揙uch,?I yelp.
揝orry. My foot slipped,?Violet抯 voice is sugary-sweet, but her eyes are wide like she抯 trying to communicate something.
揇iet Coke,?I repeat. 揟hanks.?
揋ot it.?The server disappears, and I lean forward to rub my shin.
揙w, Vi. That really hurt. I think I already have a bruise.?
揑抦 sorry, but I was trying to get you to order something that would mix a little better.?
Jane lifts a bottle of alcohol from her purse on the seat between her and Violet and then hides it again.
揝o the wine was just to throw her off??
揘o,?Jane says, leaning forward on an elbow, so her diamond bracelet catches the light. 揑 really was hoping for wine, but I brought back up.?Her words get quieter as the server reappears.
揥ow, that was fast,?Violet says.
揧ou抮e my last table, and I am eager to get out of here,?she says and sets our drinks on the table in the same order. 揑抦 closing out. Jordan will help you if you need anything else.?
My head snaps up, and I instinctively look for him, only realizing she doesn抰 mean Jordan Thatcher but an entirely different Jordan that works here. He抯 been on my mind, though. The other Jordan. He and Liam, of course.
The game is on, but the angle to the TV is weird, and the players look like blurry dots on the small screen.
揇rink up, ladies,?Jane says.
We make room in our glasses, and then she adds alcohol to each of our drinks.
I take a long sip and cough. 揥hat is that??
揤odka.?
揑 tried to get you to pick something other than Diet Coke,?Violet says. She takes a small sip from my glass and grimaces. 揥e need to order you something else after you drink that.?
But by the time I get to the end of the glass, I抳e almost gotten used to the taste. And I抦 definitely tipsy. It抯 been a while since the four of us have gone out together. Even living together, I don抰 see them as much as I thought I would when we moved in at the start of the year.
Dahlia is busy with golf, Violet is busting her butt this semester to put together a portfolio for an internship next summer, Jane volunteers with a local youth music program, and I抦 just me.
Dahlia is the most like me, but without Violet and Jane, we抎 be two sad friends staring at one another every weekend, wishing the other would force us out of our shells.
I think that抯 the thing people don抰 realize about being shy. Most shy people desperately want to be included, but to do something as simple as plan a night out makes us anxious. We tell ourselves a thousand stories of how awful it could go and decide the payoff isn抰 worth it.
It抯 different when Violet is with me. She understands me. She protects me. Which gives me the confidence to say and do things I might not otherwise. Being the shy girl doesn抰 mean I抦 always quiet. Just when I feel out of my element or like I have a lot on the line. Like talking to Liam.
When it抯 time for new drinks, Dahlia and I weave through people to get to the bar. Jordan, not Thatcher, hasn抰 stopped by our table once. I can抰 really blame him since we抮e not ordering food or alcohol.
Two bartenders are working. It抯 busy, but even the people coming up after us get waited on before us. Frustration builds. I stand a little taller and plead （mentally, of course） for one of them to notice us. Dahlia and I share a sympathetic smile.
揥e might be here a while,?she says.
Nodding, I glance up at the TV hanging behind the bar. It抯 the third period, and Valley is up by one. The camera zeros in on Jordan, coming off the ice and tapping his glove with a teammate. Sweat makes his dark hair curl around his helmet. His cheeks are red, and there抯 an intensity in his eyes that抯 so different than the easy, playful one I抳e seen so often. I think I spot Liam抯 blond head, but the camera moves on before I can get a good look.
揥hat is taking so long??Violet asks, coming up behind me. She lifts an arm to get the bartender抯 attention, which she succeeds in almost immediately.
We leave a minute later with fresh drinks.
Valley wins the game, but I only know because the bar is loud with cheers and applause at the final buzzer.
揑 bet your boyfriend is happy,?Violet says. Her teasing gets infinitely worse when she抯 drunk.
揌e is not my boyfriend.?
揘ot yet,?Dahlia bumps my elbow.
揟ell me again what he said when you went to his dorm??Jane asks.
揑 still can抰 believe you just showed up there,?Dahlia says.
揑 probably would have chickened out, but I ran into Jordan on his way up.?
揙h, right,?Jane says. 揑 forgot they were roommates. They抮e so different.?
They fire questions at me after I retell the story.
揥hat was their dorm like??
揥hen are you going to see him again??
揂re you like friends with him now??
揇oes this mean we抣l be invited to the hockey parties??
揥e抮e not friends,?I say. 揂side from the favor, I抳e only talked to them during class. And Jordan and I exchanged a few emails.?
Their eyes pique with interest, and I wave them off. 揑t was silly.?
When it抯 clear they aren抰 going to stop staring at me until I tell them about the emails, I do. And then they spend the next thirty minutes talking about Jordan and the many rumors they抳e heard about girls he抯 hooked up with. The list is long, but I already knew that.
揧ou didn抰 tell me about Jordan,?Violet says later when the two of us make a trip to the ladies?room.
揑t was nothing.?
揑t doesn抰 sound like nothing.?Her gaze narrows. 揇o you have a thing for him now??
揓ordan??My screech gets the attention of two girls entering the restroom. I lower my voice as butterflies swarm in my stomach. 揘o, of course not. He抯？no.?
But he is intriguing and not exactly who I pegged him to be. He抯 playful and witty and even polite. He could have sent me away or made me feel like a real idiot for sitting around waiting for Liam, and instead, he sat there and talked with me until Liam got back. I always imagined him as Liam抯 opposite, but I抦 not sure that抯 entirely true.
After another drink, the four of us head back to our house to watch movies and play dress up. It抯 Violet and Jane抯 favorite thing to do after a night out. Vi brings out her latest creations, and she and Dahlia play designer, dressing Jane and me from head to toe. It抯 kind of awesome.
揥ine or stick with vodka??Violet asks, pulling both from the fridge.
揥ine,?Jane says at the same time Dahlia says, 揤odka.?
With a laugh, Violet puts them on the counter. 揌elp yourself.?
Jane and Dahlia fawn over Violet抯 newest designs, and I take my vodka and Sprite to the living room and scroll through my phone. I pull up the email exchange from Jordan and re-read it.
I hit reply and then tap my thumb on the edge of my phone, unsure what to say. I lock my phone and set it on the couch beside me. Liam gave me his number to contact him about the flowers, but I can抰 make myself text him randomly even to say congrats.
My pulse thrums dangerously. I take a large gulp of my drink and grab my phone.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Congrats!
I heard Valley won tonight. Congratulations.
8
JORDAN
We抮e staying in Utah tonight. The bus leaves early in the morning, and we have another game tomorrow in northern Arizona before we head back to Valley late Saturday night.
Liam snores lightly from his bed on the opposite side of the room. I pull on my headphones and turn on music, but sleep isn抰 in the cards yet. I抦 keyed up from the game. We finally pulled out a win. It wasn抰 pretty, but we did it.