Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Score ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

 

Chapter 10:

 

“So, where are you going today?” Mrs. Tanaka asked her daughter, trying to seem nonchalant.

 

Aiko was up around eight that morning. Mrs. Tanaka knew her daughter didn't have a test for three days and that she usually slept in before she got up to study. So she wondered why her daughter was up so early, dressed so carefully in a blue jeans skirt and her Oilers jersey.

 

“I'm going to meet a friend,” Aiko replied vaguely. Finishing off her breakfast, she stood up to wash her dishes.

 

“Which friend?” Mrs. Tanaka asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

 

“Just you know… one of the Oilers,” Aiko replied tentatively.

 

“Oh, Tony?”

 

“No, actually Matthew McKenzie,” Aiko informed, waiting for some backlash.

 

“I see… your father would not be pleased with this… you need to study for your test,” Mrs. Tanaka reminded.

 

“I've been studying all week!” Aiko said adamantly, drying her hands and leaving the kitchen. Her mother followed. “I need to have a life whether you like it or not!”

 

“Have a life after your studies!” Mrs. Tanaka implored.

“I'm not even sure I'm going to continue with them,” Aiko yelled.

 

“You will, your father has sacrificed a lot for your dreams!”

 

“No mother, yours and dad's dreams not mine!” Aiko retaliated, and stomped out of the house to wait for her ride.

 

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“You're looking really happy,” Hugh commented, seeing the grin on Matthew's face.

 

“I am happy,” Matthew affirmed, as they walked in to the locker room.

 

They greeted the rest of the players as they walked to their side by side lockers. They started to pull their stuff down, getting ready to suit up.

 

“So why are you so happy?” Hugh wanted to know.

 

Matthew was aware of Tony right beside him. Aiko didn't want the two to fight anymore. Matthew didn't want to fight with him either. They were friends, after all.

 

“So…” Hugh prompted.

 

“I'm having lunch with a friend,” he answered vaguely.

 

“You can just say it you know,” Tony jumped in. “Its Aiko isn't it?”

 

“It is, she's actually coming to watch the practice so you can see her too, you know,” Matthew offered.

 

“Oh no, not again!” Hugh exclaimed.

 

The two men just glared at him.

 

“Ok, ok, just no more fighting. We're supposed to do that with other team, not with each other,” Hugh told them before he went off to talk with Jacob.

 

“Look he's right,” Matthew admitted, and Tony nodded. “Since you're pretty much ready, could you maybe meet Aiko outside while I get ready. I'll meet her outside of the locker room. This way you can talk to her.”

 

“Sure man.”

 

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Aiko was furious with her mother, but as she pulled up to Rexall place in the car Matthew had sent for her she tried her hardest to put it all behind. She really wanted to see Matthew.

 

But when it wasn't Matthew meeting her at the back doors but Tony, she hid her disappointment well.

 

“Hey Tony,” Aiko greeted. “How are you?”

 

“I'm good. Matthew asked me to meet you here. He still needs to check in and all that,” Tony explained.

 

“Oh all right,” Aiko answered, going silent while Tony led the way.

 

After a minute or two Tony couldn't take the silence any longer. “Is there something wrong? Are you still mad…at me over-“

 

“No, no,” Aiko was quick to reassure. “We settled that. It's not you I'm mad at.”

 

“Matthew?” he questioned, a little too hopefully.

 

“No… not him either. It's my parents I feel like they're suffocating me,” she confessed.

“Your parents seemed very nice,” he commented, a little confused.

 

“They are nice. It's just that they're overprotective. They don't want me to go out with friends, they don't want me to date, they don't want me to have any fun and I'm 21 for God's sake!” she exclaimed.

 

Tony went silent. He'd never seen Aiko have an outburst like this; he didn't know what to say or how to make things right.

 

Aiko laughed all of the sudden. “I'm sorry Tony. I shouldn't be yelling at you. It just felt good to shout it out.”

 

“That's all right.” He grinned. “Listen how about Monday we have lunch together and you can yell at me all you want. I don't mind.”

 

“Tony you're very sweet.” She should have refused him but the way he was looking at her- like it was the most important thing in the world to him for her to say yes- she couldn't refuse. “All right, lunch would be nice. I have a test at nine am, so I should be done by eleven.”

 

“Good, I'll pick you up from the university,” he concluded, happily. “Well… here you are.”

Aiko looked up; she was standing right in front of the Edmonton Oilers locker room.

 

“That was fast.”

 

Tony chuckled. “Ok, wait here, I'll check if he's still inside.” But he didn't move right away. Very hesitantly he placed a kiss on her cheek. She blushed as he walked away.

