This chapter's still on the short side, but the next one will be quite long, so sit tight! Thanks as always to my reviewers. Hope you like it. P.S. The Tiger's tails I mention are real, and people do look that ridiculous.
That evening with Foreman at her side, Thirteen waded through the throngs of people amassed in front of Princeton's stadium. As they pushed towards the ticket booths, Thirteen bickered with Foreman over his choice of clothing.
"She's going to be mad at you," she fussed.
Foreman looked down at his light blue oxford then over to Thirteen's navy, red, and white plaid shirt. "I'm rooting for my school. If anything, she'll be mad at you."
"Why me?"
"I'll let Rachel explain all the things wrong with your shirt, but at the very least you should have sided with Princeton."
"How does that make sense?" Thirteen challenged. "I don't follow Princeton."
"Rachel invited you. If you don't have a team to side with, you side with your friend's team," Foreman explained. "Since when are the two of you such good friends, anyway?"
"We're not, really. We hang out, we talk. I can tell her things."
"You can't tell me things?"
"That's not what I meant," Thirteen told him. She let out a breath of thanks as she finally spotted Rachel. She quickly looked over the man by her side. He was tall and handsome, with thick, black hair and olive skin. The only flaw she could find in him was his glasses. The way he stood with his arm around Rachel's shoulders made Thirteen's jaw clench. "There they are."
Rachel had spotted Thirteen and Foreman as well and quickly rushed to greet them. She pulled them each into a friendly hug and gave Thirteen a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you could make it. This is my boyfriend, Alex Moore," Rachel introduced. "Alex, meet Eric Foreman and Remy Hadley." As everyone exchanged handshakes and polite smiles, Rachel finally took notice of Thirteen's outfit. "Remy, please tell me you have another shirt."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Thirteen looked at Rachel. She wore a black and orange hoodie with "Princeton" running down the sleeve. "Eric is wearing blue, too."
"Light blue, Columbia's color. Which is fine because that's his school and no one really cares about Columbia," Rachel joked, eliciting a small laugh from Foreman. "You, on the other hand, are wearing the colors of not one but four of Princeton's rival schools."
"I tried to tell her," Foreman shrugged.
"How could I possibly offend you four ways with one shirt?" Thirteen quipped.
"You're wearing the school colors Penn, Rutgers, Harvard, and Yale." Rachel unzipped her hoodie and handed it to Thirteen, "Wear this."
Thirteen slipped the jacket on, flashing an annoyed look as she caught sight of the second shirt Rachel had on. It too was black and orange with the school name emblazoned across the chest. "There is such a thing as too much school spirit."
"Yes," Rachel agreed. "But it looks like that."
Thirteen followed Rachel's finger to a man wearing a Princeton jersey, tiger striped face paint, and a plush tiger's tale dangling from his pants. She tried in vain not to gawk as they headed into the stadium.
An hour later, Rachel was keeping true to her promise of cheering embarrassingly. In her borrowed Tigers attire, Thirteen found the spirit was contagious. She yelled so loudly for the Princeton runners that she was sure she would give her companions hearing damage. When the heat ended and the noise of the crowd subsided, Thirteen turned to Rachel.
"Can you show me where to get a drink?" she asked, still yelling a bit.
Rachel frowned apologetically, "The next event is starting in a minute."
Thirteen looked to Foreman who seemed just as absorbed in the meet as Rachel. Seeing her frustration, Alex tapped her shoulder from behind. "There's no pulling them away from this," he said, gesturing for her to follow him. He looked back to the spots they had found directly off the track, "We need someone to hold our places anyway."
Alex led Thirteen through the stadium to the crowded concession stands. As they settled in for their wait in line he looked to Thirteen questioningly.
"How long have you known Rachel?" he asked.
"A few months now."
"So, you know what she's like? The two of you talk?"
"Yes," Thirteen said cautiously. She wasn't sure where this was heading, but she was already uncomfortable.
"What does it take to get close to her?"
"By close you mean what exactly?"
"Well, we talk and she shares things with me, but she always keeps me at a distance. How do I get her to let me in?"
"It sounds like she's already let you in," Thirteen muttered. She was quickly becoming annoyed. She would give just about anything to have Foreman share things with her while Alex was complaining because Rachel shared too little. "What more do you want?"
