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After practice I was heading into the locker room when Sofie caught up to me.
"Hey, could we talk for a second?" she asked. Her eyes were fleeting from me, to the ground, then back again, and she was fidget-ing with her hands.
"Sure. Of course," I said, preparing myself for the worst. At certain moments during the past few weeks, Sofie was just as bad as Tara, but now that her leader was gone, it was as if Sofie almost seemed shy.
"I
just
wanted
to
apologize
for
everything. Tara and I were really out of line, and while we both should have probably been kicked off the squad, I realize now that I was given a second chance and I won't blow it. I should have never treated you like I did and there's really no excuse..."
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I put my hand on her arm.
"No worries. Let's forget the past few weeks ever happened and we'll just move on.
Sound good?"
Relief flashed across her face. "Thanks, Kinsley." To my surprise she reached forward and gave me a tight hug. It was awkward. So very awkward. I patted her back and then kind of squirmed out of her hold eventually.
Throughout the rest of the week I tried to stay in the moment. At soccer, I focused on soccer. Coach Davis pushed us hard and it felt good to keep my mind occupied on something other than Liam.
We had a scrimmage scheduled against another area college the following week, so we were gearing up for that. I was nervous 602/890
just thinking about it, but Coach Davis assured me I would be starting in the game.
Unfortunately, that only made me more nervous. It would technically be my first college game and I wanted to impress everyone that was expecting me to excel. No, I wanted to exceed everyone’s expectations of me. I wanted them to say, “I thought she’d be good, but that girl is on fire.” They’d have no choice but to compare me to Katniss.
On Thursday, we were huddled up and Coach Davis was filling us in on last minute things before practice ended.
"Don't forget that this Saturday we'll be going as a team to watch the LA Stars play.
This will be a good learning experience for all of you that are coming off of high school teams. The level at which these professional 603/890
athletes compete will give you a taste of what we need to aim for during our practices and games. I won't make everyone ride together, just meet outside the stadium at 5:45 P.M.
Wear your black ULA shirts and jeans."
With everything else going on, I’d forgotten about going to watch Liam play.
"You're going to get to see your boyfriend play in a professional soccer game,"
Emily teased as we drove home. We'd filled Emily in on most everything that had happened over the weekend when we got back Sunday night. She had her mouth hanging open for most of the explanation, but by now I think it was starting to sink in.
"Penn will be there, too," I pointed out.
Even though they hadn't made it official, Penn and Becca talked every day, just like 604/890
Liam and I did, so they were technically together. Labels be damned.
"Doesn't count!" Becca clarified from the backseat.
"Um, yes, it definitely counts," I corrected.
“So Kinsley and I will go to that industry event with the guys on Friday, and then I can drive the three of us to the game on Saturday," Becca offered.
"Sounds bueno," I quipped.
"Mmm, that reminds me... let’s go get tacos for dinner!" Becca exclaimed. Emily and I agreed on principle alone. You don't turn down tacos in LA.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Liam and I had schedules that didn't sync very well during the week. I practiced in the mornings, he practiced until late afternoon, and then it seemed like he usually had some meeting or interview to attend after practice.
We'd met for dinner on Wednesday and chatted every night, but by the time Friday rolled around, I couldn't contain my excitement about seeing him.
Becca and I had spent our afternoon primping and shopping for the perfect dresses to wear to the industry event. It was being held at a ritzy hotel downtown and Liam warned me that there would be all sorts of agents, media, LA socialites, and celebrities in attendance. Basically people that I had about zero in common with, so if all else 606/890
failed, Becca and I could hang out with the coat check crowd.
We'd searched the mall until we found dresses that fit our body types perfectly. My silk mini dress was slinky and loose and looked like a modern take on a flapper dress.
It hit just below my collar bone in the front, but it had a plunging back, see-through long sleeves, and gold sequins sewn in beautiful designs over the entire thing. The hem cut off at an almost indecent length, but because the dress was loose, it allowed me to show off my long tanned legs without making everyone wonder if I moonlighted as a lady of the night.
I'd spun my hair into a loose, silky twist at the base of my neck so that my toned back was completely exposed.
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"I’m starting to get really nervous,"
Becca proclaimed as she finished touching up her makeup. I was buckling the thin ankle straps on my nude high heels when I glanced up. She had on a sparkly white dress that fit her body like a glove. It was tight, with cap sleeves and a short hemline. She'd paired it with some fuchsia heels that were perfect for summer. Her short hair was straight as always, but she'd pumped up her eye make-up.
"Nope. No. If you start to be nervous then I'll be nervous. You look awesome." I stood up and saw my reflection in the mirror behind her. She'd helped me with my makeup so that my blue eyes popped against my tanned skin and dark hair. I felt good.
She dropped her makeup brush and started scrutinizing her appearance, winking 608/890
one eye and then the other and then smiling from different angles. All right, she wasn’t even getting ready anymore, so I waltz into the bathroom, spritzed us with perfume, and pushed her out the door.
"Stop winking at yourself, psycho. It will be fun. We'll meet the guys there. They'll hand us drinks, we'll mingle with celebrities, and then be on our way," I tried to assure her as we headed to the hotel.
I didn't admit it, but I was glad that Becca was taking the role of Nervous Nelly because it forced me to be the confident, cool one for the both of us.
“Oh my god, if Amy is there I’m going to talk to her.”
“Amy?” I asked as we headed toward the hotel.
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“Poehler aka my best friend. Keep up, Kinsley.”
My cell phone started ringing and I had Becca answer it so I could keep driving.
"Kinsley’s secretary speaking, she's driving... we're on our way... probably twenty minutes in this traffic... okay I'll tell her... oh my god, no. Gross. I'm not telling her that...
(laughter)... okay we'll call you when we get there."
Becca ended the call and dropped my phone back into my little clutch.
"That was your boyfriend. He can't wait to see you and he wants us to call him when we get there. He'll come out with Penn and get us."
I nodded. "What else did he say?"
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"You'll have to ask him. You guys are gross."
I laughed and started to feel my shoulders relax. I think Becca was feeling better, too. We turned the music up and sang along the rest of the way to the hotel.