7. Alice #2
He’s writing as confidently as I am, and we both set down the chalk. Danica is pleased. I wonder if she forgets that she’s invited competitors? We both love to win.
“That was quick. Tell us, Alice, what’s your favorite food?”
“Fries.” I glance at Ryder and smirk. There’s no way he got this right. I used to order all kinds of things based on my mood, but I’m a sucker for good french fries.
He flips the board, and sure enough, it says, “Fries with mustard.” My jaw drops, and he grins. His grin throws me a little off kilter, and I swallow hard.
“Wow, look at that! We have a match. I’m very impressed. Alice, you eat mustard on your fries?”
Hearing my name has me tearing my eyes off him and over to her. “Oh, yes. There’s something about crispy fries with salt and mustard in one of those little paper boats. It’s the best.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” She laughs.
Her hair today is slicked back into a high ponytail, and her makeup is flawless.
She looks beautiful. I wonder if she did it herself or if she had it done.
“That’s one point for Ryder. Does Alice know you too?
Ryder, what’s your favorite?” Danica asks.
I think about how she just said, does Alice know you too, but that’s the thing: I don’t really know him anymore.
And he doesn’t know me. We’ve both changed, as one would expect going from eighteen to twenty-two.
Well, he’s now twenty-three. As much as I don’t want it to, given all the circumstances, this makes me sad.
He was the one person I thought I’d have in my life forever.
“Reese’s peanut butter cups and nachos,” he tells her.
I flip my board and smirk right back.
“I knew you would know this.” He smiles at me, but it’s strained.
Smiles.
I haven’t seen him smile at me in a long time. In a way, it’s nostalgic, and my breath catches in my chest.
Whatever. There can be no time or space in my head for nostalgia. I have to remember who I’m talking to. What he’s capable of.
“Well, look at that!” Danica is excited and I shift in my chair at her exuberance. I know she’s putting on an act as much as I am, but still. “We’re starting off strong. We’re one to one.”
One. One down and four to go.
How long do we have to stay at this event once this is over?
“As we all know, next week kicks off the preseason games. Fans have been waiting months for the return of their favorite sport. Tell us, what’s your favorite thing about football season?”
We both answered the same: “Being on a team.” I actually wasn’t sure what he would put here, but this was my answer, so I was thinking maybe I wasn’t far off.
“How is it that you both knew and both have the same answer?” Danica shakes her head in exaggerated disbelief. “Ryder, tell us what it is about being on a team?”
There are two cameras. One is directly in front of us, and Ross is carrying the other. He angles himself to zoom in on only Ryder.
“For me, it’s always been about a sense of belonging, along with a shared camaraderie. Teammates become our closest friends, and it’s together that we share practices, road trips, goals, wins, and losses. None of us know how long we’ll be blessed to play, so it’s the memories.”
Teammates become our closest friends. He’s not wrong, but that answer stings, given that at one time I held that position. I hate this game.
“How’s it going with your new teammates? Do you have any stories you can share with us? Spill some tea?” She leans in conspiratorially.
Ryder chuckles. “I’m afraid there’s no tea for you today, but I will say, if viewers out there haven’t tried one of Lexi’s pies from Firefly Kitchen, they’re missing out.
I swear she makes the best pies. And it’s going well.
Every day, I feel blessed to have been drafted by the Tarpons.
The culture here is incredible, and the guys are all great. ”
“Oh, you are not wrong. Lexi Brennen makes the best pies. In fact, I think there are some here today, and I might have to steal myself a piece. All right, we’re tied two to two.
Next question, this one is a hard one. Since you are both from Tampa, and have years and years of being a fan, what is your favorite lifetime Tarpons moment? ”
This is a tough one. I don’t know if this is anything we’ve ever talked about, but I have a guess. I wipe off my previous answer to write my new one. I can feel Ryder looking at me as he thinks, and then it’s as if he has a light bulb moment and writes his answer too.
“Look at how confident both of them are as they write. Do we think they’ll know? Alice, what’s your favorite Tarpons moment?” she asks once we’re both done.
I glance at him. “End zone dance.”
He flips his board around, and there in white print is “end zone dance.”
These questions hurt. I do my best not to travel down memory lane with Ryder. Nothing good would come from it. Maybe one day I’ll appreciate the time from my teenage years that we spent together, but today is not that day.
Danica lights up. “Someone needs to explain.”
“When we were in high school, the Tarpons had a Halloween game. We dressed up. She was in a Tarpons cheerleading costume, and I was in full football gear, even the pads. We went to the game, and someone from the organization saw us and gave us sideline passes. As if that wasn’t the most amazing surprise ever, while we were down there, the cheerleaders at the time spotted her and invited her out to do an end zone dance with them.
I recorded her, and that song became a theme song in our life for a while.
There was no looking back for her after that. ”
Danica looks at me, and I feel heat shoot through my cheeks. I’m not embarrassed, more overwhelmed that he remembers that so fully.