Page 31 of Delay of Game
I had practice in the morning and a six A.M. alarm that would come way too soon. Shutting my bedroom door behind me, I stripped off my clothes and climbed into bed, still wide awake.
ELEVEN
GRACIE
The faint smellof meat loaf and pancakes lingered in the cafeteria despite a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Only a few teachers littered the giant space. In only a few days, the tables would be packed with kids sitting elbow-to-elbow.
Lily narrowed her eyes at me, a half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her hand. “So, he wants to help repair the house…why, exactly? To make his mom happy?”
“I guess.” I shrugged, toying with the small pile of baby carrots sitting in front of me.
She set her sandwich down. “And you’re just accepting that excuse at face value?”
“What am I supposed to do? Grill him? Tell him no thanks?” I sighed and threw down the carrot in my hand. “Remember the outlet in the bathroom that sparked every time you used it? Well, he fixed it. For free.”
She leveled her gaze at me with an air of amusement. “Nothing in life is free. Is he single?”
I shrugged. “Probably. I feel like his mom wouldn’t be so eager if he had someone.”
“Are you sure he isn’t interested in...” Even a day before school actually started, her eyes darted around the cafeteria, and she lowered her voice. “Minglingwith you?”
“Mingling?”
“You know what I mean.”
I laughed. “No. Rob does not want to mingle with me. Not even a little.”
“Sure,” Lily scoffed. “He just has a real passion for home improvement projects.”
“His mom is friends with Aunt Mercy. She’s worried about me. Worried I don’t have anyone else.”
“Which you don’t.”
“Hey!” I gasped. “I have you.”
“Alright, you have one person.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “You could use another. Especially if he’s cute.”
I didn’t answer, but my burning cheeks gave away the answer.
“Oh, so he is cute. What does he look like? Do you have a picture? Do you want to mingle with him?”
I shifted in my seat. “He’s not exactly mingle-able. And no, I don’t have a picture. Why would I have a picture?”
“You don’t take pictures of strange men you let inside your house? Just in case you go missing and the police need to pull your phone records and find out who you were with last?”
“You’ve really got to stop listening to that true crime stuff.” I packed up the rest of my lunch, saving it for a snack later.
“At least tell me what he looks like,” she pressed, making zero move to pack her lunch and follow me back to the classroom before our next in-service.
“He’s…” Handsome. Hot. Definitely out of my league. “You know what? Let me just search for a picture of him. I bet I can find one.”
“Oh!” Lily stood up and wedged herself into the bench beside me. “Did you already Internet stalk him? Did you find his dating profile?”
“He plays for the Breakers. I’m sure they have a picture of him on their site.” I typed the name of the team into my phone, pulling up the official website.
“He’s a player?” Lily squealed as he grabbed the phone from my hand, swiping back to search. “What’s his name?”
“Rob Grant.”
