Three//Times Square Can't Shine as Bright as You

Tom's Point of View

I took Zoey by the hand as we walked out to the porch. Don't screw up Tom. This your last shot to make things right with the most amazing woman in the world. You'll be leaving back for Montreal soon, you can't let her slip through your fingers. We sat down close to each other on the old wooden swing.

"Zo, first I just wanted to tell you that I didn't mean to put you on the spot like this tonight. I had to talk to you, and this was the only way I knew how. I'm really sorry how about how things came about this summer. I was completely wrong about the whole Marc thing and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I never wanted us to end, especially over a stupid war game with Marc. Do you think you could ever forgive me?"

I took Zoey's hand gently and prayed to God she could find some way to forgive me. Zoey took my other hand and looked at me with that gorgeous face.

"Thanks, boo. I really appreciate it, but I was wrong too. I should have trusted my great boyfriend instead of listening to stupid Marc. I guess what I'm trying to say is I can't always look to my cousins for advice and help, I need to look to you first and foremost. I'm sorry I didn't do that before and I want to try to fix this if that's alright with you."

"I would love too." I said pulling her face in closer to mine and kissed her. "Would you please be my girlfriend again?"

"I'll be your girlfriend again only if you'll be my boyfriend again."

"Of course I will." Oh how I loved her sass. It was incredibly sexy. We started kissing again as I pulled Zoey onto my lap. All of a sudden it got really quiet and dark.

"Tom! What the hell are you doing here and with my cousin?!" Shit, Jordan and Olivia had arrived. No wonder it had gotten quiet. I looked over to Zoey and saw she was about to bust out laughing.

"Well, lets go inside. We can talk about in there." Jordan said shaking his head. "You two were apart over half the summer, now you can't get your hands off each other!"

Zoey and Olivia looked like they were about to explode.

"I'm sorry, Jord. I just can't help it!"

Zoey and Oliva lost it. Zoey jumped off my lap and went over to Jordan.

"Happy Birthday cuz!" Zoey said giving him a hug.

"Thanks Zo, lets get inside and have a drink."

"Sounds good to me!"

Jordan unlocked the door. The door wasn't even half open and you could hear, "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN!"

"Lets get this party started!" Jordan screamed.

I took Zoey by the hand as we walked our way into the camp. They already had the music pumping through the speakers. I grabbed a few Bud Lights out of the fridge for us as we took a seat on the couch. Before I could blink my eyes, her sister Lindsey had made her way to the couch with us.

"So what is this here?" Lindsey said.

"Tom and I are back together." Zoey said with a smile on her face.

"Well what are you going to do when this bum goes back to Montreal? Did you think about that?" Lindsey said in a snarky tone.

"Nice seeing you too, Lindsey." I said rolling my eyes. How much did she drink already?

"Lindsey, just leave us alone. We're working things out, ok?" Zoey said. "Can't you ever be happy for me?"

"Fine. I'm getting another drink." Lindsey said as she walked away heading towards the fridge. Holy hell, like she needed another drink.

"I can't believe she actually came home for Jordan's birthday." Zoey said.

"Yeah I was going to say, what happened with her never wanting to come back here."

"It's called bi-polar." Zoey said.

"Now that is very true, babe." I said giving her a kiss. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too. Especially fun nights like this with you." Zoey said with a grin on her face.

"Hmm what are you implying here, Miss Staal??" I could feel a huge smile come across my face.

"Lets just say, I'll be in the bathroom and I might need some help" Zoey said getting up off the couch. She strutted her way to the bathroom. Give it a minute, give it a minute. How she shines like that, it's unreal.

Two//Nothing to Lose but Everything to Gain

Jared and I pulled into Jordan's camp by the lake. I started grabbing the bags of decorations and heading into the camp.

"Can I trust you with this cake?" I yelled out to Jared.

"I swear I won't drop it."

"That's what you said at Marc's birthday. Remember how that turned out?"

"Yep, I had to go buy another cake before anyone else found out."

"You did not, Mum made you clean it. And you whined the entire time." I said turning around making sure he didn't drop the cake again.

"Hey you know that cake was such a pain to clean up."

"Oh yes it was. Let's get this inside."

Jared and I carried the cake into the kitchen. I made some room in the fridge so that the cake would fit in. Jordan had spent most of the summer here nursing his hurt foot from the playoffs. Needless to say, camp needed a good clean up. Jared and I started cleaning up, about an hour later the place looked spotless. I began hanging up some decorations we had bought. I was so excited for the party, but upset that summer was coming to an end. The boys would be back playing hockey for the year while I was here in Thunder Bay. I hated to see them go, but I knew they were doing what they loved. Jared and I were about done and the place was looking pretty good. Jordan wasn't big on surprise parties, but he was always down for a party.

"ZOEYYYYYY!"

I knew it had to be Marc and Eric, only those two could say my name that loud and obnoxiously.

"Hey guys!" I said giving them both a big hug.

"The place looks great! I wish I got a party like this." Eric said.

