Shattered Dreams [EDITING] - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

COREY'S POV:
I've been waiting in the car for WIillem now for like ten minutes, this guy is slow as fuck. Knowing him and his sister, they are probably talking about some random ass shit as per usual. I said to myself that I would be patient and wait until two songs were done until I went inside to see where he is. The songs are now finished so off I go, leaving Nathan on his own in the car listening to the shit music on the radio. But, he's happy enough as nothing ever seems to bore that guy, he's easily entertained.
I sometimes think life would be easier if I was more like Nathan, carefree and open. He is himself and he embraces that. People don't have to like him and he doesn't care whether they do or don't, that makes him stronger and happier than any of us on the team ever will ever be.
I turn the music down and take a minute to breathe in the tranquillity of the raindrops falling on the roof of the car.
"I was listening to that." Nathan says groggily, reaching forward to turn it back up again. See, he has no care in the world.
Slamming the door behind me, I run to the house, wanting to be free of the droplets leaving a wetness on my clothes. I usually love the rain, the peacefulness of it, but not when it soaks me through when I need to do something. To me, the nicest thing about rain is that it always stops and the sky afterwards is always showing you something brighter.
The Marsh family have always been welcoming to me and they let me come in and out of the house whenever I please, as long as it is within reasonable hours of course. They even let me eat their endless supply of snacks; which usually consist of sliced up fruit, but the thought is still there.
They really do treat me like their own son, which is great considering my own parental figures suck.
Closing the front door behind me, I walk towards the dining room where I know that his parents will be at this time of the day. They aren't there, so they aren't having dinner yet. Although I do see plates that look like they have been half eaten on the table.
I turn around to go back into the hallway but I bump into Willem's hard back. Did he just fucking appear out of nowhere because he wasn't there when I walked in and I wasn't in the dining room for that long either.
He doesn't flinch when I bump into him, nor does he say anything; he just stands in the same position looking up the stairs seemingly staring at nothing for a few moments.
What the fuck is up with him?
"Bro, have you seen a ghost or something?" This question seemed to knock him out of his trance-like state. I hear a muffled sob come from upstairs and Willem and I both whip our heads to the landing as if we would be able to see what's happening. "What's going on up there? Why do you look so freaked out?" I ask in desperation, partly because I'm nosey but mostly because I'm genuinely concerned about what is happening at the moment.
Another cry breaks out from upstairs and I turn to Willem to see his expression is filled with pain, this was clearly distressing him so it is probably his sister. He loves his parents a lot, but there is no one that he loves more than his sister.
"What? Did Jasper break up with her again?" I ask, trying to make light of the situation to try and cheer up my best friend.
Jasper and Nadia have been on and off since year ten, so like four years. Jasper is a good guy but he does act like a bit of a prick sometimes, well most of the time actually. I really don't get why Willem doesn't say he has a problem with them being together, even though it is weird to date one of your teammates' siblings. I suppose Nadia and Jasper did meet before he was officially on the team but that is besides the point.
Even though he doesn't voice that he has a problem with their relationship, I know he secretly does hate it. Jasper walks all over Nadia all of the time and everyone turns a blind eye to it because she seems happier when she is with Jasper and that's all they want her to be. I just stay out of it because it's nothing to do with me, she can take care of herself when shit goes down.
With them being on and off for years, everyone is tired of their relationship but no one will say a thing as she is obsessed with that boy.
"What? No, t-they aren't even together right now, I don't think so anyway." He says in a hushed voice whilst finally looking away from upstairs and to me.
"Who knows with those two." I laugh, trying to make light of the situation once again.
"Yeah, right," Willem tries his best to laugh but it comes out more like a scoff. "Come on then man, let's go to practice."
I have a problem with not being able to take things seriously, I know that. But I will take things seriously when it is really needed, so I will make little jokes here and there about how Nadia is crying. Their relationship is a joke in itself if I'm being honest.
This time Willem didn't hesitate to let me drive his car and when we get in we spot a fast asleep Nathan in the backseat. We were only gone for like a minute.
Willem usually puts up more of a fight about letting me drive because he is really attached to that car. He drives a range rover because he is a classy bitch and his parents are fucking loaded.
I wouldn't say I'm jealous of the money his parents have, my parents have just as much money as them, it's just that they never fucking let me spend it.
My parents are not the most affectionate people, they used to be though. The last time I remember them being affectionate was when I started ice hockey when I was just a little boy. They give me a hug after I win each game but that is about as much as I get from them these days. The way they show their love for me is by putting pressure on me, I have to follow in my dad's footsteps and be the biggest ice hockey player in my generation.
