09:35 PM
It's been about thirty minutes since the game ended here in Boston, and it's just as silent in our suite still. There's not much to say more than the obvious; they lost.
For once, I appreciate the fact that the goals up to Boston were many. They were never really close to a win, which made the ending much less brutal. Still, I heard Steph cry quietly from her seat as we watched the seconds disappear.
We all turn around as the door open, seeing Mitch walking into our suite with the saddest look I've ever seen him wear.
"Aw, baby.." Steph stands up, holding her arms out as he walks straight into her embrace.
It's actually heartbreaking to see him like this, it's such a contrast to that playful and happy Mitch that I'm used to. I have honestly no idea of how to stay calm once Willy will be coming in, wearing the exact same look.
"You did your best," I hear Steph tell her boyfriend as he lets her go, walking up to me instead.
"Thank you for being here," he embraces me for a short hug. "I appreciate it, I know that Willy does too. He really needs you in times like this."
I smile at Mitch, trying to keep it that way as I look into his devastated blue eyes. "You did really good out there, Mitchy. There's lots of years to come."
He nods, smiling swiftly even though I'm sure that all of these encouraging words sounds the same to him by now. He gives Naia a hug as well, thanking her for being here. My phone starts ringing just as they end the hug.
Looking at the caller ID, my brother's name is written across the screen. I smile towards the others before making my way out of the suite. Just to make sure that Willy's not on his way, I shoot a last concerned look across the corridor before finding an empty room and closing the door behind me.
"Hi Logan," I say after answering the call, walking over towards the windows and staring at the blank ice rink.
I hear a little rustling from the other side of the line, and it hasn't ended once a female voice is heard. "Elle, you need to come here."
It's like a wave of adrenaline passes me as the panic in Camila's voice reaches my ear. I hear mumbling somewhere around her, it comes from Logan. I also hear a groaning sound, revealing that they're in their car.
"Sweetie, are you there?" My brother's girlfriend tries again, her voice a little softer this time.
As I bite my bottom lip, the saltiness makes me understand that I've been crying this entire time. "Where's dad?" My voice cracks and as Camila doesn't answer me immediately, I almost scream the question out again.
"Elle, is there anyone near you?" This time, I hear my brother's voice. "William, or Naia.. anyone?"
I feel like throwing my phone against the wall, mostly because they're not responding to my questions but also since I'm not sure if I can handle hearing it once they do.
"Dad's at the hosp," Logan states the obvious, still pushing my heart to sink even lower. "They want us to be there with him, so you need to take the nearest flight here. Mila's buying you tickets right now, okay?"
Staring blankly at the arena ahead of me, it's like every single feeling that was filling my body before just disappears. Instead of feeling everything, I feel nothing.
"She's buying you two tickets," Logan continues through my phone. "We know that William was meant to come with you this weekend, so bring him too, okay? I don't want you to be alone, not mom either."
"Okay," I say, barely hearable.
"Good," my brother sighs. "We'll send you the tickets and some information, okay? I love you."
"I love you," I whisper, shedding one last tear.
He ends the call after that, leaving me with silence. One by one, my emotions starts to come back. The first and most palpable one is fear, then it's sadness, anger, shock and panic.
Hearing the door open behind me, I don't know if I wanna turn around and see who it is or just rush out of the room right away. I can't handle facing the other's at this state, they'd ask to much and I'd have to few answers.
Thinking that it's probably just a cleaner, I turn around. Though, the person leaning against the wall is William. His jaw is clenched as he stares at the floor, not even glancing up at me.
"What did I tell you?" He suddenly mutters under his breath. "I'm a fucking disappointment."
Stressfully looking around me, I try my best to come up with my first sentence.
"You're not gonna say anything?" William spits out, this time with his eyes on me. "Tell me that there's lots of years to come and that I didn't just ruin the entire game out there, just like the others told me?"
His tone has started to become more aggressive, it just makes me even more scared. "We have to leave," I say.
He stares at me, his eyes much darker than I remember them. "You're kidding, right? You know that I can't leave now!"
He turns around, pulling a hand through his hair in a try to calm himself down.
Instead of pure silence, it's like I can actually hear the seconds passing by. And as the time flies by, the chances to get to my dad in time reduces.
"Please, William!" I try to raise my voice, clear desperation pushing the words out. "It's important, very important, and-"
"What the hell is so important though?" He suddenly bursts out, turning around to face me. "What can possibly be more important than me right now?!"
Biting my lip as tears are streaming down my face, I shake my head. "You don't understand, it's about my family."
"And what about mine?!" He yells, making me take a step back. "What about you being by my side as I face my family, see the disappointment in their eyes? You have no idea how it feels when I look into my dads eyes, after proven him that I'm not and never will be half of what he was."
Just by hearing the word 'dad' stresses me out. I should be with him, and not here arguing with a guy about things that can be solved later.
"You're just like everyone else," William continues, laughing ironically by himself. "I've told you about my every thought and feeling, but at the end of the day, you don't give a shit! At the end of the day, you just leave."
Seeing his hurt expression makes me feel a new kind of pain, besides the one that already was filling my heart. "No, Willy, you know that's not true."
Taking a step closer to him again, I try to catch his eyes. Though when he finally looks at me again, it is with pure desperation. "If I mean as much to you as you mean to me, you'll tell me what's going on. You'll tell me why we have to leave and I'll go with you without further questions. If you don't tell me anything, I think your feelings towards me are clear."
He stares deeply into my eyes, making everything much more overwhelming than it already is. My heart will probably explode any second now, and I'm just waiting for it to happen.
His behavior is actually scaring me a little. It's not like him to act this offensive, to try to push things out of me that I'm not ready to say. Because that's the thing, I'm not ready.
I guess that he realizes the same thing as his expression goes blank. Nodding a little by himself, it feels like I've slapped him a million times just by staying silent.
"Right," he mutters by himself, while I'm completely out of things to say. "Leave."
"William.." I start, taking a step towards him.
"I said leave!" He bursts out, making me jump back in fear. "Leave and take your shitty friend with you, okay?! I don't want people like you in my life, I've got enough of fake girls around me already!"
For the first time during our argument, what he says actually makes me angrier. "How could you say that?" I spit, my eyes watery.
"At least I'm honest," he mutters, no regret at all in his voice. "I tell you what's going on, while you just shut up once it gets deep."
I'm a millisecond from screaming at him when I bite my lip instead, realizing that to keep on arguing wouldn't help me at all right now. And to be honest, he isn't wrong in what he's telling me, the thing is that it still hurts so much to hear.
Turning around I finally take my first steps towards the exit. He swears behind me, if it's meant for me or himself, I don't know.
It's not until I cross the doorway that my tears start streaming again. I guess that's because I realize now that he's actually meaning what he said back there. He's not stopping me, he's not coming after me, and my broken heart minces into even tinier pieces as I step into the taxi on my own.