Becoming a Scott

Chapter 10

Christina held her chin in the palm of her hand as she eyed the race lazily.

"C'mon! Hit the ground harder!" Uncle Joel roared from where he stood.

"I've got to tell my mother to fire that jockey," Ander spat out as he placed a hand on his hip. "Look at- Oh, shit he's gaining speed."

Christina sighed and waved for the attendant with beer to come closer. The man stepped up to their row, reaching into the cooler and calling to her, "Five dollars!"

Ander placed a five dollar bill in the man's hand and passed the beer to Christina without giving her as much as a glare. No comment, no joke, no annoying grin, or even a nod of the head. She took the can, rolling her eyes and eager to pick a fight. She was more than capable to pay for her own drink.

"Look at that!" Her uncle laughed, "Your friends will sure regret their decision now."

"They sure will," Ander leaned back and looked towards the group of nicely dressed college students. Without hesitation he raised a middle finger to them and gave them a bright smile. Satisfied, he turned back to Uncle Joel and frowned in thought. "I should tell my mother to give the jockey a nice bonus."

Christina rolled her head back. What a hypocrite, she thought to herself.

"I should run off to the bathroom before the next race commences." Her uncle spoke, "Christina, if the attendant with the hot dogs comes by, get me one." He added before walking off with an air of victory.

Ander sat down with a sigh, leaving an empty seat between himself and Christina. "So how are you holding up this afternoon?"

Christina frowned at him, "Go back to your friends."

"Ha! After I just told them all to go fuck off, not likely."

"Oh, is that all it takes?" Christina grinned as she gave him the middle finger.

Ander let out a breath of laughter as if he were genuinely amused by her antics. "Why so grumpy? Did you not bet on Dreams of the Wind?"

Christina rolled her eyes, never wanting to hear that name again. "I'm surprised you're not the one who's grumpy after that mess yesterday."

He sat back in his seat and hummed, "It was a bit of a mess wasn't it?"

"A bit? I wasn't even in the fight and I still spent the whole night resenting it." Christina sighed as she realized what she would have to say next. "Nonetheless, thank you for going after Riley. She told me that you helped her feel better."

"I'm glad to hear I wasn't a nuisance. I was wondering if maybe she would prefer your company over mine."

Christina gave him a look of disbelief, "Please, she'd send me packing back to the islands if it meant she could have your undivided attention."

She expected him to laugh, or make some funny comment, but his eyes drifted away from hers and he pressed his lips into a thin line. The silence grew longer than Christina could tolerate, it seemed as if she had said something wrong but she wasn't entirely sure what. "So," she attempted to change the subject, "William isn't here?"

"No," Ander commented simply. His eyes were still glazed over the track and his face was frozen in a look of thought. "He hates gambling, wouldn't be caught dead near a track."

Christina nodded slowly. If she had said something wrong he would've left by now, but he didn't show any signs of moving. "He also tried to stop Michael before he could get to Riley." She closed her eyes in annoyance, that definitely was not the right thing to say.

"William is great," Ander sat up and began looking over the stands, searching for something. "He's very self-righteous and considerate of others. The two of you would be natural friends."

She frowned in confusion, not having expected Ander to say something like that. It sounded to her like he had given her an indirect compliment. "He seemed nice enough, but I didn't really get a chance to talk to him. Does he go to-"

"Ah, there it is." He spoke over her with a gust of energy as he stood up from his seat. "Hey! You! Over here!" Ander yelled to one of the attendants holding a tray of hot dogs.

Christina complained in silence as she watched Ander's mood shift back to his usual happy self. She was ready to knock all the hot dogs out Ander's grasp just to teach him that she did not like when she was interrupted mid-sentence.

"Sorry," Ander said as he handed the attendant money and took the food. "I didn't want Joel to come back and find us empty handed."

"Right," She answered pointedly.

"What?" He sat back down, "Are you upset that I fill the role of niece better than you do?"

Christina couldn't help it, she let a smile spread over her lips but quickly added, "How about you try not to interrupt me while you're at it."

"Oh please, you were just talking about William. I already hear people compliment him up and down, there was no need to hear it from you either." He pointed down to the can in her hand. "Need another one?"

"You were the one who was complimenting him." She fought back.

Ander squinted his eyes at her and spoke in a light tone, "Those words weren't intended for you."

She stared back at him, bewildered. "Who else were they for? It's just the two of us."

"Christina," he emphasized, "would you like another beer?"

Fuck it, she thought, she was gonna need another beer if Ander planned on sticking around. "Sure," she bit out.

"Perfect," he sat back with sudden relief and waved for the attendant with the beers.

"Hot dogs!" Uncle Joel called as he appeared. "Just as I asked." He grabbed them from Ander's grip and sat down with a large grin before leaning towards Christina. "He wasn't annoying you was he?"

"I can hear you perfectly well." Ander spat out as he dealt with the attendant.

"He was," Christina answered.

"Maybe we should've invited Riley, maybe he would've ignored us then?" Uncle Joel laughed. Christina wanted to laugh alongside her uncle but the image of Riley sobbing in her room the night before still remained fresh in her thoughts.

"Impossible," Ander handed the beer to Christina. "Riley is one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life." There was no trace of irony in his voice.

Christina raised her brows, never would she have thought to add funny to the list of thing's she thought about Riley. She was talented, witty, and stubborn, but Riley only ever seemed to laugh if she felt like she needed to, let alone wanting to tell jokes.

"I'll make sure not to tell her." Uncle Joel spoke, "A comment like that from you might giver her enough hope for the next year."

Ander sat back in his seat with a sigh, focusing his attention back on the race that was about to start. "As long as she doesn't end up sending Christina back to the islands, I'll be fine."