 

Aiko stood there waiting as some of the players walked out. She smiled at all of them. Some gave her a wary smile; some greeted her politely, but all remembered her from the time before. Only Hugh and Jacob stopped to talk to her.

 

“He'll be out in a second,” Tony said, interrupting their conversation a minute later.

 

“All right, thanks.”

 

“I guess we should head down to the ice,” Jacob suggested.

 

“Yeah. Aiko make sure you tell Yumi that I miss her,” Hugh told her.

 

“I will. See you guys later,” Aiko replied watching the three head down.

 

Aiko stood there waiting alone. She was pretty sure that Matthew was the last player still inside the locker room. She couldn't wait to see him. She wanted to throw herself into his arms the minute she saw him. But as it turned out she didn't have to. The minute Matthew came out a big grin overcame his face and he quickly greeted her properly with one very passionate kiss. A minute later they pulled apart and Aiko had just enough time to breathe out, “Hi,” before he pressed his lips to hers again.

 

“Hi,” he replied when they came up for air. “I missed you.”

 

“You missed me? But you just saw me a couple of days ago,” she teased.

 

“What can I say you're a very missable person,” he told her genuinely. “Is that even a word?”

 

Aiko laughed. “I'm not too sure, but I missed you too.”

 

He put his arm around her and they started walking. “Man, I don't know how I'm going to go three days without seeing you.”

 

“Don't think about that while you're in Vancouver. Think about winning, because that's exactly what you'll be doing!”

 

“I hope we will. When I get back we should do something together,” he exclaimed.

 

She stopped them suddenly. “About Monday…”

 

“I know you have that test, but we could do something after,” he said eagerly.

 

“Tony asked me to have lunch with him and I said yes,” she blurted out.

 

Once the words registered in his head he said blandly, “Oh.”

 

“Just as friends, you know. He's just a nice guy; I don't want to hurt his feelings. And you know he's just a friend,” she babbled.

 

“Man. I knew he'd pull something like this while he was alone with you. Why did I even suggest him meeting you,” Matthew said, clearly irritated.

 

“Matthew we're just friends,” she said almost timidly, surprised by his intensity.

 

“Are you attracted to him?” he asked out of no where.

 

Aiko let out a sad sigh. It was the question she'd been dreading. “A little.” She couldn't lie. “But not like the way I am to you. Tony is just a friend, you're more. You're-“

 

She was cut off when Hugh suddenly appeared in front of them. “Man, get a move on. The Coach looks like he's going to throw a fit. He's so nervous about tomorrow.” Then he looked from the intense look on the Matthew's face to the worried one on Aiko's face. No question about it, his two friends were having issues. “Sorry for interrupting, is everything all right?”

 

“Its fine,” Matthew answered, not taking his eyes off of Aiko. “We'll talk after practice, ok?”

 

She nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. She hoped she hadn't lost Matthew, just when it was beginning. She really cared about him. But when he placed the gentle kiss on her cheek and said, “Ok,” taking her hand to lead the way she knew things weren't too messed up.

 

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Aiko stood outside the locker room waiting for Matthew once again. It seemed like every other person was out already except him. She really had to talk to him about his slowness, he was slower then a turtle, she joked to herself. The thought helped to relieve some of her anxiety. Practice went smoothly, no fighting this time around, but she couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Except, of course she knew what was wrong, she'd stupidly agreed to go out with Tony and that made Matthew angry. But as she thought of it more and more she told herself that he shouldn't be angry, they hadn't promised each other anything. They were two people just having fun together. Only she wanted to promise him something, anything to keep him by her side.

 

She was ready to pull her hair out at her confusing brain, but Matthew showed up instead.

 

“Hey,” he smiled at her. “Are you ready to go?”

 

That was definitely not what she was expecting. “Um… ok.”

 

The smile still on his face, he approached her, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her to his car.

 

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“I wish you were coming with me,” Matthew confessed to her from across the table. They were just finishing lunch and they still hadn't talked about the Tony incident.

 

Aiko smiled. “Well even if I didn't have finals, I couldn't afford to fly down to Vancouver.”

 

“I'd pay!” Matthew said eagerly.

 

“That's sweet, but I still can't come. I'll be watching you on TV, though,” she assured him.

 

“All right, but you have to promise to watch every game and as many practices as you can. This is my first time in the playoffs and I want you there with me,” he said sincerely, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand.

 

“Of course, I wouldn't miss it,” she agreed.

 

“And… if our last game against Vancouver is in Vancouver you have to come,” he proposed.

