Page 74 of Trick Play
Well, not this time.
Sighing, I sit up and push my hair out of my face.
Dani lets out a relieved breath and steps back. “Good. So, pizza?”
“Yeah, pizza.” My voice sounds more croaky than normal, but when I clear my throat, I think it’ll be okay. I cried off and on, but I’m done with that now. No more crying over stupid boys.
I push back the blankets and get out of bed, following Dani to our living area. The smell of grease and melted cheese envelops me. She pulls back the lid of the box with a flourish like she’s presenting the prize on an old game show. “Ladies first.”
I can’t help laughing. “You’re not a lady?”
Shrugging, she hands me a paper plate from the stack we keep near the sink. “I suppose I am. But I’m more like one of the guys, really, so.” She shrugs again.
Pizza on my plate, stray strings of mozzarella pinched off, I lick my fingers and sit on the couch, looking her over with a critical eye. “We could make you into more of one of the girls, you know. Go shopping. Fill out your wardrobe with something other than baggy T-shirts and joggers. Buy some makeup. You could cut your hair if you wanted.”
She sinks onto the couch next to me with a snort. “You’re the one who just broke up with her boyfriend. Aren’t you the one supposed to be getting a haircut?”
I give her a confused look. “I think you have me confused with a forty-something wine mom who’s suddenly getting a divorce.”
“Touché,” she mumbles around a mouthful of pizza.
“No, but seriously,” I try to push, but she cuts me off with a shake of her head.
“No, ma’am. I’m not going to become your project to distract you from your pain. I’m perfectly happy with my baggy shirts and joggers, thank you very much. And it’s not like I don’townnicer clothes. I just see no point in wearing them daily. I’m not trying to impress anyone.” Her face clouds. “Besides. I’ve tried making that effort. Everyone always reacts with shock and awe, looking at me like some strange insect they’ve never seen before. I feel worse about myself, not better. So I have my slightly dressier versions of my usual outfits I wear for parties and whatever, but for class?” She shakes her head. “I’ll stick with my comfy clothes, thanks.”
I frown, wanting to find something to latch onto in that defense. But if she’s happy, who am I to try to make her feel bad about herself just to give me something to do? And she’s right, I’m only looking for a distraction.
“Besides.” She nudges me with her shoulder. “There’s no time for a makeover before Christmas break anyway. You’ll have to find some other project to distract you. I could take you to the weight room, show you around, get you started.” She looks almost hopeful. “Picking up heavy shit is surprisingly cathartic.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “So you’ll turn me into your project to distract me from my broken heart, huh?”
She flashes me a grin and shrugs. “Worth a shot.”
“And there’s time for that before break?” I ask, eyebrows raised.
Another shrug. “Well, no. But you could keep working out over the break whether I’m around or not. And then we could work out together next semester.” Her face brightens, like she’s really getting attached to this idea.
I feel kinda bad letting her down, so I hum noncommittally. “I’ll think about it.”
“You do that. And we’d time our workouts so we’re unlikely to be in the gym the same time as the football players. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about …”
“Cal,” I finish for her. “We don’t have to pretend he doesn’t exist. You can say his name.”
“Okay.” She pauses, picking a piece of pepperoni off her pizza and popping it in her mouth. “So, Ellie came by.”
“Did she?” I ask, trying to keep my voice neutral, but the frog in my throat gives me away.
Dani looks at me, sympathy stamped on her face. “She said Cal sent her to check on you since you weren’t answering his calls.”
Nodding, I stare at my half-eaten slice. “I turned off my phone.”
“Makes sense.” Another long pause. “I showed her the texts,” she says at last. “I thought she should know. I don’t think she did before.”
That’s unsurprising. Ellie seemed to be genuinely rooting for us, and she doesn’t strike me as the type who’d go for some kind of twisted revenge plan like helping her brother date a girl just to screw with that girl’s brother. Plus, I always got the feeling that she and Cal don’t have that kind of relationship anyway.
I nod to show I heard, but don’t really have anything to say.
“I’m really sorry, Piper,” Dani says quietly. “About everything. I know you really liked him.”
