~* School Daze *~ “Robin, you’re our new girl from … Where was it again?” Crap. Did she notice me staring or something? I hesitantly sat up, clearing my throat. “San Francisco,” I responded as we made eye contact. I offered a disarming smile, uncertain what else to do as I’d never really had an athletics director take any interest in me, whatsoever. “Right. Ever shoot hoops?” “No ma’am. I was never all that into sports before.” She chuckled, “Well come on up here, princess. There’s a first time for everything!”

The next two weeks practically flew, far too quickly for my tastes. Whoever kept calling my cell phone apparently got bored of the game and gave up after about a week – for now at least, and the meeting with the school board went pretty well, all things considered. The school board members still remembered Joe. Years ago, when Kelly transitioned, it was a practically unheard of concept for Connecticut. The ACLU got involved, and eventually, after several hush-hush meetings, they allowed her to re-enroll at another school in the district, keeping her records sealed until she turned eighteen for her own protection.

At first I thought that the whole debacle would work against me. Fortunately Kelly’s transformation from constantly fighting, sub-par GPA student to very nearly making Salutatorian her senior year worked in my favor immensely. The only thing that stopped her was that they had to count her GPA and records as ‘Kevin’ pre-transitioning.

From the start of the summer, every time we had something major important in our lives come up we celebrated with a slumber party, and tonight would be no different. Well, actually, tonight would be different, as it would be more than just the four of us!

“Natalie!” I practically squealed as she stepped off the Jones’ basement steps. We rushed to each other, meeting halfway in a sisterly embrace. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

She grinned, waving at Nicole and Jennifer as they rose from the sofa to come and greet her as well. “Are you kidding? I’ve been thinking about this party all week. Is Rachel coming too?”

Jennifer nodded as she hugged her next, “She’s upstairs helping Ally pull the extra sleeping bags out of storage.”

“Did you bring the thingie?” Nicole added.

Natalie laughed, reaching into her duffle bag and producing a slender white tube-like device. It had a small hole at the top, and a motion sensor on the side.

“Just put fresh batteries in it and replaced the scent cartridge. Crystal loved this thing, and I didn’t have the heart to let it get shoved away in storage somewhere.”

“Put it by the stairs just below the wall where Ally and Rach won’t see it!” Nicole giggled impishly, causing Natalie to giggle too. She turned back and carefully set the motion-sensing air freshener gadget just inside the stair where it wouldn’t be easily spotted then turned back to us.
“So how was your summer?” she asked as she set down her bag.

“Awesome!” I responded happily. “I told you about Mom’s recovery in my e-mail, but I don’t remember if I mentioned the part-time job?” I offered, leading Natalie over to the bar. I stepped around behind it, opening the mini-fridge for her to inspect the available stock.

“Ooh. Can I have an iced tea? And yes, you mentioned it, but you forgot to tell me what the note said.”

“Note?” I asked, as I passed her a canned iced tea. “Oh! The one Linn gave me? It was nothing really.” I blushed, causing her to giggle.

“Oh come on, now you have to tell me!” she replied, popping the top on her tea and slurping a long sip.

Jennifer took that as her cue and chimed in, “She received a nice bonus for working so hard!”

Much to my relief for the change of subject, Rachel and Allison came bounding down the stairs with two sleeping bags each, setting a spray of Lilac fragrance shooting upwards.

“Eek!” Rachel squeaked, surprised, and came to an abrupt halt, causing Allison to stop, peeking around the wall down at us.

“NATALIE! Hey!”

Natalie pointed at Nicole, “She made me do it!”

Allison giggled, “Yeah, I figured. Don’t worry; I won’t shoot the messenger this time.” She and Rachel dropped their sleeping bags and came over to hug the newcomer.

“It’s so great you could make it Nat. It just wouldn’t be an end of summer party without EVERY member of Cabin Thirteen here,” Rachel offered cheerfully.

Natalie giggled, “After the way you guys helped me get myself straightened out I wouldn’t miss this for anything. So what’s on the agenda?”

It seemed like every time we had a slumber party, we made a conscious effort to top the last one, first with just Nicole, Allison and me, then adding Jennifer for an epic game of truth or dare, and most recently at camp, celebrating a very successful first annual Luau and honoring of a fallen scout in Crystal Grace. Tonight would be no exception.

We did each other’s hair and nails, let our facials do their work while watching a scary movie and screaming like banshees, pigged out on ice cream and potato chips, had a pillow fight to end all pillow fights, and as was the tradition for a sleepover at Allison’s, her mom made her amazing tacos for us. It didn’t start out as a tradition, but then these things rarely do. It just sort of grew out of our love of Allison’s mom’s cooking.

Sunday morning, before we went our separate ways again, Allison led us all on a nature hike back to the river where she invited us to join the Girl Scouts. Nicole and I had, by now, officially joined the Scouts, with all the rights and expectations therein, with any thoughts of someone discovering my past long forgotten, replaced with some twinge of concern of how people would react once it got out that Nicole and I were more than just friends. We’d burn that bridge when we came to it though.

“Robin, sweetheart, you’re going to be late for school,” Mom’s voice gently roused me from my sleep. I stared blearily at her for just a moment before sitting up and wrapping her in a hug. For a split second, I thought my nightmares had returned, but an indescribable, loving warmth replaced that fear as she smiled softly and kissed my forehead.

“I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of how far you’ve come. These last couple of months I feel like we’re closer than ever. Now, get dressed so you can do something with that mop of hair!” she teased, squeezing my hand as she stood to step out again. She seemed to be feeling a lot better. Her cold had run its course without infecting the rest of us too, and her headaches were becoming more manageable by the day. She had even started talking about looking into a job at the clinic where Kelly now worked.

I stood and walked to my closet, stripping along the way. I’d already planned to wear my black-with-white-polka dots peasant top (the one with the cute ribbons a quarter of the way down the sleeves) and dark jeans, but I needed to decide what else I wanted to pair it with. Ultimately I chose a wide black belt with a shiny black buckle to offset and add a touch of sophistication to the look along with my black sneakers for a shred more casual, and sat down to do my makeup.

I had been so occupied with the task that I didn’t hear Allison being invited in downstairs. At least I didn’t jump when her reflection suddenly appeared in my vanity mirror, dressed in a cute three-quarters sleeved pink v-neck top, and faded jeans. She smiled as she bent down to hug me; I turned and put my arms around her in return.

“God, I’m so nervous,” I said softly, turning back to start working on my hair.

She grinned proudly. “You’ll be fine. You look amazing, and that nail polish really brings out your eyes!” she responded. At the slumber party she had painted my nails in a rich, dark pink that I had worried would clash with my outfit today, but it actually worked pretty well.

Allison stayed around for a quick breakfast with Mom and me, after which we walked back to her house to get a ride to school from Carol. I’d visited the school superintendant’s office briefly, and met with the school board, but seeing the school with so many students coming and going felt altogether unnerving!

The building was smaller than my old school, serving only about seven hundred students among four grade levels, but it still looked imposing. The small, broad front steps sloped upward to high-polished glass and steel doors, with the school’s mascot, a roaring tiger, done in tile just inside the lobby in the school’s team colors of purple and gold.

I couldn’t help noticing both boys and girls staring at me as we ascended the stairs. I glanced at Allison, who gave me a reassuring smile. “You’re the new girl, remember? Plus, let’s face it, you’re kind of hot,” she added with a wink, causing me to blush.

“Isn’t that Nikki’s line?”

“Yes it is,” Nicole chirped playfully as she approached us from behind, putting her arms around the both of us. True to her word, ever since I commented on missing seeing her in black, she’d made a triumphant return to her Gothic hotness. She even dyed her bangs fuscia again, which looked stunning coupled with her knee-length black skirt and sleeveless top, to say nothing of the cute black-and-white striped stockings.

“Jen said she’d be a little late because she has to drop off a release form at the gym or something. I wasn’t really listening.”

Much to my relief, several of our classes had been scheduled together, including our home room, just as the school board promised. I couldn’t help feeling a little overdressed as we walked to our first class though. Back in California I remembered very well that girls tried to look their best on the first day. It was like some silent competition to see who could be the prettiest without looking like they were trying. I always secretly envied them, wishing I could wear what I WANTED to wear instead of frumpy oversized boys’ clothes.

Around here though, everyone seemed more casual. Even Nicole in all her macabre glory didn’t stand out this much. At least I didn’t wear a dress, but I still got plenty of stares, as rumors of the ‘Cali girl’ spread like wildfire. Sigh.

