Ten

Max

My alarm blares out and my hand comes down and smacks it closed. I grumble and turn on my back to stretch, and my body locks in protest. Fuck, the game yesterday was brutal. My body got beat. I blink my eyes open, looking outside at the sun that is already up. I sit up and my back screams at me. I go to the kitchen and start the coffee then I head to the washroom.

I sit down at the island and make my coffee as I search the Internet, finding the picture of me as soon as I scored. It’s a great shot and I see Allison already had it up last night. I watch the replays over again twice, seeing what a great play it was.

I think back on last night and making my way to the event. I didn’t want to go, but Coach said it wasn’t a suggestion, so I was all for going, showing my face, and then leaving. But when I opened the door and Allison walked around me and then went to hail a cab I snapped. She pushes all my buttons, but after seeing her with the kids and seeing how she was so nice to Denise and what she did for them, I knew it was my time to apologize. It would be a miracle if she didn’t give me shit about it, but I gave Denise my word, so I bit my tongue and I admit she isn’t that bad.

An email from her comes in.

To: Mad Max

From: Perfect Allison

Subject: Last Night

I woke up wondering if I dreamed that you were a nice guy last night. I would like a hot coffee today. See you at three.

Signed

Don’t make me throw away good coffee.

I laugh and answer right away.

To: Perfect Allison

From Max I hate Mad Max

Subject: Coffee

Would you take cream or milk with that? I’ll ask for half of it in milk just in case I say something to piss you off. Chances are fifty-fifty. Kidding. I promise to be on my best behavior.

Signed

Perfect Max

I close my computer then and go into the room and pack for the away games. We are going for two days back tomorrow after the game. I pack a suit and then my toiletries. Then my phone rings and I see Denise’s number.

“Yeah.” I put her on speaker while I shave.

“Guess who just called me?” she gushes out.

“I have no idea, and I have an hour to get to the plane, so.”

“Okay, fine,” she blows out. “Allison,” she says with glee. “We set up a date to meet and go over a plan. She has so many ideas. I think it’s going to be so good.”

I smile. “Happy that you are finally getting a foot in there.”

“Me, too.” She covers the phone and mumbles something to someone. “I gotta go. Be safe.” She disconnects right away.

I finish shaving, packing my stuff, and tossing it in my bag. It’s travel day, so we still have to dress professional. I take out my dark blue jeans, with my white button-down and my navy blazer. I make sure there is enough food and I turn on the water around the house for Stanley. “Be good.” I walk out to the car. I stop at Starbucks and order a half black coffee with milk and cream on the side. I park my truck at the airport, seeing I’m one of the first ones showing up. As soon as I get out of the car, I see a black car drive up and Allison gets out. Her hair is piled on her head today, glasses cover her eyes. She’s wearing black slacks with a white shirt, but her shirt goes low on the chest. A little too low, but she throws a scarf around her neck to block it. She puts her black leather jacket on covering her arms that are sleeveless. She grabs her bags from the trunk and walks over or actually limps over. I walk behind her. “What happened to you?” I say and she stops and turns, looking at me holding two Starbucks cups.

“Silver fucking shoes happened to me. I swear I will never wear those shoes again.” She looks at my hands. “Which one is mine?”

“Actually one is half coffee and the other is milk. I also got cream, but it spilt by the car.” I point over to the cup on the floor.

“Fine, I forgive you this time.” She smiles and takes the cups from me, then looks down at her bags. “Okay, here, hold these till we get on the plane.” She tries to hand me the cups back, but I pick up both her bags and walk to the plane.

When we walk up the stairs, I see that the only one there already is Coach. “Hey, Coach.” I nod to him, placing her bag on a chair, and then store the other ones overhead. I walk to the side and sit down near the window. I don’t know why I’m expecting her to sit next to me, but she sits across from me and leans back, taking off her glasses and closing her eyes. I grab my iPad and start watching Game of Thrones. It takes ten minutes before the plane is all ready to go, everyone arriving at the same time. Ryder walks in with glasses covering his eyes, with Matthew following him scowling. I take one earplug out to hear what happened. Matthew stops in front of my chair, throwing his bag under the seat near his sister, and sitting next to her.

