A Milkshake is Exchanged for My Privacy [Mia]

Mia

“Hey, Seiro!” I smiled, sliding into my homeroom seat just as the bell rang. I spun around in the chair, my chest leaning on the back of the seat and my thighs squeezing the sides. “I heard you scored a touchdown last week. Congrats!” His response took a little bit longer than expected.

“Oh- uh, yeah, I… did do that. Thank you.” I noticed that his eyes kept snapping up to my face, before trailing back down to my sweatpants-less legs. No way! Danny was telling the truth!

“I wish I could’ve been there,” I sighed, maybe sort of trying to flirt with him a little. I was there, I thought. I threw the pass. My mind immediately flipped back to thinking about ways to ‘bond’ with Seiro. Spontaneously, I thought of one. “Hey,” I said, putting my elbow down on his desk. “Arm wrestle me. I bet I’ll win.”

For a little bit of context, most girls would not win an arm wrestle, period- it would just be an excuse to hold someone’s hand. I was not most girls. Seiro had no way of knowing, but the sleeves of my hoodie were totally filled out. And though, yes, I did want to hold Seiro’s hand, and that was the main intent, I also wasn’t going to lose.

Seiro, instead of scoffing or laughing like I thought he would, dutifully clasped my hand, rolling up his sleeve and exposing his olive-toned, muscular arm. His eyes were staring across the room, probably looking at the board for announcements. I hoped he was just embarrassed and averting his eyes, but it wasn’t likely.

“Three… two… GO!” I took the jumpstart and weakly pushed on his arm, attempting to give him a false sense of security. I saw a gleam of mischief in his eyes as he pushed back, equally as weak.

“What’s that?” he said, pointing with his free hand at my chest. I looked down, concerned I had spilled my breakfast or something, but realized my mistake too late. He pushed extremely hard, almost enough to bump my hand against the table. Luckily I pushed back just in time, enough to make his eyes go wide in shock as our arms went back to an upright position. Now we were both going full throttle, but neither was budging. After a solid 30 seconds I meekly asked for a truce, my arm rapidly tiring. He let go, shaking his wrist and exhaling sharply.

“Impressive, right? You couldn’t beat me.” I tried not to let on that I had completely exhausted my strength, but I was panting- it was pretty obvious that I had exerted myself.

“Mhm!” He vigorously nodded his head, struggling to not glance downward. Well, now I’m worried. I couldn’t tell whether he was looking at my legs because he thought I was attractive or if he was repulsed by my muscularity. I tried not to overthink it, but within three seconds I had thrown myself into a theoretical pit of despair and lifted myself onto a pillar of joy. I didn’t even know that was a thing I could do, but somehow my brain had fried itself so badly that I simultaneously thought Seiro hated me and was madly in love with me.

I decided to comment on the ‘madly in love with me’ side first.

“So do you like it when I-”

Ding. Ding. Ding.

“Students, turn around in your chairs and face the front of the room. Ahem, Mia.” My face hot with embarrassment, I slowly stood up and sat back down the right way around, facing Coach Norman’s disappointed gaze. “Actually, Mia, why don’t you answer our warm-up question? If x is equal to the summation of t in terms of…”

“Damn it, Bai, You ran a five-yard in on a five-yard out! Mosslark would’ve thrown it to someone that wasn’t there if he didn’t throw it to Rigel.” Bai took a mental note of his mistake and ran off the field as the next set of receivers lined up. Poor dude forgot the install already. He’s a fast learner, though, so I don’t think Coach Sanders is too mad. Bai’s always been one of my favorite receivers.

I yelled out a cadence in my “Ian” voice, setting off the routes around me. I quickly went through the progression in my head, and scanned the players I had on the field. Without hesitation I launched the ball at Seiro, completely forgoing the progression. Damn it! I keep doing that. I knew that I was starting to make a habit out of throwing to Seiro, but I couldn’t help it. It was the least I could do to get him seen by scouts- maybe some Georgia Tech scouts? I had accidentally built a fantasy in my head where we both went to college together.

“Cat! You’re not supposed to pancake the cornerback!” Coach Norman shook his head. “Coach K! If it’s alright with you, I’m gonna send Cat to you as a tight end. Cat, if you’re so set on putting someone in the ground, you can do it freely over there.” Through Seiro’s face mask I read a split expression- he seemed glad that he got to hit without consequence, but also sad? I went up to him and grabbed his bicep as he walked to the o-line.

“Seiro, I’ll get you back to wideout somehow,” I whispered, adding enough rasp to seem like Ian. I patted him on the back and jogged back behind Danny, who was snapping to me for the receiver drill. He turned around and smiled coyly. Oh boy.

“Cat told me all about your little arm wrestle this morning.” He was grinning like a little kid after putting a whoopie cushion under his teacher’s seat. “The unconventional rizz stays strong.”

“Not on the field, Perezosas. We’ll talk later.” I tried and succeeded to keep my voice steady as I internally crumpled from embarrassment.

“What did Seiro say?” I held Danny by the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the wall of the storage room. He jokingly flailed his arms about as if he was actually in danger. Though he didn’t know it, if he didn’t tell me, he would be in danger.

“Let go of me and I’ll tell you.”

“Tell me and I’ll let go of you.”

“Fine.” Danny sighed, his arms dangling uselessly from his sides. “I can’t tell you everything, but from what we talked about he’s definitely giving you the green flag.” I dropped Danny and started hopping around in circles, squealing and fanning my ever-blushing face.

“Yep, no doubt you’re a girl…” He trailed off, not wanting to provoke me to pick him up again.

