I didn't panic for the first hour. I figured eventually they'd realize I was missing and come find me. I had some bubble tea from a nearby stall and looked at all the exhibits. In detail. Twice. Every so often I'd look up my shoulder, trying to spot two tall heads above the crowd, but no dice.

Those bastards didn't forget about me, did they?

By the second hour I started to freak out. What if they did? How the hell was I getting back to Silver Grove? Were taxis trustworthy in Canada? I was sure dad wouldn't mind the fortune I'd have to pay on one if he found out the reason. But then again if he did, he would also learn that I was here to buy a few hundred dollars worth of hockey equipment. For myself. That was not a path I wanted to go down in for as long as I could prevent it.

They couldn't have forgotten me, anyway. I mean, sure, we weren't the best of friends yet or anything, but weren't Canadians supposed to be polite and friendly? Surely this wasn't a mean prank on their side. The idea of losing them was mine, after all.

I sat on the bench surrounded by my bags and twirled the last bubbles at the bottom of my cup, remembering that one time I lost my mom in a department store. I'd been maybe five, dazzled by the rows upon rows of pretty clothes. The racks were by far taller than me and I thought it'd be a good idea to cut through one of them to get to the next row of clothes. Mi mamá couldn't see me and she started panicking, running up and down and calling for the attendants to help her. The whole ordeal lasted maybe less than an hour, and I'd been oblivious. All I'd cared about were the pretty, sparkly dresses that looked like they belonged to a princess. And I'd been a little princess, hadn't I been? Spoiled by my dad's riches, my mom's love and an older brother who pretended not to like me but still defended me from our bully cousins.

She'd found me eventually, tears streaming down her pretty face as her arms came around me. I'd never forget that. Her fear finally radiated into me and I realized I'd had just been about to never see my mommy again. I dissolved into a pool of tears in her arms in the middle of the department store before we headed home. Maybe we'd both been too shocked by the innocent episode, but we never stepped foot in that store again.

I hugged myself now, suddenly cold even though I was wearing thick layers of winter clothes indoors. I felt so alone now. My mom was not going to find me suddenly and hug me to her. I would never see the relief in her face. I would never see her again.

A hand descended on my shoulder and I jumped.

The top of Dean's head faced me as he leaned down, panting.

For a bizarre second I struggled to root myself in reality and shed the memory away. I managed to succeed when he looked up, forehead scrunched up in what looked like worry.

"Were you crying?" he asked.

"No," I said, my voice choked up because I had, in fact, been about to cry. He didn't look like he believed a single word I said. So I changed tactic. I did my best to just look casually annoyed when I asked, "What took you so long?"

"I should be the one asking questions." He straightened himself and took a deep breath. "Where the hell did you go? Also, why are you not picking up your phone? This wasn't funny."

I folded my arms, almost thankful that he'd chased away my sadness and replaced it with irritation. I mentally thanked him for being a multi-talented guy that way.

"Do you see me laughing?" My eyes rolled. "I forgot my phone at the hotel."

His shoulders slumped in defeat and he sat down on the bench next to me, stretching his arm across the back and taking out his cellphone with the hand farther from me. He called Pace to tell him he'd found me. I'd never tell him, but I was glowing inside with the knowledge that they'd been worried.

"Thank you," I said.

He grunted and looked away for as long as it took Pace to trace back his steps and find us. It was as though he was upset, and I did feel kind of bad for freaking them out for a good hour and a half or so, but I refused to apologize. They didn't need to know why it happened and a girl had to do what a girl had to do. We remained in silence until Pace joined us, also slightly sweaty from exertion. Somehow I had no problem apologizing to him but I didn't miss how Dean's head whipped around to give me a glare.

"Okay, next time we come to the mall we're going to have to give you a very bright hat and maybe a bell," Pace said as we walked towards his dad's truck with our purchases.

Dean grunted and said, "Or maybe let's just make sure he carries his phone with him."

I was unable to refute that, to be honest. But then I looked at them. "Next time?"

He jerked a thumb at his best friend's sheepish grin. "This one's a shopaholic."

I grinned too, amused that I had that in common with this massive, tough guy. I couldn't judge books for their cover, huh?

We rode back to town, chatting about — surprise, surprise, hockey. We started by talking about the shit we bought and pretty soon I was making questions about the game, the drills we'd done in practice and why they were even necessary. The core of the matter seemed about gaining stamina, which I hadn't realized mine was so bad until I compared myself to them. I knew it was pointless to do so, but I couldn't help being jealous of how much crap they could take. Meanwhile I was sore everywhere and now suffering from my period. The tummy clenches were bound to go on until at least Monday and I didn't know how I was going to survive practice that day.

