by Ciz, Alley
Chapter Three
From the Group Message Thread of The Coven
MAKES BOYS CRY (Skye): Jor, Rock, where you two at? I need to consult with my Jase experts IMMEDIATELY!
MOTHER OF DRAGONS (Jordan): *GIF of Woody from Toy Story strutting and saying, “I’m here.”*
ALPHABET SOUP (Rocky): *GIF of Julie Andrews from Victor Victoria making a grand entrance*
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA (Becky): Ooo ooo.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: *GIF of girl clapping excitedly*
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: I think I know what this is about.
PROTEIN PRINCESS (Gemma): Oh man. What did I miss by staying home?
THE OG PITA (Beth): You guys have all the fun. Have a kid, they said. It will be fun, they said. BOOOO. Mama wants to go out and have a cocktail, or you know, five.
ALPHABET SOUP: Yeah, because motherhood has slowed you down, B. You know if Wyatt wasn’t on shift you would have been in the city.
THE OG PITA: You are correct. And Gem did mix me a mean cocktail, so…
THE OG PITA: *GIF of Betty White toasting with a gigantic wine glass*
PROTEIN PRINCESS: Plus, if you’d gone, you wouldn’t have been able to see Holly when she got back from her date.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: *GIF of girl waggling eyebrows*
SANTA’S COOKIE SUPPLIER (Holly): I plead the fifth.
MAKES BOYS CRY: Yeah…like that’s going to fly. But we’ll get back to you. Jase first. Then his BFF.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Okay, so what do you want to know, Skye?
MAKES BOYS CRY: Has Jase been seeing anyone recently?
QUEEN OF SMUT (Maddey): Ooo ooo. Why? Are you finally turning into my second favorite trope?
SANTA’S COOKIE SUPPLIER: I thought you said Gemma and Chance were your favorite trope?
QUEEN OF SMUT: Oh those two? Abso-fucking-lutely. Enemies-to-lovers is my jam, but I’m also a sucker for best friend’s brother/brother’s best friend.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: THERE IS NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND CHANCE JENSON. IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: I REPEAT
PROTEIN PRINCESS: NEVER
PROTEIN PRINCESS: GOING
PROTEIN PRINCESS: TO
PROTEIN PRINCESS: HAPPEN
THE OG PITA: Oh, shouty capitals and texting like Beck. You must REALLY mean it.
ALPHABET SOUP: Okay, before this conversation can go fully off the rails—no, Jase hasn’t been seeing anyone. Why?
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Please tell me Maddey is right and I’m ACTUALLY going to get one of my besties as a SIL??
MAKES BOYS CRY: What? No. Eww. Geez. I literally think of Jase as a brother. Gross.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: What she means is we saw him talking to this *gorgeous* girl tonight.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Fun fact.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: She totally blew him off.
MAKES BOYS CRY: Oh she did? *sad face emoji*
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Yup.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: *GIF of a baseball player striking out*
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: But…
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: He did get her number from her friends when she wasn’t there.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Oh. This is going to be interesting.
ALPHABET SOUP: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting…blah, blah, blah. Since my bestie CLEARLY has some explaining to do—what do we know?
THE OG PITA: Did you snap a pic?
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: No *sad face emoji* She dipped out before I could.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: But…
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: She’s a Broadway actress.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: What’s her name?
MAKES BOYS CRY: *GIF of Felicity Smoak cracking her knuckles at her laptop*
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: You know I love a good internet stalk.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Melody Brightly.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: On it.
Chapter Four
Though I know I’ll end up getting in at least a light workout later, the one luxury I allow myself when I don’t have morning skate is to not set an alarm. By the time I emerge from my bedroom in a pair of faded BTU Titans lounge pants, Skye should be gone, but I’m not at all surprised to find Gemma in the kitchen prepping my meals for the week.
Our squad doesn’t believe in a silly thing like boundaries, so naturally we all have access to each other’s places.
“Hey there, Hemmy.”
I snort at the ridiculous nickname but accept the fresh mug of coffee she holds out in offering. I blame Vince—her cousin, my best friend—for his superhero obsession rubbing off on everyone. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told I look more Hemsworth than Donnelly, but whatever. That’s not a bad gene pool to be linked to.
“Hey, Gem.” I drop a kiss on the top of her head then take a healthy swallow of the nectar of the gods. “Pecan?”
“Yup. Lyle ground the beans for you yesterday knowing it’s your favorite.”
Freshly ground specialty beans is one perk of having a coffee shop owner as a friend.
“What’s on your agenda for the day?” I settle in at one of the barstools at the counter, thumbing through my texts and social media notifications.
DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN: Bro. There are days I wonder which one of us has the more savage sister. I screenshotted this for you since I know JD has him hidden from your feed.
DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN: *screenshot of @BadAssBishop13 IG*
*picture of Jase with Skye and Becky at The Sin Bin last night*
BadAssBishop13 Maybe if @EnforcedByJaseDonnelly13 spent less time in bars with bunnies, he might be scoring hat tricks like @CaptainRyanDonnelly9
*comment* TheMrsDonovan Hey @BadAssBishop13, maybe if you spent more time focusing on your game and not my twin’s, MAYBE you’d be in the running for the Art Ross *shrug emoji* #FoodForThought
My fingers curl around the phone, the protective case around it groaning from the force. Fucking Nate Bishop. For as long as I can remember, the guy has had an issue with me. I want to say it originated from us playing for rival teams in college, but we’ve been taking shots at each other since long before the BTU Titans beat out the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Frozen Four our senior year.
I’m not surprised JD broke her do not engage on social media rule to come to my defense. We’ve been together since conception, and a bond like that tends to lead to rule-breaking when warranted.
“Today is my Storm day. I finished with Harrison this morning, and once I’m done with you, I just have to head next door to Cali’s.” Gemma’s voice breaks through the haze of anger I feel any time Bishop is involved.
She slides a plate across the counter, and it’s filled with an omelet I know from experience is loaded with more vegetables than a supermarket produce section.
“Lunch after? I should be done downstairs by the time you’re at Cali’s.”
She nods then says, “You do know today is supposed to be your day off, right?”
I nod and barely refrain from rolling my eyes. I swear the eight Covenettes have a Dory-like memory when it comes to remembering I already have a mom, and an awesome one at that.
“All this”—I flex my left arm, making the Olympic rings tattooed on the inside of my bicep dance—“doesn’t happen on its own. It’s hard work looking this good.” I heave a sigh. “But it’s my cross to bear.”
A wet dish towel smacks me in the face.
“You, sir, are ridiculous.”
I shoot her a wink and she rolls her eyes, one of the only Steeles immune to my charms.
“And what would Rock say to you not giving your body proper rest time, hmm?” She arches a brow at me and levels me with a knowing look.
Her cousin, my ex-girlfriend turned bestie—yes, I said bestie; it’s not the first time, so deal with it—Rocky would not approve. As one of the best physical therapists I’ve ever had the privilege of having work on me, she would give me a lecture longer than one of Maddey’s romance novels.
St
ill, I need to train if I’m going to have any hope of stepping out of my brother’s shadow, as Bishop so helpfully pointed out.
“Nah.” I wave the question off. “You know Balboa loves me. She’d be so impressed with my work ethic she would offer to name my future nephew after me, but to keep the peace, I would politely decline. Can’t have Vince getting jealous because his sister loves me more.”
“Oh my god.” She buries her face in her hands, speaking into them. “I can’t even with you. I swear, I don’t know how my cousin ever dated you.”
“Gem, Gem, Gem.” I shake my head. “You love me just as much.”
I get a snort in response, letting the subject drop as I polish off the rest of my breakfast, the sounds of Lauren Hill’s “Doo Woop (That Thing)” filling the silence. Gemma has a thing for 90s R&B, something she has in common with our friend Lyle.
“I think Sammy and Jamie are home. Should I see if they want to get together tonight?” I ask, referring to two more of our friends. There are so many moving parts when it comes to our group, I sometimes feel like I need to borrow one of Rocky’s numerous degrees to keep track of us all.
“As much as I’d love to, I can’t stay the night.” She continues to slice the pepper she’s portioning out for me.
“Why not? You always stay when you come out to cook for us.”
I have a four-bedroom apartment for just this sort of thing. I’m always down for letting my friends crash at my place.
“With Vince in training camp, I gotta be there to feed the beast.” She places the prepped pepper in a container and gets to work on a cucumber. “Plus, I gotta make sure he’s not cheating on his diet.”
“You mean like sampling some of the treats your new roommate makes?”
My buddy recently started dating Gemma and Becky’s roommate Holly. She also happens to be the new kickass baker at Lyle’s coffee shop Espresso Patronum.
“I told Vin he can eat Holly’s cookie any time he wants as long as he stays away from her actual cookies until after the fight.”
I have the misfortune of taking the last sip of my coffee at just the wrong moment, and I choke at Gemma’s blunt statement. The Covenettes are no joke.
“You know…” She sets the knife down, resting her elbows on the counter, leaning in my direction to look me in the eye. “I heard Vin isn’t the only one with his eye on a pretty thing.”
