Chapter 2
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After over an hour on the phone with Jenny, Mathieu became a more pressing matter than me, and I hung up. I changed into some more comfortable clothes, and buried my head under pillows, eager to fall asleep and forget about everything. This theory worked - but only until 2 a.m. Then I woke up in a cold sweat after an awful nightmare. It was reliving the awful nightmare of the previous day. I closed my eyes and took numerous deep breaths, trying to calm my speeding heart. Without a second thought, I picked up the phone and took Dominic up on his offer. After only one ring, he picked up. �Ally?� He asked. �How�d you know it was me?� �Who else would call at 2 in the morning?� He asked. �Sorry.� I said. �Don�t be. You didn�t wake me up.� He said. �I�m sorry, Nick. I�m so sorry.� I said-not referring to waking him up, and he knew it. He sighed. �Allison, stop it.� He ordered. �I don�t want to hear it.� �Nick�� I said in protest. �I can�t stand listening to you beat yourself up like this. Don�t do this to yourself, Ally. Don�t do it. You�re better than this.� He said, and I fell silent. Both of us were caught up in our thoughts momentarily. �Nick?� �Yeah?� �Do you want to come to my room? Hang out, watch TV-whatever.� I threw the offer out cautiously. He paused for a second then spoke. �I�ll be right over.� We hung up, and I took a quick glance in the mirror, making sure I looked decent. Quite frankly, I didn�t. I shook my hair down, and brushed it as fast as I could. As for the rest�well, my eyes were red from crying, I looked tired and upset. Unfortunately, I didn�t have time for a complete make over, so Nick would have to deal. He knocked on the door, and I went to answer it. �Hey.� He said, coming in. �Hi.� There was no need for more words than those. I sat on the bed, and Dominic sat next to me, mindlessly flipping channels. He paused on an Olympic news station-probably not the smartest idea, but we were worn out, emotionally and physically. As coverage of the dance came on, I bit my lip, but watched. If I didn�t hear it now, I would tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. The cruel words weren�t going to go away just because I ignored them. Much to my surprise, however, the words weren�t as cruel as I had suspected them to be. Rather critical, but sympathetic, too. Nevertheless, I started crying. I hadn�t cried yet-been on the verge of tears so often, but I hadn�t allowed myself to break down. The tears kept coming-I wanted them to stop, wanted control back. But it was gone. Nick wrapped his arms around me. Didn�t say anything. Just tried to help me feel better. Sometime later, my eyes cleared, and the tears stopped falling. But I kept myself locked in Nick�s embrace, not willing to face the world alone. The early morning sunlight was bright even through my closed eyes-probably the reflection off the snow. I blinked, and the room slowly came into focus. The first thing I recognized was Dominic, still asleep next to me. My eyes opened, and I swore under my breath. �Dear Lord�if Jenny finds out about this, I�m never going to live it down.� I said. She, and most of the Canadian team for that matter, was convinced we were meant for each other. I could explain it a thousand and a half times, but they still wouldn�t listen, no matter how many times I informed them that when you�ve been skating with someone since you were fifteen (eleven years) you do become more than good friends. However, that did not mean it was romantic. I gritted my teeth, and prayed there was no one around. This was not good. I shook my head and collapsed back onto the bed.
