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Sofie:

Mine asked me if I'd seen his phone while he was talking to me on it.

Noelle:

I would like to thank all of you for making me feel less alone.

Anna covers her mouth, shaking with laughter.

Anna:

It’s only going to get worse with age, but that other part? That little blue pill will make it allll better.

She pauses, reads what she's written,

I glance down. “What was that?”

I hit send before she can delete it. “Nothing.”

Hildy:

ANNA.

Anna:

You ladies will make sure the league never runs out of players, even when they forget what a puck is!

The chat keeps moving, the women bouncing between game complaints and increasingly ridiculous stories about their men. Anna occasionally adds a comment, sometimes reading the funniest responses aloud, sometimes laughing too hard to get through a sentence.

I don't ask her to explain every name or every joke. I like watching her like this, relaxed enough to forget the rest of the world for a while.

Then another message comes through.

Noelle:

What's everyone doing tomorrow?

Sofie:

Laundry. Groceries. Trying to convince my man that I do not need 24 hour security.

Nalani:

Liar! You have people who do all that!

Claudia:

Gonna have to go with AK on the security.

Hildy:

Gender traitor.

Nalani:

Girl Power!

Anna glances at the television, then at me. Her lips twitch.