Back to Where We Started From (Miracle)

Chapter Twelve

Everyone was glad once they finally made it back to Minnesota after the last game against Norway. After their horrible night of Herbies, the boys played the Norwegian national team again the next day, this time beating them 9-0. Early the next morning they had gotten on a plane headed for New York City, and then one to Minneapolis. Oslo to New York had been a little over an 8 hour flight, but thanks to the time change, it was late in the afternoon on that Tuesday when Herb and Julie finally arrived home. Patti, Danny, and Kelly ran out to greet them with hugs.

"Julie!" Kelly cried, running to her cousin and wrapping herself around Julie's legs. Julie just laughed, crouching down to hug her cousin.

"Did you memorize fifth position while I was gone?"

Kelly pulled away from her cousin, demonstrating her ballet position, a big smile on her face.

"Beautiful!" Julie told her, turning to hug Danny and then go to her aunt. Patti kissed her cheek, hugging her tightly.

"How was everything? Were the boys nice to you?"

"It was great. The boys were wonderful. Uncle Herb couldn't have picked a better group of guys," Julie told her aunt honestly. Patti looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"What?" Julie asked defensively.

"Anyone in particular?" Patti asked, a knowing smile on her lips. Julie rolled her eyes, scoffing.

"Oh, Aunt Patti, it is not like that," she laughed. Herb chuckled at the two of them, getting the suitcases out of the trunk of the car.

"Maybe not for Julia," Herb chimed in, causing his niece's mouth to drop.

"What are you saying, Uncle Herb?"

"Nothing, Julie."

Everyone made their way inside, Julie lugging her suitcase behind her.

"Hey, Mac's going to his parents' house for dinner on Sunday, can I go with him?"

"Yeah, sure. Tell Beverly and Paul we said hello," Herb told her, and she happily went upstairs to go unpack.

On Sunday afternoon, Julie was practically shaking with excitement as she finished putting on her makeup. She heard a knock on the front door, and heard her aunt greet Robbie at the door. She could hear him bounding up the stairs to her room, and it brought her back to her teen years, all the times Robbie would come over and come bursting into her room demanding that she go skate with him.

"Jules, you almost ready?" Robbie barely allowed his friend to answer 'yes,' before he entered her bedroom. Julie watched him stop, looking around the room. "It hasn't changed in here."

"I know. Look at this," Julie pointed to a picture taped to the mirror. It was a picture of the two of them, when they were freshmen at Mounds View High School. Robbie had made the varsity hockey team, the only freshman to do so. The picture was taken after they had won the state championship, and there was Julie, on Mac's back, both of them smiling widely on the ice. They were practically children in the picture, maybe 15 years old.

"That's my favorite picture of us," Rob told her, the smile on his face identical to the one in the picture.

"Mine, too. Let's get out of here. I'm ready to see your family."

Herb, Patti, and Danny all told them goodbye and to have a nice day. Kelly, however, hid away in her room. Ever since she was a little girl, Kelly had suffered from a terrible crush on Robbie. Robbie and Julie were still laughing about it as they made their way to the car, and then off towards his childhood home.