Page 111 of The Tape Job
“John, I’m filming!” I mouth at him, nodding towards the camera I’ve set up.
“Pause it, or edit this out, whatever—Vicky, I don’t care.”
“What do you want?” I ask him throughgritted teeth.
“Just wanted to let you know, I’ve cut Dad out too. I mean, I’ve just come to my senses, I guess.”
Pausing the recording, I try to understand his expression as I look at him, but he avoids eye contact. “What happened?”
“I don’t want to go into detail now, but I’ll tell you another time. I just want you to know I’m sorry for everything, and I know I’ve been pretty shitty. I love you, Sis.”
Johnny bolts past me in a flash, and I stand there in complete shock. It’s only when Jen taps my arm that I pull my attention back to here and now.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
I shake my head, then I recall where she’s been all afternoon. “How did the house viewing go?” I ask her as I gather my equipment.
“I think we’re going to put in an offer,” she says.
We go to the home bench where she unpacks two iPads and switches them on. “It was the only place we’ve seen that Ryan likes and he sees enough potential in. I think he’s been watching too much TV. He needs to get a daytime job because I’m worried about his sanity.”
I watch her set up the iPads, and then she pulls a laptop out of her bag. Jen crouches down at the bench, resting her computer on it as if it’s a desk. I’m focused completely on what she’s doing which means I have no warning that Matt Rodgers has made his way over to us. He leans in through the access door, his stick stretched out in front of him.
“I would say ‘while you’re down there,’ but I don’t do fat chicks.” He grins down at Jen, and my jaw drops open in both shock and disgust.
“Good thing I wasn’t offering because—”
I don’t know how I struggled to yell at him the other day but hearing someone insult my friend lights a fuse that starts burning away. Burning. Burning. And then it blows.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were feeling a bit jealous, Vicky. But my offer still stands if you wanted to reconsider.”
I don’t know how I manage it, but I swing for him, aiming for his nose. Jen is behind me in an instant, pulling me back; and the next moment, Johnny has his arms around Matt. Johnny is bigger than him and pushes him over the threshold between the ice and bench with ease as he drags him towards the dressing room.
The sound of skates across the ice penetrates the air. “What the hell is going on?” Ryan skids to a stop.
Jen shakes her head. “Nothing. It’s fine. Nothing at all.”
“It didn’t look like nothing,” Liam’s voice this time, and they both step off the ice. “Are you both okay?”
“It wasn’t nothing. That fucking shit-stain just insulted Jenna,” I yell, and before I can think through a plan, I’m hurrying down the tunnel towards the dressing room with the intent to cause harm.
“Vicky, come back. It’s fine.” Jen tugs on my hand.
“Let me go, Jen. He’s not getting away with that,” I say.
“What did he say?” Ryan says.
“It’s nothing, it’s fine,” Jen says.
“Jenna, what did he say?”
Before I can interject with an account of Matt’s vile attempt at conversation, Hal, the security guard, steps over and whispers something into Ryan’s ear.
It takes less than ten seconds for Ryan to go from zero to one hundred. He runs past me, followed by Liam. The door to the dressing room slams shut behind them.
“I’m sorry ladies, but that guy is a nasty piece of work, and there’s no way I’m letting him get away with that,” Hal says.
