Page 9 of The Late Hit
“Morning,” I grumble.
Taking the shot from Macy, I dip my tongue into the cup, sliding around the rim of the plastic, breaking loose the Jell-O before sucking it down. Mmm, cherry Jell-O shots are my favorite. Before getting out of bed, I reach over to my phone, check the time—it’s nine forty-five—and pull up my text messages.
"Q ready for the game?” Macy asks.
“Oh yeah, he’s pumped,” I answer, climbing out of bed and heading over to my bathroom to brush my teeth.
Since I was the one to find the town house, the girls gave me the master suite. Both of their bedrooms are upstairs, as well, but they share the guest bathroom. It’s not that big of a deal since we all get ready together. Usually, that’s in my room since it’s the biggest.
“Chlo ran out to grab donuts,” Macy says while I brush my teeth.
She heads out of my room while I finish my morning routine—brush my teeth, bathroom, wash my face. You know, the typical stuff.
By the time I make it downstairs, Chloe had returned with the donuts. She picked up a dozen glazed donuts decorated in CTU colors, along with three red, white, and blue Eagles lattes, which are only available during football season. The drink features our school’s team colors, and the latte is a combination of white chocolate, raspberry, blueberry, milk, and espresso. It’s really good, but I only drink them on game days. I much prefer my coffee black and, if I’m feeling adventurous, I add a splash of cream.
“Okay, so what’s the game plan?” Chloe asks, shoving a donut in her mouth.
Reaching around Chloe, I grab myself a donut and sit down on a bar stool at our island. College GameDay is blaring on the TV from the living room behind us. Before answering, I take a swig of my iced coffee, but not before I shake the ice around for a couple of seconds, because it obviously makes iced coffee better when you shake it around first.
“Get ready, get drunk, get food, and get rowdy?”
Macy looks up from where she’s painting her nails in OPI’s shade Color So Hot It Berns.
“I’m down for that plan. The baseball house is having a party, and I’m sure we can find somewhere to eat at the tailgate.”
“Oh, I forgot. Q said he told his parents we would be stopping by their motorhome for a barbecue.”
Quinton’s parents and I have a like/dislike relationship. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are CTU royalty. Mr. Boyd set the sack record for the Eagles before playing fifteen years in the NFL. He just recently retired and has become a heavy presence in the athletic boosters. His wife was also a CTU legend in basketball. While she didn’t go on to play in the WNBA, she holds the CTU record for most rebounds in a season. After graduating, she put her business degree to use and is a Chief Financial Officer at one of the largest Credit Unions in the state. The Boyds are a well-respected family, and that’s why I believe they think I’m not good enough to call Quinton my best friend.
But what can I do? I am who I am.
“I can’t wait to see what the Boyds bring for their barbecue spread. I wonder if they hired a professional,” Mace responds.
“Knowing Mrs. Boyd, I’m sure it’s catered with some kind of decorator coming to set up the motorhome and the outdoor tents,” Chloe says, standing from her seat. “I’m going to grab a shower while your nails dry, Mace. Meet in your room in an hour, B?”
“Sounds good! I still need to figure out what I’m going to wear. It’s going to be hotter than hell today.”
Early September in Texas is always hot. Throw in outdoor tailgating and standing in a crowd of a hundred thousand people, and it getsreallyhot.
After an hour, we all met in my room for hair and makeup. The best thing about living with girls is that we all have unique strengths and weaknesses when it comes to getting ready. Now we can all do our own makeup and hair, but it makes it more fun to have girl time and do it for each other. Chloe is the hair goddess, Macy the makeup guru, and I always provide the killer soundtrack.
Macy is a fashion major and each year she makes us custom shirts to wear to the games. She finds vintage shirts, cuts them, and combines them to make unique combinations. For the first game, she found vintage CTU T-shirts, cut them to be tube tops, and sewed elastic in the top and the bottom. This way the shirts would fit snugly on our bodies and would prevent any wardrobe malfunctions. Nobody wants a nip slip. Well… one that isn’t intentional.
Our outfits are the same, aside from the colors of the shirts. Chloe is wearing blue to bring out her blue eyes, with white denim shorts, and brown leather sandals. Macy has white to contrast against her tan skin, paired with ripped denim shorts, and red Converse. I’m wearing red to pop with my platinum-blonde hair, opting for a denim skirt, and my new boots.
“You guys! Look what I ordered for this season!” I scream, running to my closet and pulling out my most prized purchase.
I slip on my new Glitz Cream Lucchese Priscilla boots. Walking out of my bathroom, I’m met with squeals from the girls.
“Shut up! Girl, you look amazing!” Macy screams.
I’ve been talking about buying these boots for a year. Finally, I bit the bullet and put them on my parents’ credit card. It’s the least they can do since we haven’t seen each other in almost a year. If they won’t show me their love, they can buy it.
Five years ago, our family dynamic changed. It was never that great, but the events from five years ago nailed the coffin closed. Each year, the time between our communication gets longer and longer. It’s been a year since we’ve seen each other, a year since we’ve spoken. I didn’t even bother flying home for the holidays. They still live in my hometown, a suburb of Chicago, and I’m here in Texas. If one of us needs to communicate with the other, it’s done through text or email. As long as they keep the credit card balance cleared, I’ll take their bought love. It’s fine. I’ve accepted it.
That’s why my relationship with Chloe, Macy, Cody, and Quinton means so much to me. We aren’t family by blood, but our love is deeper. And that’s what matters to me.
B, enough, we aren’t focusing on them today. Today is about you. Today is about the girls. Today is about Quinton.
