I grab Ninety-Nines leash from the hook, in the entrance, and the clasp jiggles, making a ringing sound. Ninety-Nine comes bolting down the stairs, after hearing the jiggle of the clasp, and pants in front of me, knowing what's about to happen.

"Sit." I say calmly, as I walk over to the closet to grab my winter coat. I slip it on, and then zip it up, and then I find my lime green beanie, and I place it over my hair. Ninety-Nine's tail is wagging against the hard wood floor, waiting for the signal that we're about to go for a walk outside. I grab the clasp of the leash, and I click it onto Ninety-Nine's green collar and I slip my feet into my boots.  Just then, Sarah comes running down the stairs, her cell phone pressed against her ear. She spots me and then stops at the bottom of the stairs. She removes her phone from her ear and presses it into her shoulder.

"Where are you going ?" She asks.

"Where does it look like I'm going ? Ninety-Nine needs fresh air. Tell mom not to wait up for dinner." I turn around and swing the door open. Sarah returns to chatting into her cell.  Ninety-Nine rushes out into the cold air outside and I follow. We walk over to the garage and I jump into my car, Ninety-Nine sitting shot gun.

"I think we should go to the dog park." I say out loud, talking to my dog. His tail wags in excitement, and I roll down the window a little, so he can stick his head out. I back out and drive into town, towards mine, and Nine's favourite dog park.

I park my truck a few blocks from the park, so I can enjoy some exercise. I get out of the car, Nine following me. I grab his leash before he can run out into the middle of the street and I pull him over to the sidewalk. We're in a residential area, but the dog park down the street is the best one in town. I fix my beanie as Nine walks ahead of me, his leash tied to my belt loop. I grab the leash in my hand and I watch as the snow starts to fall. The snowflakes are huge, and they're falling slowly, like they have no rush to get to the ground. I few of the snowflakes falls onto Nine's fur and after 5 minutes, his ears are completely white. I look around me, and I suddenly remember when I was younger, coming here with Nine when he was young too, my sister and my mother. It would snow like this, every once in a while and my sister always compared the snowflakes to marshmallows, and she would rush out into the middle of the park and stand there, her head back, her tongue sticking out. She might have been 6 or 7 years old, making me around 10 years old. I always thought she was weird doing that, but my mother thought it was the funniest thing in the world. Ninety-Nine would run around her in circles, making a sort of moat around my sister, since there was so much snow. Nine would then run around the park and remember my mom saying that we picked a good dog, because his fur is a dark colour, and it made it easier to spot him in the snow. He would always end up burying himself in the white fluffy snow, licking every snowflake that fell on his nose.

            We finally reach the park, and I notice that no one is there. I guess that makes sense, I don't think many people want to be outside right now except for me. I love this kind of weather. There's no wind, letting the snowflakes fall wherever they want and the lack of wind makes it less cold. It's very enjoyable especially since I spent most of my free time on the ice, or outside. I open the gate that leads into the park and then I unhook the clasp from Nine's leash and he runs around the park, finding the middle of the park, where my sister used to stand. 

Today is January 12th. Next weekend is the big weekend, the weekend of the 19th and honestly I'm freaking out; for several reasons. One, because I am extremely excited to play in the playoffs, whether it's for the Snow Leopards, or The Knights. I am determined to win. Two would be because I don't know what team to play for. The team that I decide to play for next Saturday, will literally decide to my future, and I am not sure what I want for my future yet. Nine rolls in the snow right as an older man comes walking through the gate with his great Dane. I look at how much fun Nine is having running around, imagining that my sister is there, chasing him and I can't help but wish, that I was ten again. When I was ten, I didn't have to worry about my future. I didn't have to make such small, but big decisions.  My future wasn't of my biggest concerns, and now it is. If I choose to play alongside Lucas and Jake, I will be watched by University scouts. If I'm good enough, I'll get a scholarship and be able to study in sports psychology and play for the University. After a few years of schooling, I'll  be able to get a real job, make enough money to buy a house, get married... have kids. That will be my future if  I chose to play for the Snow Leopards.  Now, If I decide to play for the Knights there will be two scouts there; NHL scouts with Olympic scouts. These people, can give me a fantastic future. If we win, I could easily get drafted into the NHL, play for my favourite team maybe. I could make twice as much money in less time, and own a home earlier. Although I definitely want to start a family, being an NHL player can easily change that. With the constant travelling, and super long seasons, who knows when I'll be home. Then there's the fact that I could play for my country... my country. I could win us a gold medal in the winter Olympics and that medal could be treasured forever, a constant reminder that I was able to do what I love, and be rewarded for it.

