Sixty Seconds [Conor Sheary]

1

⠀⠀⠀This was the moment every kid had been dreaming of— graduation. For Audrey Collett it was no different. The seventeen-year-old had been waiting for this moment since she stepped foot in Winchester Thurston. Sure, she had a great time in high school, but all she wanted was to explore.

Her parents were Jennifer and Adam Collett, owners of the multi-billion dollar company Collett Enterprises. Audrey had always been raised in a financial stable family. Money had never been an issue in her life. But despite being raised in a wealthy family, Audrey had always remained grounded and humble.

After high school Audrey was going to pursue a business course at Yale University which was the alma matter of both her parents. She was the only child meaning she was the heir to the family business. The brunette was a smart, intelligent, and sophisticated person. Landing a 4.0 GPA complete with honours, athlete of the year, and the valedictorian.

Jennifer and Adam watched as their only daughter walked up the stage to conduct the valedictory for the class of 2016. As she ended her speech, Audrey wiped away a tear that escaped her eye. The people at Winchester were some of the kindest people she had ever met, she was going to miss each one of them.

After the ceremony closed she met with her parents who were, as usual, surrounded by their bodyguards. Audrey and her parents hated it but they thought it was better to be safe than sorry; especially now that the company was in talks for a partnership with the city's hockey team— the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jennifer engulfed her baby girl for a hug. "We're so proud of you, darling."

"Thank you, mom. Thank you, dad. For everything."

-

For her senior trip she and the entire senior class would be heading to the Bahamas. They had been planning this trip for months and were all excited to go on their well deserved holiday.

"I'll see you guys in two weeks." Audrey said giving her parents a hug and kiss before running to her friends. She'd be returning on the twenty-fifth which so happened to be her eighteenth birthday. Audrey had asked for her parents to not do anything big, she just wanted a get together with her family.

As they watched their baby girl walk into the jet Jennifer turned to her husband. "I'm scared, Adam."

The man sighed, he too was scared of what was to come. "I know, Jen, I am too. But we made a promise to them and we have to stick to it."

Audrey bounced excitedly on her seat as she looked outside the window. She could already spot the clear blue waters from where she sat and it made her ten times more anxious to land.

"Audrey, relax." Her best friend, Solana, chuckled. "The beaches aren't going to leave you."

She rolled her eyes. "I know they aren't, I'm just excited. It's a miracle my parents let me go."

Solana nodded. "I know, they wouldn't even let you go to that party once."

The two girls laughed at the memory. They had experienced so much together, growing up as next door neighbours and attending the same schools together. Solana was golden locks whilst Audrey had luscious dark brown hair. The two were the polar opposites on the outside and inside, that's why they got along so well.

As soon as the aircraft landed they all unbuckled and rushed outside letting the warm rays of sunlight hit their skin. They were glad to leave the terrible weather back in Pittsburgh. Everything had been arranged by the senior class, the transportation, the hotel, the activities, everything. They were going to make the most out of their final few days together.

Audrey sat on a towel on the beach, her breath was taken away by the beauty of the island. "Can you believe that this place is real?"

"It's a dream come true." Nicole replied.

"Auds, what are you doing for your eighteenth?" Solana wondered. The blonde already had something planned for when they return but she didn't want her best friend to suspect anything.

The brunette shrugged. "Something small. Maybe a family dinner, that's it."

"You're such a bore, Audrey! Your parents are billionaires, live a little!" Nicole complained. Sure, her parents were wealthy too but not as loaded as the Colletts were.

"Come on, Nic, it's not about the money. Besides, I want to spend as much time with the family before I leave for Connecticut."

"I know it's not about the money, but seriously, you've been doing the same things for your birthday since you were twelve. You're turning eighteen. It's time for a little change." Nicole stated.

Audrey woke up to the a loud commotion. She rubbed her eyes and sat up to find her friends making their way into the room with balloons and a birthday cake.

"Shit, look what you did, Jase. Now the surprise is ruined." Solana complained. "Anyways, happy birthday Audriana Elizabeth Collett!"

"What did I tell you about saying my full—"

They then proceeded singing Happy Birthday in different keys, potentially hurting anything with ears. Audrey chuckled as she watched her friends in amusement. "Thank you guys, you're the best!" She said hopping out her bed and giving them all hugs. Audrey was thankful for each one of her friends, she felt a sense of sadness knowing that this would be the last time in a while that they'd all be together.

-

As soon as the jet landed Audrey called her parents to inform them she had safely arrived in Pittsburgh. She couldn't help but hear her mother's voice tremble slightly. However, Jennifer had hung up before her daughter could ask what was wrong.

"She's on the way home." She told everybody. "I don't think I can do this."

Adam sat beside his wife and held her tightly. "It's okay, it'll be alright."

Jennifer had replayed this scenario for eighteen years straight. She knew well how her daughter would react to the circumstances. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she heard the front door unlock signalling her daughter's homecoming.

Audrey placed her bags below the staircase before wandering into the family room.

"Mom, dad, I'm—" She noticed two unfamiliar faces and one familiar one. "Kris Letang?"

"Uh, hi." The hockey player said awkwardly.

The brunette walked over to her parents giving them both a kiss. "What's going on? Did you guys get season tickets or did the partnership push through?"

Adam let out a shaky breath. "Darling, maybe it's better if you sit down before we talk."

Audrey did as told and sat on the lazyboy seeing as the Kristopher Allen Letang had occupied her favourite seat on the couch.

"Baby what we're going to tell you is going to be hard to understand but it was done so you could have a better life." Her mother told her gently. Her father continued,

"Listen, Audrey..."