The only promise

Chapter 1

Out the window i see Gill's car pull up in my driveway, i slide my black backpack on my shoulders and get up with my gym bag in one hand and roll on my sperrys with the other. She honked once as i opened my front door, i walked out smirking as i picture the stay-at-home mom stressing to Skae, her only child, about how she has stuff to do and that i need to hurry up. The tiny four door car sits in my driveway, Gill gestures for me to hurry up, i increase my pace a bit and swing open the back door. Throwing my bag onto the seat beside me, i close the door and barely get in a hello before Skae looks over the passenger seat saying, "So Riley and Stef both invited me to their hockey tonight, it's a game,wanna go?" Great. A night in a cold rink, sitting beside girls who's boyfriends i've dated, watching a team of hot boys, half of witch i have hooked up with, play a sport. Sounds fun. Skae gives me the "Pleasee" look, beacuse she knows how awkward it is for me being around all the puck bunnies and they're boyfriends."Fine", I mutter, because i know she really likes Stef and this might be the only time he'll invite her to one of his games. She smiles and turns around, i think about it for a bit, Stef and Skae, i can hardly picture it...it's not that skae isnt good enough for him, it's that he's a hockey boy and that she's not a puck bunny, nor will she ever be. He's pretty good looking, brown hair, muscular, taller than skae which is rare. Skae's pretty, not a supermodel or anything, but pretty, brunette, brown eyes, nicce smile and skinny too. We pull up into the Ridgehead High School's parking lot and i picture their physical apperances together and i guess it works, it's just their personality differences, but hey who cares about that right? Certainly not Wren Carrington, that's for sure, as i think about all the assholes i've been with. Me and skae get out of the car and it rushes away, barely giving us enough time to close the doors and as we swing open our school doors the 9:15 bell rings through the halls.

Me and Skae meet up at our lockers at lunch, we stand beside eachother getting our lunches out as Carrie, a girl in my math class, approches us and compliments me on my outfit, leggings with a tshirt and a cardigan, nothing special. As she walks away Skae gives me a look, "Seriously, when did you start making friends with your ex boyfriend's girlfriends?" We both slam our lockers and start walkng to the cafetria, "I don't know, she has been really nice to me latetly, maybe because she just wants to be friends?" I state unconvincingly. She laughs, "Or maybe she wants to know what Drew likes in bed," I push her away laughing, "Me and Drew lasted for like 2 weeks, we never did it." She looks shocked, "Drew didn't get anything from Wren Carrington in a whole two weeks?" I shove her a little harder this time, still laughing.

Lunch was usual, sat with our group of friends at our big table in the back, so we can fit everyone. Our group constists of around 7 or 8 girls who are smart enough to realise that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, probably 13 or 14 guys that play various sports and are all very attractive. I've probably been with at least 5 or 6 of them. It's not that im a slut, it's that i can't keep a relationship for more than 2 months, it's just so much easier being alone and fun and also around the 2 month mark they expect to meet my family and brng me home to their's, but i just don't roll that way. My family is not the best part of my life, my sister and i never talk, she's 8 and she hates her grade 11 sister that doesn't have time to play barbies every day. My dad has always wanted me to be the boy he wish he had, and commit social suicide by joining the girl's hockey association, and no that's not how i roll either. He doesnt make an effort to connect with me about anything, like my honour roll every semester or the fact that there's several brochures and hand written notes from ivy league schools on our kitchen table an im only in grade 11? Nope! That's my dad for you, nothing impresses him, he just goes to work to train young army recruits, comes back and goes to bed, and that's it. A meteor could fall from the sky and land riht in front of him and he wouldn't even flinch, i can't imagine bringing a boy home to him. And my mom, well she's the only one i talk to, the only one who cares enough to ask me how my day went, but she disapproves of the social life i live..she's a church goer, loves God and shit. She'd probably hate the boys i'd bring home. Also being the perfect girl, when meeting their parents, well thats way too much pressure. So im just the girl that loves flirting and parties, not relationships and love.

