by Ivy Smoak
A picture popped up next to Owen that looked nothing like Bryce, besides for a Canadian track suit and his ridiculous fake handlebar mustache.
I should have been concerned that the ITA committee was looking into it, but the sketch was so far off that there was no way they would ever link it back to us. And anyway, last night had been the most fun I had since arriving here. Actually, it had been a long time since I had that much fun.
"We'll continue to monitor this story," said Owen Harris, "but as of now, we have no idea why a Canadian would want to sabotage the Chinese gymnastics team. The Canadians didn't even send a men's gymnastics team to these games, so it doesn't appear that the sabotage was intended to gain a competitive advantage. Moving on, let's take a look at how the US won two golds in wrestling..."
Yuck. Who wants to watch big sweaty dudes wearing onesies and molesting each other? Not me.
I closed out the broadcast and typed out a text to Bryce: "I wonder if they'll ever find the mustachioed Canadian responsible for that heinous crime."
My phone buzzed with a text a second later: "I don't know, but he sure seems like a real bad ass. Where do you want to go for dinner?"
Did he just ask me out? Or demand that we go out? I smiled to myself.
"What's he saying?" asked Kristen.
"I think he just asked me out on a date."
"Oh my God, really?"
"Yeah. But I don't think I should go. This week is supposed to be about volleyball, not boys. That's why I'm taking a break with Chris." Saying his name made me feel nauseous. I still hadn't told Kristen the whole story about my conversation with him. I kept saying taking a break, but that wasn't really what it was. I had told him we were done. And he hadn't contacted me since.
"No, it isn't. You're taking a break with Chris because he's an asshole and cheated on you. As much as I want us to win gold, I also don't want you to miss out on getting to know Bryce. Here, let me see what he said. He probably didn't even mean it as a date. It was probably just as friends."
I handed her my phone. She immediately started typing a response to him.
"Hey!" I yelled. I grabbed for my phone, but Kristen turned away from me so that I'd have to reach around her to get it. Her arms were so much longer than mine that I didn't stand a chance. I gave up and sat down to try to lull Kristen into a false sense of security before my next attempt to get my phone back, but it didn't work. Instead, it just gave her time to finish the message and hit send.
"What'd you say to him?" I asked.
"Told him he could choose the place and asked where we should meet him."
"We?"
"Yes, we. That way you can hang out with him without feeling like it's a date. No harm in that, right?"
"Are you sure you're not just hoping Ocelot will be there too?" I asked. I was totally on to her.
"Ew, no. Why do you think I like him? I'm doing this for you."
"Sure..."
Chapter 10
Monday
Bryce
"Alright, I have a challenge for you," I said.
"Please tell me you finally want to see who can fuck more girls by the end of the week," said Alex, aka Red Wolf.
"No. I was going to challenge you to find me a girl here at the games who's hotter than Alina. I think it's impossible."
"Oh God damn it," said Alex. "Will you please just fuck her and quit talking about it?"
"I think it's romantic how he's so smitten," said Tim, aka Pink Ocelot.
"It's not getting on your nerves at all?"
"Well, maybe a little," admitted Tim.
"Alright. How about you go for a run, and when you come back, we'll pretend like Alina doesn't exist?"
I was going to think of something clever to say, but then I had an idea. I snapped my fingers. "You're a genius, Alex! If I go right now, maybe I'll conveniently bump into Alina as she's leaving volleyball practice." I was only half joking.
Alex shook his head. "I think you totally missed the point of what I just said. Maybe instead you need to go find a nice Brazilian prostitute."
I glanced at my phone to try to ignore Alex. Somehow he always managed to steer the conversation back to his favorite topic: Brazilian prostitutes. I'm pretty sure the only reason he trained hard enough to be a part of the ITAs was so he could come to Brazil to find himself a nice prostitute. He didn't even like running that much. I was hoping to see a text from Alina, but instead I saw I had a missed call from my sister, Emily.
"Be right back," I said, ducking into the hallway to call her back. I leaned against the wall and dialed her number.
"Hey, Bryce!" she said. Despite all we had been through as kids, she always managed to be so positive. It was infectious. But today there was something else in her voice.
"Hey, Em. What's up?"
"Nothing, it's okay now I think." The bubbliness from her voice was suddenly missing entirely.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well when I got back to my dorm today after class I got a weird feeling, like someone had been in here."
"Was the door open or something?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. It just felt off. A few things looked like they weren't how I left them. It was like when we used to know Max had been in our room." For a year and a half, Max had been our foster brother. He loved stealing stuff from our room whenever he had the chance.
"Weird. Maybe it was a maintenance guy or something?"
"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, don't worry about it. You need to focus on your race."
"I'm actually having a little trouble with that."
"Is Alex keeping you and Tim up all night by banging poor, sweet Brazilian girls?"
"Surprisingly, no. It's this girl Alina. I can't stop thinking about her."
"Is she some sexy foreign girl?"
"No, she's American," I said.
"Is she cool, or do you just like her boobs?"
"Don't worry, it's not another Michelle situation."
Em made a gagging sound. "Thank God. She was the worst. Just keep in mind that I have to be sisters with whatever girl you end up with. Don't screw me on this."
