Chapter 22
DANNY
The gymnasium where the roller derby game takes place isn’t busy yet, and that allows us to find Ophelia and her boyfriends with ease.
I’m also surprised to see Jane’s dad in the audience, sitting next to Andy.
As we approach their row, Ophelia spots us and waves.
Her hair is bright orange today, clashing—or complementing, however you see fashion—big-time with her colorful print outfit.
“Is that Jane’s grandmother?” Sadie asks.
“Yep. And her two boyfriends, Jack and Louis.”
“Wait? Boyfriends as in plural?” Sadie glances at me with eyebrows arched and eyes wide.
I chuckle. “Oh yeah. You’re in for a treat.”
Lorenzo enters their row first, followed by Sadie, then me.
This is the first time since the almost kiss incident that we’re going to be in close proximity again.
We saw each other every day of the week, but there’s an effort from both of us to keep things planted firmly in the friend zone.
I considered not inviting her to come tonight, but I have to believe I can be strong and not succumb to my urges. Mind over matter and all that.
She had to go and wear something sexy though. Those jeans of hers fit her tight ass perfectly, and the crazy asymmetric top shows peeks of skin here and there that are seriously impairing my ability to not think about kissing her.
“Hello, darlings. Long time no see,” Ophelia greets us.
“Hi, Grandma.” Lorenzo kisses her on the cheek.
Since Andy got custody of Lorenzo after his dad died, Lorenzo got the habit of calling Ophelia “grandma,” much to her delight. It makes sense, considering everyone knows it’s only a matter of time until Andy proposes to Jane.
Lorenzo says hello to Louis and Jack before taking his seat next to Ophelia. Her sharp gaze travels past him and focuses on Sadie and me.
“Danny, you brought a date.”
My cheeks become warmer. “Not a date,” I say quickly.
Ophelia’s smile wilts a fraction. “That’s too bad.”
“Not really. Danny and I can never be more than friends. We’re way too competitive for that. I’m Sadie, by the way. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, darling. These are my beaux, Jack and Louis. And the grouchy man with his eyes glued to his phone is my former son-in-law, Jonathan.”
The man in question raises his head upon hearing his name. “What?”
“Jane’s friends arrived. I was making introductions,” Ophelia explains.
He says a halfhearted “Nice to meet you” and returns to his device. The man is a workaholic, and no one really cares anymore that he’s only partially present whenever he’s around. At least he comes to Jane’s games, unlike her estranged mother.
Introductions are made, and then we take our seats.
Immediately, I feel the tension build between Sadie and me.
It’s like whenever we get in close proximity, our bodies create an electric spark.
Or maybe it’s just in my head. I chance a look at her and notice her jaw is tense.
Hell, I don’t want things to get awkward between us because of pesky physical attraction.
I like to hang out with her. If I just could stop wanting to kiss her, it would be great.
“Have you ever been to a roller derby game before?” I ask.
“Dude, you asked me that question already when you invited me, remember?”
“Right.” I rub the back of my neck, dropping my chin slightly so my long hair can hide my embarrassment.
“So, have you?” Lorenzo asks.
“No. All I know about the game I learned from Elliot Page’s movie.”
“Ah yeah. Whip it . I like that movie. It’s fun.”
“The soundtrack is also brilliant.”
“What’s your favorite song from it?”
“Let me guess,” I butt in. ‘Bad Reputation.’”
She smirks. “You know me too well already, Hudson.”
“Don’t call me Hudson. Only my teammates call me that.”
Her eyebrows shoot to the heavens. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
I shake my head, not knowing why I made that comment. “I’m not offended. It’s just… weird when you call me that.”
“Why? Because I’m a girl?”
No. Because you’re a girl I want to kiss so badly, it hurts.
“You’re not a guy on my team. That’s why.” I face forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
“It’s getting busy. How long until the game starts?” she asks.
“It’ll be another ten minutes, I think,” I reply.
“Oh good. I have time to pee.” She stands and stares at me. “May I?”
Since the row is too narrow, the only way she can walk through is if I stand too. Even so, there’s literally no space between our bodies when she walks past me. Chills run down my spine with the contact, which prompts me to make a hasty decision.
“Hey, Lorenzo, wanna trade seats with me? I haven’t seen Ophelia in a while.”
The kid shrugs and then switches places with me.
“Hi, Danny. How is everything with you?” she asks me, smiling kindly.
“Great. Preseason is kicking my butt, but Coach Clarkson thinks I have a shot at going pro.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news.”
We chat a little about football and then about how Troy and Charlie are doing in Europe before Ophelia brings up the topic of Sadie.
“So, tell me why you haven’t staked your claim on that lovely girl you brought tonight.”
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I’m not interested in dating anyone. I want to focus on football.”
“Danny, you’re only a sophomore. You can’t simply put your life on hold like that. Besides, why does having a girlfriend mean you can’t also succeed on the field?”
“Ophelia is right, son,” Jack pipes up. “This whole idea that no sex helps athletes stay focused is BS.”
My face and ears are in flames. I so don’t want to talk about my sex life—or lack of one—with Troy’s grandma and her boyfriends.
“Well, there’s also a complication. Sadie is Coach Clarkson’s daughter.”
“Oh really? How marvelous. That just made this story so much more interesting.” Ophelia claps her hands.
“Shh,” Jack says. “The girl is coming back.”
I turn and see that Sadie is, indeed, on her way back to her seat. She pauses when she notices the change in seating arrangement but doesn’t make a comment about it before she sits next to Lorenzo and proceeds to ignore me for the rest of the game.
Lorenzo is more than happy to fill the void and talks nonstop. He explains how the game works, who the players are, even tells Sadie about his crush on Scary Samantha, to which Sadie comments that she can see the appeal.
Before I know it, the game is over and we’re out of our seats, shuffling toward the aisle. Sadie continues to ignore me as she walks ahead with Lorenzo by her side. The kid is beaming with the attention. As for me, I just trudge along, feeling like a dirty dog who was kicked to the curb.
Andy catches up with me and throws his arm over my shoulders. “What’s up, Danny-boy? Feeling blue because Sadie traded you for someone younger?”
I push him off me. “Shut up, Rossi.”
He just laughs. “If she’s giving you the cold shoulder, it’s your fault. Why did you have to switch seats with my brother?”
“I wanted to chat with Ophelia.”
“Right. Well, I have a solution to your problems.”
“I don’t have problems.”
He taps my shoulder. “Don’t worry, buddy. I got you.”
“Andy, for fuck’s sake. I already asked you not to play cupid.”
He widens his eyes innocently. “I’m not.”
Like I believe the asshole.
My suspicions are confirmed when Andy shows his hand outside the building.
“All right everyone. I think Jane’s epic win deserves a celebration. We’re all going back to La Casa Rossi for pizza.”
“I should probably go home,” Sadie says.
“Nope. I’m not taking no for an answer,” Andy replies and then turns to wink at me.
Jackass .
“Come on, Sadie. You have to come. We can play Mario Kart ,” Lorenzo pleads.
While Lorenzo is busy giving Sadie the puppy eyes, I’m glaring at his brother.
“You’re going to pay for this,” I mouth silently.
The idiot just laughs.
“Fine, I guess I can hang out for a little bit,” Sadie tells Lorenzo.
Even though she’s not coming because of me, my stupid heart beats a little faster just the same.