Page 19 of Who's Playing You
If I didn’t get any sort of response within the next few days, I’d reach out to one or two of my coworkers and see if any of their regular models might be around, or hell, at this point I’d even wait until September when school started. It’s not like this was some huge rush. However, once I made up my mind to get myshit together and do this thing, I’d kind of set my heart on using my free time from now through the start of school to devote to honing this lost-to-me artistic style.
But I was used to things not going according to plan.
I wasn’t going to let it get me down though. I’d give it some time before figuring out a plan B, a plan C too if needed.
But at least for now I had a retreat to plan for this weekend. I was too excited to be nervous, but I’m sure that by week’s end I’d be a ball of nervous energy, mostly because I couldn’t wait to meet new people who were excited to experience nature through a whole different lens.
10
NICK SOBA
Trickie Nickies
The Love Machine:
Hey-yo, fuck face! Why have you fallen off the face of the planet? What is going on with you? Like for real, brother.
The Holy One:
I second that.
Isighed when I read the texts that filtered in through my phone on Friday night. It’d been about a week since I last replied to them. Sure they had been texting in our group chat, but I hadn’t been responding.
Honestly, I’d barely even spared the messages much attention at all.
Between training with The Rage and showing up every nay-sayer asshole who’d doubted me or talked shit about me, as well as proving why I was in fact the mother fucking numberone draft pick that was about to turn this whole fucking team around, Scottie had also been keeping me busy.
She was a busy little bee this week, prepping for our meet cute.
Fortunately for me she’d scheduled the first outing on a Saturday and right now I still had weekends off. But once we got a little closer to pre-season (which was literally days away), all of that shit was going to change. But by then, I needed Scottie under my roof. It’d be easier to take care of her and protect her once she was in our house.
So in effect, her speeding up our timeline for our “first” meeting actually ended up working out in my favor. And after I lit the fire under Bob’s ass, he’d been able to bring in a second and third crew who were willing to work third shift, and their efforts paid off. Scottie’s studio was mere hours away from being ready for her.
I already had all of her art supplies ready for her, along with the various tables, benches, easels, stools, and whatever else she needed. When it came to her art work, she was very predictable in the materials and tools she liked to use. It had made it easy to prepare her studio. The house was another matter entirely, and why I’d waited to paint the various rooms in any specific color and furnish it.
But that was alright. I had the bare necessities that would get me through in the interim. I knew it was temporary anyway. From the time I moved in until the time Scottie would be moving in, we’re only talking about a few weeks anyway. And during that time I was preoccupied with my new job as well as with finally being able to follow Scottie and watch her.
All in preparation of finally starting our relationship - officially that is.
My phone pinged again with another incoming text.
Trickie Nickies
The Love Machine:
I swear to God, Soba, if you don’t answer right fucking now, I am going to call your mother.
The Holy One:
OoOooo, pulling out the big guns! Calling Momma Dukes. I like it.
The Love Machine:
Oh would you look at that. His phone isn’t broken.
How can I help you?
The Love Machine:
