••• EIGHTEEN •••
Sophie

When I saw Patrick and Ashton skate onto the ice, everything around me disappeared and it felt like I was a little kid again watching them play for our local hockey team. I was so unbelievably proud of them and knew that our dad was smiling down on them tonight. They suddenly appeared on the jumbotron in the arena, and the crowd erupted in cheers. I laughed in disbelief at how much everybody seemed to love them already and it was only the second period of the game.

My Mom suddenly appeared next to me and grasped my arm tightly. "Your Father would be so proud." She said, her voice filled with emotion and I grinned widely as I nodded then rested my head on her shoulder.

"I know he is proud of them." I sighed and she giggled as she squeezed my arm.

"What's going on between you and Ashton, sweetheart?" My Mom asked, taking me completely by surprise and I immediately tensed in her arms.

"W-what are you talking about?" I chuckled nervously and lifted my head off her shoulder to stare at her. She gave me a knowing smile as she glanced down at the rink and then back at me.

"I noticed how you talked to his Mother earlier and I've never seen you defend him before." She pointed out and I shrugged as I tried to act like I wasn't freaking out on the inside and looked down at the rink, not able to meet her gaze.

"I didn't like how she was taking credit for how far the boys have gotten in their careers." I admitted and that was the truth. My Mother squeezed my arm and I looked up at her.

"I know there's more too it than that, Sophia. I see the way you two look at each other when you think no one is looking," She whispered and I felt my cheeks burn from getting caught as I shook my head, but she smiled at me. "I know you've had a crush on Ashton since you were kids, Sophie. Why don't you ask him out?"

My jaw fell open in shock and I had no idea how to respond to her question without lying and I was honestly so tired of lying to her. My stomach started to churn as I grew more nervous as she raised an eyebrow at me and I wanted nothing more than to tell her that I was in love with Ashton and that we were dating.

The buzzer sounded off inside the United Center signaling the end of the second period and thankfully ending our conversation, but unfortunately, my stomach didn't stop hurting. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I said suddenly and smiled at her briefly before basically running out of the suite.

I barely made it to the bathroom in time to empty the entire contents of my stomach and grew confused as to why I was suddenly so sick. I sighed as I flushed the toilet a few moments later once I was sure I was done throwing up and exited the stall only to stop in place when I saw Ashton's Mom leaning against the counter and staring directly at me.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" She asked, pretending to worry about me. It took all the strength I had not to roll my eyes, but I nodded as I plastered a fake smile on my face and then walked up to the sink.

"Oh yeah, I think I just ate something funny." I started to wash my hands and she hummed as she watched me. I slowly raised my gaze and she was staring at me with so much judgment in her eyes that I wanted to run away, but I wasn't going to let her scare me. "Is everything okay, Mrs. Maverick?" I asked, shaking out my hands and then grabbing a paper towel.

"I overheard you and your Mother talking about Ashton," She said as she folded her arms against her chest and I felt my heart start to race against my chest. "I know how my son feels about you, Sophia, and I bet you're a wonderful girl, but you will never be good enough for my son." She said it so quietly that I thought I had misheard her, but I knew I hadn't. I squared my shoulders as I took a step toward her and clenched my jaw, trying to remain calm.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Maverick, I don't give a damn whether you or anyone else thinks I'm not good enough to be with Ashton. I love him and he loves me and there is nothing you can do or say that will change that." I said sternly and she took a slow deep breath as an angry scowl appeared on her face.

"You are nothing more than a fantasy from when he was a teenager. You are the girl he could never have. He will grow bored with the fixation he has on you and will break your heart into a million tiny pieces." She turned towards the mirror as tears started to sting at the back of my eyes, but I blinked rapidly not allowing them to escape. "He will find a woman who is worthy of him and I am just trying to save you the heartache for when that time comes." She said gently as she fixed her hair and then smiled at me through the mirror just as the buzzer sounded outside the bathroom, signaling the start of the final period. "See you out there, darling."

I watched as she exited the bathroom and once she was gone, I breathed in a couple of breaths as my lip quivered from trying not to cry. How dare she speak to me like that? I wasn't crying because she hurt my feelings, I was crying because I was so unbelievably angry with how awful of a person she was. How could the man that I love come from such a terrible woman? I thought bitterly just as my cellphone vibrated in my back pocket.

I pulled it out to see that Katie had texted me, but her text wasn't the notification that caused me to stop dead in my tracks. My period app that I had on my phone had notified me that my period was five days late. I have never had an irregular period before. My period always came around the same time every month since I was twelve years old. I looked up from my phone to see my reflection in the mirror and I looked like I had just seen a ghost.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I breathed out in disbelief as I clutched my phone tightly to my chest.