Page 22 of Stepping Up to the Plate

“Might be time to switch to water,” his deep voice rumbles.

I whip around too fast, causing me to stumble as I snap, “You are not the boss of me, bossy man!” I snap.

“Was that supposed to be scary, doll? Because I’ve gotta say, you’re a little too cute to be intimidating.”

“There you go with the name calling again,” I hiss.

He frowns. “It wasn’t a name calling, sweet girl. I think it’s pretty adorable. I can see why Robby calls Carina ‘Kitten’ now if this is how she acts towards him.”

“Robby is a nice boy,” I remark.

“Yeah, I guess he is,” he laughs with a soft, bemused smile.

“You are not a nice boy.”

“I’m not?”

“Nope,” I answer, popping the p.

“Most people would say I’m pretty nice.”

“Most people haven’t met the real you.”

“And you have?” The smile slides off his face as his irritation grows. Good, I’m irritated, too. “I have been nothing but nice since meeting you after training camp and you’ve barely said two words to me in weeks. If anyone isn’t ‘nice’ here it is you.”

“Yeah,aftercamp,” I mutter. “And I think you’ve said enough for the both of us.”

“Lola—” he starts to say but I interrupt.

“Listen Mr. Bossypants, I have no intention of being a dirty little slut or greedy whore for you. Bark up a different tree. That girl said you could eat her face. Maybe try your luck over there.” I whisper-shout pointing at Haley and Kim. “My olive skin and I want nothing to do with you.”

He and everyone else nearby are watching me with stunned expressions but I am too mad and tipsy to care. Deciding to get in the last word, I grab my drink and head off in the other direction.

Tiffany and Carina, who overheard the conversation, follow me.

“Lola!” Carina chastises. “What the hell! Why are you being rude to Miller? He's like the nicest guy in the world.”

“No, he isn’t,” I whine. “Why does everyone take his side? He wants you to think that, but it’s not true. He’s nice on the outside, but on the inside he is mean. Like a reverse German Shepherd. They appear scary but they’re nice. He fakes being nice, but he’s actually a rude asshat!”

“That is not true.”

“How would you know?” I question her. “Has he ever tried to fuck you in a club? Nooooo. Has he ever thought you were a Slutty McSlutterson? No, cause Robby would deck him. Maybe I should deck him. New policy, deck all men who are asshats.” Downing my drink, I ruminate on the thought, but I'm too tired to fight a grown man tonight. “Can you do it, Tiff? I need more trampoline time to be strong enough to take him?”

“We’re not going to deck him, Lola. And you’ll never be strong enough to ‘take him.’ What has gotten into you?,” Tiffany asks, trying not to laugh. “You’ve never been to a club with Miller before and he would never say you’re a ‘Slutty McSlutterson.’ No one would ever say that. It's a terrible insult.”

“It may not be a direct quote but it is close enough,” I state, stomping my foot. “He thinks I’m a desperate whore.”

“There is no way he thinks that,” Carina interjects.

I can see the moment it clicks for Tiffany that Miller must be the guy from the Club Hedone. When she got back to the apartment the next morning, I told her everything.

“Oh my God,” she sputters. “Lola, nooooo. Are you sure?”

“‘No,’ what? Sure about what?” Carina demands

“I can’t do this. I told you I can’t do this,” I plead at Tiffany. She gives me a soft smile as her eyes shift to the door. I take that as permission to hightail it back to our apartment.

ChapterThirteen

---