Page 84 of Between the Blue
I startle, looking to the side to find Luke and Ronan approaching.
“Photo op for social media,” I say robotically.
“Oh, sweet,” Ronan says. “Me first.”
“Great.” I smile, keeping my eyes on the camera viewfinder as I motion my hand towards the booth. “Have a good game, Ben.”
twenty-three
HER
It’s been over an hour since the game ended, and I’ve just now been able to get away. I was going to head home, but I knew my bed would be too inviting, and I really need to sort through these photos from today so I have time tomorrow to study for my upcoming exam.
I settle down at a table in the arena workspace with my laptop and have just clicked on the photos folder when the door to the room flies open.
A blonde woman walks in, heading straight for the coatrack to grab her jacket and bag. It’s not until her head turns that I realize it’s Caroline. “Oh, hey,” she grins. “Are you going to Randall’s?”
“Not tonight,” I tell her, motioning towards my camera and laptop. “I’m being lame.”
“Correction,” she says, sauntering over to my table. “Randall’swill be lame. Because neither of us will be there tonight.”
“What’s holding you down?” I ask.
“I have to prepare for a presentation tomorrow and catch up on game stats from the last two nights. It’s been a busy week.”Caroline moves to stand behind me, bending down to look at my computer screen. “What about you?”
“Photos.” I scroll down through my open folder. “And more photos.” I cycle through several rows of pictures of yet another fight Ben got in this evening.
“Looks like you got some good content there,” she remarks.
“Yeah,” I say. It’s quiet for a few seconds before I decide to ask Caroline the question on the tip of my tongue. “He does that a lot, doesn’t he?”
Her brows pull together as she looks between me and my laptop screen. “Bennett?” she asks. When I nod, her brows knit tighter. “What? Fight?”
“Yeah.”
“Well,” she shrugs. “Fighting is really just a part of the sport. But, yeah. I guess you could say it’s kind of Bennett’s thing.” She chuckles. “You know, a lot of people think it’s not a complete Texas Storm game without him decking someone.”
I shake my head. “But, why?”
“Why what?”
“Why…” I trail off, not quite sure of what words to use. “Why is he so angry?”
Caroline opens her mouth and then closes it, pursing her lips. “I’m not sure.”
The room grows quiet, and my mind wanders as I ponder my own question.
“What are these?” Caroline suddenly asks, pointing towards the bottom of my screen.
“Oh,” I mumble, seeing she’s pointing at the storm themed walk-in photos. “Just something new I was trying.”
“Let me see?” she asks.
“Sure,” I say, clicking on the photos of Ronan.
I scroll through the handful of them, keeping my eyes on the photos as Caroline stands silently behind me. She’s not givingme any feedback, but I don’t think I care what she thinks. Because this is the first time I’m looking at these photos, and, I have to admit–
“Addie, these areamazing.”
