The Girl Next Door Chapter 25

“Hey!” Kate said as Sidney stopped at her house the next day.
“Hey,” he said back, kissing her. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” she told him, smiling. “Thanks again for the jersey; I know that was an important one.”
“When your parents told me about it, I figured there was no other way to go,” he told her.
“Well, thanks,” she said. “You’ve already dropped your stuff off back home?”
“Ya, all unpacked,” he told her.
“Meaning you just threw your clothes down into the laundry room, like every other guy,” Kate said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
“Sidney!” Sarah said, walking into the front hall. “How was Cole Harbour?”
“Great,” he told her. “It was so nice be home for a couple of days. But now I’m ready to be back here, and back to playing.”
“Always hockey for you, and for Katie too,” she laughed.
They heard people coming up from the basement, and Sarah realized it was their family.
“There they are,” Sarah said. “You two better leave, unless you want to answer a million questions.”
But, it was too late. Her relatives had opened the door from the basement, and were staring right at her.
“Katie?” her uncle Jack asked. “Who’s your friend?”
“Everyone, this is my neighbor, Sidney,” Kate began against her will. “Sidney, this is my uncle Jack, aunt Megan, and my two cousins, Mary and Andrew.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Sidney said as he smiled and shook their hands. “Kate’s mentioned you guys a few times.”
Kate snickered, and tried to contain herself. She was about to die. She had only said horrible things about her relatives.
“Well, we were about to head out,” Kate told her relatives as she opened the door. “We’ll see you guys later.”
“Have fun,” Sarah told them.
“I think I’ll be home by dinnertime, but I’m not sure,” Kate told her mom.
“Just have fun, don’t worry about that,” Sarah told her.
“Are you serious?” Megan asked her incredulously. “Dinnertime is family time! She should be home before that!”
“Do not tell me how to raise my children, or how to run my household,” Sarah firmly told her. “Do not forget who invited you out here for Christmas.”
At that, Megan made a snide comment to Sarah, and after that, all hell broke loose. Kate pushed Sidney out the door, and slammed it shut, so they would not get in the middle of it. Kate began to laugh, and said something to Sidney about how stuff like that happened every time they were together. Sidney laughed, and said how it was so hard for him to keep a straight face when he was meeting her relatives. They hopped into Sidney’s car, and drove out to the airport to pick up Colby.
*****
Kate stood at the security checkpoint at the airport a little after two o’clock. After waiting a few minutes, she saw Colby and waved.
“Colby! It’s great to see you back here,” she told him as he reached her.
“Great to be back here,” he told her, giving her a hug.
“How’s Lauren?” asking about Colby’s girlfriend.
“Good,” he told her. “She’ll be up here for the New Year’s Eve game, but then she’s gotta go back to Wilkes-Barre.”
“Are your parents gonna be here for the game tomorrow?” she asked.
“Ya, they’re bringing my car up, and then they’re driving to Ohio to see my little brother play,” he told her. Colby’s brother played in San Jose’s system, which had a team in Ohio.
“That’s great,” she said as they walked down the steps to baggage claim.
They talked while they waited for Colby’s two bags, and then she called Sidney to tell him to drive up, that they had Colby’s bags.
“Great to see you here,” he told Colby as he helped him throw his bags in the back of the car.
“I’m glad I finally made it up here,” Colby said. “I just hope I’ll stay.”
“You will,” she told him, nodding her head, hoping what she had said would be true.