"Oh Eric, it's not my fault your birthday is during the season."

"Well at least its not in the middle of winter in NYC." Marc said.

"Has the little shit helped you today?" Eric said.

"Jared! Where are you?" we all screamed out.

"What you guys?" Jared said poking his head out of the bathroom.

"Eww J, shut the door. So how was golfing, you two?"

"Eh, it was alright. I don't know how Jordan won." Marc said.

"That's because he probably cheated!" Jared said yelling out from the bathroom.

"That is very true." Eric said.

"Sounds like it. So when were you two going to tell me about Tom coming?"

"Well, that was going to be your surprise." Marc said.

"Don't be mad, please." Eric said.

"It's alright guys. I haven't seen him in awhile."

"It'll all work out, I talked to him about it." Marc said.

"Oh geeze, should I be afraid, Eric?"

"Nah, Tom really misses you. He's always talking about when you two were together." Eric said.

"I'll take your word for it. Thanks, Eric" I said giving him a hug.

"And you, don't you ever try to pull a stunt like this again. I'm the one who does the surprises in this family." I said giving Marc a hug.

"I'm going to get changed. I'd imagine your Mom and Dad will be here pretty soon."

"Oh you know how Mom is." Jared said

"That's why we love her!" I said walking into one of the bedrooms to get changed.

I looked like this:

I walked out to find Aunt Linda and Uncle Henry talking to the boys.

"Hey Zo! I can't believe you and Jared actually cleaned this dump up!" Aunt Linda said giving me a big hug.

"Oh yeah. We had to make it look good."

"It's looking amazing! That dress looks great on you, too."

"Aww thanks!"

"Could you help me set up the food?'

"Yeah sure!"

For about the next twenty minutes Aunt Linda and I got the food ready since people would be arriving pretty soon. I told her how Tom was coming and she was thrilled. Tom was like another child of hers since he had practically lived at her house while growing up. It's not like we had a bad breakup, it all started over a stupid argument between him and Marc. I'm not sure why I even got involved with the argument between the two. I had taken Marc's side and it just caused some problems between Tom and I. We decided to take a break and hadn't talked much after that. I always loved talking to Aunt Linda about stuff like that. She always had the best advice. We just finished setting the food out and we could hear cars pulling down the driveway. Olivia and I had told everyone to pull down to Eric's camp (the farthest away) so Jordan couldn't see them when him and Olivia arrived. The camp was getting packed and everyone was talking amongst themselves. I grabbed a plate of food to eat and sat on the couch. I felt someone come up from behind and kiss me on my cheek.

"Zoey, can we talk please."

I looked up to see Tom and instantly nodded my head yes. Looking up into those deep blue eyes, I melted inside.

One // Just Knowing You Found Me

Oliva and I had gotten up around 9 this morning to go shopping for Jordan's party later tonight. I started making some french toast and put on a pot of coffee while Olivia got in the shower. The summer had literally flown by. I've been looking for a place to start a salon even since I got my license. There were a few places I liked, but they weren't what I had in mind. For now I'm working at a salon called Trois since they do hair, nails, and makeup. The pay is really good and I'm learning so much from it.

"Hey Liv, the french toast is about done!" I shouted out to her.

"Alright, I'll be out in a few minutes!" Olivia said.

I sat down at the kitchen island and started to eat.

"Hey thanks for breakfast! I'm so hungry!" Olivia said.

Her outfit: http://product.images.fansedge.com/51-26/51-26490-F.jpg

"No problem! By the way, cute outfit! Are the Jays playing tonight?"

"Thanks! Yeah I figured I'd support them now since we'll be partying tonight."

"So true! What do we need to get at the store?"

"I talked to your Aunt Linda last night and she said all we need is basically snacks. She has everything else."

"Okay that sounds good! I'm going to hit the shower before we go" I said as I put my dishes into the sink.

"Alright! I'm going to the post office to pick up Jordan's gift. Thank god it finally came in!"

"Okay, I'll see you then!"

I went into the bathroom and got into the shower. The hot water pouring down my body was so refreshing. It always makes you feel much more awake and alive. I couldn't wait for the party tonight, I hadn't seen some of the people going in so long! I went into my bedroom and got changed.

My outfit: http://cdn.thefrisky.com/images/uploads/AnnaLynne_whitepants_9809_m.jpg

I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and put on my make up. I had been so busy at work lately that Olivia and I didn't get to hang out much. We needed a night out so bad! I poured another cup into my travel mug and turned on some music to listen to before Olivia got back. Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" came on and I started to sing along to all of Rihanna's parts. Every time I turned on the radio in my car the song was always playing. It was just one of those songs that sticks in your head for a long time, but I didn't mind.

"Having fun in there?"

I turned around to see Jared and Olivia standing there. "Of course I am! So are you coming with us J?"

"Yeah! Eric and Marc are taking Jord out to the golf course while we get things ready for the party" Jared said.

"Sweet! Are you two ready to go?" I asked.

"Yep!" they both shouted simultaneously.

