Five Minutes For Fighting (Completed)

Caroline looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look different but she felt it. She stood there zipping up her graduation gown as she heard someone enter the room. "Are you ready for hat hair." Ryan Callahan said smiling at her. "Totally." She said leaving her bathroom and taking her cap off her desk. "How do I look?" She said putting it on as she did a little dance in her gold Lilly wedges. "You look like my grown up goddaughter." He said smirking leaning in the doorway of her bathroom. "I love you Ry, you know if you weren't so up my ass with school work I wouldn't be here." She said hugging him. "I love you too Caroline you're my first daughter." He said laughing as he kissed her head. "You about ready to go? We're leaving in a little while." She nodded yes. She had to be there soon, to find her friends and line up in the right spot. "Bye guys." She said loudly as she walked down the stairs fast, grabbing her phone on the couch and hugging her family. "We'll be there in a little while, we're waiting for a few more of your teammates." Her mom said as she could tell the team was missing Brad Richards and Brian Boyle.

"Okay yeah I gotta go." She said heading out of the house when she was stopped. "Woah leaving the house without these?" Michael Del Zotto her Fiance said as she almost ran him down. He had keys in his hand but she had her keys in her hand. "I am sorry." She said kissing him. "I have to run I'll see you there! I still have to pick up Connor on the way." That's when she saw it. A light lavender Mercedes G Wagon. "OMG." She said shouting. It had a bow. "IS THIS MINE?" She said screaming up and down. "Happy graduation day babe." He said walking over to her and handing her the keys. "Babe you didn't have to!" She said staring back at her white Range Rover. "We'll have a spare car up in TB, now go pick up Connor he'll probably freak out more then you." She kissed him gently then harder, she was so lucky to call him hers, she was his, she loved him so much. "I love you so much that it's crazy." She said her hand on his heart. "I love you so much it hurts."He said kissing her madly. "I got to go." She said after the heated moment. "Okay, drive safe. Your some precious cargo." He said smirking. "I will, see you soon!"

Driving down the Weston roads, she knew this was the last time she would drive to school as a student. She was an alumni now and she couldn't believe how time flew by. She drove onto Connor's private road, driving up to his gate and clicking the enter button. "What's the password." A voice said from the intercom. "Fuck bitches get money?" She said laughing. "Nope." He answered. "Connor and Caroline graduate?" She said laughing even more. "Maybe." The voice answered back. "ConnerCarolineGradute2k13." She said smirking. "You may enter." The gates making a screeching sound as they opened. She drove into his long gravel driveway as he sat on the front steps of his porch in his cap and gown, a vineyard vines button down peeking out of the unzipped gown. He looked so grown up in his classy outfit. "I am so used to you wearing Rangers Under Armour, this is such a change." She said laughing as she got out of the car and hugged him. "Let's go before my mom wants pictures." He said grabbing her hand and leading her to the G Wagon. "NO WAY." He said realizing that she had gotten a new car. "Yup. You know Michael and the team and the NHL. They like to pitch in." She said smirking. She unlocked it as he hopped in and they were on their way.

She parked in her assigned parking spot as she shut the car off and sat there. "Come on Care." Connor said his hand on her back. "This is the last time pulling in here, in my spot." She said looking around as their classmates got out of their new graduation presents just like her. But unlike her they were all staring at her new ride. Calling her rich girl probably. She'd rather be rich girl, then poor girl. She got out as she left the keys on top of her front tire so that Michael could bring it home. "We're supposed to meet at the gym." He said as she tagged along following him. "Hurry up." He said motioning. "It's hard to run in wedges." She said hitting him. Since she spent a little bit of time at school and most of the time on the road she didn't have that many friends. But Lo, Clare, Trevor and Connor were her loyal ones. "Finally!" Lo said as Caroline and Connor appeared as Trevor paced back and forth. "You ready for the draft next week Trev." She said laughing. He had come back from the USNDT to spend his senior year in CT and train more and the Draft was creeping up on him. "YUP. Just ready to graduate." He said smirking at her. "EVERYONE LINE UP." Principal Collins said as he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Okay wow Collins calm down." She mouthed to Connor as he laughed. And with that they lined up and walked down into the tents as their families watched Connor and Caroline walk down the long runway together. "YEAH CAROLINE." She heard from the group of Rangers as she laughed.

