by Kira Blakely
The team was being interviewed about the coming draft, asking if Coach had an eye on anyone in particular to join the roster next year. I didn’t understand why we had to be there since most of the questions were directed toward Coach, but an order was an order.
It was Parker’s turn to answer a question, and I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at him. He’d been too close to Charlie the other night for my liking, and I was surprised by how they never left each other’s side even after their dance ended. I had considered asking whether he knew her personally already, but I hated the guy, so I didn’t.
I saw Coach Finnegan look at me, and I realized that one of the reporters had asked me a question. I smiled and asked her to repeat it.
“You played really well in the last game, and many are hoping that you will perform just as well, if not better, against the Bengals. Do you have any strategies cooked up for this Sunday or will you be treating it like any other game?” she asked.
I scoffed at how ridiculous her question was. “Come on, Ma’am. I’m sure you already figured out by the last game that I am the player keeping this team afloat,” I said, and I felt most of my teammates tense up. I plowed on, ignoring the change in the atmosphere. “In fact, I’m pretty sure that I’m the best player here! So, if you’re asking me what kind of strategy we need to win over the Bengals, that’s easy. Keep giving me the ball. My touchdowns alone are enough to take us all the way to the top.”
The reporter smiled and said thanks, and I leaned back in my seat again, trying to relax. None of my teammates looked at me. Well, screw them. If they were getting pissed off because I told the truth, they should support me and play harder. I closed my eyes, not caring what the reporters thought, and fell asleep.
***
I was benched. Fucking benched!
What the hell was Coach thinking, benching me? The Bengals were leading, and the team wasn’t pulling their weight. They fucking needed me over there!
“Coach, let me in,” I said, and he ignored me. “Coach, come on. They’re getting creamed out there!” I yelled at him.
“You need to learn how to work with the team, West. You can’t win if you play alone. There is no ‘I’ in team,” he said.
“Okay, I get that. I totally understand, Coach. I’m sorry. Now will you send me out?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You have to learn your lesson, West. Besides, even if I did send you out, no one is willing to play with you. And I don’t blame them for thinking that.” He nodded toward the bench, and I stomped back and planted my ass on it, still seething. I probably looked ridiculous – the self-proclaimed best player of the New York Giants warming up the bench. The cameras were probably loving it.
Okay, I admit I’d fucked up earlier when I said those things, but did they really have to go this far? I resigned myself to my fate and closed my eyes, waiting for the game to end.
Damn it, I hoped Charlie wasn’t watching me because I highly doubt she’d find this impressive.
***
Charlie
I wasn’t sure if Parker was mad at me or not, but we didn’t part on good terms after the party. He’d gotten really mad that I’d told Sean my real name, and I didn’t understand why.
“I told you to stay away from him, didn’t I?” Parker hissed at me, holding me so tight against him that it almost hurt.
“I didn’t know it was Sean until he took the mask off. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with getting to know him, right?” I said.
“You seem to have changed your tune after only one dance with him,” he grumbled.
“It’s not just the dance,” I immediately snapped, and we stopped dancing. We just stood there staring at each other until he dropped his hands from my waist and I stepped back.
“Do you still like him?” he asked, and I looked away. It was all the answer he needed, and he sighed. “You have other things to think about than that asshole. Just concentrate on that.”
We didn’t talk about anything else after that, though I didn’t leave his side for the rest of the party.
I stopped looking for my father after a while, and I only managed to spot Ariana talking to some guy in the corner. The guy was cute and smiling a lot, and he looked like he was really interested in her. I felt happy that she was getting along well with someone. I was starting to think that maybe there was hope for us to have a better relationship when, suddenly, her face changed and she ditched the guy in the middle of their conversation. The poor guy looked so confused and hurt. I felt so sorry for him and angry that Ariana could treat someone like that.
My resentment toward Ariana only intensified after the party, because she made it a point to join in on my training sessions and then brag about it during dinner time. Her mother would get this proud little smirk on her face and then ask me in that overly sweet voice of hers, “What about you, Charlotte? Did you learn anything today?” The bitch.
I did notice something, though. Although Ariana excelled in nearly every class I had, she never came to show herself off during my business classes or anything even remotely academic. At first, I figured she just thought she didn’t need to bother showing off in that aspect, but then I realized that whenever Father would pose a question that was related to the business, Ariana would mysteriously clam up, and Wilhelmina would answer.
Tonight’s dinner was no different, and Father posed another question. “Do you have any suggestions on increasing the PR for the new brand?”
I immediately turned toward Ariana, who kept her head down and played with her food. An evil idea popped into my head, and I decided to turn the tables on her for a change.
“Yeah, Ariana. I mean, you’ve been at this longer than I have, so I bet you have something good,” I said innocently.
She glared at me before looking at Father nervously. “Oh, um, yes, well,” she stuttered, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
Father kept looking at her expectantly, while she looked toward her mother a few times, begging for help.