"I'll try not to. Anyway, I dunno if anything is going to come of it. She's in a relationship or something right now. It's complicated."
"But you like her?"
"Yes."
"Then it's not complicated. Go get her."
I smiled. Em always had a way of making everything seem so simple. "Alright. Thanks for the advice. I wish Tim and Alex could be as sensible as you."
"Let me guess: Alex told you to fuck her and forget about her, and Tim told you to send her a dozen roses and a singing telegram?"
"Something like that, yeah."
Em laughed. "Those two..."
"I wish you'd been able to come," I said. I had tried to think of a way to get her here to watch my race, but it was just too expensive. All the money we had went towards her schooling.
"Me too, but you know I'll be watching from here and cheering you on. Hey, I gotta run to class, but call me soon to tell me how it's going with Alina. I want to hear all about her."
"Will do. Oh yeah, if you have a chance, watch the highlights tonight of the men's gymnastics."
"Why? Oh my God, did you..."
"You'll see."
"I can't wait. Bye, Bryce!"
"Bye, Em. Stay safe."
Click.
I stayed leaning against the wall for a few seconds thinking about what Em had said. I knew she was tough and could take care of herself, but I still worried about how she thought someone was creeping around in her room. I tried to think of someone on campus that I could have check in on her, but no one came to mind. All the people I knew there had already graduated.
Tim poked his head out of our dorm. "Dude, come check this out."
I went back in and walked over to Tim's computer. He had found a BuzzFeed article featuring gifs of Yao Kai splitting his pants. Tim seemed to think the one where someone had photoshopped an image of a kit
ten in place of Yao Kai's penis was particularly hilarious.
"Who were you talking to?" asked Alex. "Please tell me it wasn't Alina."
"No, it was Em," I said.
"Did you tell her to get a flight here? She can share my bed; I don't mind."
I punched him in the arm. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'll kill you if you ever touch Emily?"
"What if she's the one who comes onto me? I can't help it. Girls just love me."
"Yeah, not gonna happen. How's your search for a Brazilian prostitute coming?"
"Not bad. I picked up some literature the other day..." Alex held up a stack of fliers with half naked women on them.
"You better not bring them back to this room," said Tim. "I don't want to end up in Brazilian prison."
"Yeah, that would be awful," said Alex. "Especially for you, Tim. You'd definitely be the first one to be someone's bitch."
Tim smiled, as if Alex had just given him a compliment. "You know, I've always thought I'd be popular in prison. It's the one place where my baby-smooth skin would come in handy. It's a blessing and a curse..."
Alex and I glanced at each other and tried not to laugh. We still weren't entirely sure if Tim was gay or not. He had a lot of girlfriends, but the things he said were just so freaking gay.
I was about to add a comment about Tim's inability to grow facial hair, but my phone buzzing in my pocket distracted me.
I pulled out my phone and read a text from Alina: "I wonder if they'll ever find the mustachioed Canadian responsible for that heinous crime."
Hmm...how to respond. I started typing out a response: "I don't know, but he sure seems like a real bad ass."
"Was that Alina?" asked Tim.
"Yeah," I said.
"Did you ask her out to dinner?"
"No."
"And you think I'd be the bitch in prison? You can't even ask a girl out."
"Oh snap," said Alex. "Tim's right, you are being kind of a bitch about this girl. You've been talking about her all day and then you don't even ask her out?"
"I was just waiting for her to respond." I added, "Where do you want to go for dinner?" and hit send. "There, I asked where she wanted to go for dinner."
Tim put his hand on his head. "You didn't ask her if she wanted to go first? Chivalry is dead."
"I like it," said Alex. "Way to man up."
"Do you even have proper Brazilian evening dress?" asked Tim. "This is a disaster."
"What is this, Downton Abbey?" asked Alex.
Alina's response popped up on my phone: "Wherever you want. Where should Kristen and I meet you guys?"
Damn. Her inviting Kristen was a pretty clear sign that she didn't want it to be a date. Em's advice ran through my head. It's not complicated. Go get her. "Well, she thinks you guys are coming. And her friend Kristen is coming. Who wants wingman duty?"
"Is Kristen her friend from last night?" asked Tim.
"Hmm...I don't know who you're talking about," I said. I wanted to see if I could trick Tim into saying her codename outside of a mission, a clear breach of spy protocol.
"You know. The tall one with the dark hair."
"Oh, you mean Brunette Gir..."
Tim slapped me. "No! No codenames."
I should have been shocked, but slapping was Tim's go-to move when he got upset. Whenever anyone questioned him about it, he insisted that punching was "too brutish."
"Alright, fine. Yes, Kristen is her friend from last night. Now help me figure out where we should take them. We need somewhere real nice."
"I read about a steakhouse in the city that's simply to die for," said Tim. "I think it's called Carne Duro."
"My Portuguese is a little rusty, but doesn't that translate to Hard Meat?" asked Alex. "As long as we aren't going to a gay strip club, I'm in."
Tim grabbed his phone and brought up his trip advisor app. "Oh, my mistake. It's actually Carne Deliciosa. Carne Duro must have been...never mind. Here, I'll make a reservation." He clicked a few buttons and then said, "Done. Tell the girls we'll meet them at the north village exit at 6:30."
Chapter 11
Monday
Alina
I finished blow-drying my hair and glanced down at my phone. I had been silently willing Chris to text me all day. He was doing a great job staying away from me, which is what I had requested. But that was before I had told him we were done. And this silence didn't feel like he was respecting my boundaries. It felt like we really were over. I knew we needed to have another conversation. I refused for it to end by me slamming the door in his face. I didn't think he really meant the things he said, but he still said them.
If he called me right now, I'd answer in a heartbeat. I'd hear him out. But he wasn't calling. And I couldn't help but think that he was hanging out with a bunch of sleazy women, catching up on all he had missed out on in the last two years. I put my elbows down on the sink and my face in my hands. It really was over. Gabriela had won. Again. I just felt so defeated.
A knock on the bathroom door made me jump.
"Hey, are you almost ready?" Kristen asked.
"Yeah, just a sec." I glanced down once more at my phone. Chris had cheated on me. I had found out. And now we were done. He hadn't reached out to try to fix things, because there wasn't anything else to talk about. Even if I could forgive him, I couldn't trust him. Maybe if this had been the first time that he hadn't been faithful. But this wasn't the first time we had a conversation like this. I just never had photographic evidence before. I was like putty in his handsome hands and he knew it. Screw you, Chris.
I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. All the under-eye concealer in the world couldn't hide the fact that I had been crying, but I applied a little extra hoping it would help before unlocking the door.
"Wear this one," Kristen said and tossed me a sparkly, low-cut dress when I walked out of the bathroom.
"I want something a little more conservative." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and opened up the closet.
"It's a date, not an office meeting."
"It's not a date either. What if Gabriela set Chris up? Maybe I should call him..."
"No. Chris is an asshole. Chris has always been an asshole. And Chris will always be an asshole."
"Just because you don't like him..."
"Alina, you're my best friend and I'm trying really hard to be supportive. I know I've told you this a hundred times, but apparently you need to hear it one more time. People don't change."
She was referring to Chris being a player. We had had this conversation a bunch of times. And I always chose not to believe her. Because there hadn't been proof. Now that there was, could I really look the other way? I pulled a dress out of the closet. It was short but didn't have such a plunging neckline. "How about this one?"
She smiled and nodded. "Keeping a little to the imagination. Good choice."
"Are you sure you don't want to just grab takeout and watch that movie we skipped out on yesterday?"
"Bryce seems like a nice, normal, drop dead gorgeous guy. You need this."
"I need time." I felt empty and lost. I thought Chris was my future. I bit my lip. There was no way I was going to start crying again. Fuck.
Kirsten gave me a sympathetic smile. "Trust me, tonight is going to make you feel better."
I thought about my reaction to Bryce kissing me during Operation Red Rip. I had wanted to kiss him back. I pulled on the dress I had picked out. Bryce had cheered me up after that horrible game. He didn't care that I had snot all over my jersey. He sat with me and made me laugh. And during Operation Red Rip he had made me forget all about my breakup with Chris. He made it feel like I could breathe again. I didn't know anything about him, but I liked the way he made me feel. When I was with him everything seemed like it was going to be okay.
"What do you think?" I asked and turned toward Kristen. She was wearing a dress much more similar to the one she had wanted me to wear. Apparently she didn't want Ocel
ot to imagine very much.
"Perfect. Come on, or we're going to be late." She linked her arm in mine and pulled me toward the door.
Chapter 12
Monday
Bryce
I couldn't believe it, but I actually had butterflies in my stomach as we waited for the girls to arrive. It was like I was back in fifth grade again.
"Dude, what's that guy's deal?" asked Tim, signaling with his eyes for us to look behind him.
Alex and I turned to see what he was looking at, but nothing stood out. All I saw was a big fence separating the athlete's village from the rest of the city, a few guards at the gate, and a guy leaning against the fence smoking a cigarette.
"Who?" I asked.
"The smoker. He keeps staring at us. Now why don't you idiots quit making it so obvious that we're talking about him."
"He's probably just mesmerized by the hair gel dripping down your forehead," said Alex. "I think you might have used a little too much. I'm concerned you might get a stain on your dinner jacket."
Tim got a worried look on his face and whipped out his compact mirror to check on his perfectly quaffed hair. He checked a few angles and then snapped it shut. "I don't know what you're talking about. My hair looks fantastic, although I'm not sure how much longer it will last. Not even Paul Mitchell's finest gel can last long in this heat. The other day in Cosmo I read..."
"Hey!" said two girls.
I spun around. Alina and Kristen were standing behind us. I probably should have been more subtle, but I couldn't prevent myself from giving Alina the up-down. Her dress was fairly conservative on top, but it hugged her tiny waist perfectly and showed off her great legs. I snapped my focus back to her face. "Hey, Alina," I said, going in for the hug.
I got a nice whiff of Alina's perfume. Cherries? Maybe. I could never tell the difference between all those scents. It all either smelled like cherries or cookies. Whatever it was, it smelled good.