Page 33 of Charming Crosschecks

“Oh girl, we are gonna get along just fine,” Aimee laughed easily. “If you are hungry, don’t eat the popcorn or junk. We make a run for the Ladies Lounge where they put the good stuff.”

“The taco bar!”

“You two are the ones that the nutritionist is whining about?” Molly gaped in surprise. She knew that the nutritionist on the team was a little stuffy and nearly had a cow when she brought in brownies for Gerry – until he found out that they were holistic and made with beets. She wasn’t sure how the donuts got past the fire-breathing dragon that didn’t mince words.

“Ugh, Phillip is a drama queen.”

“Truth,” Aimee and Molly said in unison and looked at each other in surprise. “What’d you do?”

“Um, I gave him beet brownies, which were apparently pretty delicious, so he ate several. Beets, fiber, all natural products, and well… you get the drift. What did you do?”

“Asked for a deep fryer, gouda cheese curds, and for him to ship in cans of poutine gravy to surprise Theo.”

“Wait– you asked for high-calorie foods for Theo, and Phillip said ‘No’?”

“Yup.”

“Would an air fryer work?”

“Maybe?”

“Let me see what I can do because Theo has an awfully high metabolism, and I’ve been pumping him full of protein shakes so he can gain some mass and…”

“Wait!You’re Shakezilla?”Aimee gaped in shock, looking her up and down.

“He calls me Shakezilla? I thought Beetlejuice was bad enough,” Molly muttered, horrified that apparently the team not only named her more than once but discussed her among themselves and at home. Was she really so tough on the guys?”

“It’s an affectionate term, I assure you,” Becca chimed in quickly.

“No, it’s not,” Molly retorted flatly, crossing her arms.

“Nope. It really isn’t, but did that make you feel better?” Aimee said lightly, giving her two thumbs up. “No hard feelings, Shakezilla?”

“Oh my gosh…”

“If it makes you feel any better, I make him sing the song from Aqua Teen Hunger Force – and with that French accent, the significant lack of ‘D’s and ‘H’s in his speech, it’s practically feral and so unbelievably hot. Theo starts rapping in broken English, dancing, and…”

“Ughhhh!” both Becca and Molly reared back in horror.

“Hey!” Aimee snapped, shaking her finger at them. “My man, my hotness. Don’t you ‘ugh’ me. We don’t ‘yuck’other people’s ‘C’est bon!’ and ‘Yums’– got me?”

All three women looked at each other – and burst out laughing. Molly hadn’t realized just how much she enjoyed hanging out and being around other women. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone who seemed to understand, and someone who knew a bit of her ‘world’ putting the pieces together. Sometimes, when she called her mother, it was hard because she had to explain everything in detail… but not with these two. They were living in a world not so far from her own, which made her feel strangely included.

She looked back at the ice, watching the last bits of the game, waiting anxiously to see Gerry once more.

As the final buzzer sounded, the roar of the crowd filled the arena, but Molly barely had time to register it before Aimee and Becca seized her wrists, each clamping on as though her very presence was a mission. They hustled her down the walkway, weaving through clusters of fans with determination. Molly stumbled along; her protests drowned out by their urgent whispers and exaggerated gestures.

“Move, move, move!” Aimee hissed, her head whipping around like a secret agent dodging enemy fire.

“Why are we rushing?” Molly managed to ask, trying not to trip as Becca yanked her forward.

“Because,” Becca whispered fiercely, throwing a glance over her shoulder, “if we don’t get you out of here fast, we’re about to become targets for popcorn hail and soda-deluges.”

“What?” Molly’s confusion was written all over her face.

“Disgruntled women,” Aimee clarified, her lips pressed into a tight line. “When they find out one ofour guysis taken, it’s Hate City for us.”

Becca nodded vigorously. “And don’t think I don’twantto snap at them. Sometimes I just want to shout, ‘This is why he didn’t pick you!’” She threw up her free hand dramatically, earning a few curious stares from passersby. “But you know what that gets me? A Sprite-Shower and sticky hair.”

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