Wilhelmina immediately took the hint, rushing to answer my father’s question. “I think hosting another party would be a splendid idea, considering the amount of success we had from the masquerade. Don’t you think so, dear?”
“Hosting another party costs money. It would only serve to double our expenses, and no profit would come out of it,” I said, surprising everybody with my outburst. I was surprised by what I just said, too, to be honest.
My father got over his initial shock fast and turned toward me. “All right. What do you have in mind, then?” he asked, and I could feel Ariana start to glare a hole in my head.
I kept silent for a moment as I considered my answer. “We had famous celebrities at the last party wearing the designs, so why don’t we hold a semi-fashion show wearing those pieces, and then auction them off to the highest bidder? We wouldn’t be wasting any money reproducing clothes this way, and we can use the fact that their favorite celebrities wore the clothes to generate public interest. We could also tell them that those are limited edition pieces and hold off reproducing the designs until after a couple of months when the line officially hits the stores.”
The three people in the room all had varying reactions. Wilhelmina looked like something unsavory got stuck in her throat, Ariana was crushing the napkin with her hand as she leered at me, and my father had his hand tucked under his chin, contemplative. My hands felt clammy and sweaty as I waited for my father to say something, afraid that maybe I put my foot in my mouth in this one.
Finally, he raised his head. “I think your idea has merit. I shall have my secretary submit the plan to the accounting office and see if we can have it approved at the next meeting.”
I was surprised. Did he really just say he approved of my idea?
“Daddy, you’re kidding, right? Surely, you’re not seriously considering her idea?” Ariana asked.
My father looked calmly at her. “Why not? It’s not like you had any other suggestions,” he sai
d softly, and Ariana looked like she had just been slapped.
We finished the dinner in absolute silence. I hastily made my exit from the room as soon as I could, but I felt someone grab my arm and pull me to the side. I turned to see Ariana, red-faced and breathing heavily in anger.
“What was that stunt you pulled back there? Are you trying to mess with me, huh? Do you think you’re so much better than me?” she snarled.
I scoffed in disbelief and wrenched my arm away from her grasp. “Excuse me, Ariana, but between us, you’re the one who’s competing with me, not the other way around. Besides, why are you so infuriated? Is it because you realized that I’m actually better than you at something?”
Her jaw clenched as I spoke, and I knew I’d finally hit a nerve.
“Listen, Ariana. I’m not competing with you, so if you don’t mind, can you stop trying to prove that you’re better? You’re only showing me just how pathetic you are,” I said.
I turned and walked away from her, feeling both exhausted yet grimly satisfied that I’d finally told her off. Despite that, I still felt slightly disappointed because what I had done would surely drive another wedge between us, but what was done was done.
I just had to wait and see what would happen.
Chapter Ten
Charlie
Something strange just happened. I think my sister was abducted by aliens and replaced with this malfunctioning carbon copy. That’s the only explanation as to why her treatment and attitude toward me had just done a complete one-eighty.
“You want me to do what with you?” I asked, still in disbelief that she’d approached me first and without her arsenal of insults at the ready.
“I’d like to invite you to come with me and my friends. We’re going shopping,” she said.
I blinked rapidly, still not taking her word for it. “What’s the catch?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’m hurt, Charlie. Can’t I ask my older sister for a girl’s night out? Come on, it’ll be fun!” she said, smiling brightly.
I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to see her game, but in the end I shrugged and accepted her invitation. Maybe she was being like this because she finally realized that we shouldn’t be treating each other as adversaries. I thought that this could be a good time for us to bond and get to know each other.
She introduced me to her friends and told me that we were going to shop for dresses to wear to my introduction party. Though I wasn’t really excited about the plan, I went along with it. I mean, I didn’t have anything to wear, so it would be nice to get some input from Ariana and her friends.
We arrived at a small boutique that was exclusively for members, and we were the only ones inside that day because, apparently, you had to make an appointment first. They had a quaint little room where you could sit, eat cake, and drink wine. There was also a round, circular stand where you stood so they could take measurements and stuff. Ariana’s friends went to sit on the couches, and I was about to follow suit when Ariana stopped me.
“Actually, my mother already chose a few dresses for both of us, so why don’t you try them on for size?” Ariana suggested.
“Hmm, I don’t mind, but are you sure you don’t want to go first?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “I’m all right. It’s not a big deal for me. Besides, a couple of those gowns needed to be refitted for you, and I’m sure it’s going to take a while. Now go, shoo!” she said, pushing me toward the fitting rooms.
The attendant showed me the half-made gowns that I had to choose from. I smiled and took one of them, humming. The attendant left me to change, and I looked around, not finding her anywhere. I decided to go back to the room so I could show Ariana the gown when I heard her and her friends laughing. I suddenly felt apprehensive and strained my ears to listen to their conversation.
“Now, now, Ari. Your goody two-shoes act is getting old. You’re really not planning on getting along with that girl, are you?” one of her friends asked.
“Of course, not!” Ariana declared, and I felt a sharp sting in my heart at her reply. “I’ve been the princess in our family for so long. I’m not about to share my title with some commoner,” she said haughtily, making her friends laugh.
