Page 28 of The Replay

Chapter 10

Dom

While the team studies plays and watches tape, I'm called into a meeting for reasons I don't understand. I grab a coffee and take the stairs up to the third floor, reaching Board Room No. 3. The first thing I see as I come in are Ames and Nat walking toward me.

"Hey, you two." I give each of them a hug. "I didn't know I'd get to see you today."

We stand right inside the room, grinning. Out of the corner of my eye, I tally Evie, Pen, and Mariana sitting at the meeting table. I ignore them in favor of the friends I caught leaving.

"It's meeting day at the Thunderdome," Ames says. "We were summoned, but ready to go now."

"The Partners' Party," Nat explains. "It's going to be such a cool event. Gatsby-type fundraiser. We'll collect money, food, and books for a few schools."

"Everything a person needs in this world." I nod in approval. "Can un-partnered players attend, or is this only for the partners or…"

"We'll be sending out the information soon," Pen says from the round table behind my friends. "But we'll let you attend."

I smirk her way. "Give me a plus one in case I feel like changing things up for a day or two."

A couple of my friends shake their heads, but we end up focusing on saying goodbye to Ames and Nat. With a small smile still on my lips, I sit with Pen, Evie, and Mariana after the two others leave.

"Thanks for coming, Dom." Evie writes something down in a notebook.

"No problem." I sip from my coffee and leave it on the table. "It was a nice surprise to see Ames and Nat."

I have yet to gaze in Mariana's direction or acknowledge her presence in any way. Every time we're alone together, things devolve too fast to notice. I need to pay attention, or this will become the status quo. Indifference has not worked. Minimizing interactions is my new plan.

Evie nods. "We're catching up on a bunch of tasks. Did you get the email about the gala in December?"

"I sent it last week," Mariana says.

My smile drops somewhat when I glance at her. "I read it."

Evie stares at us with suspicion. Fuck. I need to fake pleasantries harder. But not too hard.

"It's not happening for several months, is it?" I ask Evie. "I thought you'd be focused on other stuff first."

"We're focusing on many things," Pen says. "That's why we ended up needing to catch up."

"I want my year here to be epic," Mariana adds.

I nod but don't look at her.

I direct my question at Pen. "What do you need me for? I assume it's not about the partners' event, for the reasons we were just talking about."

Pen smiles and glances at Evie, who grins. Suspicious. Like they have a plan in which case… shit. Not good.

"You're right, it's not about the spouses' event," Pen says. "Everyone else is so busy with the holiday parties, we thought of you for something else. The Strike is making a donation to a sports research team at the local university. We coordinated everything with them already."

"All you need is to show up." Evie smiles. "Half a day, max."

Scenes from Mariana and I back in a university across the country knock against my skull, but I push them away. We'll be in a completely different place. No familiar library, no random study rooms to hide in, no dorms to run to. No need to worry.

I frown. "I don't remember reading anything about that in Mariana's email."

"I didn't have all the details until an hour ago." Mariana chews on her lip. "I thought maybe we wouldn't need you."

I feel the sting. I make it my focus, when I hear the hint of anxiety in her voice. That's not something I can care about after everything.