“You know, you should just talk toJenif you’re having trouble withTeddy,” she said. “She’sthe boss, right?She’sthe one that hired you.Andif you can’t do your job becauseTeddy’sgiving you shit,Jenshould deal with it.”
I shook my head. “Jenalready has enough to deal with.Plus,Teddyhasn’t beenthatbad, really; not since that first day, anyway.I’lljust … figure it out.”WhatIdidn’t say was thatIknew my issues withTeddyweren’t becauseIcouldn’t do my job.Itwas a weird dynamic– a misunderstanding, really– and the only way to deal with it was to dig in and get my hands dirty.
As we reached the crossroads where we all went our separate ways–Fatima,Morgan, andJackback to the house,PhilandAmyto theirs, and me back to my own flat–Fatimaheld up her phone and whooped.
“Told you!” she said, then passed the phone around for us to see. “Teddy’sin for next week.”
My stomach did a strange flip, butIput on as unbothered a smile asIcould manage for the others.
“That’s great,”Isaid. “She’llbe a good addition.”
Fatima narrowed her eyes at me, no doubt seeing straight through my bullshit.ButIglared right back, not ready to give her the satisfaction of seeing me squirm.She’dhave enough of that during the game ifTeddywas indeed locked in.Instead,Ijust gave her a hug goodbye, making my way around the group, and then headed home.
AsIwalked the last few blocks to my flat,Itried to figure out what it meant thatTeddywanted to keep playing with us.Didshe want to be friends, maybe?Orwas she just co-opting mine?Partof me was relieved that she was choosing to be around me, and another part was mildly horrified thatI’dhave to keep roleplaying this backstoryFatimahad written us.Butmostly,Ijust felt a weird sense of anticipation.Maybethings would be okay.MaybeIdidn’t need to push for any kind of resolution withTeddy, because we were already moving towards some kind of equilibrium, andIjust had to let it happen.
I tipped my head back and let the night air clear my head, my steps lighter than they’d been in ages.IfTeddywanted to join because she was ready to mend fences?Great.Ifshe wanted to go toe-to-toe in a fantasy arena instead of in real life?Well,Iwas more than up for the challenge.Wewere on my turf.
I smiled into the darkness.Letthe games begin.
* * *
I madeit my mission to find out whereTeddy’shead was at.Wasshe just trying to wind me up, or did she actually want to be a part of the group?Shewas certainly winding me up at work, anyway; she scrutinised everythingIdid so intensely that it was like she was waiting for me to mess up.Waitingfor a mistake that she could point to and say, “See?There’sthe girl who got me fired.”AndIcouldn’t give her the satisfaction– not when the work had come to mean so much to me– butIcould certainly use theD&Dcampaign to give her a taste of her own medicine.
We’d need to establish some sort of ceasefire, though.Ourwork wouldn’t always cross over so much at the farm–Ihad no intention of weed-whacking my way through the summer, asIhad an event to plan– but we had weekend events to attend together.Wewere booked for a cheese festival, an artisan market, a medieval festival, awedding, of all things, and a fantasy festival– oneI’dactually been planning to attend with my friends, but whichI’dnow be working.AtleastIwouldn’t have to think as hard about my costume.
Teddy andIhad both been banished from the studio one rainy day asJeninventoried her art supplies, covering every workable surface with canvases and half-empty paints, andMaggiewas moving things between the barn and warehouse.Thismeant our only refuge from the drizzle was in the tiny shepherd’s hut, which was full of farm supplies.Stacksof disused hive boxes covered the kitchenette at one end, and boxes of mite treatment and feeding equipment teetered precariously atop the small dining table against the back wall, where a window looked out over one of the gardens.Notthat the view was visible, due to a huge pile of insulated material laying across the boxes, but, after more than a month at the farm,Icould pretty well picture the purple and yellow blooms that would be in view once it was tidied.
“Sorry,”Teddysaid, clearing the table and chairs, handing me the material. “Maggiekeeps trying to get me to store these somewhere else, butIswear the barn is the best place for them.”
I looked around for where to put it; the undressed bed was the only free surface, soIstarted to stack it there.
“What are they?”
“Hive wraps.Theycover the boxes in the winter to keep them warm.”
“Ooh, like little cosies!”Isaid, my brain immediately picturing something much cuter than the commercial wrapsIwas holding. “Maybewe can getPhilandEthelto crochet some!”
“Right,”Teddysaid with a half-hearted laugh. “Phil’sthe one with the beard?”
I nodded, then swallowed hard, sensing my opening. “That’sright,”Isaid asIrearranged a stack of wraps to try to make it more stable.
“AndJack’sthe oneIspoke to about kayaking after the game?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he’s really serious about that, by the way,”Isaid, thinking about how he’d talked my ear off about possible spots at our film night last week. “He’sbeen trying to find the perfect place to take us.Soif you don’t want to do it, let me know now soIcan let him down easy.”
“No, no,” she said, “it sounds cool.I’vewanted to go every summer;Ijust don’t have the kit.”
“Speaking of,”Isaid, aware that my segue was loose at best, but hopingIpulled it off, “how did you find the game?Fatimasays you’re coming back, so you must have enjoyed it at least a little bit?”
I heard a sharp inhale behind me, andIspun round to seeTeddystaring wide-eyed at the soil-stained box in her arms.Iheard the pile of wraps fall over behind me.
“Only if that’s okay,” she said, sounding almost panicked. “Idon’t want to intrude on your friends.Seriously, if you don’t want me there, that’s fine.”
My brow pinched in amusement. “It’snot an intrusion,”Isaid. “You’refine.Butyou also shouldn’t feel pressured to for my sake, you know?”
“I mean,Ican find a different character to play,” she stammered, her eyes looking anywhere but at me. “Fatimadid tell me that, ifIwas uncomfortable with the history between our characters, we could change it.”
“You andFatimaare just the best of pals, aren’t you?”
