“What is it?” She waltzed out of her room, just to the right of the kitchen. She wore the ugly blue apron and had her hair done up. We both had our secrets, our pasts that defined the core pieces of us. But I hadn’t asked her what hers were, nor had she asked me. We enjoyed each other’s company and I didn’t require much more than that from my first roommate besides my mom.
“Guess who the fuck I got paired with to coach this team. Guess.” I plopped onto our long-standing burgundy couch. It had been a family piece and my mom had given it to us. It smelled like an old basement, of stale popcorn with a mix of lemon furniture polish. I loved it. Michelle ran her manicured red nails over her chin, humming in thought.
“My mind is blank. Tell me.”
“Gideon Titan.” I smirked, pulling up a picture of him on my phone. “TheGideon Titan.”
“Fuck me sideways.” She snatched the phone out of my hands. “I want to sit on his face.”
“Girl, join the club. I want him to sit onmyface.” I fanned myself with my free hand. “I have to send him an email, or reach out to him somehow. Practices are four times a week! Then, forty games.”
“I hate you.” Her dark brown eyes widened, her hand going to her heart. “I’m not one of those jealous bitches. But I could cut you right now.”
I snickered. “I don’t blame you. Here, will you help me type out an email to him? Or should I call? What do you think?”
She took the schedule from my hands and skimmed the bottom line—contact me for details. She pursed her lips. “He left a number and email. What would you rather do?”
“It makes more sense to text, right?” Nerves took over. I would be texting someone whose face was plastered all over our city.Wow. But what if he’s driving?
“I think so. If this wasn’t Gideon Titan but some random person, you would text, right?”
“I’d rather call. I’d want to talk about logistics and division of coaching duties. It’d be easier to talk than type.” I wiped my palms on my jeans. “Shit.”
“Girl, this is insane. Call now. I want to hear his voice.” She grasped my hand, with her face a little too happy, a little too eager. I couldn’t blame her, though. My excitement and nerves took center stage and the reality of the situation had me stiff. “Call.”
“Okay, okay!” I skimmed the informational sheet the woman had given me and his number sat at the bottom. Gideon Titan’s number. I dialed it, hesitating for a second before pressing call. Then it rang. “Shit. Ah!”
It rang three times, each tone causing more sweat to form on my brow. The fourth ring, he answered.
“It’s Gideon.”
His voice was rough and strangled, but my body reacted to it anyway. My legs clenched together, the deep tone affecting me way too much. Michelle said something to get my attention and I cleared my throat. “Hi, Gideon Titan. My name is Fiona—”
“Who fucking gave you my number?”
His sudden verbal attack made me jump. My tremulous voice gave me away, I was sure. “Los Soles, sir.”
“Why?” Something shuffled in the background, the accusation clear as day. “What do you want?”
“We-we got paired to coach the fourteen-blue team.”Goddamn my nerves.
“Christ.” He released a long, aggravated sigh. “I don’t need another coach. Tell them you can’t do it and never call this number again.”
Then he hung up.
The first spark of anger began in my stomach. It worked its way up to my chest, then to my neck. I wanted tomurderthis guy. He was an asshole of epic proportions. Michelle’s eyes were the size of small saucers.
“Did he for real just do that?” Her brittle voice matched mine.
“Yeah. The fucker hung up on me.” I fisted the paper into a crumpled ball. “Fuck him.”
I hit redial, his rough voice answering the same. “Listen, asshole. I’m coaching with you. I want this opportunity. So fuck off. I’ll see you at the first practice.”
Then I hung up.
“Oh my god. What did I do?” I threw my phone onto the small coffee table. Michelle’s face remained unmoving, as though my actions had frozen time.Whoever cusses at Gideon Titan?
“When is the first practice?” she asked.
