Page 62 of Within Striking Distance
Juliet: A butterfly. Would you rather plan everything in advance or decide as you go?
Striker: Decide as I go. It’s more fun that way.
Juliet: Good luck with your game today.
Striker: Please tell me you’re coming…
Juliet: Maybe. I’ll see how my day goes
I keepone eye on Tinsley as she plays with two other little girls on the playground at the café, while I try to keep up with the conversation going on around me. Quinn, Sophia, and Ally are discussing the latest gossip at Beckford U High School, where Sophia teaches Year Seven and Eight English.
“They were one hundred percent getting it on after the staff trivia night on Friday,” she says, a massive grin on her face.
“No way!” Quinn squeals.
Ally laughs, leaning back in her chair. “Who would’ve thought old Mr Williams still had it in him. What a stallion.”
“Wait, what?” I ask, scrambling to catch up. “What did Mr Williams do?”
“He was rizzing Ms Marchetti at a school function.”
My brow furrows. “Rizzing?”
“It’s what the kids call it these days,” Sophia explains. “He wasflirting up a storm, and she was blushing like you wouldn’t believe.”
I screw my nose up at the thought of our creepy history teacher hitting on our beloved Italian teacher. “There’s no way she would go there.”
“After a few too many glasses of Moscato, she was definitely going there.”
“Poor Ms Marchetti,” Ally sympathises.
“Speaking of rizzing,” Quinn says, wiggling her eyebrows at me. “How’s things with your young stallion? Have you seen him since his little sleepover on Tuesday night?”
“One: don’t sayrizzing,because you can’t pull it off. Two: ew. Three: no. But we’ve been texting every day, and we spoke on the phone last night.”
I check the playground again to make sure Tinsley is still occupied and won’t overhear us. My little daredevil’s laughing as she goes headfirst down the slide, her arms outstretched in front of her like Superman. I cringe, waiting for her to hurt herself, but she remains unscathed and skips back to the top to do it again.
“She’s fine,” Ally says, squeezing my hand. “She’s having the time of her life.”
I smile, fiercely proud of my sweet girl for her resilience. She hasn’t let the darkness of what her father did to me dim her precious soul.
When I turn my attention back to my friends, they’re all staring at me expectantly, and heat colours my cheeks. “What?”
“Spill, girl,” Sophia says. “These two are married, andmy dating prospects are rather grim at the moment. We’re all living vicariously through you.”
“What do you want to know?” I ask hesitantly.
“When you say texting…” Quinn starts.
“Please tell us you mean sexting,” Ally finishes.
“Kill me now,” I groan, burying my head in my hands. “You two are incorrigible.”
“Sorry,” Quinn says, pulling my hands away. “Real talk. How are you feeling about everything?”
I blow out a heavy breath. “Overwhelmed and nervous. But also a little giddy and hopeful.”
“All totally normal reactions in a new relationship,” Sophia says with an encouraging smile.
