Chapter Thirty (pt. 1) [Eli]

"I am going to kill him."

Dean tilts his head. "That would be a really bad idea," he says. "Not sure Boston College would keep the scholarship offer after you've been convicted for murder."

"I don't care," Owen says, jerking shoulders.

"I think you do," Dean muses.

"He's touching my sister!"

Dean shrugs. "I think she's into it."

Owen's glare could make the lake burst into flames during the coldest winter night. Dean puts his hands up in defense, giving up the argument.

"Just relax, man," I say. "You're going away to college in the fall. Not like you're gonna have to look at them."

Owen frowns, looking at me. "Is Coleman staying in-state?"

"I don't think he's going to college," Dean says.

Owen rolls his eyes before directing them back across the room to where Trey Coleman, left-winger for the Brunson Grizzly Bears no more, looks pretty cosy with his hands around Olivia Holmes's hips.

"Rich spawns," Owen grumbles under his breath with an extra edge of spite.

Just before Trey and Olie clash together for yet another kiss, careless of the people around them, James Lowell, Connor Wong and his sister Chloe come up to us, obscuring the view. With the visual contact broken, Owen sinks into his seat on the recreational center's black leather couch with a sulking scowl.

My eyes immediately spot Chloe and James's interlaced hands. Connor's face tells me he is currently dealing with the same ailment as Owen, even if it's a milder case. He walks past me with his hands in his pockets to take a seat next to his former team captain, away from his sister and his best friend.

"Hey, guys," James greets without letting go of Chloe's hand.

"Congrats on getting drafted," Connor says to me and Dean on the other leather two-seat.

Dean grins openly, pulling a smile out of me as well. "Thanks," we reply.

"I hear Calgary is nice," James offers.

Connor snorts. "Yeah. And maybe with the two of you on the team the Flames will even stop sucking."

I flip him the bird and he sniggers.

"You going away for school?" Dean asks, unbothered.

While Connor and James are possibly the two other seniors on the team we hang out with the most, we never really talk about college. Our conversations usually revolved around hockey, school and random things that would fill our brains whenever we didn't want to think about hockey and school. The final gathering of the school year, though, before we all scatter off for the summer until most of us go away in the fall, is probably the best time to bring up the topic of the future.

"Nope. James and I are both going to Univeristy of Idaho," Connor answers. "Staying home."

"That's cool." Dean smiles.

Connor shrugs. "It's cheaper."

"Didn't you get into Winsconsin, James?" Owen asks. While we didn't talk about the future much, Owen considered keeping up with the team's lives an important part of being captain.

"Yeah, I did." James glances at Chloe. "But I decided to stay in-state."

Owen nods in understanding, just as James's cheeks tinge a slight shade of pink.

"What about you, Chloe?" Dean looks at her.

She shrugs. "College is not really for me."

Owen raises his eyebrows. "You didn't apply?"

Chloe tilts her head, conceding, "I did. To University of Idaho. For my parents."

"And they're cool with you not going?" Owen asks.

Chloe gives him a sort of crooked almost-smile. "I have one year to prove to them I can make it work without school. If they're not convinced, I'll enroll next year."

"What're you planning then?" Asks Owen.

"Skating. Winning. Then Olympic gold," she states.

Dean smiles. "Good luck with that." But it's not a taunt. It's sincere. Because it's Dean.

"She doesn't need good luck with a partner like me," a voice announces as someone else joins in.

Liam grins at the whole group as six pairs of eyes turn toward him. Mackenzie Pruitt, Augustine Cabot and Natalie all come in tow. The latter two just sort of hang back behind Liam, but Mackenzie is putting a remarkable effort into looking extra nonchalant. Which is a testament to how uncomfortable she actually is.

I glance at Dean, to check on him, but he doesn't look the least bit bothered. Then again, it does take a lot to make someone so at ease with his own emotions feel visibly uncomfortable. Normally, that makes me sort of jealous. Not today.

"Any of you got plans for college?" Owen asks, like someone trying to make conversation. Which would be off-brand for him, if it weren't the end of the year and we hadn't all graduated weeks ago.

"Somewhere warm but dry," Mackenzie replies. "San Diego for me."

Owen nods, then his eyes move on to the person immediately to Mackenzie's size. Augustine Cabot seems to jump like someone poked him on the side when he realizes it's him Owen's looking at.

"Oh." His eyes widen. "Staying in Idaho. Not the academic type." He nods almost too emphatically. "The plan is to stick to skating."

"I'm going to Weslyan in the fall," Nat says through a smile.

"What about Gerogetown?" Dean asks, and I'm only surprised for half a second.

I know they talked during this year. While I was dealing with my shit, Dean and Owen hung out with Nat and Chloe at James's. Somehow, though, it's slightly wierder knowing my friends kept in touch with my ex-girlfriend than it is knowing they talked to Chloe Wong.

"I ended up going with Weslyan. Felt like a better fit for me," Nat says.

"It's a good school," Owen muses appreciatively.

