{irl. social media}

come down soon - lizzy mcalpine

"This is unreal" Monica squeals, tying her sneakers into a bow as she squats in front of AJs bed, AJ was telling Monica everything that happened with Chris.

Monica was dressed fully in her hockey uniform, with her perfect hair in big curls. Her makeup was in place and accentuated her features: an aquiline nose, upturned almond eyes, and round lips. Monica has soft brown honey hair, that was naturally curly. Her eyes were the color of  blueberries and her skin was flawless. Monica was very obviously gorgeous, and anyone could see that.

But AJ always loved her for her heart.

The next morning, the girls were awoken by their regular alarm. Except, AJ had nowhere to be. She still did not regret following Chris, but missing out on practice disappointed her deep down.

"After that, he had to get back to coaches office. He will be out for five games, and then him and Wes will return at the same time. But i think I am still in a state of shock. Who would have guessed?" AJ shrugs "It still doesn't feel real"

"Uh..." Monica laughs "Me. Or literally anyone ever?" Her tone implied that her statement was evident "The moment you started a feud with him, i know how this would end. Plus...we both know they are easy on the eyes"

"Hey! I did not start that feud situation. He was the asshole first!" AJ defends herself playfully

"And what is he now that he isn't an asshole?" Monica teasingly rolls her eyes, placing a hand on her hip in a 'you are ridiculous' manner.

AJ hesitates for a few seconds before answering with a flustered smile, "A hot asshole"

"You're an idiot. I'm just happy that you're happy. But, some of us actually have practice. I'll see you later" She chuckles before grabbing her hockey sticks and walking out of the room.

AJ spent the next two hours cleaning up their dorm room. While Monica was her best friend and perfect in many aspects, she was not considerably neat. It was always crystal clear where she had been and what she was doing. If she needed to do her makeup, there would be products and such around the bathroom vanity. If she was doing her hair, there would be heat protectant and a hairbrush in the area. If Monica decided she wanted to change her outfit, there would be spare clothes on the ground, and her bed. Needless to say, she was messy. However, AJ needed to do something to get her mind off of missing practice.

In the middle of vacuuming, she felt a gust of cold air flowing from the doorway. AJ flinched in shock when she turned around to see a familiar figure in the doorway.

"You scared the shit out of me" AJ jumps, turning off the vacuum and removing her left airpod. She runs a hand through her hair with an annoyed groan "Wait, how did you just get in my room?"

Chris smirks and holds up a red keycard in between his two front fingers, "Found this little treasure in Matt's drawer"

"What is it with the Sturniolo brothers and breaking and entering into my room? I need an immediate restraining order on all of you" She rolls her eyes "What if I would've been changing?"

"Unfortunately for me, you weren't. Maybe next time" He replies

Immediately both of her cheeks turn a bright red. She attempts to ignore him by shaking her head and turning around to wrap the vacuum cord up as she sits on her bed.

She looks back up at Chris - who was smiling smugly at her reaction. He knew how to get a kick out of her, especially now.

"Come with me today" Chris says, taking a seat on Monica's bed across from her

"Is this a request or demand?" AJ chuckles ironically, shuffling her feet around his

"Little bit of both. Come on, it's not like we have practice anyways" He tempts her. His blue eyes were smug, not losing contact with her.

"Where are we going?" AJ laughs. She stands up and moves in front of him, fixing the hair that's messily lying over his eyes.

Her touch sent shivers down his spine, she was so gentle with all that she does.

"That's for me to handle, don't worry your pretty little mind" Chris answers, standing up, yet being careful to not bump her. He puts his hand on the top of her head, ruffling it and messing it up in order to tease her. "Be ready in 15"

He walks out the room, shooting her a playful smile before closing the door and going to his own dorm.

He was no longer in the room, but the goosebumps he granted to her skin remained to linger.

For the next 15 minutes, AJ spent the time to quickly fix her hair into pigtails, and slightly put on mascara. She decided to go with a simple and comfortable outfit - a black tee and low rise jeans - along with her jewelry. It took Chris around 20 minutes to finally knock at the door.

He smiles as the door opens, allowing them to now be face to face as he looks her up and down "Are you ready, pretty girl?"

The nickname sent a red hue to her cheeks as she attempts to cover her smile for the second time today.

"I'm ready" She answers

The two make their way down to the parking lot. The campus was empty, as everyone was in practice. AJ was beginning to miss the feeling of ice under her feet and a stick in her hand. She missed the feeling of taking control in the game and entering the hockey mindset. It was only three practices she had to miss, but it felt like eternity.

But she was happy to be here with Chris.

AJ lifts her keys to unlock her car before Chris pulls out a jingling pair from his pocket, earning a confused expression on AJs face.

"Hell. No. You are not driving. You don't even have your license. I'd prefer to live today, thank you" She shakes her head vigorously "Did you bring me down here just to kill me?"

Chris rolls his eyes at her dramatic performance, "I have my permit. Do you trust me?"

It had only been two months since she met Chris, but he changed everything for her. He changed the way she viewed hockey, he has been a light in the dark places. He turned her world upside down. She had no reason not to trust him.

"This better be good" She sighs

Chris smiles deviously and unlocks the car, opening the door for AJ before returning to the drivers side and turning on the vehicle. Matt would kill him if he knew Chris was doing this, but that was something Chris was willing to worry about at a later time.

The car heads through downtown, as conversation between AJ and Chris fills the car. He let her connect to aux, which she used to play Lil Wayne, and some of Lil Skies. The ride was peaceful.

Chris had his left arm on the wheel, and suddenly used his right arm to place on her leg, rubbing circles with his thumb. This simple movement gave AJ butterflies, which was evident by the small smile on her face.

Soon enough, the car arrived to a dimly-lit building with flickering street lights. There were no other cars in the parking lot, and other than the noise of traffic from the highway above, the area was silent.

"Am I allowed any final words before you kill me or...?" AJ asks playfully. The area admittedly did look sketchy.

"Give it a chance. Follow me" Chris rolls his eyes before equipping two duffle bags out of the trunk, grabbing her hand and heading towards the front door.

AJ has never been the type of girl to trust people easily. When her twin brother was alive, he swore to always protect her. She was allowed to let her guard down and know she was safe with him. He kept his promise, nothing ever got close to hurting AJ during that time. Whenever he died, everything changed. AJ had to learn how to handle herself, which came with learning to never trust anyone. The walls she placed around her life were built brick by brick, letting nobody in.

However, Chris was easy to trust. Even being in a scrappy, unknown area, AJ felt safe around Chris.

He had learned how to bulldoze through her brick walls in order to plant flowers.

@avyoung made a new post!

@avyoung: is it cliche to post mirror selfies on instagram?
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@monihayes: hello mother we say in unison
↳avyoung: i laughed

@user: miss u beautiful!
↳avyoung: less than a month until camp is over! plans?

@christophersturniolo: keep em coming
↳avyoung: your wish is my command

@user2: just turn the comments off atp

@user3: we are exhausteddd

@nathandoe8: clean your dorm
↳avyoung: i did dw

@nicolassturniolo: i'm obsessed with you
↳avyoung: bitch i love you

@user4: photoshopped.

@matthew.sturniolo: yes
↳avyoung: aw man