Page 6 of Game Changer

“Shhhh! The movie is gonna start.”

“AJ, you can’t get out of this conversation. We’re in your living room, not the movie theater. I know you. I know when you like someone. Andyoumy easy-to-read friend, you like this someone.”

“We’ve had one conversation.” He crossed his arms defensively. He knew he didn’t have to be defensive with Jeremy, but the urge to defend himself against the fact hejustmet the girl was strong.

“And what?”

“And that’s it. We’ve had one conversation.”

“Did you even realize that Chelsea and I weren’t there for most of it?”

“You weren’t?”

“No AJ, we weren’t. You two wouldn’t shut the hell up once you got started, so we opened a one-to-one window and left you both alone. We only chimed in every now and then.”

“Can’t say I noticed.”

“I’ll try not to be offended.” Jeremy grinned and tossed a cushion at AJ. “Mission accomplished with Chelsea though, I got her to talk to me.”

“You’re a criminal mastermind, Jer.”

“Dude. This chick is a tough nut to crack.”

“I’m not even going to touch that one. Too obvious. Though I have absolute faith that your annoying persistence and winning smile will do the trick. Doesn’t sheknowyou’re a beaut?”

“I know, right?” Jeremy pretended to sweep his non-existent, flowing locks over his shoulder.

Beaut, short for beauty was a term used to describe a player on the team who was talented both on and off the ice who was loved by both the rest of the team, and the ladies. A beaut always had good locker room stories and typically great hair. Jeremy kept his hair short, but he was a natural at wheeling the ladies out of the arena and into his bed.

AJ took a drink of soda and started to eat his popcorn.

Her favorite food,he thought with a small smile.I wonder how she takes it. Would she fight me over tossing my M&M’s in there? Would she put some weird flavoring on it? Or worse, would she take it PLAIN like a HEATHEN?

Can’t date a popcorn heathen…

Stop it. You can’t like her. You can’t date her. You’ve had one online-chat with her. That’s verging on insane. Not to mention, you just can’t like her.

Britt. Britt. Britt.

But… but… but…

Lisa probably chews really loudly, anyway. Or she farts a lot. She probably doesn’t even know the off-side rule and she probably doesn’t sing all that well either.

Does any of that matter? She was engaging, and sweet and those eyes…

“Thinking about her, aren’t ya?”

“Shut up. I’m watching the movie.”

“Sureyou are.”

Jeremy was right, AJ didn’t watch much of the movie at all. In fact, he spent almost the entire ninety minutes mulling over his last discussion with Britt. She’d presented him with a proposal to marry her – solely for US citizenship. Not a ‘real’ marriage, but a marriage of convenience, for her at least. For him, he’d be doing what was presented to him as his duty as her best friend, and helping her out. Her father would ‘be very grateful,’ she’d told him, as though that carried some weight with him. He hated himself that it kind of did carry some weight. He’d been largely indifferent to the idea of marrying her until the job was offered. Aside from the fact that it would be like marrying his sister, he was single, he had no romantic prospects and had resolved to stay away from all the female-kind for a while. His focus was hockey and school. Despite the nagging voice at the back of his mind, he kind of figured that it would be no big deal if he married his childhood best friend for her to get a visa.

That was before I met Lisa.

Seriously? You’re sitting here re-thinking your entire life because of a girl on the internet?

Doesn’t it kind of say something to you that it only took ‘some girl on the internet’ to give you pause?

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