Before third period English began, I had just been introducing myself to a couple of girls who seemed genuinely surprised I wanted to talk to them, when a boy with medium length, slicked-back black hair started bobbing around as he strolled up to me; I thought he might be having a seizure at first glance. He put a piece of paper with his phone number in front of me and smiled. I picked it up, spit my gum out in it, and gave it back to him.

“Thanks, but I’m not ‘available’.” Without giving him a second glance, I turned back to the girls I was chatting with, causing them both to start giggling along with Allison. The boy scowled as he slunk away.

“Oh Em Gee that was Bobby Nelson,” one of them gushed, giggling.

I shrugged, “I’m not into boys who think they have to act like an idiot to impress a girl.” Of course, I wasn’t into boys, period. Josh seemed like a nice guy, but I still liked girls. Okay, I liked Nicole. I didn’t really have any interest in anyone else, boy or girl. “Plus, like I told him, I’m seeing someone. If you want him, he’s ALL yours.” I smiled cheerily. “So anyway…”

The highlight of my day, ironically enough, came with P.E. just before lunch. I’ve said before that Robert never cared about sports. As Robin I didn’t think I would either, but I couldn’t help being drawn in as Coach Wilson, a tall, athletic woman with pretty, frizzy brown hair lectured us about what to expect from the semester. Volleyball sounded fun, but I couldn’t help being more and more interested in her talk about basketball.

“Robin, you’re our new girl from … Where was it again?” Crap. Did she notice me staring or something? I hesitantly sat up, clearing my throat.

“San Francisco,” I responded as we made eye contact. I offered a disarming smile, uncertain what else to do as I’d never really had an athletics director take any interest in me, whatsoever.

“Right. Ever shoot hoops?”

“No ma’am. I was never all that into sports before.”

She chuckled, “Well come on up here, princess. There’s a first time for everything!” I blushed as she approached, offering her hand. I glanced nervously at Allison and Nicole, who nudged me to take her hand, so I accepted it, letting her pull me up. I suddenly felt thankful I wore black sneakers instead of something with a heel today as she picked up a basketball and led me to the free-throw line.

I listened as she instructed me on how to hold the ball, how to aim, and finally how to throw. “Don’t be nervous. Nobody ever gets a free-throw on the first try. I just want to see how you do.”

I nodded and dribbled the ball a couple of times to give myself time to mentally replay the crash course lesson and get a feel for its weight, then bent my knees and shot.

‘Bong, clunk, clunk, swish!’ No. Way. My jaw fell open as the ball hit the floor. I slowly turned to see Coach Wilson giving me a similar expression. “Um… Beginner’s luck?” I offered wryly. She shook her head, chuckled to herself, and pointed to the stands for me to take my seat again. I suddenly felt every pair of eyes in our class on me as I returned to my seat.

“Nice shot,” Allison whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me you could play basketball?”

“I can’t!” I stage whispered, a little louder than I intended. “I’ve never played sports a day in my life.” Still, it did feel really good.

As we left the gym, a tall, willowy blonde approached me from behind, putting her hand on my shoulder as she caught up to me. “Robin, right?” she asked in a friendly tone. I nodded. “I’m Chelsea. I was the captain of the junior Lady Tigers basketball team last year, and I’m hoping for the position again this year too. Anyway I just wanted to say I saw that free-throw shot earlier. It was a little rough, but if that was seriously your first time shooting a basketball, you should consider joining. We could work with you on fundamentals and have you ready to play in no time.”

Was she serious? I smiled for a moment, about to say yes, and then I remembered my promise. Crap! Being ‘transgendered’, I had been informed by the school board that I couldn’t participate in girls’ sports. My face fell. “I’m sorry Chelsea. I… I’d really love to take you up on that, but I can’t.”

“Aw, why not? I mean sure you’re a little short, but not every great basketball player is a bean pole like me,” she offered reassuringly, but I shook my head.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t. I promised not to tell anyone why, so you’ll just have to trust me. I’m really sorry.” My eyes started to sting, but why? I quickly ran off to the bathroom to gather myself. I thought I hated sports, so why was I getting so worked up over knowing I wouldn’t be able to compete?

