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I smirked. “Now you sound like Henry.”
He arched a brow. “Oh really?”
“I-I mean,” I replied, stuttering over my words, suddenly nervous that he would read more into it, “don’t all those guys just want an audience?”
He laughed. “Honestly, it can be fun. It’s a short season compared to other sports, and some of the games get exciting.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I guess.”
He leaned toward me. “Plus, all the butts and muscles in those tight pants.”
“Wait a minute…” I glanced around the empty room, noting that most students had left. “Are you saying…”
He winked. “I knew you’d be a safe person to joke around with.”
“Is that your gaydar, or do I have a sign on my forehead?”
“Both?” He shrugged. “Don’t they consider all dancers queer? Even if it’s not always true.”
I sighed as I stood and slung my bag over my shoulder. “Yeah.”
“But seriously, if you want to come next game, some of the dancers sit together, so you’d feel more comfortable.” We went out the door together. “And sometimes the team hosts a party afterward. Well, if they win. Otherwise, they’re usually too grouchy to be around.”
“They won last week,” I said, having heard it mentioned in a couple of classes. “Was there a party?”
“Yep, at the clubhouse. And your friend asked about you.”
I came to an abrupt stop. “He did?”
“Yeah, told me to invite you to a game.”
“Is that why you invited me?”
“No, I told Henry to do it himself.” He rolled his eyes. “I just want to hang with you outside of school, and since you don’t live on campus, that makes it harder.”
“I… Thanks. I’d like to as well. I’ll see if I can make it happen sometime.”
“Maybe on the Saturday after Parents’ Day? We’ll need it.”
“How could I forget?” I deadpanned. Mom was coming, and I was feeling all kinds of nervous.
“Right? Can’t wait,” he joked.
I smiled as we parted ways, and it felt good, like I’d made a new friend I could trust besides Pete. I wasn’t including Henry in that equation because he’d been so hot and cold toward me from the onset.
Then why would you go to his game?
For Emil.
Exhaustion set in on the bus ride home, and I nearly nodded off. Not even sucking on watermelon candy helped my lack of alertness. I picked up my sluggish pace inside the trailer park because I remembered that Mom’s shift started an hour earlier today. She was such a hard worker; she deserved a raise at the very least. Hopefully her boss recognized what a gem she was because she had been taken advantage of at her prior job.
I waved to Pete, who was stepping toward his front door. He must’ve just gotten off work.
“You good?” I asked him as we met halfway between our trailers.
“Yeah. You?”
“Yep. On Star duty in a few so Mom can get to work.”
