(A/N) Yay, I'm back again! I was nervous to post this chapter and the next one for a while because I thought Bridget fans would pelt me with virtual rocks. LOL But I've braced myself and done so anyway! Many thanks to Psh.Your.Mom, cryingcloud15, UnlikelyRose, rupertgrintlovesmeandonlyme, I heart hairspray, maximum-calories, MelodyofTwilight, Brucasgrl309, jasmineflower001, Lunax3, bridgetbeethequeen, Mrs. BridgetVreelandRichman, and quibbler149! (: On to the chapter!
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The first thing Andy said to Eric that night was, "We're having a party."
"A party?" Eric Richman didn't do…parties. The word implied birthday hats, bouncers, and colorful piñatas. Back in high school, Eric and his friends had preferred to call them kick backs.
"Yeah," Andy said, pulling off his sweat-soaked shirt. "At the rec hall. Everyone's going. And, uh, I invited your friend Lexy."
Eric tried very hard not to move his face a millimeter. "And why would I care?"
Andy shot his roommate a knowing smirk. "Oh, trust me. You care."
"I have a girlfriend, Andy." It registered with Eric that he had repeated that phrase too many times than he should have in the past few days. But for whose benefit, however, he wasn't quite sure anymore.
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The rec hall was packed with coaches that night, even Miss Wright, who was still wearing her Yankees hat with her blond ponytail through the loop. Eric realized that she must not get out much.
He meandered through the crowd to an empty table and took a seat between Andy and another tan, muscular guy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lexy sitting at a nearby table, with her arm draped across Marni, her peppy blond roommate. Inexplicably, deep down, Eric wanted Lexy to notice him and call him over. He sat up a little straighter and stretched.
"Hey, Eric!"
It worked. Eric looked up, forcing his heart to beat slower. Lexy was waving at him, half-smiling. Eric waved back. He stepped out of his bench, and, ignoring Andy's knowing looks, walked over to Lexy's table and squeezed in between her and Marni.
"Ladies," he said as he sat down. Marni smiled nervously, and Lexy grinned.
"Everyone," she addressed her friends, "some of you might know him, but this is my awesome new coaching partner, Eric Richman."
Eric held up a hand as they greeted him. He asked, "So, what are you guys playing?"
Mike, the burly guy sitting opposite of him, took a swig of beer and shuffled a deck of cards. "Hold'em," he grinned. "You interested? Loser of each round has to drink some of that."
'That' turned out to be a repulsive-looking liquid contained in an Arrowhead bottle. It was brown and seemed to be bubbling. Marni, in her girly voice, proudly declared that she had made it with seven different kinds of alcohol and four different sodas. She snapped her gum loudly.
Eric grimaced. "Yeah, sure, count me in."
The first round was quick and painless for Eric. He had received a pair of tens on his first hand, along with a four. The flop had given him two more fours. Eric knew he had the game, and thus, continued tossing in more and more chips. Mike and Marni had both folded, and Derek Harris had only a pair of threes. Lexy had nothing.
Marni squealed as Lexy smirked and picked up the bottle. Eric watched, grimacing, as Lexy announced, "Cheers". She tipped her head back, as if drinking a shot, and made a face as the liquid traveled down her throat. She exhaled loudly.
"How was it?" Marni asked in her helium-induced voice. Lexy was quiet for a second, then, proclaimed, smirking, "Muy caliente."
I'll say, Eric thought, bemused.
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Lexy snuck up behind Eric one hot afternoon and tiptoed to talk into his ear. "Scott's doing really well as striker." Her breath was hot on his neck.
Eric felt his own breath catch as she subconsciously ran her hands down his back and stepped to his side. "I know," he replied nonchalantly, following her with his eyes. "I told you - I'm good with positions."
For the last few days, the two had been innocently flirting with each other – Lexy often found excuses to touch Eric, who, in turn, dropped innuendos into every conversation. Eric told himself it meant nothing, not even an intoxicating fling. It was purely innocent. They weren't soul mates or anything. There was longing; there was no denying it. But Eric would fight it.
For Bridget. He could.
The sweeper, Pierre, accidentally kicked the ball out of bounds. Eric watched it roll over to them and watched Lexy instinctively stall it with her cleats. "Watch the defense," she chided.
"Hey," Lexy said to Eric, once Pierre rejoined the practice.
"Yeah?"
"Want to come to the bar tonight? A bunch of us are going."
Eric balked. He couldn't imagine stepping back across the threshold of that bar, the very place where he had shared a passionate, albeit quick, dance with Bridget. He couldn't bear going back in, knowing that the last time he was there, Bridget had danced against him. Somehow, inexplicably, Eric feared that the memory would wither and die once he made a new one.
"Hello?" Lexy was staring at him with her wide amber eyes. She smiled. "Want to?"
"Oh." Eric stared back at the field. Scott had just scored a goal, and the players erupted in cheers. "I'll go," he finally decided.
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"Want to dance, Eric?"
Eric looked nervously up at Lexy, then at Andy.
"Go on, man," Andy urged quietly. "Are you crazy? Every guy in this room wants Lexy. And she's asking you."
Eric looked back at Lexy. She was wearing a white halter dress that looked amusingly like the one Bridget had worn last summer. She had her long brown hair in a messy ponytail and her skin was flushed from dancing with friends.
"Okay." Eric was wary, but got up anyway. He wiped his palms on his pants as he followed Lexy onto the dance floor.
The music blared, its bass beats shaking the floor. Lexy raised her arms and placed them tentatively on Eric's shoulders as she danced around him. He didn't have to do much but stand and move his arms slightly. It was like that a lot with Lexy.
After a while, the two began to move closer. The beats filtered into their respective bodies, and they began to move as one without thinking about it. Pink and blue lights filled the room. They had had one too many strawberry tequilas. Lexy stumbled.
"Ouch," she muttered, looking down at her ankle. "That really hurt."
Eric scratched his head. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
They continued dancing, but Eric noticed his partner grimace each time she put pressure on her right foot.
"Want to sit?" Eric asked nicely.
Lexy fixed an eye on him. "No. Will you go back to camp with me?"
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(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Don't worry, Bridget fans – I feel a happy ending coming up soon. (; So please don't hate me! Feel more than free to leave me some motivation in the form of a review! Thanks for reading. I'll update soon! (: