Page 42 of Every Move You Make

Robyn

Fall. Sophomore Year.

“Yes, Icyyyy!” I scream as Isaiah makes an excellent pass to his flanker while getting tackled.

“You know you’re supposed to be rooting for our own men’s team, right?” Angie asks.

“You know, most people, when they move on to grad school, stop coming around the games,” I say sarcastically.

“What? It’s not like I have class on Saturdays. Saturday’s a rugby day,” she says matter-of-factly, then shrugs. “And I wanted to see my baby brother.”

Today, we’re in New Jersey at Isaiah’s college, where his team is currently winning against my men’s team, Penn Valley. The leaves have started to turn into deep oranges and dusty browns, and the temperature has dropped to an ideal level for playing. My game ended an hour ago against the Brightwood women’s team, and we smoked them. Maybe it had something to do with my boost in pride when Isaiah was cheering for me from the sidelines. Family and friends have watched me play before, but it felt different today. I find myself playing my hardest, smartest games when he’s watching me. Something inside itches to impress him.

“Uh-huh,” I tease. “It has nothing to do with him?” I tilt my head toward the field, where Holloway is making a breakaway.

Ang snorts. “No. He’s just my fuck buddy.”

I haven’t seen Angie since she graduated, but I have seen Isaiah. Over the summer, both of us attended a few different sevens tournaments together. I spent the rest of my summer training with my dad, attending camps, or working as a maid at a local hotel. Despite the fame and glory my parents received as Olympic athletes, we don’t have a ton of money. I still had to work whenever I could.

Since meeting four months ago, Isaiah and I message each other often. Most of our conversations are about rugby, but sometimes they’re about more.

Isaiah: Hey. What r u doin?

Robyn: About to leave work and then train with my dad.

Isaiah: How many hotel rooms did you clean today?

Robyn: 15 My feet hurt. I wasn’t made for manual labor.

Isaiah: Says the rugby player.

Robyn: I’m meant for playing rugby and laying on a beach with a coconut cocktail in hand. Not this:

Isaiah: LOL u will be back to college before u kno it, and then u can hang up ur smock for good.

Robyn:What are you doing?

Isaiah: It’s Dane’s birthday, so we’re having a party. Got the bass out and everything.

Robyn: I’m still waiting on my back alley CD of Agony Nectar.

Isaiah: Again… we have a YouTube channel. u can listen there!

Robyn: IT’S NOT THE SAME AND YOU KNOW IT

Sometimes our conversations were about less. And in between hedgehog memes and rugby gifs, sometimes we went deeper.

I’ve learned a lot about him and met the rest of his siblings. He told me about how his mom died when he was eight and how Angie essentially raised him. I told him about my controlling parents and how envious I was of his huge family. He also told me about his girlfriend, Jessica. They seem cute together. I guess she has other things to do on Saturdays, though, because I haven’t met her yet.

“Good hands, Zay!” Angie bellows while clapping aggressively for her brother, who just made an assisted try.

“He’s getting better.”

“I know. All he does is talk about rugby. His entire wardrobe consists of rugby clothes or band tees. If he’s not playing or at his landscaping job, he’s working out, eating, or watching rugby. It’s pretty intense.”

“Think he’s gonna make a career out of it?”

Angie sighs. “I told him it was dumb to rely on his body like this, but I don’t know if it’s sinking in.”

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