“Too true. I mean, did you see how muddy her shoes were?” one of them said.
“And what is up with the tomboy get-up? Please… she looks like a delivery boy,” said the other.
“She can try all she wants to fit into our family, but a maid’s daughter will always be a maid’s daughter,” Ariana said darkly. “Someone like her will never fit in with people like us. She should go back to the outside world, where she belongs.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t continue to listen to all the hurtful things she thought about me. I didn’t want to go back there. I just wanted out. I wanted to leave, so I turned around and ran out of there.
***
Sean
I still couldn’t get over what had happened last night. I never got to play, and when the game was over, none of my teammates wanted to talk to me. Parker was the only one who even remotely acknowledged my existence, but the only thing he did was look at me like he wanted to give me a gruesome death. Even Evan was awkward when I approached him.
“Don’t tell me you’re pissed off at me, too,” I said, and he scratched the back of his head, unable to look me in the eye.
“Well, I’m not part of the team, so I can’t exactly get mad. But you were out of line with what you said during the interview,” he replied.
“I don’t believe this! I was just telling the truth!”
“Sure, you’re scoring all the touchdowns. But all of that wouldn’t have been possible if Parker hadn’t thrown it your way perfectly, or if Daniels and Joe didn’t watch your back and block every player chasing after you,” Evan explained.
I didn’t have a comeback for that, and he sighed and patted me on the shoulder.
“You’re not alone in this, Sean. You’re on a team. It’s about time you played alongside them.”
I had been thinking about what he’d said since then, and I couldn’t take the silence of my apartment, so I went out for a drive. I didn’t have anywhere I wanted to go, but driving with no destination usually calmed me down.
I turned a corner, and my brows furrowed as I spotted something weird on the sidewalk.
A girl wearing a poufy-as-fuck gown walked miserably down the sidewalk. I got curious, so I drove closer and slowed my truck down. My eyebrows shot way up as I realized who it was. I rolled my windows down and called out.
“Hey, Charlie!”
She looked up at me, so startled and cute that I couldn’t help but grin. She blinked twice and tilted her head, looking confused.
“Sean?” she asked, like she couldn’t believe it was actually me in front of her. I chuckled at her reaction.
“Who else? What are you doing dressed up like that?” I asked.
Her eyes widened and she looked down, almost like she didn’t realize what she was wearing, and I immediately felt bothered. What could have happened to her to make her forget something like that?
“Get in,” I couldn’t help myself from saying. I could hear my inner monologue going, ‘Oh really, genius? And then what? Where exactly are you gonna go?’ and I gritted my teeth.
I’ll take her anywhere she wants, as long as she feels better afterward.
“Why would I do that?” she asked, looking at me apprehensively. Jesus, what did she think I was, a serial killer?
“Look, I can’t help it, all right? You’re walking down an empty street, wearing a big ass gown, looking like you’re about to cry. You can’t expect me to leave you alone after that, can you?” I asked her.
She clenched her jaw and picked up her skirt to continue walking. I gritted my teeth and stepped on the gas, keeping pace with her.
“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself,” she said.
I shook my head. “No can do, babe. I’m a fucking gent
leman. I can’t abandon a beautiful woman walking all alone and looking like she’s about to cry,” I said.
She crinkled her nose as she looked at me with a ridiculous expression, like she was half-annoyed and half-skeptical. “I told you, I’m fine. What? You’re going to trail after me like this the whole way?”
“If that’s what it takes,” I admitted, and she laughed in disbelief. I peeked at the sky and noticed that the clouds were getting heavy and gray. Knowing she wasn’t going to budge like this, I tried a different approach. “Look, Charlie. It looks like it’s gonna rain. Your dress looks like it’s expensive. You don’t want to damage that, do you?”
Her face paled as she thought about what I said.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing and continued, “I highly doubt you’ll be able to just stick that in the washing machine if it gets caked with mud. Are you sure you don’t want to get inside?”
She bit her lip and gave up, trudging toward the passenger side of my truck and getting inside.
“Now, was that so hard?” I asked.
“Shut up and drive,” she snapped. I chuckled but did as I was told.
We spent a few minutes in silence, and I sneaked glances at her from time to time, catching her staring off into space. Something was really bothering her, and I couldn’t resist.
“Charlie, what happened to you?” I asked softly. She didn’t say anything as she turned her head and stared at me. I was starting to think that she wasn’t going to tell me anything when she finally spoke.
“Have you ever worked so hard to fit in somewhere? And when you were starting to think that everything was going well, you realize that it isn’t?”
I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, she didn’t wait for me to answer and continued.
“I’ve been trying to belong in a world I wasn’t allowed to be in until recently. At first, I was just repaying the favor asked of me, but over time I think I missed being a part of a family so much since my mother died that I was willing to change everything about myself so they’d take me in.” She sighed and looked down at her hands as she fiddled with a stray thread from her skirt.