No Alternative: Day 8

Word Count: 48,009

Summary of Events:

Drake's dad caused a pair of customers — who happened to be checking out the restaurant so as to potentially promote it in a travel brochure — to leave in disgust without eating by pretending they hadn't ordered the meals they had because the central ingredients for those meals were spoiled instead of just admitting they were spoiled, as Drake and the other waitstaff hadn't known of the unavailability. Some days later Drake, Rhys, and Hayden bid Calder farewell as he left to participate in the NHL Combine for its draft prospects . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Once his billets had finished and stepped back, Calder turned to his friends.

Hayden went up first and embraced him, holding tight for a long time in which Drake heard them exchange muffled words.

Rhys shook hands with Calder, and pulled him into a looser embrace next, not saying anything until they’d pulled apart.

“All the best,” Rhys said. “Hopefully you don’t get picked by the Golden Knights.”

Calder laughed. “I’ll try and keep my mouth shut about how bad their jerseys look if I do.”

“We’ll see you yet this summer,” Rhys said. “And if you forget your Jeep we’ll drive it to where you’re at.”

“Road trip!” Hayden said, sounding mostly enthusiastic, although he definitely looked rather emotional.

Drake offered the biggest smirk his still-sore face would allow and Calder looked at him sympathetically.

“You’re going to get out of there,” Calder said. “Even if I have to kidnap you.”

“I don’t think changing programs or schools should be that hard,” Rhys said.

Calder grabbed Drake’s shoulders firmly and looked him in the eye. “Don’t give up, we want to see you flying one of these guys someday, even if your parents are paranoid of them.”

Drake nodded. “Have fun.”

Sighing, Calder looked at Drake sceptically before pulling him into a powerful embrace that made it clear just how physically strong Calder was, in spite of his not really looking all that thick or solid — in fact, the weigh scales said that Calder was only about five kilos heavier than Drake was — and tears sprang to Drake’s eyes in spite of himself.

“Keep spending time with Rhys and Hayden,” Calder whispered. “You already are starting to look like you’re losing hope. It’s like Rhys said, it shouldn’t be that hard to get you into flying without your parents knowing. Even if it does prove hard, we won’t let your parents destroy you. Hang on for us if nothing else. Please.”

“You sure I can’t hide in your luggage?” Drake asked.

Calder chuckled. “If worse comes to worse make for Nanaimo, Mom and Dad can’t seal off my bedroom, and I’ve kept them up-to-date with all of this, they’d be more than willing to let you stay there if necessary.”

“Thanks,” Drake whispered.

“Anything for one of my best friends outside of hockey,” Calder whispered.

He gave Drake a final squeeze and then let go. Drake could see he looked like he wanted to cry too, but they all managed to hold themselves together and Calder picked up his luggage, heading for the exit onto the tarmac.

Drake, Rhys, and Hayden watched as he boarded the small passenger craft that would carry him west to Nanaimo for all of a few hours before he would be departing for Buffalo and the Combine, not turning away from the window until the plane had taken off and disappeared behind a fluffy cumulus cloud as it made its way west.