Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
RUBY
We don’t go back onto the football field for the rest of the week, much to my secret disappointment. Part of the reason is because the coaches asked us to stay away because they didn’t want the team distracted. Their first game was away, and it was important, so totally understandable.
We were supposed to attend that game but were unable to go because Eric forgot to get permission from administration and it turned into this big mess, Gwen and Eric arguing over it for a solid thirty minutes.
They were so snippy with each other, I’ve never been more grateful for the weekend to come because I needed to get out of there. Couldn’t take the tension.
Those two? I think they got a little thrill over being mad at one another. Like their arguing was foreplay.
Hmm.
Over the weekend when I was sick of homework, I’d scroll through the hours of content Eric shared with us via Google Drive, trying to put something together that felt fresher .
It was a struggle, but I managed something and ran it by Gwen. I posted the video Saturday right before the scheduled kickoff, and while it was decent, and we got about two hundred likes, it was nothing like our arm candy post.
That one now has over ten thousand likes, which means it’s gone semi-viral.
And it has almost five hundred comments, pretty much all of them from women trying to guess the players by the guys’ arms. Or they’re demanding to know who they are.
Some of the guesses are right, which is kind of impressive.
When Monday rolls around, Gwen sweeps into the office, the last one to arrive, a smug expression on her face as she deposits her book bag on her desk.
“Eleven-point-five-k likes, Eric.” She shoves her phone in his face for emphasis and he averts his gaze, annoyed. “I told you that type of content would work.”
“You had one lucky post, okay?” He shakes his head, crossing his arms in front of him. “Let’s see if you can do it again.”
“We can,” Gwyneth says smugly, and I wince.
“Saturday’s post didn’t do so well.”
“It wasn’t new content we filmed,” Gwen says. “It was Eric’s.”
“Hey,” he protests. “You’re making it seem like I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“You don’t,” Gwen says, not mincing words. Her gaze shifts to mine. “Ready to go film?”
“Oh, thank God.” I leap to my feet. “I can’t take it hanging out in here with you two fighting all day.”
“We don’t fight,” they say at the same time, which is weird and proof that they’re secretly in sync with each other.
“Afraid to break it to you, but you guys do. And I’m over it.” I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulder, heading for the door. “Let’s go.”
When I realize no one is following me, I turn and lean against the door, contemplating them both. Their matching sour expressions. Their narrowed eyes. Ugh, these two. I can’t with them anymore.
“Are we really going to waste away in this office today because you’re mad at each other?” I snap, feeling as if I’m going to actually snap.
Eric and Gwen share a look, Gwen speaking first.
“Maybe we should still go over the video content first?—”
“Give me a break,” I interrupt. “You don’t want to go over Eric’s content, and Eric doesn’t want you touching it either.
” Eric opens his mouth to speak but I shoot him a look that has his lips pressing closed.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I feel like you’re in some sort of weird standoff that feels more like foreplay than actual anger, and I can’t take it anymore.
The tension between you guys is thick enough to slice through, and I’m sorry, but you’re both being stupid. ”
Gwen’s eyebrows shoot up and Eric grimaces.
“Foreplay?” he croaks, sounding uncomfortable.
I nod, not backing down from my assessment. “Definitely.”
Gwen snorts. “Not even.”
Fine, we won’t go there, but my frustration is bubbling close to the surface and I don’t care if I’ve been on this team for like, a week. They’re both being so stubborn it’s like they want to sabotage the team on purpose.
“Seriously, you two. Just…Eric, it’s okay to admit our post has done better than all of the football team posts you’ve made combined.”
Eric’s mouth drops open. “That’s not quite true?—”
“And Gwen, stop gloating and trying to tell Eric what to do. I think we can all co-exist and post a variety of content to appeal to all of our fans. The dudes and the dads and the women. Wouldn’t you agree?” I cross my arms, feeling like I’ve somehow become their mom.
I don’t even know them, yet here I am, bossing them around.
They both reluctantly nod, keeping their gazes averted.
“They’re getting restless online, by the way. They all want to know whose arms we featured, which means we need to go film more content with the guys and reveal who they are.”
Ugh, meaning I’ll have to interact with Ace. Maybe I should leave that up to Gwen and I can go do…something else.
Anything else.
“It’s a home game this weekend,” Eric murmurs, staring off into the distance. “We should start pushing it.”
