Page 23 of What Are The Odds?
Levi: How’s that evil?
Grace: That’s like asking what your favourite movie of all time is. Nobody has a favourite movie. There are too many good ones.
Levi: Easy. A Bug’s Life.
Grace: I was not expecting that answer.
She’d followed her message with a dozen laughing Emojis.
Levi: The story of an idealistic outcast who saves a community of sceptics. It’s fucking epic.
Grace: Fair point. I cried after I watched it thinking of all the ants I’d stepped on over the years. I promise I haven’t killed one since.
Levi: Really?
Grace: How gullible are you, Holloway? Of course I’m not serious. They’re pests back home. Between them and flies, Chrissy lunch is a warzone.
I actually laughed out loud, imaging Grace saying that in her accent. From beside me on the couch, Will glanced at me out the corner of his eye.
Levi: Favourite artist, Hughesy. Go.
Grace: Right now… I’ve been listening to a lot of Daily J.
I searched them in Spotify next. We had very different taste in music, but I didn’t mind Grace’s taste.
Levi: How long are you in Washington?
Grace: We get back Monday afternoon.
That took out the entire weekend, as well as our lecture on Monday morning. I guess I would be stuck with Richardson. Maybe I’d ditch and catch-up online. I tapped my fingers on my phone, thinking through what to say next. The concept of becoming friends with a girl before I hooked up with them wasn’t one I was familiar with. I had to second guess everything.
Levi: Once you’re home, what do you say to a redo of the other night? Only this time it’s a hockey education instead.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then it was dinner time. Then I was getting ready for bed. Just as I was turning off my TV, I checked my phone one last time. I had multiple messages waiting, but only one I wanted to see. My lips involuntarily pulled up seeing the nameGrace Hughes.
Grace: Sorry. Phone died. If Taco Bell is on the menu again, you’ve got a deal Holloway.
12. Just different
Grace.
Ava stepped closer to me, discreetly whispering, “Don’t look now, but there’s a veryveryhandsome man watching you.”
Of course I couldn’t help but look. Ryker was sitting on the bottom step of the bleachers. Freshly showered and looking, well, as Ava put it, really handsome. He was in gym shorts and a long-sleeve gym tee. The fit carved along his muscles nicely. I wasn’t the only person to notice that. Many of the girls on my team double looked him as they made their way to the changerooms.
“How do you know he’s looking at–”
He waved when he caught my eye. I guess that answered that question. We’d just finished today’s practice. Coach hadn’t gone too hard on us. Having returned from our meet yesterday morning, today had focussed on recovery and endurance rather than pace.
Ava nudged me. “Go say hi.”
Ryker stood up as I approached him, a perfect smile transitioning his face.
“Hey, Grace.”
“Hey.”
“I felt bad for missing the football the other night, so I thought I could make it up to you.”
