always been the type of person who just rolls with the flow but Shelby on the other hand has to have a plan for everything.

 I walked over to her and sat down beside her and realized that she was crying. That's when it actually hit me, that I was leaving without Shelby. For the first time in my life, Shelby and I are going in different directions. We've always done everything together! 

Shelby and I have been best friends since we were 6 years old, when she and her family moved in the house across from mine. 

I was a shy kid growing up and didn't have many friends. And then I met Shelby.  I remember the first time we met each other like it was yesterday. 

 I was sitting outside watching the new neighbours move in, when a girl came over to me. She asked me if I wanted to look at this frog she found, and ever since then we've been inseparable. Our families became good friends and I've seen us all as one big family.

From the age of 10, Shelby and I knew that we were going to get into the same school and play hockey together. That was our dream. And now, with me leaving and her staying behind...it felt weird. 

" I'm gonna miss you so much" I said pulling Shelby into a tight hug. 

I'm not a person who cries often--well I'm not a person that will cry in front of other people, but now was one of those rare moments you will ever see me tear up.

" Promise me that you'll call and write me whenever you get the chance to?" Shelby asked in between sobs, pulling me in tighter if that were even possible. She was clutching me so tightly, I had to suck in a breath. 

" Shelby, you don't even have to ask me that, you know I will!" I replied, wiggling myself free from her tight grip. 

" Anyways, I gotta leave soon, I told dad I'd be home by 5:00" I said, getting up off the mattress realizing it was almost 3:30. 

We only live roughly 2 hours from NYU, so we often go home on weekends. Where as some other people we know are stuck at the University till holidays because they live too far away. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Shelby said quickly, jumping off the mattress and running over to her side of the room. 

 " I got you a little going away present..." Shelby said happily handing me a small converse box.   

" Oh yay a shoe box...I've always wanted a shoe box!" I said sarcastically, taking the box from Shelby. She rolled her eyes, then laughed at my sarcasm. 

"Open it!!" Shelby said excitedly, jumping up and down clapping her hands. 

I laughed at her dance, and took the lid off the shoe box, and smiled at what I saw below. There was a large glass picture frame with a photograph of  Shelbys and I in the middle of it. The picture was of Shelby and I at Nationals game last season, holding the trophy in our hands. 

" This is really sweet Shelbs. I love it! " I said, holding the picture frame close to my chest. 

I wish I made something for Shelby. I wish I could leave something for her to remember me bye. Wait..I got it 

I set the picture frame down on my lap and reached up to touch the necklace I was wearing. This was my moms necklace, and it meant the world to me...and Shelby means the world to me, so I wanted her to have it. 

I unclasped the necklace and held it in my hands, running my finger over the charm. I handed it to Shelby, who was staring at me in shock. 

" No, Chelse, thats your moms necklace...I can't take that!" Shelby rambled, pushing my hands away, refusing to take the necklace from me. 

" No, I want you to have this...you are my best friend and you've helped me through so much...I want to give you this as a reminder of our friendship and what it means to us...I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have you" I said, forcing Shelby to take my moms necklace. 

 " I'm gonna miss you so much Chelse!" Shelby sobbed as she dove into my arms, clinging to me tightly. I hugged Shelby back, and let a few tears fall myself, finding it hard to keep them in.

 " I'm going to miss you too, but I'm just a call away, plus we'll see each other on weekends" I said, reminding her that this wasn't really goodbye just a see you later sorta thing. 

Shelby laughed, then wiped away the tears on her cheeks sitting up on the bed again.                    

" Help me carry out the rest of the boxes out, will ya?" I asked Shelby standing up and picking up one of the biggest and most heavy boxes. Shelby smiled then walked over and picked up a box as well. 

Soon after making only 5 trips, Shelby and I had all my stuff  loaded up into my little jeep. This was the cheapest car I could get right now and it was pretty good on gasoline since there was a gas crisis going on right now. 

I said goodbye to Shelby giving her one last hug. When we released, I looked behind her and saw the whole team, except for Sarah, standing there with silly string cans. Before I knew it, I was covered in all kinds of sticky string and lots of laughter. 

" Goodbye Jagerbomb, we'll miss you!" everyone shouted, spraying me some more. 

I ended up staying at the University until 10:00 that night, not wanting to leave the girls I've grown close with over these past weeks. 

I'm going to miss staying up late in the empty common room pulling pranks on the soccer team and on our own team. I'm going to miss those late night Starbies runs at 2:00 in the morning. I'm going to miss New York. 

But I had to go. 

I went back out to my jeep and drove out of the empty campus.  I had no plan or no idea what was going to happen to me now and nothing was more exciting. 

I was no longer under the control of Coach Wilson, which was amazing! And boy did that make me happy!

But, I didn't know what I was going to do about hockey.