He nods. She’s been acting a bit odd lately. I was worried that I’d done something wrong, so I’m kind of relieved that this is what it turned out to be.
They probably asked her for background info. If she can tell you more, now that the story is out, I’d appreciate knowing.
Okay. Do you think Cleo knew about this before? Maybe that’s why you guys… He spreads his hands apart. Sinc knows we broke up, but not exactly why.
No. I’m sure she was blindsided by this. If I thought her family was awful before, it’s nothing compared to this. How could anyone who understands Cleo jeopardize her hockey career? She must be devastated.
When we get home, I send a message to Cleo, offering my help in any way, but I get no response. Not surprising, since I’m the one who told her to back off and give me space.
So, I decide to call her best friend instead.
Mats? Quelle surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of this first-ever call? Becks asks in mock shock.
I pull out my ready-made excuse. I promised to tell you when Minnie was available for adoption. She’ll be ready next week.
Oh, the kitten? Okay, I’ll let my roomies know. All of them, even Cleo… Becks lets her voice trail off.
How is she doing? I tried messaging her, but I didn’t hear back.
Becks laughs. Now we get to the real reason you called. Well, there’s good news and bad news. Cleo’s okay. She had to turn her phone off because she was getting bombarded.
Shit. Not reporters or anything?
No, mostly family bullshit. Because the really good news is that she told her toxic family to fuck off.
That is good news. Although I didn’t want to be the person who came between Cleo and her brother, I’m glad she’s stood up for herself.
What’s the bad news? I ask.
The bad news is that she’s really come down hard after everything that happened. She feels like she’s letting the team down, even though we’ve been reassuring her that it’s not her fault. And she thinks she’s going to have a reputation as a cheater now. She’s so worried about the playoffs. Since she can’t train with us, she’s been in a terrible mood without those exercise endorphins. She’s gone from being an optimist to… She pauses.
A pessimist? I offer.
A fucking negative Nellie, I was going to say. Becks snickers.
I smile. Becks and Cleo are two peas in a pod. Well, how can I help?
I don’t know, exactly, but I figured the more ideas, the better. Why don’t we come over to your place and brainstorm?
Sure, when? I ask.
Tonight. Time is kind of the essence. I’ll invite all our roommates, and you can do the same if you like, she suggests casually. Which seems kind of weird until I remember that Becks likes Ethan. I don’t want to discourage her, but from what I’ve seen, Ethan prefers willowy emo chicks who are the opposite of Becks.
Tonight is our communal house dinner. Swanny and Bergy have cooked their specialty, chicken parmigiana. When I suggest the idea session, Bergy stares and asks, What could I do? I don’t know anything about Cleo or drugs.
Brainstorming means no bad ideas. Everyone just throws out their thoughts and sometimes something great happens, I explain.
Nothing great ever comes out of my brain, he admits, then perks up. Who’s coming?
I list off Cleo’s roommates. I’m not sure which one catches his interest, but he agrees to attend.
Nobody else is interested except Jack. You know, I think Andy would really be into this. Can I invite her?
Of course. The more people, the better.
At 7:30 PM, Andy appears and Sinc escorts her into the dining room, which is where we’re doing this thing because the Wild game is on in our living room. There’s a knock on the door, and I’m surprised to see Cleo among her roommates.
How are you doing? I ask, which seems inadequate.
