opponent falls for it and lunges. I pivot the other way and dip low, then hurtle the Frisbee toward Kate.
The second the Frisbee is out of my hand, I take off running. Kate grabs the disc in midair before landing, and my hand flies up as I near the end field.
I leap into the end zone just as the Frisbee descends. When my feet hit the grass, the Frisbee is in my grasp.
“Score!” Kate whoops.
The opponents chasing me grumble, their faces shiny with sweat as their ponytails whip around their faces.
“Nice one!” another teammate yells in my direction.
When our game finally finishes, the sun is descending toward the western horizon. Across the field, a maintenance man is pruning bushes. His large belly hangs over his pants every time he bends over.
“We kicked ass.” Kate takes a drink from her water bottle and nudges me. “And we wouldn’t have if you hadn’t scored so many points. For someone new to this sport, you got serious game, girl.”
I wipe at sweat running past my ear as another teammate gives me a high-five. “It was a team effort.”
Carly laughs. “Always so modest.”
I chuckle, then Kate and I say goodbye to our teammates before we begin walking toward the apartments off campus. We chat easily the entire way.
A mile later, Kate stops outside my building. Bright petunias and marigolds fill the standing pots that flank the main entrance. They bring much needed color to the drab gray building.
“See ya at practice tomorrow?” Kate asks.
“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it.”
She gives me a quick hug then carries on down the sidewalk since her building is on the next block, while I dash inside and run up the stairs to my modest one-bedroom apartment. I shower in record time, then wolf down a cold dinner of leftover pizza and a banana before slipping into my black shorts and signature white polo top for my waitressing gig.
A quick look in the mirror shows my dark hair is still damp, but when I slick it up into a ponytail it’s hard to tell that I just showered.
“It’ll do,” I mutter before dabbing on some lip gloss and twirling a mascara wand through my thick lashes.
Once done, I hightail it outta there for the fifteen minute walk to Café Trois Soeurs. I check my phone along the way. A few texts from Jill pop up, and there’s one from the guy I went on a date with last week.
I reply immediately to Jill but don’t bother with the guy. It’s the third text he’s sent today despite me telling him yesterday that I’m not interested.
After a quick scroll through Instagram and Snapchat, I shove my phone in my purse and step into the café.
“Hey, Brianna.” Joel, the bartender, calls. “What’s up, babe?”
“Not much.” I place my forearms on the cool smooth bar top. “How was the lunch rush?”
“Kinda slow, but it’ll pick back up tonight. You know how Fridays are.” He wipes down the bar as the overhead lights twinkle off the rows of hard liquor bottles lining the shelf behind him. “Sam’s gotta new dish on the menu tonight. He said some food critic might be in so he wants to impress him.”
“Mmm, do we get to taste test it?” Even though I just ate, I’m hungry again.
He laughs. “Even Sam may be swayed by that smile of yours.”
“I can hope.” I wink cause Sam’s not exactly known for being laidback.
I say goodbye to Joel, then head toward the back to drop off my things before touching base with Sam to see what he’s expecting tonight. Steam rolls through the kitchen as the sound of sizzling food on the grill fills the air with heavenly scents.
I grab a menu to memorize the specials as Macy sidles up next to me and gives me a playful nudge.
“Hey, hot stuff,” I say to her before setting the menu back down. As usual, Macy’s dark hair is expertly styled, and her fitted top shows off her voluptuous curves. “Ready for a Friday night?”
“Am I ever,” she replies. “Rent’s due on Monday, and if I don’t kill it with tips, I’m gonna be short.”
Since we’re both poor college students, I totally get her worry. “You got this. Fridays are always good.”
“I’m counting on it.”
∞ ∞ ∞
My shift passes quickly since Fridays are busy. Our eclectic French inspired menu draws in a regular crowd, but it’s doubly crowded tonight since there’s a concert at the convention center a few blocks away. The streets are packed