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06: Game Days Are... Fun?

06: Game days Are... Fun?

Emmett and I had the same routine for the whole week. When Friday arrived, I was actually excited about the game. Selena said she'd go with me, so I wouldn't be alone.

"Tonight, you're coming to my place to get ready for the game," Selena said excitedly.

"I was just going to wear a T-shirt," I said.

She gasped. "You have a boyfriend on the team!"

"Emmett is not my boyfriend, Selena!" I hissed. "Geez, we're friends. Chill," I added with wide eyes, shivering at the thought of Emmett being my boyfriend.

Her face fell. "Really?" I nodded and she pouted her lip. "Dang. Well, you still have to wear a school spirit T-shirt and we are painting black lines on your cheek bones. You have to wear red lipstick, because that's the color of their jerseys."

"I'm not really that into school spirit," I stated.

"Suck it up." She continued rambling, talking about how I'd have to paint my nails red and black, and my eye makeup would be done in a dark smoky eye.

I was just hearing a lot of primping. My heart wouldn't really be in this one.

At lunch, I sat miserably at the table and Emmett got to me before Selena, Kinley, and Spencer did.

"You look awful," he commented. I glared at him. "Lighten up. It's game day," he chuckled.

"Do you always wear your jersey on game days?" I asked curiously. He nodded and looked at the red jersey with his number in black. "Eleven?"

"Yep."

"That's my birthday," I commented. A wide grin covered his whole face and I rolled my eyes.

"That's destiny, Louise. You and I are meant to be together." He threw his head back with a laugh and I threw a piece of his stale bread at him. "Wait, the eleventh of what month?"

"December," I said. "My whole family had birthdays in December. Mine is the eleventh, Dad's was the fifteenth, and Mom's was the twenty fourth."

"The day before Christmas," he said. "Merry Christmas to you, now." His voice sounded sad and I shook my head.

"It's fine. That's not the date that she died, so I think of it as when she came into the world, not when she left it. It's a happy day," I shrugged.

It doesn't stop that from hurting, though.

"That's a nice way to look at it," he said.

"I always go to her grave on the twenty fourth and put flowers as a Christmas gift," I said wistfully.

"What about your dad?" he asked in amusement. "Does your dad get a gift?"

I blushed slightly and shook my head. "That sounds really bad, now that I think about it," I said. "Mom and I had a really special bond. My dad and I only connected like friends. Other than that, he was really strict and would be really mean when I did something bad or wrong."

Emmett nodded and we lapsed into silence for a few moments before he broke it again. "I want to go with you this time," he announced. "To your mom's grave, I mean."

My eyes widened and I shook my head. "No. That's private."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Aw. I was really wanting to join you on this sad, traditional trip to a cemetery for your ever so enjoyable Christmas Eve," he said in mock excitement.

I rolled my eyes and let out a breath. "I suppose you can come. If you absolutely must. But that's in December. Who knows, we may not even be friends anymore by then."