As we approach the red light I put the car in park as this junction always takes forever to change. I look over to Willem, who is still looking out the window at nothing in particular. He has not moved or said a word this whole journey and we have been in the car for over ten minutes. I sigh because I realise now that whatever is going on at home must be eating him up inside for real and maybe I shouldn't have been joking about it.
"Will, can you talk to me? What's going on?" I ask him and he flinches at the sound of my voice and so I say a little softer, "Is she okay?"
He can't be distracted during training and our coach is very adamant about that. So I am not only looking out for him and his mental health, I'm looking out for his hockey career as well.
"I don't know if she is okay or not at all, that's the thing," He sighs and turns in his seat so he is facing me after checking the backseat to see if Nathan is still sleeping. "You remember I told you she had tonsillitis?" I nod, "Yeah well, that was like what? Three weeks ago now. Who the fuck takes three weeks to get over tonsilitis with having several courses of anti biotics?"
I am no doctor but that does sound fucking weird, she hardly ever gets sick too and when she is she forces herself to come into the rink anyway, which is not good for her at all.
"I think it might be something else. Something- I don't know- more severe, I guess?" The car behind us honks their horn to tell me that the traffic light has changed back to green, maybe I should've been keeping an eye on that.
I have only had my licence for a few months so it was an easy mistake to make.
I put the car back in drive and set off again, I put my foot down a bit more because we are a little late to training. Now, I don't condone speeding and I wouldn't recommend it but it has to be done in moments like this. I motion with my hand for Willem to carry on with what he was saying, "Yeah so, I walked into the dining room and she was like crying with her head on the dining table and shit, it was weird. I thought maybe it could be her period as you so kindly suggested it was earlier." I could see him face me out of the corner of my eye and knew he was giving me a pointed look so I just snicker, not saying anything so he can continue on with his story.
"But, I have never once seen her that bad on her period, you know how much she complains when she is. She is worse than that right now, plus she is on the pill anyway," He said that last part with a cringe, he really is off his game today.
Willem is known for being an intellectual person, getting straight to the point whenever he speaks but now he is getting sidetracked. I want him to hurry up as we are nearly at the rink, but I also don't want to rush him because he seems to be struggling to find the right words to use to explain himself.
It's crazy how your brain subconsciously tries to stop you from thinking about stuff that hurts you to try and save you from the pain even though it always ends up hurting anyway.
"Anyway, my parents asked me to carry her upstairs and when I put my hand on her skin it was hot and clammy and you know how she is always fucking freezing to touch. Also, her plate literally only had a couple of mouthfuls of food eaten out of it and she's always eaten her dinner like a pig-"
"Yeah, you're right about that." I snort, cutting him off.
She is always fucking cold, whenever I was round their house playing games with Willem, she would always come up behind us on the sofa and put her hands into our cheeks to make us flinch. We are used to the cold as we are always on the ice, but her hands are fucking freezing.
She also eats her food quickly, I would think that she doesn't eat enough as she is always hungry if I didn't already know that she is always hungry because of how much she puts herself through. Which is way too much for any eighteen year old girl.
"If you're done interrupting me, I would love it if I could continue with what I was saying," He mumbles. "So, I carried her up the stairs and the whole time she was whimpering, and when I set her on the bed she was white as her fucking sheets and sweaty like she is after training, it was disgusting." He scrunches his nose up in disgust, as if he has never been sweaty himself in his life.
"Don't you think that you're probably overreacting here? I mean, she is a drama queen and she could just be getting over tonsillitis weirdly. What is it that the doctors say? 'You've got to get worse before you get better', so maybe it's just that." I say carefully, trying to install some hope into him.
It might seem like a shock to some people but I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, I have no idea what's going on with her, she's probably acting up because she wants Jasper to take her back again.
I put the car in park once we are in our usual parking space when Willem says, "Yeah man, you're probably right. It's just hard seeing her in so much pain, you know?"
I nod because yes I do know. I don't remember much of my sister before she left but she was in so much pain all of the time that it felt as though I was in pain too. The way I would tear up whenever she cried or cringe whenever I saw a bruise on her arm. I never understood why my parents resented her so much, she never did anything wrong.
I still don't understand it now to be perfectly honest.
My parents have never hurt me, nor did they ever give me the impression that they ever would. The same could be said about my older brother and younger sister, it was only ever Natalie and I don't understand why.
It's crazy how much you miss someone when you have never really known them at all. She was... is my sister; she is part of me and forever will be.
I've never seen a sibling relationship like the one between Willem and Nadia. Those two are like two branches, no matter how many different directions they grow too, their roots will always remain the same. Their roots are each other, they will always love and support each other. I love my siblings more than anything but even I don't have as strong of a connection with them like Nadia and Willem have with each other.
