Page 1 of The Score

Chapter 1

Pen

Twenty years ago, a kid with white skin and dark hair moved next door and, as soon as I saw him, I claimed him as my best friend. We've been inseparable since. He's steady, kind, and so generous my life is full of perks I never could have predicted back then. It's why I'm not surprised that my colleague and friend Gina sits on one of the chairs facing my desk, lets out a long sigh, and vents the way she always does.

"The jealousy running through my veins could melt stone, Pen. From the very bottom of my heart, God, you're one lucky lady."

"It's one of those days, huh?" I ask.

Every day is one of those days at our job. We work for a medium-sized non-profit organization. She's a counselor and I'm a social worker, serving a community of vulnerable people having to attend court, often because of some undue process or unfair circumstance. I help them navigate an overwhelming system and advocate for themselves. Gina supports them therapeutically.

We've witnessed many injustices. We've heard some dark stuff. It takes a toll on all of us.

"I need a vacation, stat," Gina says. "Ready for yours?"

"So ready." I set my email autoresponder and turn off my computer.

I'm more than ready— I'm past due. Burnout has been my straitjacket for a good year. Getting up every day, gathering determination and endurance from who knows where, to face five-to-six different stories of pain a day, has brought an ache to my chest I can't seem to shake. Like I'm being squeezed from within until I can't breathe properly. Every time I'm wading through the muck of a system that lets so many people fall through the cracks, the binds around me tighten. Not that my clients would ever know. Part of the job is to be encouraging and supportive, putting your own needs aside. Yeah, it's heavy stuff. But if the horrors persist, so do I.

Leon Karlsen, the best friend I lovingly call Bear, tried pushing me to take a medical leave. I didn't need to tell him how hard it's getting to come to work everyday for him to see it. Over time, he's tried a few things to help me, but I'm not sure how to make this job more sustainable, so I delayed. No point in taking a couple weeks off when that wouldn't fix the problem at the core.

Eventually, he bribed me with a vacation I couldn't say no to. He knew exactly what I needed— a couple of weeks to disconnect, surrounded by nature and no cell signal. Where we would do nothing more than nap, read, and eat. That man spoils me, for sure.

"I've never been camping like this," I add.

"Like this, how?" Gina gives me a knowing smirk. "With a huge, heavily tattooed, sometimes scary, handsome guy you'll sleep with in tight quarters?"

My work friend knows Bear is on his way to pick me up, to spend the next couple of weeks alone in the private campground he found for us. She also knows how he looks. Gina has never hidden her thoughts about him. Any time the topic of my best friend comes up in conversation, she finds a way to point out how tall he is, the comforting offensive lineman padding around his thick muscles, and the mysterious scar on his top lip. His wide, powerful shoulders are a usual topic of much admiration. A couple of times she's gone as far as toask if his dark hair is as soft as it seems, and whether his hugs are the kind of magic that could make anyone feel safe.

Yes to both, but I've never admitted it to her. As Bear's best friend, I protect the enigmatic aura he curates for the public.

I chuckle. "More like camping at all, I guess. But from the pictures he showed me, he's taking meglamping. It's a geodesic cabin in front of a lake, and there's a firepit on a terrace outside…"

It will be the perfect place for a sweet, relaxing escapade. The football offseason is finally here, and Bear's break will last several weeks. Mine will last only a couple, but this trip will fill both our cups to the brim.

"And I bet it has a proper warm shower, too," my friend adds.

"One hundred percent."

"Still a bit tight, size-wise, considering."

Bearisbig, tall, and strong, after all, and I'm no small woman myself. Two such people in a small cabin could feel crowded, but that's not how it is between us.

"It's going to be okay." I shrug. "We don't mind tight quarters, and the outside space is what matters. It looks idyllic and exactly like the kind of place where I can disconnect from everything."

Nikki, an educator from our Community Engagement side, leans against my door.

"Hey, Pen," she says. "Your husband's here to pick you up."

I roll my eyes with enough humor that she knows it's a tease. "Bear is not my husband."

"But you knew who I was talking about, didn't you?" Nikki raises an eyebrow.

Gina laughs.

"We're all aware that he was picking me up today," I respond. "It's not hard to guess who you meant. Besides, Bear and I have been close since we were ten. I'm used to people assuming we're together."

"If people assume, it's because watching you interact is like watching a married couple who are about to celebrate their fortieth anniversary."