Page 36 of The Import Slot
I know he’s referring to the fact that I’m wearing one of Danny’s game-worn jerseys from last season. He backs away but then stops, taking my arm and turning my hand palm upward before placing a puck directly into my hand. He gives me a wink and heads back to Vicky.
I run my fingers over the black rubber disk and feel its smoothness. When I turn it over, I find a message written on the back in silver Sharpie, the same one he has now as he sits at the signing table. My face hurts from smiling so much.
‘Look after this for me.’
Becca clears her throat and nudges me, bringing me back to Earth; I slip the puck into my bag, aware of its weight. She motions back to Vicky, walking toward us with the GM.
“Hi Jenna, have you met Mr Lopez?” she says as a way of introduction.
“Nice to meet you, and please call me Justin,” he says, offering a hand. I take it and smile at him.
“Jenna Roberts,” I say, unsure of where this is going.
“Sorry to hijack your evening, but Vicky here tells me you’re the brains behind the junior team’s website, socials and PR. Could you send me your CV? We’d like to bring the management of our main site in-house and your experience is of interest.” He hands me his card.
“Wow, thanks. Yeah, I’ll do that,” I nod. We chat for a bit, and then he excuses himself, leaving us with Vicky. She’s smiling, and she has her beautiful blonde hair blow-dried to perfection.
“Johnny is having an after-party later. Nothing heavy, as the guys are on the road tomorrow, but let me know if you want to come. Jen, you have my number, right?”
I nod, and we say our goodbyes.
Becca and I leave after I take one last glance at Ryan, who’s still signing autographs, and we head back to Becca’s place to change before going to the bar. She pours herself an extra-large glass of wine and hands me a beer out of the fridge. I thought she’d be all over Johnny’s party, but she shrugs when I mention it and changes the conversation to this date she’s arranged. I’m not looking forward to it, but go along with it to be her wingman.
We’re in a taxi heading downtown when my phone pings with a message from Ryan.
Ryan:Are you coming to Johnny’s party?
Jenna:No, Becca’s meeting a guy downtown; I’m tagging along to wingman.
Ryan:Can we come and meet you?
I ask Becca how she feels about it, and she responds bitterly. “Not if Danny is coming. I can’t be dealing with him tonight.”
“What the fuck is going on with you two?” I demand, but she busies herself on her phone. For fuck’s sake.
“Have you seen the new TikTok Vicky has posted?” she asks, changing the subject.
I haven’t, so I look, forgetting to get back to Ryan until he messages again asking where we are. I make a rash, selfish decision and send him my live location, but before he can reply, the taxi stops, and Becca yanks my arm as she exits, heading towards the bar.
It’s packed in here; the music is loud, and the lights are dim, but somehow Becca spots her date.
“There he is!” she says brightly, leading me through the crowd. When her date turns around, he nudges someone to his left, bringing his attention to Becca before landing on me. Nathan. My blood runs cold, and Becca lets out an audible gasp of horror.
“Hey, Jen,” he says, looking me up and down. “Looking the same as always. How’s the diet going?” I want to think of a remarkable, witty comeback, but nothing comes to mind. I also want to ask him where his latest girlfriend is. Have they broken up or is trying to find someone to cheat on her with? I’m convinced that’s what he did when I was with him.
I look at Becca, willing for her to save me, but she doesn’t. She’s just standing there gaping at him. Nathan shifts his attention from us to the wide glass windows that overlook the street.
“Is that who I think it is…?” he says, and Becca and I spin around to see who’s caught his attention.
Ryan, Danny, Bettsy, and Hutch are pushing their way through the crowd toward the bar. That is until Bettsy spots us and gives Ryan a prod in the side. There’s chatting back and forth before Ryan heads over, leaving the others to queue.
“Ryan Preston!” Nathan squeals. “What a game tonight. You were great. I’m Nathan, a big fan.” Nathan holds out his hand, and to my utter satisfaction, Ryan looks him up and down before responding.
“Is this your ex, Jenna?” Oh, I love it when he uses my full name. Ryan doesn’t have a lot of insight into my time with Nathan; I haven’t told him a lot. In fact, I think Danny has probably told him more than he needs to know vis-à-vis blowjobs. I give Ryan a nod and then glance back at Nathan.
“We’re still good friends, though, right, Jen?” Nathan flashes a fake smile in my direction.
I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t want a stark reminder of how Nathan used to make me feel and how I used to let him.
