So Be It // o. maatta

Chapter One

Chapter One: Alex's POV

I rolled over, groggily. The sun was beaming through the blinds in my older brother's guest room in which I was staying in, momentarily blinding me. I rubbed my eyes, trying to get the sun spots to disappear, before grabbing my prescription glasses off the nightstand. I looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall across from the bed. 9:34 a.m.

I threw the blankets off of my body, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Planting my feet on the floor, I slowly began to pull off my shorts. Ever since I was little, I slept in only a tank top, and shorts. I could never sleep in actual, honest-to-goodness pajamas; I got overheated, and ultimately woke up in a pool of sweat.

I replaced the shorts with denim capris that I had laying on the dresser. I removed my tank top, slipped on a bra, and my All Saints Catholic Secondary School Hockey t-shirt. I had played hockey since I was eleven, but given it up, so I could attend Duquesne University. In reality, I only began playing because my older brother played, but I fell in love with the game. I had been a defenseman, and wore number 44.

I walked to the bedroom door, and opened it. Without even stepping foot outside the bedroom, I could tell that James wasn't home, like usual. Training camp started in two weeks, thus, all his teammates were back in town, and he was usually with them. I didn't mind it much, though. I had gotten time with him all Summer.

I walked down to the end of the hallway, where the bathroom was. Standing before the sink, I popped my contacts in, and brushed my teeth, mentally cursing myself for not drinking anything before I did so. I despised brushing my teeth prior to ingesting anything; it tasted god awful.

I finished up in the bathroom, and walked back down the corridor, to the spare bedroom I had claimed as my own over the past week. I picked my phone up from the dresser, and turned it on, to find a text from my brother, James, reading:

Hey, sorry I wasn't there when you got up, I'm hanging out with a few of the guys, then we're going to the Pirates game. See you tonight.

I clicked my phone off, and struggled to jam it down into my pocket. It had always pissed me off how small girl pockets were, while you could fit a goddamned dog into guys pockets. Females totally got the short end of the stick in that matter.

I grabbed a pair of Under Armor ankle socks, slid them on, the walked back through the hall, and down the steps. I was planning to spend my day wondering through downtown Pittsburgh, to get a feel for the city.

Once at the bottom of the steps, I grabbed my pair of maroon Converse All Stars from the foyer, along with the novel I was reading, 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh'.

I walked to the door leading to the garage. Throwing myself down on the ground, I pulled both shoes on, sloppily tying each one. I jumped up, grabbed my keys off a shelf, picked my book up off the floor, and opened the garage door.

I strode out, making my way down the driveway, and unlocking my navy blue Honda Accord. I plopped down into the driver's seat, and pressed the button to shut the garage. I clicked my seatbelt on, and laid my book on the passenger's seat.

Swiveling my head around to check for possible oncoming traffic, I began to back out of the driveway. James lived in a Pittsburgh suburb by the name of Green Tree, laying roughly ten minutes outside of the city.

Minutes later, I drove into downtown, still taken back by the gorgeous views. The sights, however, grew less than pleasant, as I got stuck in a pack of hardly-moving cars. While stuck in traffic, I drummed my index fingers on the wheel.

Eventually, I made it deep into downtown, to one of the parking garages James showed me. As I pulled into it, I could feel myself physically cringe.

You see, ever since I was little, I had suffered from a phobia of parking garages. I hated them with a passion, especially the higher levels, so I was over the moon when I found a spot on only the second level.

James had always found my fear hilarious, and would tease me about it anytime the chance came up. My brother was like my best friend, despite being seven years older than me. Ever since James was traded to Pittsburgh, I wanted to go to college here.

I had applied to Duquesne, Robert Morris, and Carnegie Mello, and was accepted to all three, but after hours of thinking, I selected Duquesne, due to the fact that it was in the heart of the city. I was majoring in pre-med, with an English minor.