The Hockey Player (Matt Sturniolo)

Usual

Aurora

My phone ringing woke me up from a great dream. Finn walked me across the parking lot in school, the sun was shining and every few steps, he'd stop walking and tuck my hair behind my ear, then he smiled at me.

As my phone kept ringing, I mumbled to myself. My eyes were heavy and my body screamed that I hadn't slept for longer than ten minutes.

"Dan?" I accepted the call

"Uh..morning. It's not Dan" a familiar voice said, clearing his throat. "It's Finn"

"Finn?" I sat upright quickly and tried to smooth down my bed hair. "Oh, hey Finn"

"Hey" he laughed, making me blush. "I'm calling to see if you wanted to go to the library this weekend for book club"

"Yeah?" I thought about any upcoming events I may have. "I have to work until closing tonight, and Raine-"

"It's ok" He cut me off. "How about next weekend?"

While Raine defended me so much, she came off a bit harsh. The first time she met Finn, she warned him not to cross or or she'd cut his balls off.

"Sure" I said, stretching my legs. "That'd be great"

"Great" he repeated. "Guess I'll see you later? Can I visit you at work sometime?"

My heart jumped at his politeness. Our food was terrible. This was how a guy should talk to a girl. Nicely. "That'd be nice" I smiled, then we said our goodbyes and hung up.

I smiled as I scrubbed myself in the shower, but I scrunched my face at the sight of my uniform laid out on my bed. The pants were itchy no matter how many times Mom and I washed them. Despite being small, my legs still required me to roll up the cuffs.

"Aurora?" My Mom called, sticking her head out of the kitchen. "Dan said you weren't feeling well"

I sighed and picked up an apple from the fruit bowl. "Beach side effect"

"Right" she said, with a skeptic look. "You're not my beach baby. Are we still on for meatball rolling on Sunday?"

Dan arrived into the kitchen. "I can't make it"

He grabbed my apple on his way to the fridge.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, raising my eyebrows.

"Hey" Dan smiled at me, took a bite out of my apple and handed it back to me.

"Thanks" I groaned, throwing it in the trash and picking up another one. "I'm on for Sunday, Mom. Raine mentioned poetry hour at the cafe, so can we do it in the morning?"

"That's fine, Aurora"

"Poetry hour or drooling over poets" Dan smirked at me.

"Poetry" I said, glaring at him. "It's possible to attend something without the end goal being a person of the opposite sex"

He smirked. "I meant Raine" He had me there. Raine could pick up a guy while pumping gas..or breathing air.

"What's on Sunday, Dan?" My Mom asked him.

"Ice day with the coach" he said, crossing his arms. "Pre camp training and planning"

"Pre-camp?" I laughed

I knew Dan was a calculated captain. He spent a lot of time on play development, play calling and skills. And he worked out six days a week.

"Highlanders, huh?" Dad walked into the kitchen and the conversation, looking at Dan. "Their captain stats are identical to yours"