thin ice // mitch marner

CHAPTER 1

"Come on, pick up..." I mutter into the phone, pacing around the room. The call goes straight to his voicemail.

I take a glance at the TV, and the Leafs president is nodding his head, smiling. Smiling for good reason, of course. His team just won the first pick at the draft this year.

They were going to pick Auston. I knew it, everyone knew it. He was projected to be the first pick, and for good reason, too. He was so, so good. The Leafs were going to be so lucky to have him.

I try his number one more time, but the call wouldn't go through. The line's busy, he's probably already talking to some of his other friends.

I take a seat on the bed, just taking it all in. Auston would come to Toronto. He'd come here. I'd be able to see him again, all the time. Me, living in Toronto, him, playing in Toronto... It all worked out perfectly.

I'd be starting my second year of university next year, and living on campus put me right in the heart of downtown Toronto. Living in Toronto this past year has been a great experience. It was so nice to be away from home, even though I had to leave all my friends behind. It was so different in Canada compared to the United States.

People were also very different about sports here. I was never too into sports, but I did like hockey. That all started when I was younger and I played around with Auston, but I was never any good. He was always the good one.

I watched hockey, a bit. If I had time I'd watch some Coyotes games, since they were my favourite team growing up. My roommate, Anna, always joked about how I'd have to start liking the Leafs since I now lived in Toronto. I could never really get into them, but now that they might be Auston's future team...

Speaking of Auston, I dialed his number one more time. Straight to voicemail again. I sighed. I really did want to talk to him, at least congratulate him. I haven't talked to him in awhile. Just a few text conversations back and forth, but nothing big. He was always busy, and so was I.

Speaking of, I made the smart decision to turn off the TV and take out my textbook. I had my last exam tomorrow, then I'd be done for the year. I felt okay going into it, but I really wanted to do well on the exam. I just needed to pass the course.

At about eleven o' clock, Anna came home. She was much smarter than me, and she could risk only studying a bit, and still doing well. She had her last exam tomorrow too, but hers was much earlier than mine. Mine was at 11, so at least I got to sleep in a bit.

Anna just gave me a short hello and proceeded to study. She took exams very seriously, so I knew not to bother her or anything.

My eyes were closing at around 1, but Anna still had her lamp on, she was still studying.

"How're you feeling for the exam?" I ask her, the first words I'd said to her since she came in.

"Nervous." she admits, looking up at me.

"Are you going to bed soon?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Maybe a bit later, I don't know." she says.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go get ready for bed." I let her know. I take my night bag and walk over to the washrooms. There was only one other girl in here, and she was showering. I took morning showers, so I didn't have to worry about that.

I took off my makeup, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. I tied my hair up into a bun before walking back to my dorm.

I changed into my PJs and gave a little yawn, only now I noticed how tired I was. Anna was sitting on her bed, too focused to pay any attention to me.