“Of course, we should, and it’s Monday, so we have plenty of time to push.”
“We should post multiple times a day,” Gwen suggests, keeping her focus on me, not once looking in Eric’s direction.
“You know I think that’s a bad idea—” Eric starts, but I hold my hand out, stopping him from talking.
“Have we ever done that before?” I ask them.
Gwen and Eric shake their heads.
“Then maybe we should try it.” I take a deep breath, hating how I’m taking over this situation and turning it into some sort of meeting-lecture, but nothing was going to get accomplished until I said something. “Think we can get out there and film?”
“I should ask Mattson,” Eric says. “Sometimes they don’t like the distraction. He kept us away Friday, remember? ”
Gwen snort-laughs, like she doesn’t believe him, and I send her a look, silently asking her to explain.
“They usually love it when we’re out there filming them. I think they actually play better when we’re there because they’re all a bunch of show-offs.” Gwen rolls her eyes.
I smile. “I think you’re onto something.” I glance over at Eric. “Do you want to reach out to Mattson or should we live on the edge and just show up?”
“I can text him.” Eric pulls out his phone and sends a quick message, his expression uncertain. “He might not answer me though. They’re already out on the field.”
Love how Eric keeps tabs on their schedule. He knows it by heart.
We wait for a few more minutes, Eric gathering his camera equipment, while Gwen remains at the desk, stewing in her feelings. I approach her carefully, sending a quick look in Eric’s direction before I settle into the chair next to hers, knocking my shoulder into hers gently.
“You okay?”
“I’m annoyed,” she tells the table, where her gaze is currently fixed.
“At Eric?”
She nods.
“Why?”
Gwen turns to me, her voice lowering, her gaze shifting from me to Eric and back to me as she talks. “He’s being stubborn. And rude. I think he’s mad that our post did so well and he doesn’t want to admit his content is stale.”
“Yeah, well you’re both being really stubborn,” I say, keeping my voice purposefully gentle.
“I agree he’s struggling to admit that our post did great, but you two sitting in this office constantly arguing or not speaking to each other at all isn’t working.
We need to get out there and get more content.
We have a game to push. An entire team to feature. ”
This office is tiny. I’m over being locked away in here. And besides…
I hate to admit this, but I want to get outside and watch Ace in action. I haven’t seen him since he stopped to talk to me when I was sitting at the picnic table struggling to take notes on the most boring chapter I’ve ever read for my ancient history class, and I…
Miss him.
No. I don’t miss him. That’s just weird. How can I miss someone who irritates me every time I talk to him? Hell, I look at him and I’m irritated.
I definitely don’t miss him, but I do miss his…smart mouth and charming smile.
God, if he ever knew I thought that, he would be so smug.
“Have you heard from Mattson yet?” Gwen asks Eric, her tone even. Not hostile like it has been.
He shakes his head, remaining silent.
“We should go out there anyway.” She pushes back her chair and stands. “You ready, Ruby?”
I nod, leaping to my feet with a smile. “Let’s get out there.”
We hear them before we can actually see them, their angry shouts filling the air. A whistle constantly being blown. Lots of curse words, including a blasted “Fuck!” that seems to vibrate in the air.
Sounds like the football team is in crisis, much like their social media team .
“Throw the fucking ball, Townsend! Get rid of the damn ball!”
They finally come into focus, just in time for us to witness Ace scrambling, launching the ball at the same time he’s sacked from the side, the lineman taking him down hard.
A gasp escapes me when Ace hits the ground and I clamp my lips together, hoping no one noticed. Gwen and Eric are too wrapped up in their own bullshit to notice me anyway and I try to play it cool, though my heart is thumping twice as hard as I watch Ace lie prone on the field.
He pops up seconds later, as if a current of electricity ran through him, bringing him back to life, and I breathe a sigh of relief, my gaze tracking his every movement as he claps hands with the lineman who just took him down, performing some sort of complicated hand shaking ritual that eventually has me shaking my head.
Boys. They’re kind of ridiculous.
We launch right into capturing content, Eric protesting at first that we should ask Mattson if it’s okay, but Gwen ignores him, holding up her phone and filming Ace as he gets back into position.
I stand behind her, my gaze stuck on Ace. He’s wearing a practice uniform with pads and everything and he looks positively delicious. He’s also got a sweatband around his head, though he’s wearing it more like a head band so it keeps his hair out of his eyes.