I didn’t want Luca. I just dreamed of finding someone like that.
“Girlies, I have an aggressive agenda today, so please hold gossip for after our meeting.” Vee smirked as she reached into her jean jacket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “Creating this list is what’s holding me together.”
“Going hard on the drama tonight, I see,” Lo fired, her smile growing. “Holding youtogether?Is this because I asked to create the itinerary today?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t… look, y’all, can I get real for a second?” Vee’s eyes widened, and she bit the inside of her cheek. “I fucked around andfound out, all right.”
I sat up straighter. Vee was always the wild child, the party animal who defined the term life of the party. She feared nothing and no one. Frowning, I leaned closer to her. “Vee, what happened?”
“Coach talked to me last week, and my grades suck. Studying is hard for me. I don’t… I don’t learn by reading a book, you know? I failed two classes last semester, along with barely getting by.” Vee sniffed and ran a hand through her hair, her gaze searching the bar in the distance. “My summer classes and creating these lists are what’s keeping me from a breakdown.”
“Well shit, Vee, you can make every list for everything.” Lo grabbed Vee’s hand and squeezed. “What can we do to help? You need us to quiz you?”
“I don’t know.” Vee sighed, met our gaze. “This is my chance to clean up my act. If I lose my starting spot because of partying and grades, my brother will kill me.”
“Whatever you need, we’ll do,” I said, making my voice louder. I had a loud voice that carried across a field, bar, countryside. I could whistle with my fingers, and it was a talent I rarely used. “Lo is pretty much the dad of the group, with her confrontations and loyalty. Plus, she can use her stern dad tone on you. It works on me.”
“I do not—” Lo paused, tilted her head and laughed. “Damn. I am the dad of the group.”
“We know.” I rolled my eyes.
“You’re blunt but the best shoulder to cry on. Plus, you would absolutely be my call if I were in jail. You answer your phone on the first ring. No one does that anymore.” Vee held up her glass and cheered Lo’s.
“Do I carry Dad Energy?”
“BDE, but instead of dick, it’s dad.” I met Mally’s eyes, and she giggled. “We need to get you shirt that says BDE. Luca willhateit.”
“If she’s the dad, Mally is the mom. She wants everyone to be happy and succeed in life. Even if her world is crumbling, she holds her head high and gives us the tough love pep talk. She cleans us up when we need it and holds our hair back when we puke. She has the Big Mom Energy we all strive to have,” Ale said, reaching over and squeezing Mally’s forearm.
Mally’s eyes watered, and she gave a small smile. “Thank you. I needed that today. Being cheated on has destroyed me, and I’m struggling to handle it. These weekly hangs are what I look forward to the most.”
“It knocked you down, not destroyed,” Lo said, hitting the table with her hand. “Cheating is reflection of her, not you. Now, these gatherings are perfect for us. We all have our reasons for this, so let’s lay them on the table. Whip ‘em out.”
“You have a way with words, Lo.” Ale rolled her eyes. “But in an effort to open up and expose how we’re all messes, I’ll share mine too.” She adjusted her long black braids and stared at the center of the table. “My parents are going through a divorce, and I don’t want to talk about it. I might cry.”
“Have you ever been here on a Friday night? Literally everyone cries,” I teased.
We all laughed, and Ale visibly relaxed. That soothed me. I studied people’s body language on the field to anticipate their next move. Watching for habits or tension, stress or panic helped me plan my attack. But to know my girls were struggling hurt me. How could I share my little insecurities when they were dealing with real shit?
Sensing the change in topic, Vee cleared her throat. “Oi, is everyone present for our Girl Gang Gathering?”
Ale rolled her eyes, but her smile was back. “Clearly. Now get to the juicy stuff. I need something easy to talk about after all these damn feelings.”
I met Lo’s eyes, and she narrowed them in agreement. She and I hadn’t dished our stuff tonight, and I was fine with that. Mine seemed trivial and silly, where hers was about balancing the internship and fun. Our topics weren’t as heavy. Our friends needed our focus more.
Damn, I adored these girls so much. They were my family, and when we were going through something, we helped each other out. I put my arm around Ale, and she nuzzled closer. Personal space didn’t exist if you were an athlete. The concept just wasn’t allowed.
“Now, first order of business. Hairstyles. Lorelei and Ale indicated they wanted to get new cuts.” Vee started a timer on her phone. “You each have two minutes to state your goals.”
“I’ll go first.” Ale leaned onto her elbows, her face serious. “I want bangs.”
“No!”
“No way!”
“Ah,” I mumbled. “Are you… sure?”
“I know. I prepared for this moment, but look how cute these photos are?” She set her phone in the middle with a picture of Camillo Cabello, who rocked bangs. “I like this.”
