Hey! I didn't disappear off the face of the Earth! Sorry for going so long without updates. I just didn't really feel like writing, and when I did, it looked and sounded completely insincere and bland. I'm still not completely happy with what I'm posting right now, but I thought I should put this up now so the next chapter wouldn't be so horribly long. I want to avoid having another chapter longer than 3,000 words. Anyway...

turntostone - Thanks for the review... I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

LTJM - Thanks for reading and reviewing... I hope you enjoy the next few updates!

GIGS - Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hah, yeah, it's a miracle in itself that Terry managed to keep herself together at the party, that's for sure. xD Glad you enjoyed it!

The next day, I decided that there was no time like the present to start my job search. I stepped out for a minute to buy a newspaper and started looking. The more I looked, the more I realized that I had literally no job experience, so there was a very good chance that no one would be willing to hire me. I kept up a steady flow of curses in the direction of my parents, seeing as, in my opinion, it was their fault that I avoided ever getting even a part-time job growing up, so therefore it was also their fault that I was finding myself unable to find a job when I actually needed one.

Giving up on the newspaper, I started searching my apartment for the resume I'd made in high school. I knew that I'd brought it with me, but somehow it'd disappeared into thin air, as far as I could tell.

Eventually I gave up looking for a job and for the damned resume, somehow convincing myself that the next day would be a better day to find a job. To make it seem like I'd done something, I circled a random job listing in the newspaper and tossed it down on the table. As an afterthought, I grabbed a small piece of paper and scribbled "BETTER JOB HUNT" on it, taping this piece of paper directly above the phone.

Somewhat satisfied, I sat down heavily on the couch and tried to think of a productive way to use up the day. Almost as if on cue, the phone started to ring and I reached for it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Vic?" It was Mark.

I was so surprised that I almost forgot what I was doing. "Oh—hey! I didn't expect to hear from you until you got back from Europe! How are you?"

"I'm good," he replied. "I figured that I was being a bit dramatic when I said I wouldn't be able to get out at all for a whole week. What are you up to today?"

"Nothing," I told him. "I was actually just thinking about how I have nothing to do today… Your timing is impeccable."

"I've been told that quite a few times, actually," Mark said, laughing. "Well, I was going to tell you to drop by later tonight if you weren't busy, but since you're completely free, do you think you'd want to come to the rink, watch practice, and then go out for something to eat with me and the guys?"

Wondering to myself if I had enough gas to get to the rink where they practiced and back, I said, "That sounds like a plan to me. When's the practice?"

"In about an hour," he said. "You know what might be kind of a good idea… Bring your brother. I think he might enjoy coming and watching us, don't you?"

I was slightly put off, as juvenile as it sounds. I had thought for a second that Mark had been asking me out on a date… even though we'd be around the rest of his team. Somehow factoring Wade into the equation made it less of a "date". I was confusing myself. "That's a good idea," I replied. "I'll give him a call and then head over to the rink, alright?"

"Sounds good," Mark said, sounding pleased. "Also, I kind of wanted to talk to you about some stuff."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The other night… It seemed like it was kind of important, you know? I mean, it felt important to me; I don't know what it felt like to you, but…" He let his sentence trail off.

I smiled to myself. "Yeah, I thought so too," I said. "I feel like I sort of get where you stand on some things now…" I started to feel unsure of myself as I spoke. "I mean, I think I know where you stand. Do I?"

"I don't know. I was feeling like I knew where you stood until I realized that I probably don't."

I laughed. "It's really good that we both understand each other so well. Otherwise we'd be completely out of the loop."

Mark chuckled. "Well, sorry. I just felt like I wasn't as great as I was feeling when I left your place that night."

"No, you were. I mean, you are."

"Ask her what she's wearing!" A voice was shouting on Mark's end of the line. There was a thud and I could hear someone laughing.

"Sorry," Mark grunted, sounding aggravated. "This isn't a really great time to be talking on the phone; I have a few guys over."

"It's okay," I said, honestly feeling a little bit relieved to be out of that situation. I had no idea what I was talking about. "We'll talk about… everything later, alright?"

"That sounds like a much better idea," Mark replied, sounding a little bit angry now. "Look, I'll see you and Wade at the rink, okay? I'll talk to you later."

"Alright," I said, and hung up. I dialed my home phone number, and prayed that Wade would answer. Fortunately, the universe seemed to be feeling friendly on that particular day, because it actually was Wade that picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Wade. What would you say if I told you that I'd be able to get you into an Olympic hockey team practice?"

"I'd tell you that it's really weird that you called just now, because I was just about to call you. And I'd also say that this is going to be a very good day."

I was very confused. "Why were you just about to call?"

Wade heaved a sigh. "Well, this might sound weird, but I really need to borrow your car."

"You're right. That sounds really weird. What do you need to borrow it for?"

"I'm going on a… road trip. And it's going to be really hard for you to get out of it, because Mom and Dad already told me that I could take it, since they bought it for you."

I frowned. "Wow, what? What if I need it?"

"They told me that if you let me take it, they'll keep paying your rent for another two months."

My parents were apparently master negotiators. "Done," I said, feeling pretty disgusted with myself.

"How's the job search coming, by the way? Mom told me that she's decided to cut the cord."

"Wade, I think I might just change my mind about letting you come with me today," I told him seriously.

He laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Why are we going to watch the practice?"

"Mark invited me to come watch and he said it might be a good idea to bring you along. He doesn't know you well enough yet."

Wade snorted. "You're just jealous because he likes me better than you."

"Yeah, I'm sure he does. Look, I'll be by to pick you up in about twenty minutes, okay? And be ready or I'll leave your ass behind, got it?"

"Fine, fine," he said, laughing, and hung up.