Allison came into the girls’ room a few seconds later. “Robin what’s wrong?” She wrapped me in a hug. I gave her a quiet stare, dabbing at my eyes before answering.

“I don’t know. It’s not like I even like sports, but…”

Allison frowned, but nodded. “We can talk about it after school if you want. Totally sucks that you can’t compete. I mean, I heard Coach mumbling about thinking you were trying to hustle her.” She giggled quietly, and I had to laugh now too, cracking a small smile. Allison smiled back. “C’mon, you’ll feel better after we eat.”

I did feel better after I got some food in my stomach, and poor Chelsea, to her credit, came over to eat lunch with us. I shot her a smile as she sat, already halfway through my burger.

“Chelsea, I’m sorry about running off earlier like that. It’s just… First day jitters, being new, and-” But before I could finish, she shook her head quickly, reaching across the table to give my forearm a reassuring squeeze.

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to pressure you. I just thought it would be fun to have some new blood on the team. I’m sure you’ve got a good reason.”

She lowered her voice, glancing around to be sure no one was eavesdropping before she continued, “Coach Wilson told me you had an undisclosed medical condition keeping you from changing with the rest of us for P.E., but don’t worry. She didn’t say what it was; just that I was to report anybody giving you grief because of it directly to her.” She smiled, her words giving both Allison and Nicole cause to smile as well.

“Thanks Chelsea,” Nicole offered. “Robin’s like, my best friend. If anyone gave her shit because of her condition and I found out about it before you I’d probably do something they’d regret.” She gave the girl a positively goth-like grin, though the enhancing, dark makeup and clothes certainly helped.

Chelsea laughed nervously, “I don’t doubt that. Hey, that reminds me, are you still dating that chump Jason?”

Nicole shook her head vehemently, “Hell no. I broke up with that loser at the start of the summer.”

“Creep dumped her voicemail,” I added ominously, eliciting an elbowing from Nicole as she chuckled.

“Yeah, but don’t worry, I’m so over him. I found someone from out of state that lights my fire.” She paused, blushing just a touch and quickly changing the subject. “Why?”

“Oh, the idiot tried to hit on me this morning. I shot him down of course. I don’t need a drug addict boyfriend.” She shrugged. “Plus I’m kind of hoping Tom will finally take the freaking hints I’ve been dropping since April. Anyway, I’ve got a few more social circles to stop in on. It’s Hell being popular,” she sighed dramatically, shooting us a playful smile as she stood to leave.

“What was that about?”

Jennifer chuckled, “Chelsea is the all-American super-babe. She plays basketball, she does cheerleading, volleyball, debate, edits for the school yearbook, and she’ll probably be Valedictorian our senior year, but she, Ally and me used to be close in grade school, so we still maintain polite ties, and she’s not a bad person. She’s just…”

“Too perfect,” Nicole injected with a sarcastic smile. Jennifer nodded quietly.

“I don’t know how anyone can balance that much,” I spoke up. “I mean, I just want to survive the school year, and maybe play some basketball just for fun. Anyway, can you show me where to dump my tray? The cafeteria’s set up all weird from what I’m used to.”

“Oh look, it’s the Valley girl. ‘Like, Omigawsh!’” came a snide female voice from behind as I walked toward the exit with Allison later that day. I glanced over my shoulder to see a fairly attractive blonde-haired girl scowling at us. I rolled my eyes at her and kept walking, though I thought I saw the beginnings of a sneer as I did.

“Ignore her,” Allison offered with a smirk. “She’s just jealous that someone else might be able to steal the coveted sophomore Maid crown.”

“Sophomore what?”

“You did have Homecoming in California didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but… Oh my God, she thinks I’m competition for THAT? No way. I could never- I mean I-” I sputtered, sending Allison into a giggle fit.

“Yes, you could! You’re poised, confident, beautiful, and just a little exotic. I mean look at how you dressed today,” she nodded toward my peasant top with a wide grin.

“Yeah, I know. Back home all the girls dressed up for the first day of school. You could’ve warned me!”

“Yes, but that would’ve spoiled the fun!” she responded cheerily. As we descended the stairs, Nicole and Jennifer broke off from chatting with another group of girls to join us. I wrapped Nicole in what I thought was a friendly hug, despite the awkward stares from her similarly clothed friends she’d just been chatting with.