“You are not allowed to invite Vivi anywhere,” he says while she laughs.

“I’m pretty sure that guy has no idea what hit him. I think I heard him mention marriage.” He turns, looking at Ryder, who is already passed out. Making them both laugh. I put my earplug back in my ear and continue watching till we land three hours later. Everyone gets up and I’m about to grab Allison’s bag when Matthew asks her, “How many bags do you have?”

She blinks her eyes open. “Two,” she says as she stretches. “But I can carry it.”

“Shut up, Allison.” He grabs the bags and walks on to the waiting bus.

I make her walk in front of me, but I see her scowling and for once, it’s not at me. She walks on the bus and huffs, sitting away from Matthew. I sit behind her.

“Stop being a brat. I used to carry Karrie’s bag also.”

“Well, considering you were having sex with her, you better have carried her bag. But I can carry my own.”

“Fine, carry your bags, but Cooper told me to, so you tell him you don’t want me to.”

She turns her head, looking out the window. Matthew looks at me and shrugs his shoulders.

When we get to the hotel, I grab my key and make my way upstairs. I open my email and find Allison’s number, so I call her. She answers right away. “Where are you?” I ask her when I hear loud voices.

“I’m on my way to my room. What floor are you on?” she asks and I hear her breath struggle. “Fucking bags.”

“I’m room five oh nine,” I say as the phone disconnects. I look down at my phone and see that it says call failed. I get up and I’m going to head out to eat when there is a knock at the door. I open it, expecting one of the guys telling me where we are going to eat, but it’s Allison.

“I’m right next door,” she says.

“I was waiting to see if we are having a team dinner,” I tell her and she stands there.

“No, we are all on our own.” She walks away. “All I know is that I’m starving.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to sit my ass on my bed and order some pizza, I guess. I have no idea.” I hear her still talking as she disappears around the wall. “Without fucking shoes.”

I laugh at her and make a plan. Going to her room, I knock and she opens the door. Her scarf is gone and her shirt falls low, too fucking low for my eyes, so I look away. “I’ll get pizza for you. What kind do you eat?”

“Um, Hawaiian,” she answers and my eyebrows get close together.

“Is that the one with pineapple?” I ask.

“Yes, and ham. Well done,” she adds.

“You want it well done so you don’t have to taste that pineapple on it. So gross.”

“You’re being a jerk.” She tries to close the door, but my foot stops it. I look as she goes to the corner where there is a desk.

“What are you doing?” I ask her as she starts throwing stuff.

“Making coffee to throw at you.”

I laugh at her then back out. “I’ll bring you pizza, calm down.”

She glares at me and closes the door in my face. I take my phone out and find out the closest pizza place. Walking to the elevator, Phil and Matthew come down talking to each other.

“Where are you going for dinner?” Phil asks me.

“I’m going to get pizza and then come back,” I say to them and I don’t know why I don’t tell them about getting something for Allison.

“Did you ask Aly what she is doing?” Phil asks Matthew, who is texting away on his phone.

“No, she bitched at me for getting her bag. She’s over tired and ain’t no one needs tired Allison around. Fuck, if we piss her off she may stab one of us or both,” he says and I laugh. Matthew looks at me. “I wish I were fucking kidding.”

I shake my head and go downstairs, where Ryder is still holding on to his glasses, and Paul is there with Luka. “Are you guys going out to eat?”

Matthew and Phil say yes as I walk out and they decide where to go and eat. Seeing that it’s too far to walk, I turn back and go in as the guys are now walking out.

“Did you change your mind?” Phil says while Matthew is still texting.

