nine

I woke up to the sound of an alarm, but it wasn't mine. I could hear Hayden's alarm through the phone.

He shut it off and realised we were still on a call. "Did I wake you up?" He whispered, unsure if I was still asleep.

"Yeah, but I needed to get up anyway." I brush it off and grab my phone, checking how early it is.

"Turn your camera on." He says as I hear him get out of bed.

"What? I look horrible. My hair is all tangled." I shake my head, not agreeing to his request. If I wanted him to like me, why would I show him how chaotic I am in the morning?

"I'll do it if you do it." He says convincingly.

"Fine." I agree, but only because I want to see him. His hair was probably messy too, but he could pull it off.

I click on the camera button and cringe at my appearance. As promised, Hayden does the same, not cringing at either of us. Instead, he smiles with his toothbrush in his mouth.

"Where are you going?" I asked, wondering why he left to get ready so fast.

"Things to do, people to see." He laughs, "Meet me at 7."

"Where are we going?" I answered with another question. He was a mystery, and it almost made me forget about the whole moving situation.

"The beach." He rinses his mouth and responds, wiping his hands with a cloth.

A smile creeps up onto my face. I'd love to go to the beach, even if it might be a little chilly. He might even tell me what's going on.

"Okay." I say excitedly. I wasn't planning on going to the rink this morning because Ian and I didn't have practice. I was going to sit around or hang out with Bailey, but I'm glad I have plans now.

I get to the bathroom and start brushing and Hayden turns off his camera to get dressed. I finished up in the bathroom and turned off my camera and mic so I could change too as Hayden goes downstairs to get breakfast.

"One second, I'm going to mute." Hayden tells me, but I still hear him a second later. He didn't actually mute himself. I giggle to myself and don't tell him.

I put on a cute outfit that Bailey would approve of and lay on my bed as I waited, kicking my feet.

"Are you sure about this, Hayden?" I hear his mom ask in a serious tone. "Away from your friends?"

I guess that's why he wanted to mute, to talk to his mom. I know I shouldn't listen, but this was about the moving situation, and I needed to know what was happening because Hayden hadn't told me anything and it was stressing me out.

She asked him if he was sure about it, like it was his decision. Was it his decision?

"I'm fine with going by myself, but we have a lot of family there too." He reasons with her. Their family was all about family.

"Yes, I know your aunt Jessica is in Chicago, and I do want to see her, but what about your life here?" His mom asks, just to be sure.

"Mom, I want to play hockey, and I'll get more playing time with the Frosthawks." He explains.

My jaw drops. He wasn't joining the Frosthawks because he was moving; he was moving because he was joining the Frosthawks.

It hit me hard, like falling on ice.

"I'll have to discuss this with your father; it's a big decision." She says, her tone not changing. "And what about college?"

"I'll study too." He tells her, "But I want to be a hockey player." He had his mind set on it, and he didn't think to give any of his friends a heads up.

"And you're sure that moving to Chicago is going to help you?" His mom asks, needing more clarification. I couldn't believe this as much as her.

"Yes, mom, I'm sure." He confirms, almost making it final. All they had to do was book the tickets; everything else was done.

"Okay then, we'll decide at dinner as a family."

"Okay, thanks." He kisses his mom and turns on his camera, his brow furrowing when he realises his mic wasn't muted. "Did you hear that?"

I turn on my camera and mic. I couldn't believe it. "Hmm?"

"Nevermind." He shakes his head. "Are you ready?"

"Actually, I don't think I can come; I already have plans." I lied, not wanting to see him.

"Bailey?" He asks.

"Yeah, girl stuff. Bye," I say dryly and end the call. He can interpret that however he wants to.

~~~

"What's wrong?" Ian asks, "You've been moping around all day."

"Nothing." I responded, not wanting to talk about it. It would upset him too, and what's the point of two upset people?

"You can talk when you want, but I have practice tonight. There's a game tomorrow." He says, softly.

"Is that the last game of the season?" I asked, looking at my hands and at the bandage on my almost healed cut. I rub my thumb over it.

"Yeah. We're going to finalise the clubs that we're joining tomorrow." He tells me.

"Why not today?"

"Because we're only going to see each other for practice. Tomorrow they're all coming after the game, so we'll decide then." He explains.

I nod, wondering when Hayden thought it would be an appropriate time to drop the news. How despicable.

These past few weeks, we'd gotten closer after hating each other but now I have a real reason to hate him but I just couldn't.