The vague, polite conversational lines aren't enough to make this strange blend of people feel like a real group who's comfortable in each other's presence and happy to talk about future plans and past memories. That wierdness is probably what fuels Gus's nervous laugh, as well as his next comment.

"So in four years we'll all be professional athletes, Olympic medalists and," he falters a bit there, looking between Connor, James, MacKenzie and Natalie, "board directors or something."

"I think it's more the Astor Ski Resort tech support department for me," Connor says.

"Right." Gus clears his throat. Then grins. "We should start doing reunions at Brunson High! Check back in with everyone in a few years!"

Owen's eyebrows arch up, and he exchanges a covert look with Connor.

"Sure," Dean agrees non-too-convincingly.

"Maybe not," Mackenzie says.

Instinctively, my eyes move to find Liam's and the look there is a reflection of my own thoughts.

It's a strange situation. Like two worlds colliding. Our friends just don't belong together. Gus's overeagerness is clearly putting Owen off. Dean's starting to look a little like a kicked puppy now, and Mackenzie like someone who knows she's been kicking puppies. Connor's very clearly not into his sister and best friend being together. And Nat and I still have a full year of unresolved tension weighting down on the air between us, which is mostly my fault.

Mackenzie is the first to cut through the swelling awkwardness.

"I need a drink," she announces.

"I'll go with you," Liam says, finally breaking the eye contact.

"I'mma go say 'hi' to Coleman," Connor tells us, standing up.

Gus clears his throat. "I think I saw Deborah's cousin's boyfriend. Wanna go say 'hi'?" He asks, already taking Nat's hand and dragging her along behing him.

James and Chloe sit next to Owen on the black leather couch, but they strike up easy conversation amongst themselves. Dean and I sit quietly next to them, and I'm content just watching him fiddle with the fluff on his sweat pants while the other three talk.

Eventually, Trey Coleman, Olivia and Connor come back to join us. True to himself, Trey acts completely unbothered by Owen's distaste, pulling Olie onto his lap when he squeezes down on the couch next to Dean.

Seemingly noticing Owen's intense glare at last, Trey snorts. "What's wrong with you? Somebody spit in your drink?"

Owen is not holding a drink.

"I think it's more the handsy idiot with his arms around his sister," Connor says through a sneer, sitting on the armchair next to Trey and Olivia.

Olie rolls her eyes, allowing Trey to actually put his arms around her. "Get over yourself, Owen."

"Do you have to sit right in front of me?" Owen asks.

"Yes, it's good for you." Olie smiles sweetly. "Innoculation."

Owen stares straight at Trey. "You know if I ever hear so much as a minor complaint from her about you, you're fucking dead, right?"

"You won't hear a peep," Trey promises with a hand to his heart.

"Yeah, because I won't come running to my big brother about my boyfriend," Olie scoffs. She then shoots me a knowing smirk. "I'll tell Eli to beat you up instead."

I shake my head. "I'd just tell Owen, and then he'd have both of us on him."

"And Dean will hold your arms while they wreck your face," Connor adds.

"Yeah, and what will you be doing? Holding the waters?" Trey shoots back.

"Sure. Hydration is important." Connor nods eagerly.

"Even when you're committing assault," Chlow muses.

Connor mock-frowns. "Especially then."

"What if it's Chloe complaining about James?" Trey asks.

Connor's mock-frown turns into a real one. "Shared a room with her for eighteen years. I know how hard it is." He throws James an acknowledging head nod. "I'd just side with my boy."

"Well, then I'll beat James up for Chloe," Olie declares. "He's skinny. I can take him."

"Gee, thanks," James winces.

There's a general wave of laughter that takes a while to subside, and even I find myself with a smile on my lips.

I let them keep up the rapid fire of taunts and comebacks without really joining in, but I'm relieved to feel it's not as hard as it once was to just sit here sober surrounded by people. Sure, these particular people are my friends. People I used to love to be surrounded by, before everything changed and I couldn't find normalcy in anything. But still. It's like moving a sprained ankle after a couple of weeks and realizing it doesn't hurt so much to put weight on it anymore. It might not be quite ready for a full intensity game, but it'll get there.

***

It's been a while, but I'm back!

Part two will be out tomorrow, and the final chapter on Monday. I needed to edit these last two chapters a lot, and life got in the way a bit too, but I'm finishing this story!

In part two, expect a nice friendship moment aaand a slightly more dramatic encounter between Eli and another side character to open topics to be followed-up in the sequel. Who do you think this character will be? Who would you like to see Eli interacting in his last POV chapter?

The final chapter after this will be a Liam POV — what do you expect from that?

[Also, little behind the scenes side note I wanted to share — Eli and Dean were drafted to play for the Calgary Flames because I wanted to send them to Canada and I literally googled the closest Canadian teams to Idaho lmao, sorry]

For those of you who waited for this update and didn't give up on the story, thank you for reading. If you liked the chapter, please consider voting or commenting! :)