“Yeah, I just ordered it. It’s easier.” I walk away from them and their Uber gets there. I go back upstairs and knock on her door. She comes to the door now changed into pjs.

“Where is the pizza?” she asks.

“I’m just letting you know that it’s on its way, so I’ll bring it to you when it gets here.”

“Okay,” she says and I walk away to my own room.

I shrug my jacket off and kick off my shoes. Opening my bag, I grab my shorts, putting them on, and I’m unbuttoning my shirt when there is a knock on the door. I go to the door and open it.

“What are you doing?” she asks, taking in my shorts and shirt.

“Um, undressing.” I don’t know what is going on.

“Everyone left. Matthew just texted me that he is boycotting me.”

“Okay. Do you want to come in?” I move to the side as she walks in and the room is pretty much a bed and a desk.

“I’ll sit on the chair,” she says and I button my shirt back up. “So tell me about Denise and her project.”

I’m only too happy to talk about her. “She runs the pediatric oncology at Hudson Children’s Hopstial. It’s fucking dire and she loses many kids. It’s a hard fucking job.”

“Oh my God, that’s awful.” She crosses her feet underneath her and then another knock comes and this time it is the pizza. I already paid, so I just grab the boxes, handing her the small box. “Your over done pineapple pizza,” I say and I sit on my bed and open my meat lovers one.

I’m about to take a bite of pizza when her phone rings.

“What do you want?” she answers. “No, I get it you left me to fend for myself. It’s all good.” She picks a piece of pineapple off and eats it. I almost gag. “I’m by myself.” She looks up at me, and I shake my head and take a bite of pizza, but it almost tastes like pineapple, it’s so sour in my mouth. “See you tomorrow.” She hangs up the phone. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell him I was with you. I just didn’t know what to say.”

“It’s fine,” I say, chewing, pissed but not sure why. Did I want her to admit she was with me? Do I need that fucking headache? I’m just barely getting along with Matthew these days. The last thing I need is drama my last year here.

“Are you okay?” she asks me and takes a bite of her pizza.

“Yup, just tired,” I say, eating another piece.

“Okay, I’ll get out of your hair.” She closes the pizza box and moves to the door. “See you later.” And the door clicks behind her. I throw my piece on the box and unbutton my shirt, tossing it aside when I hear a soft knock. I get up, opening the door. “I forgot my key on the desk,” she says and I stand here with my mouth open and I kind of want to cover myself.

“Um,” I say, walking to the desk and picking up the blue card. “Here you go.”

She grabs it from me, mumbling, “Thank you.”

I open the television, click on the sports channel, and watch the highlight from last night’s games around the league. My goal made the play of the night. I take a picture and send it to Denise.

Your brother is a rock star!

She quickly texts me back.

Whose feet smell?

Asshole. I laugh and text her back. I’m about to toss my phone when an unknown number shows up.

I’m sorry about before. It was rude to not tell him. If it were me, I’d be pissed.

I smile when I see it’s from Allison.

Like I said, not a big deal. I would have probably done the same.

So you would denounce me?

Denounce you? What the fuck does that mean?

I wait, seeing the bubble with the three dots come up and then go away and then come up and then go away. I don’t know what the fuck is happening, so I put my phone down when I hear another beep.

Don’t buy me coffee tomorrow or if you do make sure it’s cold cause I’m throwing it at you.

I get off my bed, going to her door, and knocking. I’m really not thinking this out, but she opens the door and she looks pissed. “Are you insane? You just left my room and then went and threw all this denounce shit at me. I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Well, you acted weird the minute I got off the phone, so I thought you were pissed.”

“Okay, listen, I have no idea what got into you from the time you left my room some thirty seconds ago and now, but know this, I’m fine.” I turn and walk away before I do something stupid. This whole being friends thing is stupid.

I close the door, look at my phone, and close the volume off, then slide into bed. Maybe tomorrow she’ll be normal.