The Beautiful Truth

// 64

"So you think they hired you for the express purpose of luring Talyn away from USC?" Micki frowned before taking a sip of her third mimosa of our brunch at Café M Saturday morning.

I gulped down another mouthful of the black coffee I was using to conversely nurse my hangover. "Think about it. They didn't call me until after the ruling came down. They let me skip out on half the training when I told them who I was—"

"And aced their rules exam."

"Right. But you should've seen how they looked at each other when I told them I was Sawyer Fitzg—"

"SF," Micki wondered aloud, making some mental connection to what I could only assume was Talyn's highly conspicuous tape job on his wrists.

I shivered in my seat and took another sip of hot coffee. "Plus, this is the only time they've assigned me? If they didn't set me up—"

"Yeah, you're not a typical Poppy," she half-sneered.

I pressed my lips together.

"What? You're gorgeous, sure, but you're not a sorority girl, or generally the most outgoing—"

"Whatever, why don't you have another drink," I grumbled. This was starting to feel like high school—people wanted to be my 'friend' because I was friends with the hot quarterback, and all the while, they whispered about why I wasn't 'good enough' to be his friend.

Micki, God love her, wasn't whispering, though. I couldn't tell if that was honesty or too much 'hair-of-the-dog.' We'd all three drank a lot last night...Talyn was 100% perfect this morning, however, when I'd met him back at his hotel and walked him to the athletics office. I, on the other hand, probably wouldn't have gotten out of bed for anyone else.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" she asked, ignoring my sarcasm and picking at her barely-touched French toast.

I sighed. "After I go back and shower? Probably going to the athletic department and calling them on their bullshit, and quitting my 'job.'"

Micki rolled her eyes, evidently tired of my drama. "Right. Are you hanging out with Talyn?"

"He doesn't leave 'til tomorrow afternoon, so yeah, probably," I shrugged.

"Are you gonna bring him to the game?" she asked.

I shrugged again. "I don't know. You know I'd like to go, but I feel like we're gonna have a lot to talk about when he's done..."

Micki just nodded. "You heard from Barton today?"

I sighed and gave her a sad smile. "He sent me a picture of the snow between Chicago and Milwaukee this morning. Have you talked to Alex today?"

I was beginning to sense that Micki almost...resented me, that being apart from Barton seemed easier for me than it was for her to be apart from Alex.

"Not yet," she sighed, taking a long pull off her mimosa after what looked to me like an internal war she was having with herself. The game was at five—I had no idea how she was gonna sleep this off in time, although she always did.

We didn't talk much more as we finished our breakfast and headed back across campus to our dorm.

"Hey, I was thinking...would you take me surfing sometime this week?" Micki asked quietly.

I stopped at our door, hesitating before unlocking it and frowned at her with concern. "Micki, is everything OK?"

She shrugged. "I just—it's supposed to be warm again by Monday, so..."

Not in the water, I wanted to say, but the look on her face made it hard to say no. "Sure, we'll go Tuesday morning, is that OK?"

I knew she had practice Monday mornings.

For a brief second, Micki's sad eyes looked hopeful again. She nodded and we went inside. By the time I got back from the shower, she was fast asleep.