Page 32 of Between the Blue
“Like…the one on ice?” I question her. “With sticks and skates?”
“That’s the one,” she confirms.
My mouth falls open, but no words come out. My brain is completely clouded with confusion. You could have given me a thousand guesses for where this conversation was about to go, and I wouldn’t even have been close to guessing this.
“Considering the fact that I’ve spent my entire life in Georgia and now the last month in Texas,” I say, “absolutely nothing.”
I’ve never even seen snow. How would I know anything about ice hockey?
“Well, believe it or not,” Tiffany says, “Texas actually has an NHL team.”
“NHL?” I ask, but then immediately register the acronym in my racing mind. I reach up, running a hand through my hair and rubbing at my temples. “National Hockey League. NHL. Right, okay. I…didn’t know that.”
“Yep,” Tiffany nods, giving me a tight grin. “The Texas Storm. Hockey’s not the most popular sport in Texas, not by a mile, but the people who are fans are extremely dedicated.”
“That’s great…I guess.”
“Their games are a ton of fun to attend,” Tiffany says, waving her hands in my direction. “You know, some people say hockey is the funnest sport there is to watch live.”
“Awesome,” I state, starting to lose my patience. “I’m sorry, but…what does this have to do with me? With my internship with COBO?”
“Ah, yes,” Tiffany claps, standing from the chair at my side and walking back around to sit behind her desk. “I’m getting to that.”
I wait for her to take a seat, folding my hands in my lap to keep myself from fidgeting.
“So, here’s the thing,” Tiffany continues. “I told you we have connections with COBO, but, honestly, we have a lot of connections all over Austin. The Texas Storm is just one of them. A few of AIT’s board members have been season ticket holdersfor years, including the dean. We’ve had alumni and current students do some work for them over the years, from graphic design to photography and videography.”
“Oh,” I mutter, trying to stick with her. “I see.”
“So, I reached out to the Storm, and it turns out they are actually in major need of some help right now. Their social media manager quit during the offseason.” She pauses for a moment, looking like she’s trying to contain her smile. “And they’d love to have you.”
“I’m sorry.” I shake my head, my hands falling to my sides. “What?”
Tiffany’s smile flickers, and I soften my tone.
“I mean, what even made you reach out to them for me? I don’t photograph sports. And I don’t really do social media. I do fashion and editorial work. This isn’t my strong suit or something that will help with my resume at all. It’s just…not what I do.”
“I would have thought the same thing,” Tiffany says, leaning over and opening a drawer in her desk. “Until I saw these.” I tilt my head as she reveals a manilla folder and slides it across the table towards me. I pick it up and open it, only catching a glimpse at the photos inside before they all fall out into my lap.
My shoulders instantly tense as I pick one up, holding it up to my face. I press my lips together as I stare down at one of the photos I took of Ben at the gym. I can only keep my eyes on it for a second before I have to set it back down.
“These were…a one time thing,” I say, scoffing out a dry laugh. “Just a silly assignment.”
“Addison, those photos are fantastic.”
I raise my gaze to meet Tiffany’s and find that she’s completely serious. I sink my teeth into my lower lip, chewing at it as I slowly let my eyes fall back down to the photos. And, even though I don’t want to, I see it.
His perfectly blurred face. His strong back to the camera. The contrast and lighting accentuating his physique. You can’t even tell who’s in these photos, but it somehow works.
They look…badass.
But they’re just not what I do.
“You really think so?” I ask Tiffany.
“I do,” she insists. “And the Texas Storm’s marketing manager felt the same.” My gaze snaps back up to her. “They want you to start next week. As soon as you’re willing to. Well, if you accept, of course.”
So many thoughts run through my brain. If I did this, I’dhaveto start next week. The deadline to begin internships is next Friday. I was supposed to be starting at COBO on Monday. It sounds like now I could be doing this instead by Monday.
