Page 25 of Keeper
“Well, Ifeelcrazy. Anyway, I just want to talk, okay? I’m not really interested in anything else right now. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
“Okay.” I had to grin. It was funny to be on this side of the conversation for once. “What do you wanna talk about, Ainsley?”
“Let’s see.” Mischief sparkled in her eye. “I guess the first thing I want to know is, do you always go around opening random booths at the club, hoping to meet new girls?”
I chuckled. “Not always, no.”And even if I did, I definitely wouldn’t expect to find a girl like you.“I was trying to get away from everybody out there, actually.”
She glanced at her cell phone, which laid on the table. “I know the feeling.”
“Is that why you’re hiding out in here?”
“I’m not hiding,” she said. “I’m just waiting for my friend.”
Friend?Friend was good. Friend meant I might have a chance.
“The quarterback, right?” I asked.
“No. My friend is dating the quarterback.”
Even better.
“I see. Who is he a quarterback for?”
“The Texans, I think.”
“Wow. Your friend’s dating the quarterback of the Texans?” I asked, impressed.
“Or sleeping with him. I don’t know,” she said with a dip of her shoulder. “I don’t really understand their dynamic. And I don’t really care about football, either.”
“You act like it’s not a big deal.”
“Well, the way she describes it, it’snota big deal. He’s a pro athlete, you know? They sleep around, they can’t hold a conversation, they’re not very bright, and they think they’re God’s gift to women. They’re all womanizing assholes with giant egos, basically.”
I opened my mouth but no words came out. I would’vetried to stand up for myself and all my Devils brothers … if she hadn’t nailed us perfectly.
Fuck me. Now I can’t even tell her I’m a pro athlete or she’ll hold it against me.
“Anyway,” she continued, “she took off to find him, but that was almost an hour ago. I’ve been waiting here ever since. Like some kind of lost puppy.”
“You haven’t heard from her at all?”
“Well.” She glanced at her phone again. “No.”
Something about the way she looked at her phone seemed strange.
“Youhavetried calling her, haven’t you?” I asked.
“Er.” She fidgeted with her phone, spinning it like a top on the table. “No, I haven’t. Actually, my phone’s been off this whole time.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How are you supposed to hear from your friend if your phone’s off?”
She sighed. “I don’t know, okay?”
“Hey, maybe youarecrazy after all,” I teased, giving her shoulder a gentle budge.
“See? I told you I was.” She let out a defeated whimper. “Fine. I’ll turn it on. I justhatehaving that thing on right now.”
She grabbed her phone as if it were some alien technology that she didn’t understand and couldn’t trust. With a heavy sigh, she powered it on and immediately placed it back on the table as if it scalded her hands. As soon as her phone connected to the network, it began a series of unrelenting chimes as one alert after another pinged her phone. I kept waiting for the barrage to stop, but it didn’t. It just went on and on forever.
