Back to Where We Started From (Miracle)

Chapter Three

"Let's go, Julia! Time to get up!"

Julie rolled over, groaning loudly. It took her a second to remember where she was. She was in her old room at Aunt Patti and Uncle Herb's. It was still dark in the room, the Minnesota sky was still filled with stars.

"Why?" Julie called out, curling up into a ball in bed.

"Your Aunt Patti is taking the kids to see her sister in Chicago for the weekend, and you're not staying here alone, so you're coming to practice with me," Herb said, flipping the light on in her bedroom. Julie pulled the blanket over her head in protest.

"You have twenty minutes to be in the car ready to go. If you make us late, I'm taking the phone out of your room."

That was enough to make Julie roll over, kicking her blankets off of her. She slowly got up, rubbing her eyes. She trudged to the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth. When she returned to her room, she looked at the clock. It was just a few minutes after 5 am, which meant it was around 3 am in LA. Her friends were probably still at the party. She sighed sadly, trying not to allow herself to be too sad. She fixed her hair, letting the waves hang loose down her back. She put on some makeup, mostly just mascara, blush, and a little bit of lipstick. She knew it was a little silly to be worried about makeup to go watch a hockey practice, but it was just a habit for her. She opened her suitcases, which she hadn't bothered to unpack yet, looking inside for what to wear. Most of the clothing she had brought with her were a little glamorous for hockey practice, but she managed to find a pair of plain, but cute jeans. She slipped them on and decided she would keep on her U of Minnesota sweatshirt. She slipped on a pair of shoes, heading downstairs to the smell of coffee.

"Coffee?" Her uncle asked, pouring himself a travel mug.

"Please," she muttered, gratefully taking the coffee before the two of them walked out to the car. The morning air was still cool, despite it being August, and it felt fresh against Julie's skin. She drank some coffee, barely waiting for it to cool.

"Did you sleep okay?" Herb asked her as they drove towards the arena. It wasn't a far drive, and the sun was starting to paint the sky a myriad of colors.

"Yeah, it was alright. It felt kinda nice to be in my old bed," Julie admitted to him. She glanced over, and swore she saw a bit of a smile on his face.

Julie sat in the stands as her uncle ran practice. She had to admit, it didn't exactly look like the team was gelling very well. Some of the guys had played together before, but it seemed that her uncle was trying to teach them a new style of playing. She sat for most of the practice thinking about Robbie. She had to talk to him today. There was no way she could stand to stay in Minnesota if her best friend would be giving her the cold shoulder the whole time. She thought back to the fight that had halted their friendship.

"Are you ready for try-outs?" Julie asked her best friend on the phone.

"Yeah, I guess. A whole bunch of the guys from the team are driving to Colorado Springs together. I just hope we all make it."

   "I'm sure you're going to make it, Mac. It's crazy to think about it really. I mean, you're going to play in the Olympics!"

   Robbie laughed, shaking his head, despite the fact that she couldn't see him.

   "Jules, I haven't even made the team yet."

   "Yeah, but you will. I know you will."

   "Hey, how's the album coming along?"

   "I have a couple days left of recording to do, and then it's just gotta be mixed. But I don't think we'll release it until next year. And you know, there's gonna be a killer release party, you better be there!"