“So are we going to hang out at Ally’s tonight?”

“I can’t,” whined Jennifer, “I have gymnastics and then Josh asked me to come watch him test for his next belt. He’s coming up on his final degree Brown belt thanks to Robin.” She beamed, shooting me a glance.

“Oh crap, I forgot about that,” Nicole pouted. “Well, I guess the three of us can hang out for awhile though.”

We walked out to the parking lot where Kelly stood leaning against her car, still dressed in her nursing uniform. It bore a strong resemblance to her hospital scrubs, though there were some subtle differences, like the cut and color, that I chalked up to the differences in a hospital, clinic, and two very distant states. She waved us over with a cheerful smile, so I turned to hug Jennifer then ran over to meet her.

“Hey girls.”

“Hi Kelly,” Allison and I responded in unison as we greeted her with a hug. “Is everything okay?” I asked a moment later.

“Yeah, Daddy had to take Mom’s car to the shop AGAIN, so she called and asked me to pick you up. Robin, Nikki, do you want a ride home too?”

Nicole nodded, “We were just talking about hanging out at your place, actually.” She glanced at Allison, grinning impishly, but Allison was just a touch quicker.

“Shotgun!” she squealed playfully as she dove in the front. Kelly rolled her eyes as Nicole and I piled into the back. Of course, this meant we’d have time to finally hold hands without someone noticing. I wondered if that wasn’t what she’d had in mind all along.

Allison waited until we sat at the traffic light several blocks from the school before speaking up. “Kelly, Robin’s got a problem she could use your advice on.”

Kelly glanced up at the rear view mirror, eyeing me. “Robin? What’s wrong?”

I rolled my shoulders. “I-it’s nothing, really. It’s just this girl, Chelsea, came up and asked me if I’d be interested in joining the girls’ basketball team.”

Nicole giggled, “You should’ve seen Coach Wilson! Her jaw like, nearly fell right off her face when Robin shot a free-throw off the backboard. She totally thought Robin was hustling her when she claimed she’d never played before.”

Kelly stifled a giggle, “Coach Wilson… I remember that old battleaxe. So anyway, what’s the problem? You don’t like basketball?”

“No, it’s not that. Actually that’s PART of it, but the problem is with my ‘condition’.”

Recognition surged instantly over Kelly’s face. She frowned. “Oh, Robin, I’m so sorry. You’re just such a natural girl I completely forget sometimes. If I remember right, the school board’s ruling on transgender students participating is pretty vague. They never had one when I was in school, and it never came up because I didn’t want to play sports. The one they adopted was based on another district’s, so it hasn’t been challenged yet.”

“The thing is, I don’t know that I want to challenge it. I’m happy with people accepting me as a girl. If word got out…” I trailed off, shifting my gaze. Nicole scooted over and wrapped me in a reassuring hug; I rested my head on her shoulder as I let her hold me as best our seat belts would allow.

“I see your point. Let me talk to Daddy and see what he thinks, okay? You don’t have to decide anything immediately anyway. So how was the rest of you girls’ day?” She changed the subject, probably sensing that further discussion would only serve to upset me.

I perked up a little as we started talking about classes, new teachers, and the general goings-on of the day. Allison started laughing as we pulled into the Jones’ driveway.

“Oh, and Robin totally shot down this loser who tried to score her as a trophy girlfriend.” She stepped out of the car, doing what I’d have to call a fair imitation of his man-strut. “He walks up to her like this and just gives her his number with this stupid smirk on his face. She grabs it, spits her gum out in it, and shoves it back at him. He was so pissed he didn’t know what to say. It was epic!”

By now, both Nicole and Kelly were giggling at the recounting of my humiliating that poor boy. I actually felt guilty about it now, but I had to put my foot down and stop any ideas anybody might get about me being available before they started.

“I’m going to go say ‘Hi’ to Mom and Margie then I’ll be right over.”

Allison nodded, turning to head inside, while Nicole followed me. We had no sooner gotten in the door when she pushed the door closed. We looked at each other for a moment before silently embracing each other. Instantly, all the stress of my first day of school seemed to melt away as I closed my eyes.

“I don’t know what I’d do without friends like you and Ally,” Nicole offered softly after a moment. She giggled, kissing me. “I’m so proud to have you for a girlfriend right now too.”

