Page 13 of Scrimmage

“Why do you have to make enemies everywhere you go, Ash?” Cole angrily leans over the table. “You’re fucking embarrassing me.”

“Stop caring what everyone thinks, and you’ll stop being embarrassed.”

He sighs and pours another mimosa. After a few tense moments he starts to laugh. “I can’t fucking believe your virgin comment.”

“Where’s the lie?” I start laughing.

“Fuck." He gasps for air. “Oh shit. You need to call Penny.”

I flip around, and Penny is signaling S-O-S. “Call?” I give him a sly smile. “I’m right here.”

“Oh no." He puts his head in his hands.

I grab a glass with mimosa and head over to the table she’s sitting at. I stand over Short Chance with my hand on my hip, and I dump it on his head.

“What the—?” he starts.

“What the fuck? How dare you not call me, and then I see you with another woman?” I screech. The entire patio is watching. “I’m pregnant. How could you!?”

He immediately turns to Penny to explain that he doesn’t know me and has never seen me in his life.

She puts her hand up to stop him. “I think I’m going to go. Don’t call me.” She stands and leaves as fast as possible, and I run out after her. When we make it around the corner, we both double over laughing.

She wipes tears from her eyes. “That was truly your best one yet."

“I have wanted to do that for so long.”

“Bravo. Top performance. You should be a theater kid.” She places her arm around me as we strut back toward the house. “Oh no. What about Cole?”

“He’ll live. He knew what he was getting into.”

“You use that boy,” Penny warns.

“And he still doesn’t leave.”

“So who were those people sitting with you?”

“Ugh,” I say dramatically. “Some assholes.”

“And the one who sent me the drink?” She raises her eyebrows in question.

I skip ahead to the front door and head inside. We never lock it. It’s pointless. We lost the keys the day we moved in. “Some guy named Alexi. He was trying to fuck me.”

She puts her stuff onto the kitchen counter. “He was cute.”

“Yeah, in the frat boy way. Not interested.”

“You’re not interested in anyone,” she argues.

I throw myself down onto the couch. “Why would I need a relationship? I have you.”

“Don’t use me as an excuse for your commitment issues.” She sits down next to me with a bowl of candy, offering it to me.

“What’s so bad about enjoying my own company?”

She rolls her eyes and gives me a knowing look. “Some day you’re gonna wake up with a boy in your bed, and you’re not gonna want him to leave.”

I roll a candy wrapper into a ball and throw it at her. “Impossible.”

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