I start to notice that my eyes are starring into the snow, the bright white burning my eyes. I hear Nine barking like crazy, and I assume he's playing with the Great Dane. I lean back on the small fence, still staring at the snow. Why, does my future have to be so complicated ?

"Why can't I just play for both teams?" I say, without realizing that I said that out loud.

"Excuse me ?" The old man asks. I blink, and my eyes peel away from the perfect white snow.  I look at the man, dressed in a long trench coat, his dogs leash hanging from his fingertips. He has a tuque on and is staring at me.

"Deep in thought are we ?" He asks, as he starts to walk towards me.

"Huh? Oh yeah." I say, while crossing my right ankle over my left.  He leans against the fence next to me.

"Let's see. How old are you kid ?"

"18." I say, turning my head to look at him. He has a few wrinkles on his forehead, and on the corners of his lips. He smiles sweetly and then looks to his dog.

"Thinking about your future I assume ?" He asks.

"Yeah, so much to think about." I answer back, not quite sure where this conversation is going to lead to.

"When I was 18 I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to play football. I wanted to be famous, win trophies, make money have a lot of... um, lady friends." He says. He lets out a quiet laugh.

"I went to University in the states with a football scholarship. I was good. I was put as quarterback, the second I walked onto the field the first day of tryouts."  I smile, but I'm so confused. Why is he telling me this.

"Anyways, point is. The season started off great, then I started to realise, that although I absolutely loved football, it just wasn't for me. I remember not going to classes, or practices, just sitting in my dorm room contemplating what I should do with the rest of my life and then one morning I woke up and I realised that I still loved football. I definitely didn't want to leave it, I desperately wanted it to be a part of my future. So, then I decided, I was going to be a sports reporter." He says ending his story.

"My heart told me, not to leave football but It told me that I needed to physically leave it, not necessarily mentally leave it." I smile nicely, taking his words into consideration. Just then my phone starts to buzz.

"Hello ?" I ask.

"Matt, it's me! Wanna hang out tonight ? My parents are gone." Lyss says, on the other end. I smile, and then I remember that this man is still standing next to me.

"One sec babe." I turn to the man.

"Thanks. That definitely helped. Ninety-Nine!" I yell. Nine comes running over to me, and then sits down, waiting for me to hook his leash.

"Hockey fan are we ?" The man asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, Wayne Gretzky is a great man. Had some good times with him." He says. I smile, surprised that the man knew my idol.  I hook the leash.

"Lyss ?"

"Yeah ?"

"I'll be there. Let me grab some stuff from home and I'll be right over."

"Bye." She says. I know that she's smiling.  I grab the leash and then I wave goodbye to the man. I lead Nine back to the truck and I head home, excited to spend the night with the one person that I know that my heart wants.

The doorbell to her house rings in my ears as my foot taps the ice beneath my feet, anxious to see her. She swings open the door and I drop my bag on the stone. She jumps into my arms and I kiss her forehead. I put her down slowly, and then I kiss her for real.  She grabs my hand and pulls me inside as I reach for my bag. As I walk into her house, I realise that I've never been inside.

"I've never seen the inside of your house." I say, letting my bag fall at the end of the steps.

"That's very true." She stops in what seems to be her living room, and turns around to face me.

"But first, I need you to tell me one thing." She says, grabbing my hips and rising on her tip toes.

"Did you skip The Knights game to come hang out with me ?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. I laugh a little.

"No, we don't have any games until the playoffs. But just to make you feel good, I'll say that I did."

"Awe, you're so sweet." She says. She grabs the collar of my shirt and then plants a kiss on my lips. I smile through it and then she pulls away and I follow her face down to her eye level, realising that I want more.

"Nope. I gotta give you a tour first."  She says.

"Fine."

"This is the living room." She starts off. I notice that Sports Centre is playing on the TV.