Thirty minutes later it was time for Caroline to give her speech, Collins picked her to talk about her unusual high school experience especially her Senior year. She was going to cry she knew it. "And now Caroline Thomas, New York Rangers Forward Number 94 would like to come up and talk to the class of 2013." Principal Collins said as Caroline walked down from the bleachers to the front of the stage in the tent. A projector came down as it started to play the music to her slideshow of pictures from High School. "I never had the normal high school experience, I never went to school five days in a row, every week. I never got to go to dances or parties on friday nights. Instead I was on buses to Massachusetts doing my homework as my 25 year old teammates on the Connecticut whale slept. I never got to go to a full day of classes without having to run out early to catch an afternoon practice. Instead of going to lunch with my friends during my free periods I watched my game tape as I did my english essay, making sure my grammar was correct, and that my defense was on par. Instead of kicking back beers on a hot September day I got my ass handed to me in training camp. I couldn't hang out on the weekends because I had games ten hours away. And after I got drafted last June it got even more hectic and crazy. When the NHL was locked out during the first semester of my Senior year I thought I would finally be able to go to school and parties and have fun. But I forgot that I would begin to play for the Whale again. I couldn't of graduated today without the help of my family, my amazing parents who reminded me when my due dates were. My godfathers who chained me to Plane rides sitting next to them as I read To Kill a Mocking Bird, my teammates who quizzed me on my vocab, and made up practice math tests, my coaches who understood that I was a student and an athlete. The NHL who let me do both, this school for letting me get an education while letting me live my dream. My best friends who kept me in the loop and made me feel like I was apart of this grade. And finally to my teachers who treated me normally as a girl who just casually played the sport of hockey. I stand here today about to receive my High School Diploma as I continue on with my path in life, that might not mean College and that might mean many more road trips, and home games at MSG. But I can't wait to continue on as we take Weston High with us everywhere we go. I love you guys. We did it!" She said as everyone stood and clapped for her as she walked back to her seat. Connor and Trevor standing up making her laugh.

"Caroline Zoe Thomas." Caroline walked down the bleachers, across the stage and up the bleachers again to receive her diploma, shaking hands and taking a picture with Principal Collins. Her parents, brothers, Michael and the team going crazy as she let out a few tears brushing them away with her hand. After she pulled her tassel on her cap to the other side and threw it in the air, she grabbed her diploma and went searching for her friends as the grade walked out of the tent in a straight line. "I am so proud of you." John Moore said coming up behind her and picking her up. "John let me down!" She said laughing as Derrick Brassard came over food in hand. "You never stop eating." She said letting out a giggle. "Want some?" He said stuffing his face with cookies as she she shook her head no.

"Caroline!" Her mother said coming over to her and hugging her crying. "I am so proud of you Honey, oh god I am getting choked up." Her mom said as she started crying. "Proud of you kid." Marcus said messing up her hat hair and pulling her in for a hug. "I am doubly proud of you kiddo." Adam Graves her uncle said giving her a kiss on the cheek. "CAROLINE." Michael said making his way through the crowd, and the mini crowd hovering over her. "Mikey." She said as he broke through picking her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "I am so proud of you beautiful." He said kissing her as she ran her fingers through his flow. "Thanks Mike." She said gently as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She just wanted this moment to last forever. "This time next year we'll be married." He said whispering to her. "I can't fucking wait." She said smirking, her smirk turning into a grin. "I know." He said smiling, his front tooth still chipped from taking a puck to the mouth in the playoffs. "Come on Caroline, we have to get to the buses." Connor said as her mother hugged him. She was headed to the Mystery Trip a thing every senior class does. They go throughout the night to various locations. "Okay." She said Michael letting her down. "Let me go change." She said grabbing her bag from her mother as she ran to the bathroom. A couple minutes later coming out. "Ready." She said appearing in a pair of Nike Athletic shorts, a Rangers Reebok shirt and her rangers sneakers. "Flip flops are in your bag with an extra pair of contacts, your glasses, a pair of extra clothes. And something special." Brendan said as she felt a flask in the bag. She smiled. "Love you." She said kissing Michael. "Love you too, I'll be in your spot at 6 am tomorrow. Have a great time." She kissed him again. "Love you guys see you tomorrow!" She said to the team and her family as Connor pulled her towards their bus.

Staying up all night is going to be a nightmare.

Notes