 

“Oooh, I don't know…” she started.

 

“Come on, just one game,” he insisted.

 

“All right,” she said slowly. “Just one game!”

 

“Ok, ok,” he agreed, laughing. “Are you done?”

 

Aiko took a quick look at her plate and then said uncertainly, “Umm yeah sure…”

 

Matthew took her hand and said, “Good because there's somewhere else I want to take you.”

 

“Ok, though I probably should get home before my mom freaks on me again,” Aiko told him.

 

Matthew pulled her to her feet and they walked hand in hand out of the restaurant. “You fought with your mom?”

 

“Yeah, you know the strictness and all.” Aiko sighed. “She just doesn't want me to have a life.”

 

Matthew hugged her around the shoulders and pulled her close as they walked to his car. “Aww… Aiko, your mom wants you to have a life, a good one. That's why you parents want you to do well in school.”

 

“My mom and dad would love you for saying that,” Aiko laughed.

 

“Well that was the mature me talking, he's gone now,” Matthew joked, making Aiko laugh more.

 

They climbed into his car and he turned it on. “So where to?”

 

“Ah… that's a surprise,” Matthew answered.

 

“Come on tell me,” Aiko whined.

 

“Soon, soon,” he told her.

 

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“7-11?” Aiko asked, as they drove into the parking lot. “Are we stopping off for something?”

 

“No. This is it,” he answered, grinning at her before getting out.

 

Aiko had a puzzled look on her face as she scrambled out of the car and after him. He stood in line at the register and she came to stand beside him. “I'm not sure I understand.”

 

“Don't worry,” Matthew assured her.

 

So she trusted him and closed her mouth waiting for the line to shorten and Matthew to reveal something. She watched as the guy in front of them paid for his slurpee. As soon as the guy was heading for the door the lady behind the counter turned to them and looked at them expectantly.

 

“Hi, I was wondering…” Matthew started as he reached for something in his pocket. He took out his ring of keys. “…If you could make me a copy of this key.”

 

“Sure thing,” the lady croaked out.

 

Aiko was bubbling with curiosity. What was Matthew doing? What was that key? And why did he need a double?

 

She wanted to ask her questions. But Matthew was watching intently as the cutting machine whirred.

 

As soon as the lady was done she handed Matthew both keys. “That's five dollars.”

 

Matthew handed her the money and then they walked back to the car and got in.

 

“Matthew?” she questioned.

 

Silently he handed her the key, and she examined it quickly. It appeared to be an ordinary key. She turned her confused gaze on him.

 

“That's for you,” he announced.

 

“For me?” she asked. “What's it for?”

 

He grinned slowly. “It's for my apartment,” he finally told her. Her confusion didn't lessen and he sensed that he had to elaborate. “I know it gets kind of crowded at your house sometimes. I just want you to have a place to go to when you feel like you need an out. Whether I'm there or not.”

 

“Oh,” she breathed out. There was a feeling in her chest that she'd never felt before, but she had no idea what it was. “That's so sweet.” She leaned forward and rewarded him with a long kiss.

 

“If you want you can even watch the games there while I'm in Vancouver, even bring your friends over if you want. I trust you,” he confirmed.

 

“You trust me?” She smiled happily.

 

“Yep.”

 

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Matthew drove her home late that afternoon. They were sitting in the car saying their goodbyes.

 

“I'm going to miss you,” Aiko told Matthew between kisses.

 

“I'm going to miss you too,” he answered, kissing her back. Pulling back, he looked past her and thought he saw the curtain in the window flutter. He let out a longsuffering sigh. “But… you'd better get inside before your parents get angry again.”

 

Aiko couldn't hold back a sigh of her own. They got out of the car and walked hand in hand up the walkway. Aiko climbed the steps and stood at the top, while Matthew stood on the bottom one, they were completely level like this. Aiko leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “I'll see you in three days?”

 

“Of course Aiko,” Matthew said adamantly, not liking the uncertainty in her voice. He wanted to reassure her. “I l-“

 

He started to add something but the door opened and a stern looking Mr. Tanaka stepped out.

 

“Aiko it's time to come inside,” he said firmly.

 

“All right,” Aiko said. She reached out and gave Matthew's hand a squeeze. “Good luck Matthew.”

 

“Thanks,” he replied. She gave him a small wave and went inside. Matthew stood there cursing interruptions at inopportune moments and then reluctantly went back to his car.

 

 

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Sorry for the long wait. I hope you enjoyed. And thanks for reading. I hope you'll leave me a review and let me know what you think.

 

Thanks!