Mom cleared her throat, causing both of us to jump. I turned to see her standing at the bottom step, arms folded. An amused smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Sorry Mom,” I offered as we both closed the distance to hug her.

“Yeah, Um... Sorry Linda,” Nicole echoed, “It’s just I’m so proud of Robin. I didn’t think she had it in her!” She giggled, relating the story she’d just been told then added, “Oh, and the captain of the basketball team wants Robin to play for the Lady Tigers too.”

Mom gave me a skeptical stare, and I held my hands up helplessly. “It’s not my fault, I swear!” She motioned us into the kitchen where Margie had started preparing a light dinner. There, Nicole and I took turns relating how I got into this whole sports debacle.

“Sweetheart, I thought you said you hated sports?” asked Mom, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“I don’t. I mean, I didn’t. I mean… I don’t know! I think I felt worse for having to concoct some elaborate lie about why I couldn’t even consider joining the team. If I did make waves and challenge the school board’s ruling, what if word got out to the press or something? I just want to get through high school without making any more trouble for myself,” I whined.

Nicole lay her head on my shoulder, “Babe, you’re dating the hottest goth in school. Trouble’s going to find you one way or another.” She beamed, despite the unified uneasy glance from Mom and Margie. They were fine with our relationship when it was just ‘dating but still friends’, but more and more everyone seemed to think we took it too seriously. In truth, we kind of agreed with them though.

I breathed a slow sigh, “Anyway, Ally’s waiting for us. Um, I mean, if it’s okay for me to go hang out awhile?”

“Did you get any homework?”

I shook my head, “Just a reading assignment for AP English. You know how much I love reading,” I offered, hopeful.

She smiled softly, “I know how much Robert spent time reading, sweetheart. I’ve only known my daughter Robin for a couple of months, and I’m still learning about her. Like the fact that she might be interested in playing basketball.” She winked, but smiled approvingly as she came over to wrap me in a hug, kissing my forehead. “Yes, you can go over to Allison’s. Just behave yourselves,” she glanced at Nicole, flashing a brief smile that I’d almost have sworn was playful if I didn’t know better.

Nicole giggled and wrapped her in a hug, “Yes ma’am.”

We both turned and ran back out of the room, and over to Allison’s. Kelly had just stepped back out, but she didn’t stop us, instead simply waving as she passed us on the way back out to her car.

Allison had just settled into the sofa and turned on a movie when we crept down the stairs. Nicole did that ‘shush’ motion with her finger again, motioning me to the left while she shifted to the right.

“Don’t. Even. THINK about it,” came Allison’s response, causing us both to break into a giggle.

“Swear to Gawd, Ally, you could hear a fly fart on Jupiter,” Nicole laughed as she grabbed my hand, dragging me over to the sofa. She plopped down next to Allison, pulling me squarely into her lap with a surprised squeal on my part. I shifted my weight to try and sit next to her, but she wrapped her arms around my midsection with the physical threat of tickling imminent if I didn’t stay.

Allison rolled her eyes, “Oh get a room,” she chided playfully as she shouldered Nicole, giggling.

“Why can’t we use yours?” Nicole teased back.

Eventually she let me go, and I slid down onto the sofa next to her. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Chelsea said earlier though. I couldn’t stop thinking about why this seemed suddenly so important to me, either. Did I have a right to play girls’ basketball against other girls? I certainly felt I did, and it’s not like I had an advantage either. Late onset puberty saw to that, mercifully.

Allison and Nicole noticed my silence, the former peeking around to look at me, “Robin… If it means that much to you, we’ll find a way to help you.”

“We got you into the Girl Scouts for God’s sakes,” Nicole added with a broad grin. “That’s got to count for SOMETHING right?”

“I guess so, but… I’m still scared of what people will say if they find out-”

“People love a human interest story. You’re human, and you’re interesting,” Nicole immediately shot back.

“Robin, the entire school thinks, no, KNOWS you’re a girl. If anyone gives you crap, you’ve got the four of us plus Josh and Chelsea to watch your back.”

“I realize that,” I began, but sighed. “I just don’t know if it’s worth all the effort. Anyway, I really don’t want to think about it anymore right now. Anybody else up for a game of pool?”

Nicole’s eyes lit up, “I’ll rack ‘em up.”