Winging It Read Free

practically overnight. Suddenly we were playing on different teams, and he was on his way to the pros. I wasn’t. So, reffing was a good job, sure, but it wasn’t like being a Raider.
    I made it to the center more or less on time and headed for the locker room. I had to wear almost as much equipment to ref for a bunch of eight-year-olds as I did to actually play against adult women. But I was getting paid for being on the ice, so that was something.
    And I managed to keep my mind on the two games I worked, mostly because I knew the parents who didn’t seem to be paying attention would get pretty damn involved if they decided they didn’t like my calls.
    But as soon as I was off the ice, sitting in the change room pulling off my skates, it hit me. I’d done it. Without getting Toby’s permission first, which wasn’t great, but I didn’t really think he’d mind. Toby and I had a history of getting each other into and out of all kinds of mischief. Still, I was a little tense as I pulled out my phone and hit his number.
    He picked up after the first ring. “What the hell, Nat?”
    “Yeah, sorry. I should have talked to you first. I was going to, but he just showed up. So I went for it.”
    “Went for what?” He didn’t sound mad, exactly, but he sure didn’t seem happy.
    I took a deep breath. “I need a favor.”
    “Nat, I already know this is a bad plan.”
    “You don’t even know what it is!” Where was Toby, my partner in crime?
    “I’ve been thinking about it for a few hours now.” He sounded tired. “I have a pretty clear idea. And Scott’s involved, so there’s really no way it could be a good plan.”
    “Okay, your family issues are none of my business. But, seriously, I think this will be fine.” Toby and I were a good team; we could make it work.
    “Spell it out for me. I want you to hear just how stupid this is.”
    “Come on, Toby.” He didn’t say anything. The bastard was going to make me do it. Well, I wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. “You and Scott are competitive. He kept trying to get with Dawn when she was dating you. So if he thinks I’m dating you, he’ll try to get with me. Simple.”
    “Stupid, you mean.”
    “What? Why?” I stood up and started pacing around the locker room in my sweaty gear. Maybe I should have waited and had this conversation in person, but Toby and I didn’t really get much in-person time anymore.
    And I didn’t need to see him to know the expression he’d have on his face as he said, “It’s stupid because Scott doesn’t live in a cave. He’ll talk to other people, and they’ll tell him we’re not dating. And it’s stupid because there’s no guarantee he’d go after you just because he went after Dawn. I mean, she and I spent a lot of time together, and he was there for quite a bit of it. It’s not like he saw her with me one time and decided to move in.” He paused almost long enough for me to start with my counterarguments, but then he added, “Mostly, though, it’s stupid because he’s an asshole. So even if it did work, what would you have, exactly? Some asshole interested in you? Big deal.”
    “You’re the only one who thinks he’s an asshole.”
    “Really? Have you talked to Dawn about him?”
    “Okay, but Dawn’s just following your lead.”
    “You think she needs me to tell her that some guy coming on to her as a way to get back at her boyfriend is an asshole? You think she can’t figure that out for herself?” I heard a creaking noise and I knew exactly where he was: sitting in his grandfather’s old office chair in his bedroom, leaning back, probably with his feet up on his desk. How many times had he and I raced each other up the stairs to his bedroom, body checking and wrestling on our way, trying to get there first in order to win the privilege of sitting in that creaky, uncomfortable old thing?
    But that wasn’t what I was supposed to be thinking about. “Okay, fine, you and Dawn don’t like