6. Noelle #2
That makes me laugh, some of the awkwardness easing. “Well, I think he said the team was taking an early flight, so …”
We drift from there, easy as if we’ve known each other longer.
She asks me what I liked about Lincoln, and I correct her that her brother and I went to Hayward together before he transferred.
I do tell her that some of his teammates’ wives were there, and one played college soccer until she was no longer able to due to health issues.
She knew Ellie Stone, Leo Stone’s wife. She said she was one of the best, and it sucked that she was taken out by her autoimmune disease and not something like an injury that would heal.
Throughout this conversation, I am remembering what I said to Dash about safety. So, I nudge the conversation in that direction.
“Classes and soccer are keeping you busy?”
She sighs, and her tone shifts. “School’s great. Soccer’s great. It’s just … boys that aren’t.”
I laugh. “Boys plural?”
She groans. “Don’t even get me started. The latest was Mr. Highlighter.”
“Mr. Highlighter?”
“Yeah. He picked up a highlighter I dropped, said really nice things, and seemed … different. But last night, when his car wouldn’t start, so our date would have to be canceled, he said, ‘But I can make you dinner at my place.’”
“Oh boy, please tell me you told him?—”
“I didn’t even think about it, you know? Have wheels, will travel. He was nice … until he wasn’t.”
“Briar, are you okay?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm.
She barks out a laugh. “Oh, I’m good. He’s probably still trying to fish his nuts out of his throat.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Nope. He cried like a little bitch, all curled in a ball on his dingy-ass floor. Called me a stupid bitch while I was slamming his apartment door behind me.”
“Are you going to report him?” I ask.
“Not much to report. He tried to kiss me, I tried to swerve, he tried harder. I kneed him and bolted. Somehow, it will be my fault.”
“You’re not totally wrong. So many girls in my sorority were assaulted or date raped.
Dozens of girls reported incidents like this, and they were always made to feel it was their fault.
Some were told they put themselves in the position; others were afraid to talk because they didn’t want their parents to find out they’d gone to a party and drank, let alone been drugged.
And others were paid off by rich daddies or freaking frats. But still, if he?—”
“Honestly, it was stupid for me to go there. But, in my defense, his roommate was there and went to his room. Highlighter wouldn’t have gotten away with much, if anything.”
I try to find words to say to give her some sort of comfort or empowerment when she says so sweetly, “Please don’t tell Dash. He’s already threatened to beat up some other guys during the off-season for doing what players do.” She groans. “I’m going to become a crazy cat lady.”
“Hey.” I laugh and hit the video call option. “Answer that.”
“If I see my brother naked, I will never accidentally call you again.”
“Never gonna happen.” I laugh. “He’s not my type.”
She accepts with a smile.
“You are stunning. Of course you are—you come from the same gene pool as Dash freaking Sterling. Do you even have to wear makeup?”
Her bright smile confirms she, in fact, does not. “Um …
I roll my eyes dramatically. “About your request not to tell your brother. My answer is I won’t.”
She looks relieved.
“But you’ve got to promise me you’ll find a group of girls to go out with, to share your location with, to check in during dates even.”
“Phone out during an actual date?” She shakes her head.
“Hell yes, and play by play it so he knows exactly what to do. Like, say, Yes, I’m fine. Yes, I’m safe. No, he’s not a creep. I’ll be back by ten. You have my exact location. Chill .”
“All the girls on the team are coupled up. Every one of them.”
“You need to find a good mix of single and coupled-up friends. Nalani is the only one coupled up in our little sisterhood, but Claudia has a baby, and Sofie is being groomed to take over her family’s media empire. They still know where I am when I go on a date.”
“I want a freaking internship there so bad this summer.” She sighs. “Dash wants me to coach soccer. He won’t even ask.”
“Well,” I smile, “I will?”
“Really?” She beams.
“As long as you stay safe, I sure will. And Sofie’s a hard-ass, always has been, so make sure your grades?—”
“All A’s,” she says proudly. “Perks of being an athlete—mandated study hours, supervised.”
My alarm goes off, and I jump. “Shit.”
“Gotta go to work?”
I nod as I get up and shut the stupid thing off. When I sit back down, Hemingway stretches on my lap.
“Oh yes, the reason that prompted the video call, being single and having a cat, and yes, admittedly, a bit crazy, isn’t as bad as being with some jackoff who doesn’t deserve you.”
“No players.” She nods and chuckles. “Like my brother, who is not your type.”
“Not to side with the owner of the phone I’m using, but from everything I know about him, he doesn’t pretend to be interested just to get a girl. In fact, he’s always been that way.”
“Ooo, ooo, ooo. You went to Hayward; what about that Lauren girl? Was he in love with her? Give me all the dirt you have time for.”
I must pull a face, because she laughs. “I saw a picture. She looked like a mean girl.”
“She was my roommate, sorority sister, best friend .” I shrug. “She was looking for the next Dash the day we came back for senior year.” I smile. “Dash deserves better than a girl who asked for an introduction based on his looks, his status, and the fact that his watch looks expensive.”
Smiling, she holds up her wrist. “Our dad loved watches.” Briar twists the watch around her wrist again, her thumb brushing the worn strap.
I can tell she does it without thinking, the way some people fidget with a necklace or a ring.
It comforts that dull ache that never goes away. Just like her brother does.
I reach to my nightstand and pull out the book that never really leaves the side of my bed. “My dad loved books. This is the one I keep close. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway.”
She tilts her head. “That’s your cat’s name.”
I laugh softly. “Yeah. Irony at its finest. It fit. Hemingway wasn’t exactly the model of stable love. But sometimes … even people who can’t hold onto it still write about it in a way that makes you believe and understand it.”
I flip to a page I’ve underlined half a dozen times and read aloud, “‘ We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other .’”
Briar exhales, shoulders softening. “That’s kind of beautiful.”
“It is,” I say, smoothing the spine with my thumb.
“My dad would’ve loved this. It’s not about money or status; it’s about the kind of love that makes you feel like it’s just meant to be.”
“That’s worth more than all the money in the world.”
She falls back on her bed. “I know, and I want that so bad.”
“I’m of the belief that the truest love will steal your heart without you even knowing it.
” I smile. “I have a type of man I want as a partner. I will not make someone change or accept someone who can play chameleon, and I don’t have a timeline or inflated expectations.
” I can’t help but laugh. “And after meeting some obligations, I’m adopting that for people I allow in my life in general. ”
She holds up her wrist. “Time is too precious.”
“Oh my God, Briar, do not make me cry before I have to go people.”