Chapter 12 #2
“Pretty sure he’d pull a Tonya Harding on you,” Perry said around a mouthful of his burger. I raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. “What? You guys don’t know Tonya Harding? She tried to ruin Nancy Kerrigan’s chance at the Olympics.”
Jake and I stared at Perry. The dude knew the most random facts and was always up to date with what was happening in pop culture.
“Dude, you continue to surprise me.” Jake shook his head.
Perry smirked. “See, I’m more than a pretty face.”
I pointed a fry at Perry. “One day, he’s going to run for president.”
“Then we’re fucked.” The way Jake said it with a straight face made me almost choke on my food.
“Ye of little faith.”
The three of us ate our burgers in silence then. I could sense eyes on us from surrounding tables. Mentally, I made a bet with myself that someone would come up and ask for a picture. It usually happened when the three of us hung out, no matter the place.
Buffalo fans were intense. They had no problem telling you to your face that you sucked and should play better.
The buzz of my phone on the table captured our attention. Emmie’s name flashed as a call came in. Before I could grab it, a hand snatched it off the table.
“Perry,” I warned. He answered the call and pressed my phone to his ear.
“Hellooo?”
I reached across the table, but he smacked my hand away and moved back more.
“Oh, this is his best friend, Perry.” I couldn’t hear what Emmie said in response, but whatever it was made Perry smile. I didn’t like another man smiling at something she said.
“Perry,” I hissed, seconds away from getting out of my seat.
“It’s nice to meet the girl that has my boy in a tizzy.” Perry shot me a smirk.
“Tizzy?” Jake mouthed at me. His eyes were filled with mischievous joy. He was enjoying this. I really questioned why I was friends with them.
Whatever Emmie said had Perry almost bouncing in his seat. “He’s been ‘Emmie this, Emmie that.’ He was checking his phone to see if you texted him.”
“Okay, that’s enough out of you.” I shot up from my chair, the feet scraping across the floor with a screech. Perry let me take the phone with a shit-eating grin plastered on his smug face.
“You’re welcome.” He had the gall to wink.
I brought the phone to my ear as I walked around the table and headed for the door that led outside for some privacy. “Sorry about that,” I said into the phone.
“Sounds like our friends are similar,” Emmie laughed. The sound made the corners of my lips quirk up.
“Yeah, I think we better keep our friends separated.”
“I was actually calling to see if you wanted to come to a workout class tomorrow morning that me and my friend, Erin, are going to. You can bring your friends, too.”
There was a hitch of hesitation in her voice, almost like she wasn’t sure if she should ask or maybe thought I’d turn her down. Like I’d say no to a chance to hang out with Emmie. If she hadn’t asked me, I would have messaged her after eating to see if she was busy.
“We’d love to come. A workout class is right up our alley.” My friends would be there, even if I had to bribe them.
“It’s at eight on Fourth Street. Make sure to bring a towel and water,” Emmie said. I made a mental note of the address.
“Sounds perfect, we’ll be there.” I nodded even though she couldn’t see me.
“Perfect.” Emmie was quiet for a moment. “Did you have a good practice?”
I paused, surprised she asked. Outside of my family, no one ask me about football. Unless they were a fan.
“It was good. We only have one more before preseason starts,” I said, then paused. “You probably already heard that from your dad.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to hear it from you.” I heard movement through the phone, making me wonder where she was. “You don’t play preseason, right?”
I moved over to the side of the building, resting my back against the warm brick, phone pressed to my ear tightly as if it would make me feel closer to her.
“I’ll only play about five minutes each game, but that’s it until the season actually starts,” I explained.
“Okay, good, can't let you get hurt.”
Unsure of the feelings brewing in my chest, I quickly changed the subject. Emmie probably didn’t mean anything by it, but it almost sounded like she cared if I got hurt. From someone who didn’t even know me, it was a bit jarring.
“How did your own practice go?” If I thought my football training was a lot, it had nothing on Emmie’s. She was at the rink three to four times a week. From the sound of it, she even went on the weekends, despite her coach disapproving.
“It went well. Added a few more details to the routine, but it’s solid.”
I may not have known Emmie that well yet, but from one athlete to another, I knew how hard we could be on ourselves. The need to prove yourself, to make sure you didn’t fail. Along with the burning passion to be the best at what you did.
So, when she said solid like it was just okay, I knew better. She’s probably a thousand times better than any other skater.
“Can I see the routine sometime?” The question slipped past my lips before I could stop it. What I saw at the rink the other day was impressive. I couldn’t imagine what an entire routine looked like.
Emmie inhaled a breath. “You want to see it?” Her tone was apprehensive.
“Only if you want to show me. If not, I’ll wait.”
I already had the date of her competition marked on my phone. It was the day after a game, but I would be there.
“Um…yeah, that would be okay.”
God, she was adorable.
“I better let you go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jake and Perry were probably seconds from coming out here.
“Make sure to stretch before you leave,” Emmie’s words were vague, but I shrugged it off.
Saying bye, I ended the call and stared at the screen. I found myself wanting to call her again just to hear her talk more, even though I was the one who suggested we hang up. I could easily become addicted to Emmie James.