“And next time, try to stay the entirety of the meeting instead of leaving with stupid excuses like ‘I need to piss,’” I call out. “You would have got the news firsthand from your coach instead of assuming shit.”
“Fuck off, O’Riley!” He screams back.
I know he got nothing else to say.
Even if he did, he wouldn’t say it in front of Damien.
He hates showing weakness in front of the others. Only I get the icing on the cake.
All his rage and anger because he won’t admit to himself what he wants in life.
We reach the changing rooms before I’m ready to let go of Damien’s hand, but he continues holding it tightly. I give him a questioning look, but he shrugs and takes the lead into the changing room.
We enter to see Wolfgang, Ace, and even Wyatt chilling on the bench, talking shit.
The moment their eyes land on us, Ace sighs in defeat.
“We fucking lost!”
“I told you he wouldn’t cause shit,” Wyatt notes while Wolfgang is arching an eyebrow our way.
“If you two fucked, I’ll be pissed off and disappointed.”
I roll my eyes as Damien bursts into laughter. He lets go of my hand and ruffles my hair instead.
“If I hooked up with O’Riley, he wouldn’t be walking, bros,” he confesses.
I choke on my damn saliva while the others are gasping at Damien’s boldness.
“See. That cock confidence is from his Korean side! Not the Russian side,” Ace declares.
“How the fuck are you going to figure that shit out?” Wyatt questions and adds, “And no one else is here so I can say fuck.”
I’m assuming Wyatt’s here to get our laundry sorted, even though we didn’t sweat enough to really need a cycle.
“Yeah, yeah,” Wolfgang brushes him off and points to Damien, who’s walking to his locker to start stuffing his bag with his equipment. “See the quiet side is his Russian side in Damien’s case.”
“You justify that because?” I question my Russian best friend to give some logical explanation, even though I’m rather confident there aren’t any.
“Because Russians are sly. We observe and execute. That’s the qualities Damien took, while his Korean side is ready to strike and lay his foundation without a hint of remorse. It’s why Russia and Korea would work well together in the military.”
“You’re just talking bullshit,” Ace complains and shakes his head. “And I thought Korea and Russia didn’t like one another?”
“Fable bullshit,” Ace excuses. “Just gotta lead the world in thinking one way so they don’t get afraid of an alliance. You know what a big deal military and politics are. We don’t have time for that.”
“I feel like your philosophy is the other way around, but enjoy your hypothesis,” Damien encourages. “And I won the bet, so you all owe me two hundred bucks each.”
“TWO HUNDRED?” Ace shouts.
“TWO PUCKING HUNDRED?” Wolfgang is flabbergasted. “You trying to make us broke before our first paycheck?”
“You guys were the ones who suggested it before he left,” Wyatt reminds them as he pulls out his wallet. “Fifties are fine?”
“Yeah, sure,” Damien replies with a nod before he zips up his bag and looks at Ace and Wolfgang. “I need date money.”
“Who the fuck are you taking on a date?” Wolfgang demands and looks my way. “It better not be you.”
“Why is that?” I dare to ask before walking to my locker to grab my bag. I’m gonna have to ask for another jersey to be made since I’m positive I won’t be getting mine back from Mikayla.