Goddamn Coven.
Is nothing sacred? I’m not at all surprised to hear the girls have already been informed of last night’s crash and burn. It’s never good to be the subject of one of their Coven Conversations. Their group chat is the bane of our existence.
The one plus side is at least I managed to convince Melody’s friends to give me her number. They even went as far as letting me plug mine into her phone too. I wish I could see her reaction when I text her later. Naturally I saved my contact with my usual text handle.
Knowing anything I say could and would be used against me, I mime zipping my lips shut, place my mug in the sink, and head to get ready for the gym.
I have a text message to compose.
Chapter Five
THE BIG HAMMER: So…when are we going on our date?
BROADWAY BABY: Um…I’m pretty sure you have the wrong number because I don’t know WHO you are or HOW your number got stored in my phone. And while we’re on the subject, who the HELL puts their contact name as THE BIG HAMMER??? Trying to overcompensate for something there are we???
THE BIG HAMMER: Don’t worry, baby, you’ll get to see just HOW WRONG that statement is. All in good time.
BROADWAY BABY: Baby??? Um how about not.
THE BIG HAMMER: What? *hands up in question emoji* It’s in your text handle.
BROADWAY BABY: It’s a song, but that’s NOT the point.
THE BIG HAMMER: No?? Okay, I’ll bite. What is the point, beautiful?
BROADWAY BABY: Oh, first baby, now beautiful. Why do I get the feeling I’m not the only one who doesn’t know the name of the person they’re texting?
THE BIG HAMMER: Oh…I know your name, Melody Brightly. A man doesn’t forget these things, especially when the name is as beautiful as its owner.
BROADWAY BABY: Smooth. Real smooth.
THE BIG HAMMER: Thank you.
THE BIG HAMMER: *GIF of man taking a bow*
BROADWAY BABY: That WASN’T a compliment.
THE BIG HAMMER: Compliments are in the ear of the beholder.
BROADWAY BABY: The phrase is: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
THE BIG HAMMER: Potato, vodka.
BROADWAY BABY: I’m sorry? Did we switch over to some sort of word association game without my knowledge?
THE BIG HAMMER: No. It’s like potato, po-tah-to. My buddy likes to use “Potato, vodka” instead since vodka comes from potatoes and all. I thought it was clever so I started to use it myself.
BROADWAY BABY: Thanks for the unprompted science lesson.
THE BIG HAMMER: Anytime, baby.
BROADWAY BABY: Ugh. Are we back to this again?
THE BIG HAMMER: When were we ever off of it?
BROADWAY BABY: You are THE MOST frustrating person EVER.
THE BIG HAMMER: I may have been told that a time or two.
BROADWAY BABY: Why do I feel like that’s a low estimate?
THE BIG HAMMER: *laughing face emoji*
BROADWAY BABY: Okay, so seriously—are you gonna tell me your name?
THE BIG HAMMER: You know…I was going to, but I think it’s more fun this way.
BROADWAY BABY: *GIF of person banging their head against the wall*
THE BIG HAMMER: You are funny, baby.
BROADWAY BABY: STOP calling me baby *angry face emoji*
THE BIG HAMMER: *GIF of Chris Kattan saying, “No can dosville babydoll.”*
BROADWAY BABY: Did you just How I Met Your Mother GIF me?
THE BIG HAMMER: Yup. My sister and BIL are OBSESSED with that show.
BROADWAY BABY: Why won’t you tell me who you are?
THE BIG HAMMER: Because.
BROADWAY BABY: Because why?
THE BIG HAMMER: Because I don’t think it would be in my best interest to do so.
BROADWAY BABY: But why?
THE BIG HAMMER: Wow.
BROADWAY BABY: Wow what?
THE BIG HAMMER: Nothing.
BROADWAY BABY: Okay, you can’t do that.
THE BIG HAMMER: It’s really nothing.
BROADWAY BABY: If it was nothing you wouldn’t have said anything.
THE BIG HAMMER: Okay, fine. Just remember you asked for it, so don’t go getting offended.
BROADWAY BABY: Oh no. With a statement like that, I make no promises.
THE BIG HAMMER: You really are funny, baby, but okay, I give. That whole section of our conversation reminded me of ones I’ve had with my nieces.
THE BIG HAMMER: …they are toddlers.
BROADWAY BABY: *GIF of girl putting her hand to her chest in mock offense with the word “GASP” at the bottom*
BROADWAY BABY: But in all seriousness, I’ll give you a pass because that’s actually kind of cute.
THE BIG HAMMER: Just like me.