A/N: Please review. Don't flame! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * indicates a flashback and the end of one; /\/\/\/\ indicates a change in setting.

Jamie Waite had forgotten what it felt like to be on the ice. He hadn't actually skated for three years. The entire time he'd known Caitie. He had drifted away from hockey; been too busy for it. Between EMT work, Caitie, school, and trying to stay away from his house, Jamie hadn't had any time to play. He was getting on with his life. He knew that's what Caitie would have wanted.

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"Hockey player?" the girl asked.

"What's it look like?" thirteen-year-old Jamie replied.

"Stick, black skates, hockey jersey. Um…I'll let you decide," she said sarcastically.

"Whatever. I have practice," said Jamie as he began to skate off to one side of the ice.

"As do I." She skated to the other.

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After his hockey practice, Jamie was sitting on a bench in the locker area, taking his skates off. He noticed the same girl that he had talked to earlier walking toward him.

"Hey," she said as she sat down on the other side of the bench. "How'd your practice go?"

"All right. Yours?" He asked, prompting her to speak.

"Pretty good, actually. I had to practice late because I'm training for a competition."

"Want to race?" asked Jamie, as he began to re-lace his skates.

"Sure. Bring it on."

The two got on the ice.

"One lap," the girl declared. "No touching the guard rail, no intentionally running people over, and no cutting across the ice. Ready?"

The two began to race, each skating quickly. The girl finished shortly before Jamie did, and when he arrived, he was coughing and wheezing.

"Are you okay?"

He was able to gasp out his locker number and combination, and she got the hint. She walked away as quickly as she could in her skates, returned, and handed Jamie his inhaler. She left.

As soon as he could breathe again, Jamie put up his skating equipment and went to the diner across the street. He got an orange smoothie and sat down.

"Hey, it's Hockey Boy," commented a girl that had just entered the diner.

"It's Jamie," he stated.

"Jamie. I like that. I need to order." She walked off. Jamie got up to follow her. After all, he didn't know her name yet.

"You didn't have to follow me," the girl said.

"I didn't," Jamie lied. "I wanted to get some food."

They ended up sitting at the same table and talking for over an hour about all kinds of things. Jamie even learned her name: Caitie.

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I swear, Val will do everything in her power to piss me off. She had to go and try out for the cheerleading squad, and now she wants me to. And she has to date Tyler Connell, AND she has to hate Jamie.

Val slammed the diary shut. She had heard footsteps coming down the hall, and she only wanted herself and Jamie to see the pages.

"Hey." Val was relieved to hear Tyler's voice instead of Brooke's.

"How was your trip?"

"Boring. I mostly watched movies while William and my mom went to meetings. How has your spring been?"

"Didn't you hear?" Val asked.

"Hear what?"

"About Caitie."

"No…this is the first place I've been other than my house. Is it bad?"

"Tyler, she…" Val tried to finish. "…She committed suicide."

"Why didn't you call? I would have flown back to be with you." Tyler meant it.

"Jamie was there. No offence, but I think he knew what I felt better than you could have."

"Here." Tyler handed Val an audiotape. "Listen to it. I have to go finish unpacking." With that, Tyler left.

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Jamie heard a knock on the door. Fearing the worst, he reluctantly opened it.

"Jaaaaaaaammmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the girl on the other side screamed, flinging her arms around his neck. "Told ya I was coming, didn't I?" she asked after she had released him. Jamie didn't have to guess who she was. The black hair with blue highlights gave it away. It was his cousin Kit James, one of the only people in his family that he even rarely got along with. A tall, blond man who was about twenty years old stood at the door. Jamie had to learn to deal with the harsh reality. Peter Waite was home.