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Fuck.
Her eyes grow wide. I didn’t even mean it the way it sounded. “I meant…”
She shakes her head and looks down at her feet.
Despite the bitterness that churns deep down over our situation, I feel like a dick.
“It wouldn’t be the first time, right? That’s what you meant,” she says.
I walk toward her and shake my head. “That’s not what I meant. I was on the phone to my Dad just now, then Janey came up…” I run a hand through my hair and stop my mouth from moving. I’m sure she wants to hear about my still strained relationship with my father as well as a bright-eyed puck bunny who’s been on my ass for quite a while.Not.
“You don’t have to explain, Taylor. Tonight has been a lot.”
“It has.” I concede, but somehow, I still feel the need to explain.
“I’m happy for you that you’re doing so well,” she says.
I smile. “Thank you.”
She softens a little. “So… you and your Dad?”
Another not so easy answer. “Still rocky ground. He still comes to every game, though. We’ve been trying to bury the hatchet, so to speak.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Depends which way you look at it,” I say. “Are you girls coming to the after party?” I try to change the subject because I don’t want to talk about him right now.
She looks a little confused. “Isn’t this where we are now?”
I laugh and shake my head. “Nah. The party isn’t here. This is just celebration drinks.”
“I think I’ll sit this one out,” she says.
I’m disappointed. I don’t know why, but I want her to come.
It’s a stupid notion and I try to play it down.
“No worries… well, I’ll see you back out there.” I thumb behind me and take in her cute outfit, and her long ponytail halfway down her back, slightly curled at the ends. Her skin has more of a tan to it, and I can still see a tiny sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes are bright and sparkling, though there’s trouble there. I think she worries too much. Her lips are still soft and pert. Everything is how I remember.
She’s a vision, she always has been.
“All right, thanks, Taylor,” she says.
I raise my eyebrow. “What for?” I ask her.
“It’s nice that we could see each other like this, that you’d want to have a drink with me.”
The sadness in her eyes is because of us, I see it as clear as day. But I’m unsure why, since she wanted to leave after all. It’s water under the bridge anyway. This is just a drink for old times’ sake.
“Of course I would. It’s been so long.” I tilt my head on the side. “There’re things to say, Emmerson. But not here.”
She nods, pulling her lip with her teeth nervously.
I give her a lopsided smile and push off the door frame, heading back out the way I came.
The girls don’t stay for very long, mainly because after a couple of drinks, the guys are all going to the after party. That is, except for Ashton. I saw him in the locker room, but he had to leave early to meet with his dad. I don’t know what’s going on there, but he seemed equally disappointed leaving straight away.
I try to stay out of these kinds of things; I have enough father issues of my own.
