20. Scott
CHAPTER 20
Scott
NYE/DECEMBER 31ST 2022
I t’s been, like, five whole days since I saw Athena, or rather, since she saw me. I went home to see Mom for a couple days, and she’s been at the hospital. We keep saying we’ll catch up, and I know we will, I’m just… impatient.
I saw her in Bitches Brew with Savannah a couple days ago, overheard her talking about how much she wants to change the world and leave her mark on something, and while it made me so proud, it also scared the ever-loving shit out of me.
I’m seeing her any minute. I’m not sure how much these guys paid the staff here at the hospital, or donated to the hospital itself, but they’re letting us in for like an hour to celebrate New Year with Edith.
She’s pretty depressed at everything going on, and I get it, if I was in a car one minute and the next, I woke up and couldn’t play hockey… fuck. It doesn’t bear thinking about. It really doesn’t. I can’t imagine not being able to walk, never mind skate.
I’m sure she’s glad to be alive and all, but Apollo says she’s sinking fast, and she’s going dark. He thought maybe if a few of us got together around her bed and helped her see in the New Year, it might cheer her up.
Athena’s due any minute. Last New Year’s Eve, the de la Penas threw a massive party. They fucking love a party, and Athena wore a sparkly black number that almost made me swallow my goddamn tongue.
Tonight’s low-key, though. We’re allowed in from eleven thirty, to half past midnight, giving us enough time to watch the ball drop, have champagne flute glasses of apple cider, and snacks.
We’re not wearing fancy clothing. In fact, Ares has bought us all matching PJs to wear as that’s something Edith can enjoy, too. And she’ll be tickled by the fact we all had to go into the outside world dressed in matching onesies.
A goddamn onesie. Doesn’t Ares know how cold it gets when you need to piss in one of these things?
Anyway, do I kiss her at midnight? I don’t, right? We haven’t even had a discussion about what we are or where we’re going to be. Right after the car crash trauma doesn’t seem to be a smart play, so I’m giving her the time and space she needs to come down from the adrenaline and cortisol drowning her system right now.
It’s all good, I’ve waited a million years, what’s a couple more weeks?
Fuck. Weeks. My stomach hurts. My balls are blue. And we head to Belfast, Northern Ireland for a few days.
I can’t bail on my team, even if it is a trip for exhibition games. And rugby. One of the guy’s cousins plays on a women’s rugby team there, and rumor has it, he got us all comp tickets for the game. Can’t wait to eat all the food Northern Ireland has to offer and cheer for my teammate’s cousin in a sport I don’t understand.
But also, I’d love to stay behind and repeatedly empty my balls in my girl.
Shiiiiiiiit.
I’m not supposed to think about it. It makes my dick think it’s happening, and right now he’s starting to wake up and that’s not appropriate given the current company I’m standing in.
Apollo and Edith are here, obviously, but there’s tension there. From the hissed whispers and the daggers they’re throwing at each other, I’m getting the impression that Apollo doesn’t want to go to Belfast any more than I do. Nothing against Belfast, or Northern Ireland, we would just rather be with our women. Is that so wrong?
Athena arrives next, she’s the most adorable reindeer I’ve ever seen. She’s got her hood up, I’m not sure if it’s to hide her identity, or to complete the look upon arrival, but she’s in full-on reindeer mode, and I’m here for it.
I love a woman who can have a bit of fun. That’s not true. I love this woman. I don’t care if other women can have fun. Just this one, and she can.
She grips my cheek when she gets to me. “Who’s a pretty little elf?”
“This guy.” I hook my thumbs toward my chest. “I’m glad you acknowledged it. Totally outdone by the prettiest reindeer I ever did see.”
She blushes at the compliment before going to give gingerbread-clad Edith a big hug and kiss. She’s brought her a little, black gift bag stuffed with hot pink tissue paper that she hands to her before circling the bed to hug her Christmas tree brother.
She hands him a little black bag, too, his has red paper poking out of the top, then she comes back to hand one to me. My tissue paper is green to match my elf outfit.
Ares is dressed in a Santa onesie when he arrives, Eloise is a penguin, and Artemis is a snowman. I thought we were all matching, but I kind of like the fact we’re all different. Athena hands out her presents to the last three people to arrive. We each have snacks, some fancy schmancy chocolatier I’ve never heard of. There’s a box with a sticker on it, if I had to guess, I’d say there are no more than six chocolates in this thing.
Except I don’t have to guess, Ares already has the damn box open, and he’s tossing a chocolate ball into the air. Eight chocolates. Edith pulls a ballerina Barbie from her bag and her eyes well up.
Athena sits on the edge of Edith’s bed, facing Edith and kind of me, side-on. She takes Edith’s free hand with both of hers, and she pats it. “We will exhaust every option under the sun to get you dancing again Edith. You have my word.”
Edith doesn’t reply, she only sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and nods.
Apollo mouths ‘thank you,’ to his sister who shrugs off his gratitude and how kind and awesome she is because she hates credit.
