“That’s too bad. I thought we could cheer on our boys together. It would be fun.”
“We can still cheer on the boys together. My shouting just so happens to be from a strictly platonic standpoint.”
The other team’s coach called a time-out and both sides huddled together in their respective circles. Emmeline made a pointed effort not to look at Grant as he huddled with the other players just a few feet from where she stood.
Miriam turned her back to the field and leaned against the board. “So, are you going to the after-party tonight?”
After-parties were community outreach events meant to connect players and fans. Since Emmeline already knew most of the team thanks to her brother, she didn’t see the need to go. She shrugged. “I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Come on.” Miriam sighed. “I haven’t seen you all season. I miss you.”
Emmeline bit her bottom lip. “I miss you too, but I don’t know about tonight. I’ve got a lot of papers to grade.” Even though it was true, it was a lame excuse.
“What about Finn?”
“What about him?”
“Don’t you think he’d like to see his sister at City Bar?”
She laughed. “You act like I don’t see Finn outside of sanctioned Storm events.”
Miriam gave her sad puppy dog eyes. “But I don’t get to see you outside of Storm events.”
“Ugh.” Emmeline was such a sucker. She threw her hands up. “Fine, I’ll come to the after-party.”
“Yay!”
“But only if you promise not to say another word about my crush on Grant.”
The sly smile was back. “So, you’re admitting that you do have a crush.”
Emmeline gave her a hard look.
“Fine. No crush.” She mimed zipping her lips, but Emmeline could see the corners of Miriam’s mouth tugging up as she fought to keep from smiling. She was tempted to argue over it, but the ref blew his whistle and the game resumed.
The two girls turned their attention back to the arena. As the fast-paced match continued, Emmeline decided the after-party might not be such a bad idea. In fact, she was almost looking forward to it. Even though she wouldn’t be some superfan looking to meet her heroes, it would be great to take a break from school for the night. She’d get to have more time with Miriam and Finn.
Maybe she’d see Grant there, maybe she wouldn’t.
Though when he glanced at her halfway through the second quarter, she was definitely hoping she would.
Grant
Man, it felt good to get another Storm win under his belt.
Grant was still getting used to playing in the arena. The field was smaller, the game faster, and there were fewer players on the field. No matter how much he practiced in the arena, Grant still found himself adjusting to the new set of rules.
He must have been doing something right though, because Coach let him spend a lot of time playing instead of sitting and watching from the bench. Not too bad for a rookie.
Grant stripped off his sweaty top as he sat on the bench and tried to focus on the post-game speech from Coach. He was going over the highs and lows of the game while it was still fresh in everyone’s minds, but all Grant could think about was getting back out there for the customary autograph session after the game. He wanted to see the fans—or more specifically, one fan.
He only hoped that the fact that she was sitting next to Miriam meant that he would get that chance. A seat in the VIP box meant that person loved the Storm, so she’d have to be there, right? Grant wasn’t exactly sure what he planned to say, or do, if he saw the mystery girl at the autograph session, but he always worked best under pressure.
Coach continued to drone on and on. Grant thought he’d never stop. After yet another reminder of how the team needed to listen to Finn when he barked out orders during games, they were finally dismissed.
Grant immediately went to the sinks near the bathroom stalls. There wasn’t enough time for a full fledged shower, but that didn’t mean he needed to be completely disgusting when he went out there. He splashed water over his face and checked his reflection in the mirror. His hair was wet with sweat, so he stuck it under the faucet to rinse it out the best he could. He combed it back with his fingers. It would have to do.
Finn’s reflection appeared behind him in the mirror. The team captain ran the palm of his hand over the top of Grant’s head, undoing the progress he’d made. “Look at you. Who are you trying to impress?”
Grant felt his cheeks warm. It was tough enough being the new guy on the team—to the league. Having the captain catch him trying to look nice for a girl he’d never met wasn’t something he wanted to admit. He pressed his lips together.
Finn’s teasing smile fell. “I’m sorry, man. You got a girlfriend out there?”
He shook his head. “No girlfriend.” He’d only been in Florida for a couple months, and that time had been jam-packed with learning the area, the game, and attending practices. Even if he wanted to date, there just wasn’t the time.
“Wait.” Finn’s eyes went wide. “Are you trying to look nice for a fan?”
Finn’s voice echoed off the walls of the locker room causing several heads to turn in their direction.
Just great.
Grant ignored the question and smoothed down the pieces of hair that were now sticking up in a million different directions. When he was satisfied, he pushed past Finn to avoid the stares from his teammates.
“Hey, Grant,” Finn called.
Grant stopped and turned.
Finn jogged over and lowered his voice. “Listen, I get it. Having hot girls come out and cheer you on is a nice perk of playing professionally. But be careful.