"She shares ideas with me, she talks about her work, but I don't know anything about her life. I don't know what's in her heart."
"She's either going to open up to you or she's not. There's nothing I can tell you that will make a difference." Thirteen rolled her eyes and looked away. She hoped that Alex would give up his rambling, but she had no such luck.
"When we started dating, she said she only wanted something casual, but I think we could be more than that. I just think if she-"
"Listen," Thirteen snapped. "Rachel is my friend and I don't feel comfortable talking about her like this. If you want things to change between the two of you, you should talk to her. I don't know how to help you."
Alex only nodded silently as they continued to wait.
While Alex and Thirteen were getting refreshments, Foreman stood with Rachel on the sidelines. He shuffled his feet uneasily in the grass before clearing his throat.
"Something on your mind, Foreman?" Rachel asked.
Foreman shook his head, "It's nothing." He continued shifting his weight from foot to foot until Rachel could no longer ignore him.
"You can either come out with what's bothering you or continue fidgeting and distract us both from the meet."
"Do you and Remy talk much?" Foreman asked.
"Some."
"How's she doing?"
"She's great. She broke five miles today. Her endurance-"
"That's not what I meant," Foreman interrupted. "Never mind."
"You see her more than I do. I would think you'd know anything before I would."
"She's shutting me out," Foreman said worriedly. "I don't know what's going on, but she doesn't seem happy. I was hoping you might know what was going on."
Rachel studied the look of concern on Foreman's face before answering. "All I can tell is that she seems frustrated."
"She hasn't mentioned anything specific?"
"No," Rachel said quietly. She tried to reabsorb herself in the event, but Foreman continued trying to pull answers from her.
"What do the two of you talk about?"
"Whatever comes up. Work, life."
"That's all you can give me?" Foreman pressed.
"You set me up with Remy to help her manage her disease. Now I'm her therapist and friend, and both of those positions mean that anything she tells me has to stay between us. I'm sorry."
Foreman ceased his questioning long enough to glance back and notice Thirteen sauntering towards him. He tried to disguise the troubled look he wore with an uneasy smile, but Thirteen saw through him.
"You okay?" she asked.
"It's nothing. Columbia lost the heat," Foreman lied. "I'm going to get some air."
Thirteen spun around wildly as Foreman blew past her. She trailed behind him as he stormed away from the field and out of the stadium. "Eric!" she called as he finally came to a stop. "What's your problem?"
"I told you I needed some air," Foreman huffed.
"It's an outdoor event. Come on, the next race is about to start."
"Did you say something about us to Rachel?"
"That's what this is about? You're worried I'm badmouthing you to my friend?"
"I asked her what was going on with you," Foreman said, his voice sounding agitated. "She gave me a quick answer, then said she couldn't say anything more."
"Which means what, exactly?" Thirteen demanded.
"Which means there was more to tell. Which means you're holding out on me. You can share things with her, but not me?"
"We don't talk!" Thirteen yelled.
"We talk all the time."
"Yeah, about work, or books, or any other meaningless shit you can come up with. Nothing is ever personal with you. Why shouldn't I confide in Rachel?"
"Why are we even together then?" Foreman shot. "You certainly don't seem to need me."
"Not right now. Go home, Eric."
Thirteen stared Foreman down until he turned and left. She paced back and forth for a moment, trying to calm herself before heading back into the stadium. After a few minutes, she sat down on the curb and pressed her head to her knees with a frustrated sigh. She listened to the crowds cheering for a while before deciding to give Rachel a call.
"Remy?" Rachel answered. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. I'm going to call a cab and head home, I just wanted to let you know."
"What happened to Foreman?"
"I asked him to leave," Thirteen replied.
"Hold on, I'll be right out."
"You don't have to-"
"Stay put," Rachel insisted. "I'll take you home."
It only took a few moments for Rachel to meet Thirteen outside the gate. Thirteen quickly jumped to her feet. She shoved her hands in her pockets and toed the curb anxiously while she tried to think of something that didn't sound paltry. "I'm sorry to ruin your night," she came up with. "You should go back inside, be with Alex."
"Alex understands."
"No, you don't have to look after me. I'll be fine."
Rachel shook her head firmly, "I'm taking you home, so you can stop arguing. We're looking after each other, remember?"