"Well come on now!" I said as I grabbed my coffee and headed out the door. "I call shotgun!"

"No whining, Jared" Olivia said as we both stuck out our tongues at him.

"You guys are mean" Jared said.

"Oh just get in the car before we leave without you!" I yelled out to him.

"Fine!" Jared said climbing into the car. "Can we at least listen to some music?"

"Alright you big baby"

Olivia popped in the cd and we were on our way. Jared kept screaming the lyrics to every song obnoxiously making Liv and us laugh. A few songs later we arrived at the grocery store. In the store we picked up some doritos, tortilla chips, salsa, and queso. Next stop was the liquor store. We got a few cases of bee, smirnoff, and a bottle of Jack to get the party started. Olivia and I of course made Jared put everything in the back of her car.We were on our way to Jordan's camp to drop off all the drinks and snacks we had bought. Olivia was going to meet Jordan up at the golf course and take him out for lunch while Jared and I set everything up. This summer we had all grown closer to each other than ever before. Eric wasn't really around too much this summer. The Canes had him doing PR work for the upcoming season and All Star Game. Olivia dropped Jared and I back at the apartment so we could get my car to take back over to Jordan's. She ran into the apartment and into the outfit she was going to be wearing tonight at the party and also for lunch.

Her outfit: http://frillr.com/files/images/Lauren%20Conrad.preview_0.jpg

"That's real cute Liv! So we'll see you around 6 tonight?"

"That's the plan! Thanks so much for setting up everything up you two!" Olivia said walking out the door.

"It's no problem! Have fun!" Jared and I said as we shut the door.

"Hey are you hungry for some lunch?"

"Do you really need to ask me that cuz?"

"Well that is true" I said starting to laugh. "Do you want me to put a pizza in the oven?"

"That sounds delicious!"

I went into the kitchen and pulled out a pizza from the freezer. "Hey, help yourself to a drink from the fridge." I said as I turned the oven on.

"Thanks, what can I get you?"

"Just throw me a Mountain Dew, bud"

"Catch!" I turned around just in time to grab it.

"Thanks" I said as we took a seat at the kitchen island.

"So are you excited to go down to N.C. with Eric?"

"I'm pumped! I love it down there, it reminds me so much of home. Plus I'll get to see my little buddy Parker all the time."

"Don't be teaching Parker bad things, Tanya will have a cow."

"I know, I know. I really hope you come down to see us."

"You know I'll try my best to get there. Trust me, I'll find a way." I said walking back over to the oven to put the pizza in.

"You better! Believe me, you'll love it down there! You need a break from work."

"Oh don't worry about me. I'm a Staal, you know I'll be fine."

"Well that is true. Promise me you'll take a break."

I walked over to Jared and put my hands around his face. "I promise I'll take a break, you dork."

"Now was the dork part really necessary?"

"You betcha."

"So how's the love life going?"

"What the hell are you talking about? You know that's non-existent."

"Come on you know that's bullshit."

"Umm no, it's not."

"Oh please. I know someone who will be exicted to see you tonight."

"Well that's news to me. Who?"

"You do know Tom will be there tonight. Marc invited him."

"Our Tom Pyatt?"

"Yep. You do know he's still in love with you, Zoey."

"I need to think about this. I'm going to get the pizza out of the oven before it burns."

I couldn't believe that Jared had just dropped this bombshell on me right before the party. I guess it was better that he told me now instead of finding out at Jordan's. After our breakup earlier in the summer we really hadn't talked much. I still really cared about him but I would have never guessed that he was still in love with me. The truth was I thought about him the entire summer wondering if he was thinking of me.

"Well what do you think I should do?" I said to Jared handing him a slice of pizza.

"Zo, we all want you to be happy. I know for a fact that you two make each other so happy."

"So you're thinking I should go for it" I said taking a bite of pizza.

"Just see how it goes. I'm not saying jump right in it."

"Alright. Thanks for telling me."

Jared and I finished up the pizza. We started packing up my Charger with the decorations and cake. I went back into my bedroom and packed my bag with my outfit to change into later. I grabbed Jordan's birthday bag and went back into the living room.

"Ready to go?"

"I'm ready when you are."

"Alright, let's head out!"

Jared and I walked out to the car and got in. I turned up the radio and started to drive to Jordan's. The entire way there I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen at the party. Was Jared serious about Tom? Jared couldn't lie even if he tried to. I would have to wait and see in a few short hours.

Introduction//Cast

My name is Zoey Staal. This past spring I received my cosmetology license. I've been trying to find a place here in Thunder Bay to open my own beauty salon. My roommate and best friend Olivia is dating my cousin Jordan after they met at one of his parties this summer. Olivia and I along with Jordan's brothers are throwing him a birthday bash before he goes back to Pittsburgh. Do I continue trying to make it in Thunder Bay or do my dreams take me somewhere else? This is my story.

Name: Zoey Staal

Age: 23

Status: Single

Looks like:

Name: Olivia Green

Age: 21

Status: Dating Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins
Looks like: