The guy walks off, visibly annoyed, while Leo heads over to Lisa and gives her a high five.
“Who was that?” I ask Zane, who still has his arm around me.
“He’s new on the team,” Zane replies with a sigh. “Trying to make a name for himself, but he’s got a lot to learn.”
I watch as the guy reaches a table, pours a glass of champagne, and brings it back to Lisa.
“Your sister is a weirdly powerful woman,” I say as I take in the scene.
“That seems like a fair observation,” Zane replies before kissing the top of my head. “I have to say hi to Coach and some of the players. Do you mind?”
“Of course not. I’ll be here with the girls,” I tell him, and he smiles.
Zane walks across the room, and Leo joins him. I watch as Zane shakes hands with a bald man; he must be the coach. He carries himself like someone used to being listened to, someone who commands respect without trying.
“You are a goddess,” Tess laughs, watching Lisa sip her champagne.
“Men are easy,” Lisa shrugs.
“Speak for yourself,” I laugh, then quickly feel awkward remembering who I’m dating. “I mean past experiences. Not… you know.”
“Girl, don’t worry,” Lisa says, resting her hand on my shoulder. “Relax and let’s dance!”
Tess and I exchange a look of quiet panic. I’ve never danced at a party like this before, and judging by her expression, Tess hasn’t either.
“Ok, give me two seconds,” Lisa says, noticing our hesitation.
“I think I love her,” Tess mutters as Lisa walks away. The room is even more crowded now, but Lisa moves through the crowd effortlessly.
“Right? It’s her energy,” I say.
Across the room, I spot Leo and Zane talking with the man I assume is the coach. I scan the rest of the space when a knot suddenly forms in my stomach.
“Chen is here,” I say, narrowing my eyes as I spot him.
“Oh god,” Tess adds. “Leo’s going to flip when he sees him.”
“Sees who?” Lisa asks, reappearing beside us, three shot glasses in her fingers. “I got us some dancing juice,” she says excitedly, handing Tess and me each a shot.
“Dancing juice?” I laugh.
“Ok, fine, it’s vodka,” she admits with a chuckle. “Cheers to being dancing queens!”
She raises her glass, and Tess and I follow suit. We take the shots together, and the burn hits my throat immediately, making me cough as I reach for my beer.
“Gross,” Tess says loudly, prompting Lisa to laugh.
“Who’s going to make Leo flip?” Lisa asks, glancing again in Rex Chen’s direction.
“Rex Chen,” Tess explains. “I’ll put it simply, he’s a business rival of Leo’s who also tried to screw us over.”
Lisa nods, understanding.
“Do we need to do anything?” she asks, already sounding ready for action, which makes me laugh. “Wait, is that Julian? Julian!” she calls out suddenly.
Both Julian and Rex immediately turn to look in our direction.
Rex remains where he is, but Julian hesitantly makes his way over toward us.
