Read Choices (New Beginnings #1) for Free Online Page A

not cry , she told herself.
    Not wanting to talk about it, Michaela got up to throw away her trash when she noticed a framed picture hanging in the hall.
    "Is this signature real?" she asked, leaning forward to get a better look. Before her was a lithograph of the 1997-1998 New York Rangers.
    "Yeah, paid a fortune for it too," Jason got up from the couch and hobbled toward her.
    "Why would you pay so much?" she asked. "Gretzky's signatures aren't really worth that much because they're everywhere."
    "I know that now," Jason huffed. "But I was in high school when I bought this and didn't know a damn thing."
    "I could've told you that in high school," she smirked. "I also could've told you the name of every player on the Rangers and their relevant stats. I knew who the prospects were and what players in the league the teams should target for a trade. Most people didn't agree with me, but then, most people were wrong."
    "Pretty confident in yourself," he laughed.
    "I know my hockey," she shrugged. It was true. Michaela had always been a pretty quiet girl - except when it came to hockey. She was confident in what she knew and debates with her could get heated.
    "I see that," he laughed again.
    "Are you laughing at me?" She punched him lightly on the arm and then stopped herself when his face scrunched up in pain. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She put a hand on his back and tried to lead him to the couch but he waved her away.
    "I'm fine," he grunted. "Come on. NBC is replaying last year’s playoff games in the lead-up to training camp. Rangers round two, game seven is on."
    "That was a sweet game," she said when she was sure he was okay. "I was there."
    They sat next to each other on the couch and both grinned when they heard the color commentator. "It’s been a long off-season," Jason said.
    "God yes. I'm dying for the season to start." She looked sideways at him and then back to the TV. "Can I tell you something and not have you hate me or call me a traitor?"
    "As long as you aren't about to tell me you're also a Penguins fan, or worse, a Flyers fan."
    "Not quite as bad as that," she said. "I'm rooting for the Jackets this year."
    "Columbus? Why?"
    "My friend, Josh, is in their system and will probably get called up pretty early on." She grinned when she thought of Josh playing in the NHL.
    "Josh Walker?" Jason asked. "He's a great prospect. I was at the draft last year when they chose him. I was hoping he'd fall to the Rangers a few picks back."
    "You and me both," she agreed. "But he really loves the Jackets, so I do too."
    "They're going to be really good this year."
    "I know! I'm so excited to see them!" 
    "Don't you even try to convert me, though." Jason reached over and gave Michaela a small shove but she only grinned at him mischievously and focused on the game on TV. "I'm a loyal fan."
     
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    "You're not going to make me watch that crap, are you?" Maggie asked, slamming the front door behind her and waking Jason from his nap.
    "What?" he asked groggily.
    "How can you even follow that?" Maggie plopped herself down in a chair and pointed to the TV, where another hockey rerun was playing itself out. "I can't even see the puck!"
    Jason groaned and aimed the remote at the screen, turning it off. "Hey Mags," he said.
    "What's up, cuz?" she asked.
    "Just trying to sleep," he answered, closing his eyes again.
    "You can sleep when you're dead," she snapped.
    "And pray that that is soon." Jason was in a lot of pain, a fact he’d hidden while Michaela was over. She’d stayed most of the day before leaving with a promise to return. He didn't dare hide how he was feeling to Maggie. She’d see right through him.
    "You stop that right now." Maggie's voice was harsh, but Jason knew she only talked to him like that because she cared. Maggie had a tough going, and Jason was always the one who was there for her. She married young, but it didn't last. She decided she couldn't live in a house with a man whose anger hung heavy in the