Skae and I walked to the the rink after getting supper, where we met Ben, one of the odd guys that play football in our school. He Itroduced me to Caden, Dylan, Ryan, Justin and Derek, they all said hi, "And Hunter is coming a bit later on" mentioned Ben. We talked for a bit with them, then filed into the rink as the hockey team started their pre game warm up. I sit in between Ben and Dylan, as Skae sits on the other side of Ben, flirting with either Ryan or Derek, i can't remeber which inen he is. Me and Dylan start tlking about our schools when Ben flys up out of his seat to greet a guy and Ben makes the whole row move down so his "boy" can sit down. The guy sits down right inbetween me and Ben before i even catch hsi name or a proper look at his face. I still couldn't see his face because he was turned towards Ben, "Hunter", Dylan's voice says in my ear. "What?" I turn around to face him. He sighs,"That's Hunter, the guy who you are so fascinated by" i yell over the buzzer that starts the second period of the hockey game that no one is even watchng, "Oh". I feel something hit my right foot and i turn, to see Hunter bent over picking up my phone that just dropped out of my pocket. When he sits up i finally get a good glimpse of his face, and damn. "You dropped this", he says, and i stutter as i reply with a shaky, "Thanks" and gently take my phone from his hand. He laughs, "You okay?" His skin is tan, his hair is dark brown and short, hsi eyes a deep green, his voice deep, his cheek bones strongly positioned on his soft face, he looks delicately strong, "Yeah" is all i manage to get out. He's so hot, he's muscular and tall, his voice is deep and sexy, "I'm Hunter", he says back. "Wren", i say not realising im staring at him, he smiles and say "So Wren why are you here, i mean you don't look like a puck bunny, so why would Wren come to a hockey game on a friday night?" I take my eye off him and start gaining back my cnfidence, "I could ask you the same thing". "Wow look at that, pretty girl can talk" I blush because his word flow so well, " Does football boy coem to hockey games to it on random girls or?", i shoot back. He looks serious as he replies, "Actually, i just really love the canteens at arenas," I giggle and he follows by laughing amd the buzzer sounds for the beginning of the third period. "No seriously the popcorn is really good" I smile, "really, wow" he shoots up off the seat and says, "i'll be rigght back". I see Skae from the other side of Ben and she fans herself with her hand, mouthing the words, "He's hot", I wink back and mouth, "I know". Ten minutes later Hunter sits down beside me and hands me a full bag of popcorn, I giggle and he says, "Try it!" I look at his face beaming, "Trust me they make really good popcorn." I eat some popcorn while he stares at me, it tastes exactly the same as every other popcorn there is, "so?" he says. "It's just normal popcorn!", I laugh, he says "nope! What makes this popcorn so good is that it''s the popcorn we had the same night i got your number" he smiles and hands me his phone, i type in my contact as the buzzer sounds singaling the end of the game and then hand him back his phone. He smiles and says, "You know what popcorn is even better?" he asks, igive him a look, "The popcorn at the movie we are gonna go see tomorrow night" I laugh and we both stand, "Pick you up at 7, pretty girl" he winks and walks away to go catch up to Ben and the rest of the football boys.

I walk up my home's cream carpet covered stairs after walking home with Skae. I reach the top of the stair case and slide my foot on the caramel hardwood, i pass the closed door of my parents bedroom directly in front of me. Turning left i continue, walking down the hall i graze my fingers across the silk, cream wall, feeling kinda giddy. I passed my sister's room on my left, looking in i see me in an 8 year old body, sandy blond hair hanging off her shoulders, she's smiling while twirling a barbie around on a miniature dance floor and her blue eyes light up as she sees me leaning on her door frame. "Wanna play?" she asks, her freckles dancing as much as her barbie did. "I can't tonight, i got homework to do" i reply, the usual. The pout on her face was so innocent, it made me realise how untouched and harmless she is, she's never made a mistake worse than spelling a word wrong, the biggest lie she's told is "Yeah i brushed my teeth," the worst thing she's stolen is a cookie and it makes me so jealous. It makes me jealous because i want to be as carefree and content as an 8 year old. But i'm scared because i see so much of myself in her, and if she's anything like me as she gets older her innocence won't last very long, she needs a better big sister, i turn around and walk across the hall into my room, and think, that tiny little girl who's so entertained by an even tinier blond haired doll, deserves a better role model.

I sit on the edge of my tiny single bed and look across the room, staring at my reflection in the two closet doors that double as full length mirrors. My cheeks turn red when i think of the things Hunter said to me, it's embarrassing the way that i'm so bubbly right now. I guess i've felt these feelings before, the feeling most girls get after being given a compliment. I start taking my clothes off, starting with my socks all the way to my tshirt, i throw on my cat covered, long sleeve pajama shirt and pants, the ones that still fit me from 4 christmas eves ago and head a couple feet down the hall to mine and kelsey's washroom. By the time i'm snuggled up in bed with the lights turned out, my phone lights up from my bed side table, i debate whether i should put in the effort to check the notification, after all it could just be candy crush reminding me that my lives are full and that there's candy waiting to be crushed. I stretch my arm out as far as it can go, trying my hardest to keep the rest of my still engulfed in the cozy purple and white striped sheets. When my fingertips reach the phone and pull it back to where my eyes can read the screen, i see an unfamiliar number and a text message notification.
-I know im kinda breaking the "wait at least 48 hours before texting" but like id just like to say have a good sleep:)
I wait a couple minutes so that i don't look too obsessed...
-haha, you're such a cutiee:)
He replied instantly.
-oh no....did I just get friend zoned?
-no?
-well it's not a very good thing when a girl calls you cute...
-oh my bad, what would you like hot? Sexy?
-that's more like it
-Haha...well sorry but you missed hot when you didn't even give it 24 hours before you texted me...
-bad move:)?
-cute move:)
-we're still on for tomorrow? Pick you up at 7?
-Yeahh:) see you then
-goodnight pretty girl:*
-goodnight cutiee;)
-ughhh "cutie"
I smile at the screen, add a contact for Hunter on my phone and fall asleep thinking about him.