Alive

Geno finished getting ready as he shut off the taps in his washroom. He looked himself over once before he nodded at himself. He walked back to his room to grab what he needed. After he got what was needed and made his way downstairs, he climbed in his car and made his way to Valerie's. He parked in her empty drive way. She was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed as she leaned against it. He smiled at her. He couldn't wait until the day where he would always come home to that. He got out of the car and walked the small pathway to her stairs. He climbed them and pulled her into him. He gave her a kiss before she led him inside.
"Why you want me over early?" He asked as he dropped on her couch.
She hung his things up. "I thought I'd be nice and make you breakfast since you have a game tonight." She explained.
"You make great wife." He smiled.
She rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen. She began cooking. She felt sick. Lately, all G had been doing was mentioning things about marriage. From referring to her as his 'wife' to things about their future children. It was freaking her out. Yes, she loved him, and they could definitely reach that point eventually, but not anytime soon. Valerie had her own dreams that she needed to meet before any of that. She was only eighteen years old.
Geno, on the other hand, was completely gung-ho to get married right out of high school. He knew he wanted to be with Val for the rest of his life. He watched her from the couch as she moved around the kitchen. He smiled to himself. He knew he had to ask her soon. He wasn't worried he'd lose her, he was just worried he'd wimp out.
He sat up and climbed to his feet. He stretched with a nice, loud, groan as his arms lifted above his head. Valerie shook her head at him from the kitchen. He finished his stretch, trekking into the kitchen. He stood in the doorway as Val moved around the kitchen. She pulled down some plates from the cupboards, putting them to her right, on the counter. She looked over at him. He smiled.
"What do you want?" She sighed.
"To look at you." He shrugged.
Valerie laughed, shaking her head. Geno walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder. She leaned into him as she continued to make his food. He kissed her cheek before he pulled away. He sat on the counter beside her. She continued stirring around what was in the pan.
"Question..."
"Answer." Val smirked at her reply.
G rolled his eyes. "You want to get married?" He quizzed.
"Someday, yeah." She nodded.
"To me." He added. She nodded again. "Good."
"Why do you ask?" She cocked a brow in his direction.
"Will you marry me?" He spat out.
"I said yes, when we're ol,"
"No, now. Like, after we graduate." He explained.
Valerie took a deep breath. She plated the food, handing G a plate. She took hers and sat at the table. He followed her in. He sat across from her. They ate in silence. She was silent because she didn't know what to say. He was silent because he was angry. He watched her as she avoided eye contact.
"Now you avoid?" He called out.
"G, listen," She huffed, looking up at him. "I love you, but I need to worry about university and getting where I want to be before I'm concerned about getting married."
He nodded. She looked at him, waiting for him to say something, but nothing was said. She finished eating and rose from her spot. She grabbed Geno's plate, taking the dishes into the kitchen. She rinsed them and left them in the sink.
"Wanna go now?" Geno asked.
Valerie agreed. She brushed her teeth and made sure she was set for the day. When she came back to the living room, G was already out in his car. She sighed, walking out to him. She climbed in. He drove silently. Val didn't like it but she didn't want to say something and set him off. Apparently, she didn't have to.
"Val, you hurt me." He broke his silence. "I don't know why you don't want to marry me."
"I do! Just not right after grad." She sighed, leaning her head against the seat.
He began mumbling in Russian. Val could understand some of it, and it was rude. She exhaled loudly. She tried to sit through it but she had enough.
"Pull over."
He furrowed his brows at her but did as she said. She grabbed her bag, unbuckling herself. She stepped out and slammed the door shot. Geno squeezed his eyes shut over the slammed door.
"Where you going?" He asked.
"You're being an asshole." She stated. "I'll walk to school."
With that, he sped off. She didn't care. She didn’t want to be around him. Ever since he had come from Russia, she had done everything for him. She rarely thought of herself. It was time for her to be concerned about herself for once. A honk pulled her from her thoughts. She looked over her shoulder and saw Jamie driving towards her. Felicia waved from the front seat.
"Get in!" Felicia called.
The rest of the ride to school, Valerie explained everything. Felicia put her input in, calling Geno a 'douche' a few times. Jamie mentioned that G was stressed out from how poorly he had been playing. Val understood that, but he still had no right to be mad at her for not wanting to get married fresh out of high school. Felicia's phone lit up. She read the screen with a smile.
"Mr. Skinner?" Val teased.
Felicia ignored her. The car pulled into the parking lot. Felicia was up and out of it in no time. She rushed to where Jeff had asked to meet her. She saw him leaning against some lockers. She held back a smile. He looked over at her. She expected his famous smile to make an appearance, but it didn't. She felt her breathing hitch.
Jeff met her half way. He didn't say a word, he just pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back. She was nervous. She couldn't even think what he was about to tell her. He was just as nervous. After years of wanting her, he finally had her, and now, he had to leave her. He pulled away and brought her into a kiss. She pulled back.
"What's going on?" She frowned.
He took a deep breath. "You know how my dream is hockey? Like, I've dreamed of playing all my life. Since we were, like,"
"Jeff." She sighed.
"I'm sorry. I'm just really nervous and I don't want to say this." He admitted.
"You're stressing me out." She whined.
"I got asked to go play for a team out west." He said, his eyes boring into hers.
"Okay."
"Okay? Just 'okay'?" He questioned.
"Well, you have to go but I'm not happy about it." She told him. "And you'll be back. It's just like a tryout, right?"
He shook his head. "If they like me, I'm staying."
Felicia looked away from Jeff. She walked away, crossing her arms over her chest. He watched her. She took a deep breath. He knew she was holding back tears. He walked over to her, turning her to face him. She frowned down. He pulled her into a hug,
"We'll make it work." He whispered.
"No." She argued. "We can't 'make it work'. We both know it won't work, Jeff."
He stepped back, furrowing his brows at her. "We didn't even get a ch,"
"One or the other, Jeff. You're the hockey guy. Go do hockey and don't worry about me." She gave him a small smile.
"I always worry about you. I don't want to choose one." He shook his head.
"You're gonna have to." She shrugged.
With that, she walked off. He stood there, confused. He didn't know what just happened, but he didn't like it. He wanted the chance he worked hard on. He also wanted to play the sport he worked hard on. He didn't want just one of them. He was selfish and wanted both. From that moment on, Jeff swore to himself he'd get both.

Notes