"You watch Sports Centre ?" I ask. She turns her head to the TV and then laughs.

"Nope, I just turned it on so that my living room would look more appealing to you." She says, laughing.

"Lyss, you don't have too. If you're standing in the room it's already appealing enough."  She smiles and then leads me into the kitchen.

I follow her around, grabbing her hand, or touching her hips, every once in a while.

"This will be your favourite part." She says, standing in front of a door.

"Why ?" I ask.

"You'll see." She opens the door and I smile widely at the revelation. The walls are a light gray, pictures of figure skaters taped on them. The bed is a queen size, a white duvet spreads across the bed. She has a whole row of teddy bears on the far wall, and across from her bed she has a flat screen TV screwed into the wall.

"Are we watching movies ?" I ask, smiling. She nods while biting her lip and then runs inside.

"I'm changing into my PJ's. Don't look." I smile as I put my hands over my eyes.  I hear her changing and then suddenly I feel her jump onto the bed. I take my hands off my eyes and she's sitting right in front of me. She's biting her lip, obviously happy at some one on one time with me. She's wearing an oversized surf sweatshirt, with some soccer shorts. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and honestly she's never looked more beautiful than she does now. I grab her hips and I pull her down on the bed with me.

"What movie are we watching first ?" I ask, as she rolls off my chest and falls onto the bed. She lifts the covers and crawls underneath them and then she pouts her lips begging me to join. I take my jeans off, and slip on some sweats instead, keeping my shirt on and then I follow her. I rest my head on her incredibly soft pillow  and she lays her head on my chest, her neck and shoulders resting on my arm, of which my hand is placed on the small of her back.

"Breakfast Club." She says, smiling. She turns on the TV and there it is, ready to play and everything.

"My favourite movie." She says, right before pressing play.

The Hunger Games end credits rolls as the movie ends. I've spent all night with Lyss. We've watched, The Breakfast Club, Superbad and now we end with The Hunger Games.

"That was a good movie." I say, stretching my arm out.

"You should read the books." Lyss says. I push myself up on her bed and she does the same, turning around to face me. The covers almost on the floor, her ponytail looser than it was before The Breakfast Club, she smiles.

"My mother's a writer and owns every book in the world. I've read all three." I say smiling.

"Then how come you didn't see the movie before ?" She asks, biting her lip. Staring at her, all I want to do is kiss her and hug her. She's absolutely perfect.

"My mom said that the movie always ruin the book. That's why she hasn't turned Senior Ditch Day into a movie." I explain. Lyss laughs as she stuffs her hands in the hole that was formed after she crossed her legs.  She bends forwards still laughing and then her forehead reaches my chest, and I start to laugh.

"Lyss." I say through the laughter. She calms down and then lifts her body up again so I can look into her eyes.

"Yeah ?" She says, somewhat laughing.

"I love these moments." I say, feeling that this conversation will turn into a serious one. She smiles lightly and then bites her bottom lip. My heart races a little.

"So do I." She gets on all fours and then crawls towards me. Soon enough her nose is touching mine, and my hands find her waist. I push her down, so she's sitting on her heels, her legs inside mine. Her bangs fall in front of her eyes, no longer held by the ponytail. I pull her closer to me and I kiss her once, softly, hopefully making her realise that she wants more.

"I have to choose between two hockey teams Lyss." I say, breaking the mood a little. She smiles and then looks down, and I push her bangs behind her ears. My hand follows her hair to the back of her head and I reach the hair elastic, and I pull on it, releasing all her hair behind her.   I throw the elastic across the room, and she bites her lip again. Fuck.

"Why are we talking about this now ?" She asks, getting closer, so her chest is touching mine.

"Because. It's on my mind and I need help." I say smiling.

"You know what I think you should do ?" She says. She brings her hand up to her forehead and then her fingers push her hair back, making her look more beautiful than ever before.

"I think you should follow your heart." I flashback to earlier today, hearing the man say something like that. I should follow my heart.

"What does your heart tell you right now. What should you do ?" I know that Lyss is talking about hockey, but my heart isn't in hockey right now.

"My heart tells me that I'm in love."

"With what ?" She asks.

"Not what. But who." She smiles a little, knowing what I'm trying to say.

"Oh yeah ?" She says. Her hands reach my neck, and I feel her fingers interlocking with each other behind it.

"Yeah. And she's absolutely perfect. She has this gorgeous brown hair, and her eyes. Don't even get me started. She loves to skate, just like me and her laugh is probably one of the best things to exist. I think I should record it so I can play it over and over again." She laughs my hands move from the outside of her hips, to the middle of her back. I grip the bit of muscle that are on either side of her collar bone.

"Who is this wonderful perfect girl you're talking about ?" She says, sarcastically. I stare into those eyes and that's when I know that what I'm feeling is true. My hands slide down, looking for the hem of the sweatshirt and when I find it, I slip my hands under it feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. They climb up and up until they find her bra clasp and I smile.

"You." At that very moment Lyss'  lips reach mine and I let her deepen the kiss as soon as they do. She kisses me deeply for a while until she retreats to catch her breath. My hands still toying with the straps of her bra, she looks into my eyes, like I did a moment before.

"I love you too." She says, biting her lip. I smile and then my lips find themselves on her neck, lightly kissing every inch. Her head falls back and I imagine her hair cascading down on the bed. My lips move to the middle of her neck, right where her Adam's apple would be if she were a boy, and my lips slowly move up towards her chin and then they find her lips again. She brings her head back forward and her fingers loosen around my neck. I feel then snake up her back, and she grabs my hands and helps them unclasp her bra. Once done, her hands come back to my neck and then to my face, as we kiss. My hands still on her back, I bring her down on the bed, me following as our lips are still attached to each other.

"Where are your parents anyways ?" I say, after pulling away. I can feel her hands reach for my shirt and when they do, her small hands find my stomach and they snake up to my chest.

"God Matt. Do you ever stop working out ?" She asks. I laugh under my breath and I feel her hands find the hem of my shirt once again. She pulls my shirt off and throws it across the room.

"My parents are in Toronto and their not coming back until Monday morning." She says, licking her lips. I smile softly, and then my fists find their way on the bed, placed on either side of her head.

"I love you, you know that ?" I say, smiling. She nods softly and I tilt my head to get a better kissing position, as I lean forward ready to have a perfect night with the one person I love the most.

Alyssa Viroir.

"Dude really ?" Jake asks, looking at me in awe. I nod and wink. Lucas walks up just then and looks at us confused.

"Now why the fuck is Jake looking at you like he's in love with you." Lucas says, looking between me and Jake.

"Because I just told him what I did on Saturday night." I say, shutting the door to my locker.

"And what did you do on Saturday night ?" Lucas asks now curious. Just then Lyss and Lynni walk by. I wave to Lyss and I walk over to her. I kiss her and Lynni walks over to Lucas who does the same.

"I have to go Matt." She says, pointing to her watch suggesting that she's late for class. Lynni joins her again and they walk away together. I look at her walk away and I can't believe that she's mine.

"No." Lucas then says. I turn my attention back to him.

"Yes." Jake says.

"You did..." He says pointing to Lyss. I nod and wink to him.

"Shit. Me and Lynni haven't even-"

"Shh Lucas. No one wants to know about your sex life." I say, placing a hand on his shoulder. We start walking to math class as Lucas looks down in shame.

"Don't be sad Lukey." I say. He looks back up.

"Well did you at least tell her that you loved her because if you didnt I swear-"

"Calm down champ. I did, in a very unique way." I say laughing to myself.

"Well, I would like to point out that me and Sarah are going on our 15th date Friday night." Jake says.

"Good for you dude." I say smiling, suddenly feeling superior to my friends.

"Anyways, have you decided what team your playing for on Saturday ?" Lucas says, desperate to change the subject.

"Nope." I say, that feeling of stress coming back to rush over me.

"Well, we play at 1 o'clock on Saturday, against The Bears. " Jake says.

"1 o'clock ?" I ask, an idea suddenly popping into my head.

"Yeah why ?" Jake asks.

"Because now I think, I might not have to choose."

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yay! Sorry for the long wait, but I've had a crap load of homework and I went to a concert on friday and anyways.

Here's chapter 16, I think theres maybe 4 or 5 chapters left to this book, so yeah!

byeeeeee