Page 65 of The Lineman

Matty tapped his pen against the table—over and over and over—until he had all our attention. “Okay, game plan. Elliot is good at geography, Omar is solid on history, Sisi knows pop culture—”

I cleared my throat.

They all looked at me.

I shrugged. “I, uh . . . I’m kind of a trivia nerd.”

Sisi raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Omar leaned in slightly. “How nerdy are we talking?”

The host grabbed the mic, and the music stopped. “All right, teams! Time to turn in those names. What should we call you tonight? Five minutes before we begin.”

“So,” I said, “what’s the team name?”

Matty perked up. “I suggested ‘Elliot Hart’s Big Fat—’”

“No,” Elliot cut in.

Sisi grinned. “I liked ‘Trivia Newton John.’”

“Also no,” Elliot sighed.

Omar leaned forward, finally weighing in. “I stand by ‘Bitch Better Have Answers.’”

I laughed. “Okay, that one’s solid.”

Elliot gave me a betrayed look.

I shrugged. “Hey, democracy.”

“Fine, you go turn that in,” he growled, though a smile parted his lips.

The moment my butt hit the stool again, the host barked, “All right, teams! Let’s get started with round one!”

The first question flashed on the screen, and the host read:

“In what year did the Ottoman Empire officially dissolve?”

Matty groaned. “Shit, history. Omar?”

Omar tilted his head. “Uh . . . 1922?”

I was already writing. “1923, technically.”

Omar blinked. “Excuse me?”

Matty leaned over to look at my writing. “Wait, is that right?”

The answer popped up on the screen.

1923.

Omar’s head snapped toward me.

Sisi grinned. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

Next question.

---