"I'm hungry," I announced as we passed the Welcome to Silver Grove sign. "Anybody want some pancakes?"

"I wouldn't object," Pace said as he steered us toward the diner.

I all but melted out of my seat once he parked the truck. That was how unresponsive my limbs had become. As soon as we sat down in a booth I downed three more Ibuprofen pills and asked for a Coke to wash them down with.

Then I realized just who I'd asked for the Coke. It was Lena Lee. It seemed like every single time I came to this place she was my waitress. But then again, I realized as I looked around, I always seemed to take the same booth. Maybe it was just that coincidence.

She tucked a strand of hair that fell from her pony tail and she evaded my eyes as she asked me, "Will that be all?"

I caught Pace's eyes across the booth. His whole face was twitching with the constrained need to laugh.

Okay, so it wasn't just me, then. She was into me.

I cleared my throat and leaned back. I had to put on a show. Any red blooded and heterosexual male would be thrilled by the attention of a cute girl. They wouldn't look freaked out like I kind of was. And given that these two were big, burly hockey players, I suspected I had to play the hetero part down pat to not raise any suspicions.

I gave her a little smirk and a once over. "A stack of chocolate chip pancakes and your number, please."

Everybody's jaws dropped.

Red bloomed from her cheeks and she dashed away with a yelp. Inside I was cringing at how creepy that sounded and suddenly I felt ashamed of myself. This whole being a man's man thing was exhausting. I didn't want to be a douchebag of the kind I'd like to punch in the throat if I encountered one. What the hell had I done?

"Holy shit, you did not just do that." Pace's blue eyes were as wide as they could go and I'd have told him a fly would buzz into his mouth, except it was too fucking cold for flies up in here.

Dean also turned to me with his eyebrows all the way up. All he said was, "Gutsy."

I shrugged and took a sip of my Coke. Play it cool, I told myself.

"Well, did I misread her?" I asked, biting the inside of my cheek. If they said yes I'd have to go apologize. Better yet, I should probably do that anyway. I squirmed. "I've kinda got the impression that she's, you know, looking at me in a certain way."

"Oh no, she is," Pace said. "It's just kind of shocking because I've never seen her take any interest for any of us. Not even Dean here."

I couldn't help the shit eating grin that took over my face. I was way too pleased by the fact that I bested him and that she was not into him.

"Really? I'd have thought she'd be all over the town's hero," I said.

Dean shrugged next to me and leaned back, his large fingers flipping his fork back and forth. "I don't particularly care."

I frowned. "Why not? Isn't it be great to have pretty girls fawning over you?"

When he didn't answer I looked at Pace, but all he did was give me a slight shrug and shake of his head before saying, "This one here is only focused on two things. One is hockey. The second one is getting out of town."

Yeah, I could see that. He lived and breathed hockey, and the fact that he'd already been recruited for the nation's junior team meant that once he was done with high school there would be tons of teams vying for him. Someone with such amazing talent was not meant to stay bound to a small town in the middle of bumfuck nowhere for long, not even if a girl were after him. I felt a pang in my chest and looked down at the table, connecting the dots in the formica grain with my finger as I thought about it. It must be nice to have a greater sense of purpose. I envied him that and the determination to do whatever it took to follow it.

Pace leaned forward and picked the conversation back up. "It must be the Eau De New Boy In Town With A Dash Of Latin Lover you're wearing what's got her into you."

"That has to be it," I murmured. It wasn't like I was actually trying. Then I groaned when I remembered something. "Hunter's gonna kill me, isn't he?"

"Yup," was all he said.

Just before our food arrived I asked Dean to slide off the bench so that I could go to the restroom. In all truth I had to find the girl and apologize. Maybe tell her that I had a buddy who was actually dying to go out with her instead.

I found her at the back near the restrooms and I cleared my throat. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw me standing there. I kept my hands in my pockets so she wouldn't think that I intended to do something creepier than I already had.

"Hey," I said. "Um, sorry about that. I got carried away in front of my buddies."

She licked her lips and tucked the strand of hair back behind her ear. One shoulder shrugged. "I didn't mind."

My eyes bulged. That hadn't been at all what I expected her to say. Or hoped. I wished she'd become angry that I'd acted like a fucking turd, entitled to anything from her. Like I'd have been in her place!

With a thread of voice I asked her, "You... didn't?"

Color rushed to her face as easily as breathing, I figured. But then she started speaking tongues.

And by tongues I meant she gave me her phone number and told me she liked going to the movies.

I stood there with my jaw hanging open and this made her laugh. It was a nice laugh. Deep, like she was genuinely happy that I had somehow cornered myself into getting a date out of her.

Fuck. Me.