They have the special kind of bond that some people can only dream of, I wish I had that kind of relationship with a family member. The closest relationship I have is with Willem, and although I consider him family, he isn't my blood.
My sister moved out when I was six, My brother, Ed was eight and my little sister, Lily was three. Lily doesn't remember her at all, I know Ed does but he doesn't speak a word about it.
I don't think Ed even allows himself to think about it, just wanting to forget all about her. I wish it was that easy for me.
Willem and I wake Nathan up from his slumber, "Oh shit." He says, after checking the time on his phone.
All three of us make a move inside the rink and run to get into the locker rooms to avoid the rain as getting wet before training is a pain in the arse. Trying to get your legs into jerseys and pants when you're wet is not an easy task at all. It's not much fun trying to get out of your gear after training either as you are all sweaty and it sticks to you, it's fucking gross but at least it keeps us protected and warm.
I strip off my clothes and swiftly get into my training clothes as we are a little late and the coach will definitely beat our arses for it. For a change it wasn't my fault that we were late, that may help soften the blow a little.
"Come on then man, we better get out there." I sigh and pat Willem on the shoulder before walking out into the rink, the chill air hits me immediately.
"And where have you two been?" Coach Grayon asks before he even sees us and we didn't even make enough noise for him to hear us over there. This guy has eyes in the back of his head, I swear.
"Something happened at home and we had to sort it out, coach." Willem replies whilst stepping onto the ice, me following behind him shortly after. Nathan must still be getting his gear on, he's a slow coach.
"And you both live together now?" He snickers, followed by a few chuckles from our teammates, Nathan's bellowing laughter standing out as he walks out of the changing rooms. He always laughs the hardest, he is the funniest guy on the team too.
The traitors. Willem and I are comfortable in our friendship and just because we are so close people think they have a right to question us about it. We are nothing like that, just best friends. It's like when Nadia and Maddy hang out, no one ever bats an eye at that.
I know the coach was only joking as he turns to smirk at us and says, "As long as it doesn't happen again lads." He turns back to the team, Willem and I skating to join the group from behind.
Coach Grayson is actually a pretty decent guy, he doesn't actually care if we are late to practice. Well, he tries to make it seem like he cares, but we can all tell he is bluffing and we humour him by pretending to be scared that he will kick our arses off the team. We all know that coach doesn't have the willpower to kick any of us off as we are some of the best players that this team has seen in all its years since founding.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I am a brilliant captain and always helping the team get the victory, we all do. Coach has been far less strict this year due to us all losing Archie, he doesn't want to overwhelm us or make us break.
Man, Archie was such a big personality on this team, we all really miss jersey 71.
I can't fault coach, he is an ex hockey star himself so he knows what he is doing and it is with his coaching that guides us to get the win every game.
His lenience on us all will all change in like a week though as we have to get back in the swing of things. We have the quarter finals coming up so we can't be slacking when we play and we need to train hard for it. We are good, but we aren't good enough to win the tournament without the proper attention.
"Practise your body checking, you guys have been slacking with them lately. And don't be violent, yeah?" Coach rolls his eyes, as he knows we are all blood thirsty arseholes when we get onto the ice.
I feel Jasper's eyes on me and I nod to him, not receiving one back. He always gets pissed off when I come to the rink with Willem as he knows that I go round to his house before training when I do. This guy is very overprotective and territorial over Nadia. I'm not sure why he gets mad at me for being around her though, she's a whiny little bitch. We used to get on so well but we drifted apart after the winter showcase.
I'm not really arsed by it, it gives me one less headache everyday.
I think Jasper is jealous of how close I am with Willem and the relationship I have with the rest of her family. Jasper only has a close bond with her father from what I have seen, Willem and his mother distance themselves from him a little. Her mum loves me though, I grew up with her telling me that she sees me as her son.
I never talk to anyone about this but it brings a slight tear to my eye whenever I remember the memories I have with the Marsh family because I never remember any I have with my own.
The happiest memories I have are with a family that isn't even mine.
After training for a few hours we are all beat, so coach says we can all take our showers and head home early. My body is sore due to Jasper being extra forceful when pounding his body into mine. An ice bath is definitely in order tonight. Ice hockey is a sport that gives you so much adrenaline that soon gets worn off when you feel all the aching in your muscles.
In the locker room whilst we are changing out of our practice uniform, Jasper comes up to Willem and I, not caring that we are practically naked in front of him.
"What happened at home? Is Nads alright, yeah? She hasn't replied to any of my texts since this morning." He asks, sounding genuinely concerned.
