“Oh! I remember him. He’s cute,” Molly said.
“Yeah. We exchanged numbers and tried to hang out a few times, but he was boring with a capital B. I mean, seriously, on our first date he went in for a side hug at the end.”
Even Rosie’s eyes widened at that. “Are you two still seeing each other?”
“God no. I mean, he’ll be in Rio. He’s competing with the men’s gymnastics team, but I don’t plan on hanging out with him or anything.”
Lexi reached for Rosie’s beer and took a long sip. “What a waste of potential.”
She was right. When I’d first met Noah, I assumed he would be the guy to show me how good sex could be. I wasn’t a virgin; I didn’t want to take it slow with him. We’d gone out on five dates, we texted all day, and I gave him plenty of hints. I mean, there’s only so many times you can throw yourself at a guy before it becomes embarrassing. I explained this to the group and Lexi looked personally offended.
“Maybe Noah didn’t want to have sex with me because I’m a sea urchin and everyone can see it but me.”
Lexi stood up on her seat, shaking the table in the process. “YOU LOOK LIKE NATALIE PORTMAN!”
I reached out to force her back into her seat, but she wiggled out of my grasp.
“Just because one boring ass boy didn’t want to have sex with you doesn’t mean you aren’t pretty.” To prove her point, she turned to a table a few yards away from us. “You just need a man. Hey! You guys!”
Four burly bikers glanced over to us and I sank lower in my seat. “Do you think my friend is pretty?”
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. This was the most mortifying experience of my life.
“Aw hell yeah! A little skinnier’n I’m used to!” said a toothless biker.
“I’d do her!” another added.
I waved my hand. “Okay, much appreciated. That’s all.”
“See?” Lexi said.
I wanted to slither under the table and live there forever. “I need another drink.”
Lexi clapped. “I’ll get it!”
A few hours later, as we sipped our third (or fourth) beer, I knew we’d made a major mistake. My head was already swimming. I couldn’t see straight and my stomach hurt.
“I can’t believe I’m living with a bunch of virgins,” Lexi said, shaking her head. “It’s like a nunnery or something.”
“Hey!” I protested. “I’ve done it a few times.”
Even if they weren’t great…
“And it’s called a convent,” Rosie corrected with a hiccup. “Not a nunnery.”
Lexi groaned. “Only a nun would know that.”
“Let’s play another game,” Molly said. “What about truth or dare?”
Rosie punched her fist in the air. “YES. I’m so good at that game.”
Lexi reached for her hand and brought it back by her side. “You nearly just took my nose off with your fist.”
Rosie giggled, drunk. “SORRY!”
“Brie, you’re up first,” Molly said, turning to face me. Her pale cheeks were flushed from the beer and her freckles were even more prominent than usual. She really was pretty.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Go for it.”
“Truth or dare?” she asked.
“Truth.”
“Wait!” Lexi said, holding out her hands to push Rosie and Molly back. “Let’s decide on a question together.”
“That’s cheating!” I argued as the three of them put their heads together on the other side of the booth. For a few minutes, all I could hear was whispers and giggles. I crossed my arms and tried to avoid eye contact with the bikers at the table beside ours.
“Yes!” Lexi said, leaning back from the huddle. “That’s perfect. Ask that!”
“It’s sort of personal, guys,” Rosie said, eyeing me tentatively.
“Yeah, listen to Rosie,” I said. “Have some decorum.”
Molly shook her head and plopped her butt back on the seat beside me. “Okay, truth: what do you think of Coach Winter?”
My heart dropped.
The three of them sat staring at me with wide eyes. Lexi’s smile was sinister, knowing. I glanced away.
Why were they asking me this? I’d only met him that day.
“Never mind, I choose dare.”
“ANSWER!” they all shouted at once.
“As a coach?” I shrugged. “He seems fine.”
I reached for the beer in front of me and tried to tap out a few last drops into my mouth. It was completely empty.
Lexi leaned across the table, trying to meet my eye. “You know what she’s asking.”
I straightened my back and turned away, hating the accusatory tone she was using.
“He couldn’t take his eyes off you this afternoon. I swear he forgot the rest of us were even there,” Molly said, elbowing me in the side.
I shook my head, trying to force down the blush creeping up my neck. “That’s not true.”
Even Rosie agreed. “He really was staring at you during the meeting.”
I rolled my eyes, tired of the subject. They were imagining things.
“He was staring at me because I was being bitchy. That’s it.”
“But do you think he’s cute?” Molly asked.
They weren’t going to drop the subject until I answered, but I didn’t want to answer. I rolled my beer bottle between my palms, keeping my focus on the label instead of meeting their eyes. There was a careful line I didn’t want to cross with Erik, a line I’d never even been tempted to cross with a coach before. I could compartmentalize him into one of two groups: man or coach. As a man, he was incredibly good-looking, tall, and muscular, with a face that made my body burn. But as my coach, he was nothing. Not cute, not ugly. Not mine.