Page 19 of Game Misconduct

seven

. . .

Bex

one year ago

My book club meets on the third Thursday of every month. It’s a bring-your-own-booze situation, and I’m in desperate need of a drink. There’s something depressing about drinking by myself, and I’m not interested in putting myself in a vulnerable position by going to a bar alone.

In a few weeks, I start my new gig working with the Boston Grizzlies as their neurological consultant, and I can’t be more excited. It was scary, leaving Harvard and the world of academia I’ve been entrenched in for my entire adult life, but I’m ready to do something new. Put all my education to use. The Grizzlies won’t prohibit me from publishing research based on my findings, so long as I redact any players’ names, and half my friends are involved with the team, so it’s a built-in social network.

As someone who grew up hating hockey, resenting the attention showered upon my hotshot hockey-star older brother, it’s kind of mind-boggling that this is what I’m doing now. For my dissertation, I researched athletes of various sports, but the Boston football team wasn’t interested in working with me, the rugby team didn’t reply to my inquiries, and frankly, baseball is boring as fuck.

And I have a vested interest in making sure boneheaded hockey players like my brother don’t end up with mush for brains.

Sadie, the owner of the bookstore where my friends meet, is already in the back section when I arrive, organizing the snack table. She gives me a hug and a wide smile as she accepts the two bottles of wine I brought. Over the next twenty minutes, more friends arrive, and before long, everyone is assembled to drink, snack, and talk romance books.

Somehow, all of my previously single friends have tripped and fallen into happy, healthy relationships. I don’t begrudge them happiness, but being the last one standing is lonely. My red flag is that I don’t want to date. I just want to magically end up in a long-term and emotionally secure relationship. Even though I’m married to my work, I still want my own happily ever after.

I know better, though. Wishes don’t come true. Not for girls like me.

At least I still have Ceci.

“I’m heeeeeere,” Cecilia Ramos sings as she bustles into the bookstore in a flurry of caramel whiskey perfume and hairspray. She’s in her early forties, drop-dead gorgeous, and a bona fide billionaire thanks to inventing some sort of computer chip twenty years ago. She’s the only rich person I know who gives back to charity because they want to and not solely for the tax break.

Like me, she spent most of her teenage and college years studying. Her education and then career came first, just like mine. And now, she’s a total horndog and not shy about it. She’s making up for missing out now… whereas I am definitely not.

Hello, dry spell. I don’t even want to think about how long it’s been because it only depresses me, and I’m not about to start crying about my lack of sex life in front of all my friends who are getting it regularly.

She’s actually one reason I got the job with the Grizzlies. She’s on their charitable foundation’s board and shared my CTE research with the president of the team. A few meetings later, I officially landed my dream job.

Over the next twenty minutes, more friends arrive. We’ve assembled a good core group of people over the last few years, and the number of them connected to the local hockey team never fails to remind me how small the world is.

I thought Elsy marrying my brother, and her best friend playing in the league, was bad enough… Now that I’ll be working with the Grizzlies, I can’t wait to see how it brings us all closer.

Vanessa, my college teammate and former roommate, works for the team, too. She’s married to Sven, one of the forwards, and I’m their son Leo’s godmother.

Her college boyfriend, Robby, is the assistant equipment manager.

Audrey’s husband Seb and Rachel’s husband Jake are the two goaltenders.

Sadie’s partner Jared is part of the team’s broadcast show.

Hailey’s brother Aidan is the captain, and her fiancé Ryan is his best friend and a defenseman.

Everyone knows everyone, and they’re always up in each other’s business, and sure, it’s a little incestuous, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ceci settles in beside me, a s’mores bar in one hand and a red Solo cup of wine in the other. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” she says, taking a bite of the dessert. Her berry lipstick remains perfectly intact. I hate her.

“It’s been busy.” As I glance around the room, I take in my friends, cataloging who I can talk to about this. All of my usual go-tos are affiliated with the team, so they’re out, and I don’t know that I want to talk about this with some of the newer people. “What are you doing after this? Want to grab coffee?”

Her eyes widen, and she lifts her plastic cup to her lips and chugs the wine. “I think we’re going to need something stronger than coffee.”

With a laugh, I agree. “It all depends on how wasted I get here.”

“How about we get something fried and terrible for us?” She gives me a wicked grin. “I could go for a basket of those honey chipotle cauliflower at that dive bar on Dalton Street.”

“You just want a taste of the hot bartender.”