The laughter slowly dissipates the anger, replacing it with comfort as I’m finally reunited with my best friends.
While yes, fuck Coach Samuels, I can’t let him take away more from me than he already has. So, with a deep breath, I let go of the rage the image sparked in me, choosing to focus on the fact that my girls are here for me.
Clara clears her throat. “I, uh, hope that’s not what you’re wearing tonight, Teags.”
I look down at my robe, then finally take in what they’re wearing. I didn’t notice the sparkly yellow halter top and jeans Clara dons, or the pale green silk minidress Kaya has on because I was wrapped up in my anger over that photo.
“I thought we were staying in?” I ask.
Kaya shakes her head, her black hair swishing across her shoulders. We agreed to a cozy night in, so I’m confused as to why they’re dressed for a night out.
“We figured you need to get out of the house after all the bullshit you’ve been through.”
“But—” I protest.
“No buts,” Clara cuts me off. “It’ll be like old times when we went to the ESA together. Remember when we used to get ready to go to house parties together? It was always better than actually going out.”
“You guys are already ready, though,” I point out.
“We still need to do our hair and makeup,” Kaya says.
“Please,” Clara begs, her hands pressed together in prayer. “It will be so much fun, and you’ll thank us later.”
With my new job starting Monday and my desire todosomething, paired with the fact that I haven’t seen my girls in months, I decide to go with the change of plans.
“Fine,” I say as a smile plays on my lips, happy to be with my girls and recreating old times.
Maybe tonight will be exactly what I need.
Chapter 4
Teagan
We end up at a new trendy bar called The O,and we were lucky enough to snag a high-top table, seeing as it’s busy.
So far, this night has been exactly what I needed. We did our hair and makeup as we listened to music that we used to love back when we were teenagers. Food was delivered from a gourmet burger joint, ensuring we had our stomachs full before drinking tonight.
Clara did that once–drank on an empty stomach–and let’s just say she became very acquainted with a toilet bowl that night.
“It’s time for a shot,” Clara declares as she glances around for a waiter.
“What exactly are we celebrating?” Kaya asks.
Clara spins around to face us, sending her long strawberry-blonde locks over her shoulders. “We’re celebrating our friendship. I’m so thankful for my girls, and it feels great to finally be back together,” she explains.
Since I’m on a mission to let loose tonight, I go along with her.
“I’ll drink to that,” I say as I lift my rum and Coke in the air.
“Fair enough.” Kaya shrugs, tapping her whiskey neat to my drink just as the waiter arrives at our table.
We smile before taking our sips, while Clara talks animatedly with the server, her Guinness in hand.
I usually hated going out, especially on the weekend, when I preferred to rest since I trained so hard during the week. But I had to admit that seeing my friends after being apart for nearly four months felt so good.
We talk almost every day in the group chat and FaceTime when we can, but we’ve all been so busy in our day-to-day lives that we haven’t had the chance to see each other in person. Clara is a professional soccer player, playing for Miami FC, a major league soccer team. And Kaya plays for the USA’s national volleyball team, with their base being in California. So, sadly neither of them lives close enough to warrant weekly hangouts. And with their busy schedules for away games, playoffs, and everything their schedules entail, it makes it even harder.
“Are you excited for the new season?” I ask Kaya, while we wait for Clara to return with our shots, seeing as she couldn’t stop talking to the server and ended up following her back to the bar.
