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“Let me get Tristan out of here. Then we can talk.”
A minute later, he reappears, looking a lot like a disgruntled bear.
“I’m sorry in advance for the conversation my dad is going to have with you tomorrow at practice. I kind of used you as a scapegoat, not on purpose,” I say as he jams his feet into his shoes.
“Can’t be easy to balance having your dad around all the time and in every part of your personal business.” How he grunts that entire sentence is a wonder. He turns to Rix and wraps his hand gently around her throat as he leans in to brush his nose against hers. “Bea, your ass is mine later. Love you.” He slips out the door. He’s the only person who calls her Bea.
Rix slides her phone out of her back pocket. “Sorry I missed a bunch of messages. You know Tristan and waiting.”
She thumb-types vigorously, and a few seconds later my phone buzzes with a text. There’s a few minutes of back and forth before she slides her phone into her back pocket. “Does this call for nachos and margaritas?”
“Yes. Heavy on the margaritas.”
Twenty minutes later, Hemi Reddi-Grinst, the director of team PR who I interned with during my fall semester; Tally Vander Zee, the coach’s daughter; and Dred Reformer, who lives in the apartment across the hall from Flip, arrive. Dred has recently become a regular fixture in our group. She and Rix’s brother have also started hanging out, and much to our surprise, they’re completely platonic. She has some kind of superpower that makes Flip a rational person.
Anyway, these ladies are my girl squad. It often also includes Shilpa, but she’s out with Ashish tonight. I have school friends, but they don’t really understand me like these women do.
“Okay. What in the sweet hell happened? You look like you’re on the verge.” Hemi makes a circle motion around her face.
I explain the situation—how I’d planned to go back later, but the team came home early. I leave out the kitty-cam part, though.
“Why didn’t you go across the hall to your dad’s place? You still have a bedroom there,” Hemi asks.
“Because my dad decorated it, and I don’t have the heart to tell him I’ve outgrown bubblegum pink.”
Hemi cringes.
“It is sweet that he tried,” Tally says.
He put so much effort into it and I don’t want to make him sad that I don’t like it anymore. It’s one of those instances in which I won’t be truthful with him. My dad is the most important person in my life.
“But you two are okay? He won’t say anything to Roman?” Hemi asks.
“What could he say? Hey, buddy, your daughter got herself off in my bed. Want to talk to her about it?” Dred asks.
“Roman would murder him,” Rix says. “With his bare hands.”
“Hollis won’t say anything.” I probably shouldn’t have said anything either. I run my hands up and down my thighs. “Maybe we should talk about literally anything else.”
The girls exchange a look but roll with it.
“How about the guest list for the gala?” Hemi suggests.
“Yes!” I slap my thighs. The gala is my baby this semester and a way for me to prove I have the skills to organize and manage a large-scale event. It’s an ambitious undertaking, but if I pull it off, it will be an incredible addition to my resume—and get me an A in Event Management. “I actually have a great idea.”
“All your ideas have been great so far,” Hemi praises. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re taking this on. It’s been a rough transition going from two extra sets of hands to zero.”
Tally and I both worked with Hemi last semester, and it was my dream internship. All I want is to work in the Terror organization again. “Do you need me to take on anything else? Besides the gala?” I’m all about channeling my nervous energy into something constructive.
“The gala is a full-time project on its own, but I appreciate the offer. I’ll get things under control.” Hemi sips her water. “You said you had an idea?”
“Right. Yes! So, Dallas and Flip attended the Hockey Academy, right?”
“Yeah. They went to the summer program when they were in high school.”
“What if we extend an invitation to their staff? It’s run by a team of legends. How cool would it be to have Alex Waters and Rook Bowman come to the gala? Or even better, Kodiak Bowman. He’s on track to be the MVP this year. That might be shooting for the stars, but it would be amazing to have support outside of the team for this charity event.”
“I love it. Do you want me to call?” Hemi asks.
