One Cycle by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Author:Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: James Lorimer and Company Ltd., Publishers
Published: 2012-08-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

The night was clear, stars shone, and a big full moon lit the sky. My feet felt heavy as I walked to my Jeep. I inhaled, trying to suck in as much fresh air as possible. I kicked stones as I plodded. Closer to my car, I saw Carrie sitting on the back bumper.

“What are you still doing here?” I asked.

“Quinn said you might need a friend.” She hopped off the bumper and shoved her hands in her pockets. Then she said, “Tough loss. I hate losing.”

“Me too,” I said, opening the hatch and throwing in my equipment.

“You want to go get something to eat?” she asked.

I looked at her and attempted a smile. “That sounds good coming from you.”

“Yeah, well, we all have our stuff to deal with.” She jerked her head toward my car. “Let’s take your car. You can drop me back here after.”

Carrie got in the front seat and I started the Jeep, letting it warm up for a few seconds. Neither of us said anything. I liked that about Carrie; she knew when to talk and when to shut up. I let the car idle in park and said, “Where would you like to go?”

“Your team is at Earl’s.”

I sighed. Then I ran my fingers through my wet hair. “Yeah, I know.”

“Quinn wants you to come.”

“What did he say?”

“Just that you’re pissed off your team lost. I get that.”

“I flipped out on my teammates.” I leaned back, stared at the ceiling of the Jeep, and placed my hands on my forehead. “I can’t believe I did that. I’ve never done it before.”

“Ouch,” said Carrie. “That’s not good. But hey, I’ve done it. You’ll be a bigger man if you show up. It’s as good as an apology.”

I rolled my head and looked at her. “When did you get so smart?”

She shrugged and gave me a smile.

We drove in silence, and within fifteen minutes we were in Earl’s parking lot. Carrie and I entered the restaurant and she whispered, “Chin up, buttercup.”

For the first time since the end of the game, I laughed.

We headed to the table where my entire team and some of their girlfriends sat. Two seats were available across from Spooner and his girlfriend, Melanie. I sucked in a deep breath and made my way to the seats. “Hey,” I said, sitting down beside Hambone.

“Glad you made it,” he said.

Spooner looked at me, nodded slightly, and I gave him a thumbs-up. Carrie was right. Now that I had shown up, all was okay. I opened my menu.

“Hey, have you heard from Allie?” Carrie asked just after the waitress had taken our orders. We had both ordered chili chicken, but I had also ordered dry ribs and calamari for protein. I was starving, and besides, I had to eat a lot to show the guys why I was getting bigger.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I forgot. I’ll text her now.”

I quickly fired off a text.

“how was your game?”

Within seconds my phone pinged.

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