Knee Pads

22 | illegal procedures

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO | ILLEGAL PROCEDURES

technical infractions that give the offending team an advantage but do not directly impact a specific opponent.

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          The funny thing about showers was that I usually liked to take my time in there, let the water do its job and either relax my muscles or wake me up so I could be fully prepared for whatever awaited me afterward.

          Now, it felt inappropriate to take a cold shower just because Corinne had so kindly invited me to her room, not to mention it was far too cold outside for that to even be considered an option. A hot shower would feel nice, especially while followed by a warm cup of coffee, but it would leave me too drowsy and I didn't have time for coffee, knowing Corinne would get impatient if she had to wait too long for me to show up, so I'd been caught in a bit of a predicament.

          When I smelled my jacket, trying to check if I really did stink, I couldn't smell much except for the smell of a regular sports jacket, my deodorant, and the faintest hint of Drew's perfume. Of course he'd be the type of person to wear perfume during an early morning run, but I still wondered if that's the stink Corinne had been referring to. If there was anyone who would instantly recognize his perfume, it would be her.

          Mind racing, I stormed into my dorm room to pick up something nice to wear after the shower, accidentally forgetting Kat was still asleep. She woke up with a start, jumping awake on her bed, and fumbled to search for the switch on her lamp, while I illuminated my path with my phone.

          "Dude," Kat complained, still half asleep. "Do you know what time it is?"

          "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just need to get some clothes."

          "Can't you do that without waking up everyone in the building? Jeez." She plopped back into bed, turning her back to me, and I stumbled towards what I thought was my dresser. I didn't want to take too long, but hurrying was considerably more difficult than it should be when I was blindly navigating my room. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Not cool."

          "I've already apologized. Do you want me to sing you a lullaby so you can go back to sleep, my queen?" Even under such dim lighting, I could see her reach out an arm towards my general location, flipping me off. "I'm going to take a shower, and then I'm meeting Corinne in her room. Just thought you'd like to know, since you were so eager to get rid of me last night."

          "You are vicious. I'm the one who should be making all these snarky comments at you, since you were the one who woke me up." She sat up on the bed and turned on the light. I sighed with relief, happy I could finally see where I was going instead of risking knocking something down, like my pride. "I am, like, so sorry for trying to do something nice on your behalf. I was just trying to help you, considering you wouldn't do it by yourself and it's sad to see you sulk over Corinne."

          "It's even sadder to be kept at arm's length and pushed away when you're only trying to help her, and yet." I straightened, with a pair of mom jeans, underwear, a bra, and a knit sweater swung over my arm, clothes light enough for someone who wouldn't be going outside, but not too light so I wouldn't freeze to death. "And, for the record, I wasn't sulking. I don't sulk."

          "Wah, Corinne won't talk to me, wah, this is the worst thing that has ever happened to me, ever," she mocked, shaking her head, while I certainly hoped I hadn't sounded like that. That reeked of desperation, and I wasn't that type of girl. I didn't beg for things, nor did I wait around for miracles. I went after what I wanted. "How is that not sulking? You got super prissy whenever anyone mentioned Corinne around you."