Page 71 of The Fadeaway
Blair,Gabby, and I shuffle from our seats out of the Sun Devil’s stadium. Valley defeated ASU and I’m minutes from Joel knowing I came all this way to watch him play.
“So, you didn’t tell him you were coming?” Gabby asks with big eyes.
We pile into a cab and give the driver the address of our hotel.
“Should I have?”
“No, it’s fine. He’s going to be so excited to see you,” Blair insists.
God, I hope so.
“He will.” Blair nudges my knee. “What are you doing on Tuesday? Gabby is moving into an apartment and we’re going to make an evening of it. Unboxing, drinking, and boy talk.”
“That sounds good. Christian is gone all week with his father.”
“What’s he like? You never mentioned him, and I was always afraid to ask.”
I grimace at the thought I might have come across that closed off. “He’s a good guy, a little flaky. We had a study hall together and hung out a few times, but I got pregnant after we were together only once, so I don’t really know that much about him either. I mean, we’ve tried to be friendly and civil, but it’s hard.”
“Damn. One time?”
I nod to Gabby who looks horrified to know that sort of thing really happens. “Yep. First and last time I had sex.”
“What?!” Blair shrieks earning us a look from the cab driver in the rearview mirror
My cheeks blaze with heat. “Yeah, been a bit of a dry spell.”
“Holy shit. You haven’t slept with Joel yet?”
“Umm…”
Blair laughs and Gabby joins in.
“What?”
“This is too precious. Joel gave Wes the worst time about how long it took us to have sex after we started hanging out and that was only a few weeks.”
“It hasn’t been that long and with Christian around there hasn’t really been an opportunity.”
Until now.
Gabby opens the clutch on her lap and hands over a sleeve of condoms. “Plenty of opportunity tonight.”
The cab pulls up to the hotel and I shove the condoms into my purse before filing out behind Blair.
“Wait, why areyoucarrying condoms?” Blair asks Gabby as the three of us catch the elevator up to our room.
Gabby has this habit of letting her long blonde hair fall over the scars on the left side of her face when she’s nervous or unsure, which she does now. “I just wanted to be prepared for anything. What if I meet some hot guy tonight?” Her eyes light up. “Or maybe I can convince Coach Daniels to let me into his room,” she says and smiles deviously.
“The coach, really?” I ask. “I mean, he’s hot don’t get me wrong, but he’s like forty.”
“I’m not looking to get married and have babies, just jump his bones.”
Blair shakes her head and looks to me. “This is what happens when you go too long without sex. Take this as a warning, go forth and have sex or else you’ll end up like Gabby.”
Gabby punches her playfully.
“Longer than four years?” I ask.
