Page 28 of Bad Teammate
“Gone.” He smiled toothily. “I’m one-hundred percent better.”
“Good! Since you’re feeling better, then, can we revisit our little talk from last night?”
“Really?” He groaned. “I thought we had a nice day together. Why ruin it with more fighting?”
“I have had a nice day with you, Sasha. But like I told you last night, the reason I rushed to visit is because I’m worried about you.”
“Worried,” he repeated with a huff. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“But I do. Especially when you call me at two in the morning, badly slurring your words.”
“Badly slurring? I highly doubt that. I only drank a little.”
“You don’t knowhowto drink ‘only a little.’ Just like Papa. That’s the problem.”
He slumped in his booth seat. “Look, Katya. The whole team goes out together—it’d be weirdif I didn’t go with them. Only the married guys don’t go out. I already have a hard enough time feeling like I’m part of the team because of the language barrier.”
I sighed. “Just like the married guys, you have a very valid reason of your own for not going out to party.”
“That’s bullshit,” he said.
“No, it’s not. And if you’re so worried about feeling like an outsider on the team, then you should learn English. Like I’ve been telling you for years.”
He played with his glass of water, sliding it from hand to hand. He was growing quiet and moody.
“It’s not a big deal,” he said after a long silence.
“Itisa big deal,” I said. “Would you get that through your skull? You’re wasting your talent.”
“I go outonenight, and now I’m wasting my talent?” He tutted. “Please. You obviously didn’t even watch my goal last night. Here, watch.”
Sasha brandished his phone and showed me the highlight of last night’s goal. It was a thing of beauty, yes, but I was not impressed by the point he was trying to make.
“So you think you can continue on like this, then?” I asked.
“I did it last night, didn’t I?” he countered with his smug confidence. “Whycouldn’tI do it every night?”
“Ugh.” I shook my head. “You make me sick to my stomach when you talk like that.”
“Katya, please. You’re making this out to be a much bigger problem than it is.”
“Do you think Mama and Papa would agree with you, if they were still around?”
He hung his head in shame. “Why would you bring them up like that?”
“Because you know I’m right.”
Unlike last night, we didn’t cause a scene. We sat in silence, only occasionally making an effort at some small talk here and there. But I’d hurt Sasha and now he didn’t want to talk.
I reached across the table and grabbed my brother’s hand. “I hope you know I’m only watching out for you.”
“Yeah?” He snatched his hand away from me. “Because I feel like you flew all the way out here so you could watchoverme.”
“I only want to see you succeed, Sasha. Considering what I gave up for your career, I feel—”
He groaned. “Please, not this again.”
The waitress put a hold on our conversation while she delivered our plates. By the time she left, the tension had dwindled, and I decided to switch to a lighter subject.
