39. Goodbye

******THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE END******


I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for new stories, different angles on the same characters…and I’m really liking these two at the moment: Not So Saint Sidney - You’ll like it if you want to see a badass Sid (v hot by the way). And a new Geno story: Ice Time. I do this because someone was kind enough to give me a shout out on her story, so I only think it's fair to do this for someone else.

I found this post really hard to write and I don't think it's fluid enough, but I just wanted to get it done.


Song: Keane - This Is The Last Time


ELLA'S POV


Sitting in the middle of a half empty living room with Gina, I looked around at the remaining three boxes to go in my car. Gina was staying here for another week before moving to New York for the summer, and the furniture would be left for my tenants during the summer. On a whim, I had decided to drive the eight hour drive from Pittsburgh to Montréal as my epilepsy had only recently been considered stable enough that I can drive again.

I took a deep breath as I took a look at the apartment. I was sad to be leaving Pittsburgh because it meant the end of college and the beginning of adulthood, real life, responsibility and ultimately, a career. Leaving Pittsburgh meant leaving my friends behind, leaving Jordan for the summer and leaving behind a world I had created for myself only to create a new world in Montréal.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t happy to be going back to Montréal – I’m always happy to return to my home city, it’s just that this time it feels so final and there’s someone I don’t want to leave behind. Jordan. The more I thought about him, the more I felt like staying. And I could, but I’d be throwing away a fabulous opportunity on my doorstep, the paid internship of my dreams.

I was glad that Jordan was now being supportive, he was going to come and visit me at some point during the summer for several days and I had said I would try to visit him in Thunder Bay for a few days, if I got the chance. We had never got round to ‘the talk’ but had come to a mutual understanding that we would take our relationship as it comes.

Gina helped me carry the last boxes out to my car and threw her arms around me in a massive hug, crying into my shoulder. I’m going to miss her so much. After Félix, she is my best friend, one in a million. “I’m sorry Ells, I’ve tried to be strong, but I just can’t. It’s so sad, it’s the end of an era. An era. We’ve officially finished college and graduated. Can you believe we’ve finished? Finished! It only feels like yesterday that we started. We’ve never been separated like this before. You must, MUST come and visit me in New York if you get the time to,” she said as I hopped into my car. “And keep taking the medication.” I would. I would never ever slip up like I had at the beginning of March. I knew I would be in New York at some point this summer. Dad says the financial markets don’t stop in summer time and he has to keep working so it’s inevitable Félix and I will fly down.

“I’ll be there, not sure when. But I’ll be there. And don’t let Max mess you around,” I replied. “Keep hold of him.”

“Same with you and Jordy,” she said, closing the door. I smiled. I was going to do my best to keep hold of him, I didn’t want to lose him. I don’t think I’ve ever been as in love with someone as I have with Jordan, which the more I thought about it, the more scared I became. I’m about to test our relationship by moving into the long distance territory. We had agreed that we would try and make it work but only time would tell. Just thinking about Jordan, it seemed ironic that I would be going to Montréal just as he was leaving, - like two ships passing each other by. I also hadn’t wanted to leave him after he’d just hurt his foot in the first game against the Habs. He was really annoyed and grumpy that he’d broken his winning streak of not missing a game. “These things happen,” did not appease his mood. Jordan had sulked around, determined to get back on the ice as soon as he could. Admittedly his anger had led to some hot, angry sex which had left him with a broken bed and a little less tension.

I started my car, and reversed out onto the street heading north east out of the city. I opened my windows letting the cool morning air flood in as the early morning sun was beginning to climb in the sky. Turning on the radio, I couldn’t help but feel the tears slide down my cheeks as I drove out of Pittsburgh. I had so many memories of good times here that I was reluctant to leave.

I let the tears continue to roll down my face as I passed through the Pennsylvania countryside, through fields of crops, animals, onto the highway. This is the last time I’ll be in Pittsburgh, I thought sadly. As I headed up to Buffalo, I thought about Sophie. She would be out of rehab in a week. Did I want to talk to her? Was she going to apologise for what she’d done? Would she remember the Jordan incident?

Driving on the empty highways gave me a chance to clear my head and put these questions into perspective. Of course I would speak to Sophie; she’s a friend and right now she probably needs friends and support. So she had stolen my Chanel purse, but she was high on drugs – do I forgive her for it because she was high and not thinking or because she was on a come down and looking for her next fix? I don’t know. Maybe she’ll quit the partying lifestyle she was leading before so as not to give in to the temptation of coke. However she lives in Harrisburg, so it’s unlikely I’ll get the chance to see her very often during the summer, but I will do my best to be there for her.

I drove non-stop all the way to Montréal, only stopping for gas along the way. I was exhausted when I pulled up at the border but relieved that I only had a few more kilometres to go. The sun was still beating down for a spring afternoon and I relished the sight of pancartes (road signs) and Timmy Ho’s. I stopped for coffee and four chocolate Timbits before braving the Montréal rush hour.

After crossing the river on the autoroute Jean Lesage, I headed onto the 720 to Westmount. It felt so good to be back in Montréal, the city just has this constant buzz about it – sometimes I wonder why I ever left. It’s quieter and safer than New York yet being very cosmopolitan and European at the same time. My phone pinged. I glanced briefly at the screen, reluctant to take my eyes off the road.

“Hope you’re nearly home safe, give me a buzz when you do. Love you XXX”

That put a smile on my face. Jordan can be such a sweetie sometimes, though he’d hate for me to call him that. Despite his huge exterior, he has a heart made of gold even if he does act like a total goof at times.

As I continued on the Boulevard into my neighbourhood I felt sad that I was nearly home. On the other hand I was happy that I would see Félix. Springtime in Montréal is gorgeous; the trees were full of leaves, the flowers were out in force and there were people walking around, happy to be out in the warm sunshine now that all of the snow had melted.

I took a left onto my road, pulling up in front of our house, gazing up at the windows. Suddenly a female head popped out of the window, followed by Félix’s. Ah, the infamous Rosalie, I thought. At least there was someone else here to help me unpack my car.

“Ella!” Félix said, as the front door flung open and he ran down on to the street. He enveloped me in a massive hug. “I’ve missed you, so much. And Rosalie’s here, you have to come meet her!” he said all too quickly. Félix talks a mile a minute when he’s excited. He took two boxes and walked back towards the house as I stood leaning against the side of the car. It felt so good to be home.

As I unpacked my things, I looked around my room. I hadn’t been here permanently since I was in high school, my room definitely needed some updating. There was still a photo of Jamie and me in the frame beside my bed, my tennis awards and cups dominated one wall with a mixture of old, faded photos. I wanted to upgrade them. Opening the box with all of my items from my corkboard from Pittsburgh, I pulled out a photo of Jordan and I taken at his house when Max had called for strippers. Removing the old photo of Jamie and I, I hung the new one of Jordan and me in its new rightful place.