A/N (this story has at one point been called 1. Bee's Continuation 2. Extraordinary 3. The Only One. I finally settled on Almost Perfect Summer)
I don't own anything having to do with this story, as most peopled know well enough.
This story is set about 3 years after the 3rd book:
"Bee! Bee!" shouted a reporter, "You are the star of a team that won the Olympics. How does that feel?"
"What can I say? It feels great! Its every little soccer player's dream, isn't it? Winning the Olympics is amazing. I wouldn't call myself a star at all. I'm still a rookie. Talk to me in four years. If I have another Olympic medal around my neck, then you can call me a star."
"What about the rumors about you and the star forward on the mens' side? Is there anything there?" another reporter chimed in.
"I suppose you're talking about my relationship with Mr. Richman?" Bee asked, knowing full well the answer. The reporter nodded. "I'm glad someone finally asked," she was happy someone had asked, she had spoken with Eric this morning, and they agreed that she should tell them about their friendship. It had been kept private for quite a while. It wouldn't be easy to tell. Bee was a very private person, "Eric is one of my best friends," she began, "We've known each other for five years," she paused for a moment. Yet another reporter chimed in with another question.
"Five years?" she asked, "That is a long time. You where sixteen at the time and Mr. Richman was nineteen. Am I correct?"
"It is six years, and I was fifteen," Bridget corrected even though it did not look good, "He was a coach at a soccer camp I went to in Baja California, Mexico. Eric and I met back up a couple years later. I coached in Pennsylvania the year before I went to college. Thats how we became friends. Still, the age difference was severe. He graduated college when I finished my freshman year. We haven't seen very much of each other. Especially with all the training we both had to do to get ready. In fact, the most we've seen each other is here. I think that there could be something there if we where able to pursue it," so Bee might have relaxed the truth a bit. They had been casually dating when they could, but why was it the public's business?
They didn't know that sitting in the back of the press room, was Eric in disguise. He was waiting to walk Bee back to Olympic village. Bridget caught his eye and smiled.
"Ms. Vreeland, people have equated you with a young Mia Hamm. How do you feel about that?"
"That is very flattering. I grew up idolizing her. I just want to play soccer. If I'm a star, great, if not I'd still play. It is just a bonus that I'm getting paid for this."
"No more questions!" Bee's agent chimed in, "Thank you all for your time," he walked Bridget off the stage through a back door, and then steered her toward a waiting Eric.
"Hey!" he said giving her a quick peck on the cheek, "You where great today! Congratulations!" They began walking toward the hotel.
"I still don't believe it," Bee shook her head in disbelief.
"Well its true!" Eric said happily. He almost seemed happier for her than she was, "I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks."
"Want to go celebrate?" asked Eric.
"I just want to go sleep!" Bee said exasperatedly, "I am so tired! Stupid jet lag!"
Eric put his arm around Bee, "You'll be home soon," he assured.
Bee rested her head on his shoulder. Doing this and walking at the same time was a considerable feat, "There you go taking care of me again," she said sarcastically. She changed her tone of voice, "and I love it."
He smiled. They snuck into the hotel the back way, and Bee let him in to her hotel room. She sat down on the bed, and he on a nearby chair.
"Want to order some room service?" Eric suggested.
"Sounds good," Bridget said with a yawn.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"A cheeseburger and a piece of mud pie. I doubt they call it that here."
"I'll see what we can do," he grabbed the menu," they've got cheeseburgers, how about a sundae? I don't see mud pie on here."
"Sure."
"I promise I'll buy you one when we get back to the states."
"Its okay, they only cost about a buck, I can buy it myself when I get there."
Eric called and ordered. By the time it came, Bridget was asleep. He stowed the burger in the fridge and the sundae in the freezer. He didn't have the heart to wake her up. She had just played an entire Olympic championship soccer game. She deserved a break.
Then came the well wishers. The phone began ringing off the hook about fifteen minutes after he had finished his burger. The first person to call was Perry, Bridget's twin brother, it was awkward for Eric to talk to him. Bridget's dad was at work. Eric began a notepad page to give Bridget messages. Eric was amazed that Bee could sleep through the ringing. Even so, he turned the ringer down, and answered the phone as fast as he could each time. It was amazing that people were calling. It was very early in Maryland where Bee was from.
Next to call was Bee's friend Carmen, then Lena, followed closely by Tibby. Finally someone who Eric knew called. It was Diana.
"Hey Diana," Eric began. There was a pause, "Don't tell me you don't know who this is. I was so glad that someone I knew called her."
"Well hello Eric. Where is Bee? And why are you in her hotel room?"
"Bee is right next to me. She is totally drained and asleep. I can have her call you when she wakes up. I have quite a list forming. And I'm in her room because I was going to eat room service with her, but she fell asleep before it came. How are you?"
"Good. I'm busy working back into shape for the next set of try-outs. I sucks that I broke couple of my toes before the last try-out."
"It does," agreed Eric, "Good luck with that. I hear there are a few spots opening up."
"Your big game is tomorrow isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Good luck!"
"Thanks. I'm going to need it. Spain has a great side this year."
"You'll do great," Diana assured him.
"I'm not so sure."
"I saw the Bee's interview today. She was very humble. The old Bee would have been jumping out of her skin."
"She's humbled with age."
"Don't say age. Bee is only twenty."
"She'll be twenty-one in a few weeks," Eric said defensively.
"I'll let you go. You can do more secretarial work," Diana said with a laugh, "It was good to talk to you. Have Bee call me."
"Okay. Nice to talk to you too. Bye."
The phone rang almost exactly when Eric hung it up. This time it woke Bridget up. She waved her hand at him and told him not to answer it. She got to the phone just before it would have stopped ringing, "Hello?" she answered the phone.
"Hey Bee, its Jenn. We where going out to celebrate in an hour want to come with us?"
"I'm really beat," Bee began with a sigh, "but it is a special occasion. I guess I could find my third or fourth wind."
"Atta girl!" Jenn responded
"Whats the plan?"
"Out to dinner in a couple hours. Sheila found a really cool sounding 18 and over club. We're planning on going there afterwards."
"Great. Where are we meeting?"
"In the hotel lobby in an hour and fifty minutes. The restaurant is withing 10 minutes walking distance. Our reservations are at 6. Dress nice, we've got to make a good impression."
"I'll see you down there. I just have to make myself presentable. I think I'm going to skip the dancing though."
"Okay, thats understandable."
"You know what? Can I bring Eric along if he wants to go?"
"Sure."
"Let me ask him," she turned to Eric, "Want to go out to dinner with the girls?" she asked.
He nodded, then whispered, "Anything to be with you."
Bee grinned from ear to ear, "He says he'd like to go."
"Tell him not to worry," Jenn replied, "most of the others have a boyfriend, husband or family escort. I'll call the restaurant and ask them to add another chair."
"Thanks."
"Well, we have to get ready," Bee remarked with a grin, she was still on an adrenaline high, and felt like anything could happen.
"Don't look at me like that. I have a game tomorrow," Eric countered.
"Like what?" Bee asked defensively.
"When this is all over, lets take a vacation," Eric changed the subject.
"Okay," Bee smiled, "We have to be ready by 5:45, so I have to shower. Feel free to stay for a while if you want. Pick me up at 5:30?"
He nodded.
After much consideration, Bee finally got up. Eric stood up too, and gave her a hug.
"Oh yeah," he said, "A bunch of people called. I wrote them all down. The notepad is on the nightstand. I'll see you in a few."