Artemis’s gaze on my cheek is heavy, when I finally meet his gaze, he tips his head to the side with a raised brow.
I widen my eyes to communicate ‘I’m trying,’ but he simply rolls his eyes at me in return. When he jerks his head at his sister, I turn my attention to my own bag. Focusing on chocolate balls will be a distraction from focusing on my own blue balls.
I have a pin in my bag, it says, ‘Goonies never say die,’ and there’s a Rubix cube. I don’t know why my soon to be girlfriend is intent on having me break the walls in the hockey house because I don’t have the fucking patience to work a Rubix cube so I will never mess it up. It’ll be in pristine condition for the rest of its life.
At the bottom of the bag there’s also a hundred buck gift card for the movie theatre, and another hundred buck gift card for 30Hop, one of my favorite places to eat in Cedar Rapids.
I can’t scold her, she always gives us gifts at Christmas time, and she’s always included me in that. Usually, it’s a gift card for somewhere, something practical, Target so I can splurge on fancy groceries, or for Hyvee so I can get gas for my car, or whatever.
This time, though, it’s personal. Movies and treat food.
Everyone else tends to get smaller shit than the gift cards she convinced me to accept last year. “I can’t buy my brothers gift cards,” she’d said. “They can buy those themselves.”
She wasn’t being a dick, but I still remember the pang in my chest at the thought I can’t just go out and buy whatever shit I want to buy.
“So, I buy them stupid stuff that they may need but don’t think to buy, or something nostalgic from our childhood.”
Last year, she bought Ares a yoyo, and he still plays with it.
“Please don’t make it a thing, just take the gifts and put them to good use. I don’t care if you go to Hyvee and buy a hundred bucks worth of cake, Scottie, just don’t reject my gift.”
So, I didn’t. But there’s a not-too-small part of me that really doesn’t like accepting that kind of high-value gift from her.
Except this year. This year, well, I can use her gift cards to take her to the movies, and to take her to 30Hop, so I’m thrilled. I’ll be spending her own money on her, and she’ll hate it, but that’s my compromise. Suck it, Bright Eyes.
Everyone turns to me, making me realize I was chuckling out loud. She smirks as I hold up the Goonies pin as if that’ll explain while I’m sitting in the corner with a demented smile on my face.
“Thanks, Bright Eyes.” I lift my gift bag to her in a ‘cheers’ moment.
“Yeah, thanks.” Ares is three balls deep.
Athena waves her hand in dismissal. “Well, you know, the real Athena?—”
“Yes, we know.” Apollo’s eye roll rivals that of his sister’s. “She accidentally killed her beloved sister-playmate Pallas while play-fighting with her.” He quotes her in his best Athena voice. We’ve all heard her tidbits about her namesake a number of times over the years.
She holds her hands up. “I’m just saying. While sometimes I want to not-accidentally kill you all, you’re pretty decent brothers.”
Ares snorts.
“Very big of you to admit, Hen.” Artemis’s droll voice is as amused as he gets.
Edith decides we all need an us-ie, a group picture of all of us crammed onto her hospital bed dressed in our Christmas onesies. And after about two dozen attempts at getting all of us balanced on the bed, looking in the right direction, and keeping our eyes open, a very kind nurse comes in to save us all from ourselves.
I think I preferred the one Artemis takes, but Edith makes it the group chat’s icon and sends both copies to us. I might get it printed and framed. It’s the first time we’ve had a group picture taken where I’ve shared my feelings with Athena. Sounds kinda sad, but it’s true.
“You look exceptionally happy right now, Scott. Did your enemies all die or something?” Apollo’s eyeballing me like he’s trying to figure me out. Thankfully Artemis keeps his mouth shut, as does Ares who doesn’t know I made a move on his sister, or she made a move on me. However it happened, it did, but he still thinks I’m a chicken shit.
The countdown is on to the new year, and the closer we get, the tighter my muscles get. I don’t want to kiss her in front of everyone and have her reject me. That would be… awful.
When Apollo refills everyone’s apple cider, she stands next to me. We’re getting close to the final countdown, and she loops her pinky through mine. It’s not visible to anyone else, it’s not holding my hand or kissing me senseless but it’s something: a promise, a hope, and for now, our secret.
As our friends count down from ten to one, Ares is already macking on Eloise, Edith’s face softens, and she lets Apollo give her a brief peck. Artemis doesn’t have anyone to kiss which strikes in my heart as odd, he’s a nice guy, he’s quiet, aloof, broody, but women love that shit which suggests he’s alone by choice. Who hurt him to make him choose to be alone?
Athena pecks me on the cheek pulling me out of my curiosity. “Happy New Year, Scottie. Let’s make it a good one, yeah?”
There’s so much suggestion in her tone that I can’t control my dick; it rises like a goddamn flagpole. Artemis doesn’t miss it; he’s not only rolling his eyes but full-on chuckling at my predicament.
This year will be the year I’m balls deep in Athena de la Pena, and I can’t fucking wait.