Wright with Benefits

Blaire did most of the work. She was already running through drills, her typical baseball cap down low over her eyes, her dark hair swinging nearly to the middle of her back in a pony. She was short, quick, and fierce, running circles around everyone.

Isaac and Julian were midfielders. Both having played soccer in college, they dominated the run game. While Cézanne, Hollin, and I played defense. Which usually meant Hollin was a ball hog and Cézanne had to politely tell him to stop being a fuckface. It was entertaining as all hell when Cézanne let loose. Gerome was our mostly silent goalie, six and a half feet tall with long locs and a serious disposition. We didn’t win every match, but the commentary made it worth it either way.

“Hey, Annie,” Blaire said, jogging over.

We slapped hands back and forth and then a fist bump. A handshake we’d had for the last couple seasons. Blaire was one of those disarmingly beautiful people with full black hair and close-cropped bangs. Her eyes so bright blue and rimmed with black that they seemed almost too large for her face and a short, hourglass figure. She hid behind hats and baggy clothes ninety percent of the time while running the most successful Instagram account I’d ever known. I even followed her. Though I didn’t have much time for social media, I loved that she focused on body positivity and mental and physical health, not just cultural stereotypes about those things.

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Good. Good. Piper and I are going for pizza after, if you’re interested.”

Piper Medina was Blaire’s roommate, and coincidentally, Isaac’s fiancée Peyton’s younger sister. She was a spit fire and ran a successful vineyard in town with her father.

“Yeah, for sure, I agreed. “I might have to catch a ride with you. I came with Sutton and Jennifer.”

“Invite them to come with,” Blaire insisted.

“Nah, Sut will have to get back to the kiddos,” I told her as we stepped together through a quick warm-up.

“Yeah, makes sense. Well, maybe next time,” she said with a blindingly white smile.

“All right, Tacos,” Isaac called.

We all jogged over to him, forming a loose circle as he ran through his weekly pep talk. He was good at it, too. I almost felt motivated even though I was easily the worst person on the team. Oh well. I had fun, and that was all that mattered.

Julian and Hollin fell into step with me as we broke from the circle. I sighed. This was going to be good.

“So…are you into Jordan?” Hollin asked with his shit-eating grin.

“Subtle,” Julian grumbled.

“I think you should both mind your own fucking business.”

“I’m just asking because—” Hollin said.

“Don’t care,” I interrupted. “Jordan obviously already told you.”

“Well, we guessed,” Julian said. He glared at Hollin. “He insisted that we don’t bother you.”

“Then, you failed,” I told him with a shrug and a smile. “It wasn’t much of anything. Just…let it go.”

Hollin opened up his big mouth, but Julian hit him in the solar plexus, and he doubled over to catch his breath. I laughed and winked at Julian before taking my place in the back of the pitch.

I glanced up at the stands just once before we started and found Jordan staring right at me. He was seated next to Julian’s girlfriend, Ashleigh, but he seemed to be ignoring the constant drivel she was spewing. I tilted my head in question, and he just smirked. As if he’d caught me looking at him and not the other way around.

The whistle blew, and I cursed. I needed to get Jordan Wright out of my head and get my head in the game.

I ran straight to Blaire, throwing my arms around her after she scored the winning goal and the ref blew the final whistle. The entire team congratulated her. I beamed with excitement. It had been a tough match. Our opponent was almost our equal. I’d blown a few plays, and I was glad that we had Blaire to clinch the win.

“Pizza,” she insisted. “Everyone needs pizza after that.”

Isaac shook his head, as always. “I need to get home to Aly, but the rest of you should go have a good time.”

“We’re in,” Hollin said, pointing to himself and Julian.

“Gerome?” Julian asked.

Gerome shook his head and smiled. He was so quiet that I’d only heard him speak when we were playing. It was strange, considering that everyone else was such a loudmouth.

“Cézanne?” I asked.

“Nah, I need to study.”

I groaned. “We’re not even in rotations again until Monday, and I know that you’re already prepared for clinical exams.”

“What can I say? I like to succeed.” She hip-checked me on her way back to the bleachers. “You have fun.”

“You coming with me?” Blaire asked as she hoisted her soccer backpack onto her shoulders. One of her Instagram sponsors had provided it from a specialty company in LA. She’d taken a few pictures with it, and now, it was as beaten up as the rest of our gear.