Page 74 of Meet Me Back Here
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
it’s not just a game. it’s a lifestyle.
PRESENT
In the morning, because it takes several attempts to actually get out of bed, we are sleep-deprived and satiated but late when we finally leave our hotel room.
“But isn’t the game at seven?” Forrest asks as we head to the car, not having had the big college experience and not quite understanding the gravity of today.
Sure, the Desert City, Southern Arizona football game isn’t until this evening, but for our rivalry game, it’s a full-day experience. When we were students, we’d say you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning!
It was extremely healthy.
Today might be less boozy than when I was a teenager with a fake ID and a liver made of steel, but I will be no less dedicated to screaming my head off until I completely lose my voice.
“The game is more than just the game. It’s a whole day. And we have to get you outfitted first.” While I’m game day ready in my tank top with our mascot, a cactus named Prickly Pete, on it and bright green shorts, somehow Forrest didn’t bring even a single plain green shirt with him.
“As long as I’m not wearing Southern Arizona’s colors, shouldn’t I be ok?” Forrest asks. And it’s a fair question for any game other than this one.
“You need to trust me. Everybody will be in green today. You’ll see more green than St. Patrick’s Day in Boston. The idea is to completely drown Southern Arizona in the color. I want them to taste green.” I cackle a little to really drive home how insane we behave as a school for this game.
“This whole thing is feeling an awful lot like a cult,” Forrest says when we reach the car.
“Yes, and?” I challenge. “What of it?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Forrest wisely answers before holding the driver’s side door open for me. “Just wanted to make sure you knew.”
After a quick stop at the campus bookstore to get Forrest his own Prickly Pete shirt and me a new DCU baseball cap, we head to Melina’s apartment. She’s already waiting outside for us with Jenna, both head-to-toe in green. Jenna even clipped green streaks into her hair. Or maybe she dyed it outright. Both would be reasonable for today.
We park, and Forrest quickly changes his shirt when we hop out. I don’t realize I’m staring until Melina elbows me. When I look at her, trying my best to feign innocence, her eyes go wide.
“You two!” She gasps before grinning slyly. “How was the rest of your night?”
She knows.
“It was fine!” I answer, my voice all high-pitched and squeaky for no reason whatsoever.
“Mmhmm,” she hums, looking rather pleased with the whole situation.
“Let’s get out of here. I don’t know how long Tyler can hold a table for us,” I say, shoving her toward the bus stop and ending her nosy questioning, knowing full well Tyler would give our table away over his dead body.
When we get on the bus, and it’s filled with green DCU shirts, I give Forrest a satisfied smirk.
“You were right. I was wrong,” he admits, hands up in defeat.
When the entire bus of us bursts out into the fight song halfway through our trip, I think he starts to understand what today is going to look like. Forrest doesn’t know the words, but the way he cheers at the end tells me he’s on board with joining the cult for a day.
Jenna and Forrest slip off the packed bus first while Melina and I get caught in the sea of green. When we reach them, I can tell Forrest is apologizing to Jenna again, and I appreciate that.
“I get it,” Jenna says, looking over at Melina with pure love. “I’d probably act the same for her.”
“Yeah,” Forrest says, his eyes finding mine.
And that’s when I decide. Fuck hiding anything.
When we arrive at El Lobo, finding Ava, Liam, Cristian, and Santi waiting for us at a high-top on the back patio, it’s with my hand in Forrest’s and the biggest smile on each of our faces.
“There we go.” Melina pats me on my shoulder before turning to Ava. “Close your mouth before you catch a fly,” she says with a laugh.