It's not that he and Willem aren't friends, they were but after Jasper and Nadia started dating it obviously made their friendship a little awkward as they are always on and off. Now Willem tries to distance himself from Jasper any chance he gets, he will obviously choose his sister's side over anyones.
Now, I could be a dick here and answer for Willem to show Jasper that I know how his girlfriend is when he doesn't but I can't be bothered for the fight.
"She will be, yeah," Willem was going to leave it at that but Jasper is looking at him like he is expecting more of an answer.
"Nads will reply to you when she's better I'm sure." I say to him so Willem doesn't have too, using his nickname for her to piss him off more so he leaves. I want to go home and have my ice bath that he made me need.
When Jasper grunts out a thank you and heads towards the shower, Willem turns to his locker and rolls his eyes. I know exactly why he did that because I feel like doing the exact same thing. Jasper has been almost obsessed with Nadia since they met and he gets all insecure and shit when she goes more than ten minutes without speaking to him. I'm not saying that Jasper isn't a good looking guy, he is one attractive mother fucker. But, if I was him, an insecure prick and I was dating a beautiful girl I would be the same. But I'm not him, I don't have the energy to be on and off with the same girl for years and hockey takes up most of my time anyway.
Wait, did I just say she was beautiful? Now I feel like I am coming down with the tonsillitis she has.
"What's wrong with you? You look like you've just walked in on your parents having sex." Nathan asks me, laughing at his own...joke? I wouldn't call it a joke but he for sure would.
"Nice one man." Liam grips onto his shoulder, chuckling along with him.
Jesus fucking christ, I am surrounded by idiots.
"Yeah, I certainly feel like I did." I reply, more to myself than him and receive a suspicious glance form Willem as he was the only one to hear me.
Ignoring the glances from my teammates I head to the shower and turn it on and curse under my breath when the freezing water touches my skin. I always forget to wait for it to warm up after practice, training really does take it out of me to the point I forget who I am. I don't know, it's weird. I love being on the ice but being the hockey team's captain and the pressure from my dad just takes out all of the fun for me.
Cleaning the sweat off my body with the lavender shower gel I feel my body begin to relax. Lavender has always reminded me of my sister, she had a little lavender scented teddy bear. Washing myself with this specific scent helps me feel at home, helps me feel as though she is still in our family. It's stupid I know, I just miss her even though I never really knew her. There has been a sense of loss in my life since she left, I suppose I just really want an older sister figure here for me.
This is why I'm so thankful to have Willem as my best friend, he is the only person who I have told about my home life and he still doesn't know all of it. I have just never felt comfortable enough too. Him and his parents have always been extremely welcoming to me, inviting me to outings and dinners and shit like that.
Even Nadia has been welcoming to me, even though she is moody all the time and loves to pick fights with me. Deep down we both know that our bickering is harmless.
Once I'm finished in the shower and dressed back into my casual clothes, I head out to Willems car as he never stays to have a shower here, he waits until he gets home and can have a bath. They are more relaxing so I can't exactly blame him. But, he really does stink of sweat on the car ride home and having to sit next to that is a nightmare. Speaking of the smell of sweat, it hits me as soon as I open the car door. I make an exaggerated gagging sound and Willem rolls his eyes and puts the car into drive.
"You scared of a little sweat, Corey?" He smirks at me, "Who knew, I might give you a little taste of my armpit if you make me wait that long again, did you fall down the shower drain or what?"
"And if you do that I will no longer be riding with you and I know how much you would miss my company," I reply completely seriously. "I took so long because my muscles hurt thanks to Jasper tackling so aggressively tonight." I say and rest my head against the window watching the lights of the town flicker on as it's turning dark out.
I didn't hear Willem's reply as he turned the radio on and it was louder than his speaking voice, he always seems to forget that. I close my eyes and focus on something else in my mind in an attempt to drown out the music blasting in my ears.
"Corey, wake the fuck up, fucking hell." Willem raised his voice in my ear and slapped me on the leg, because apparently there is not a more effective way to wake someone up other than shouting at them and slapping them near to where it hurts. I didn't even realise I fell asleep, or mean too I probably won't sleep tonight now as naps, no matter how long or short always seem to make my tiredness go away. "Finally, I've been trying for like two minutes-" I start opening my car door. "Wait, are you still going to the party next week?"
"Will, name one party I haven't been to this season." He opens his mouth to reply but realises he can't and I laugh at him. "Yeah, I'll be there, thanks for the ride home man. I'll see you tomorrow."
The party next weekend is going to be the last party where we are allowed to drink as we have to start practising for our quarter finals soon and that's tough shit, coach makes us take it very seriously even though we all know we will win.
Confidence is key, right? We all don't make a fuss about not being allowed to drink, we all drink enough as it is, a few weeks without won't harm us.