Page 131 of Restricted List

Immediately, Knox and I turn to Ari.

“Okay,” Knox says, “I know Lucia can be a bit abrasive, but what the fuck was that?”

“How the fuck did you piss her off like that already?”

“Like I said,” Ari huffs, “she has a stick up her ass. I’m heading to the showers. Hopefully, the hot water will do more for my hip than she did.”

Without another word, Ari walks to the showers, leaving both Knox and me confused behind him.

That was a strange interaction. Ari’s a good guy, so hearing him talk about Lucia like that is surprising. And after knowing Ari as long as I have, it’s surprising to hear Lucia say the things she said as well.

I don’t know what the hell happened, but since we’re all in the same friend group, things will surely only get more awkward from here.

Skip lets us loose on Saturday night with no practice on Sunday. To Knox’s dismay, this means that we’re heading out to a bar tonight, celebrating the first week back on the field.

We ask Lane and Josh if they know what’s going on between Lucia and Ari, but they seem to be as clueless as we are. To Ari’s credit, he doesn’t say another word about her after that tense interaction. They both seem to be trying to pretend the other doesn’t exist.

It’s awkward as fuck for the rest of us.

At least tonight is just the guys, so we should be able to have a good time without having to walk on eggshells.

We bring Ari to mine and Lane’s favorite dive bar down here in Bradenton—The Tipsy Turtle—and start off with a round of some local IPA.

Josh holds up his bottle in a toast. “Here’s to surviving our first week back on the field.”

We all laugh and clink our bottles together before sipping.

“You feeling good about the season, Ari?” Lane asks, popping a pretzel into his mouth.

“Yeah,” he says, clasping his hands behind his head and leaning back against the booth. “I think I’ve adjusted well enough. Season should be fun.” Ari turns to face me, smirking. “How’s the secret relationship treating you, Pierce?”

I roll my eyes. “Everything is going really well. Just wish I didn’t have to hide her.”

Knox takes a swig of his beer before asking, “How long do you think you guys can really hide this?”

I let out a deep breath. “I have no fucking idea. Skip’s been suspicious of her seeing someone, he just doesn’t know who.”

“Fuck,” Josh says. “That’s not good.”

“Oh, it gets better,” I laugh derisively. “I never told you guys about how he askedmeto find out who she’s seeing.”

Lane chokes on his beer, spraying it all over the table.

“What the fuck, Brooks?” Knox gripes, grabbing a napkin to clean off his hands.

“He askedyouto find out who she’s dating?” Lane asks, ignoring Knox completely. “Holy shit, that’s hilarious.”

I stare at him with a flat look on my face. “Yes. It’s fucking hilarious to have to be in this situationwith my girlfriend’s father. I’m having a great time while trying not to slip up.”

“You’re so fucked,” Ari chuckles while shaking his head.

“I know,” I sigh. “But it is what it is. I don’t regret a goddamn thing.”

“Damn,” Josh says in surprise. “You’re really serious about her.”

“Yeah,” I say with a slight smile. “I’m obsessed with her.”

“We all knew that,” Knox laughs.

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