“But when should I tell him? Or will he tell me? Aaaah! I don’t know!” Danny looked at me with a half-sympathetic, half-confused gaze.

“Calm down, Mia. Just take your time. My opinion only, but it’s best just to… slide into a relationship. Like, you slowly get closer and closer until you’re basically a couple.”

“But what if he finds someone else-”

“Shshshshsh. From what I know, as long as you’re at least putting in some effort, Cat’s gonna be hooked like… well, a catfish.” He smirked at his dumb pun. I did not.

“Okay, we’re done here.” I put on my helmet and strapped it up, ready to do some post-practice drills. I grabbed a spare football on the shelf and spun it on my hand. “I’m gonna head back out onto the field. You can get some snaps with me if you’re up for it-”

“Hey, Danny, remember when I said we needed to talk more about the thing?”

“—?!” I silently yelped and praised the Lord that my helmet was on.

“Cat, I don’t think this is the time, but sure…?” He turned to me slowly and mischievously. “Actually, mind filling Ian in on the situation?”

“I-I, uh, okay then. I mean, if he wants to know, then…” Seiro turned to me and suddenly I was the center of attention.

“What situation?” I asked, trying to stop my left hand from shaking wildly.

“Well, there’s this girl in, like, all of my classes… her name’s Mia, and-”

Doink! I dropped the football I was holding. If I had had a smartwatch on, it would’ve pinged me and asked if I was doing a workout. My heart was beating as fast as a minigun. I could barely even breathe, knowing that one wrong move could give me away.

“S-Sorry.” I picked up the football quickly and stood back up, leaning against the shelf in the room for emotional and physical support. “Continue.”

“So Mia challenged me to an arm wrestle this morning, which was really weird, but of course I went along with it, because who am I to miss an opportunity to hold hands with her? But quickly I noticed that she was wearing shorts instead of the sweatpants she normally does, and so I ended up distracted and almost lost.”

“You’re s-so dumb,” I joked, my composure held together by a string. He did notice the shorts! I did somersaults in my head.

“Actually, Cat,” Danny said, his voice nearly faltering. “I don’t think Ian knows Mia. You should describe her to him.” He and I exchanged a look within a split second. His look said, ‘Ha! I bet you’re so embarrassed right now.’

My look said, ‘I’m going to strangle your family and stuff them inside your fireplace.’

“She has blond hair- super bright white blond hair, I mean. She always wears it down but I kind of wish she’d wear it in a ponytail because she’d be even cuter, not that she’s not super cute already, though. And her eyes are a really bright green, and not in a ‘jealousy is a green-eyed monster’ way, but in a ‘emeralds can be traded with villagers for rare or expensive items’ way, and honestly I think that’s funnier and hotter. She’s- actually, she’s about your height without the cleats, Ian. I don’t really know her build because she’s always wearing a hoodie, which is kind of intriguing but also makes me wonder why she wears the same hoodie every single day? And-”

“We get it, Cat,” Danny interrupted. “Ian and I have to go do some snaps now. Sorry.” He ended up saving my life there, because I was about to pass out on the floor. With Danny’s sudden interruption, though, came the fear that Seiro would see our timely exit as suspicious.

“Oh. Alright, see you tomorrow, Ian! And Danny, I’ll call you!”

“Good luck with Mia,” I choked out at the last second. Seiro closed the door, and we were finally safe. I immediately collapsed onto the floor, completely flabbergasted.

“I know there are more pressing things to talk about, but that ‘good luck’ sounded really sarcastic.” Danny put out his hand to help me up, and I reached for it, thanking him as he pulled me up.

“Did it? Huh. Well, that’s not a big deal, I hope,” I said as I unstrapped my helmet again. It had gotten incredibly hot inside that thing for some reason.

“Yeah, probably not. But on the bright side, I would say that’s a green light.”

“I… would agree with that, yes.” My brain was still a little foggy from getting complimented so many times. “He quoted Othello! That was so hot.”

“I knew you were a nerd, but what the hell is Othello?”

Creak.

“Ay, Danny, are there any extra large helmets in here? Kristoff needs one- …what the hell?” Qiang’s eyes went from Danny, to me, to Danny again, to my jersey, to my face, to Danny again, and back to me again.

“What… who are you?” From behind Qiang a slightly taller and slightly skinnier figure emerged.

Oh no. Not him.

“Do they have the helmets- BERNA?!” Kris’s jaw dropped the moment he noticed me. Great. This was not supposed to happen.

For years I had hidden my role on the team from my brother (with my parents help, at that) because as a little brother it was his duty to spill any and all dirt he had on his older sister. We knew that if he knew I was on the football team he would tell everyone. And unfortunately, with this, that fear could very well become reality.

“Kris, go home. This does not concern you.”

“Berna?” Danny questioned. “Why’d he call you that?”

“He always has. It’s my first middle name, Bernadetta.”

“First…?”

“Kris, Qiang will find you a helmet. And we will talk about this when I get home. Just head home now.”

“I’ll tell people. I’ll tell everyone I know.” Damn it. There was only one solution to quell my feisty little brother.

“Fine. I’ll go get you a Ghirardelli’s milkshake. You have to send me your order, though, or I’m not getting it. And you can’t complain like last time if I don’t.” His face lit up and he ran off to grab his stuff and go back to our place. Phew. I was worried that that wouldn’t work for something like this.

“Whoever you are, I-”

“Find that helmet first,” I cut Qiang off, walking toward the shelves with extra helmets. “Kris is insatiable, and if he doesn’t have that helmet in his locker tomorrow, who knows what he’ll do.” I rummaged through the labels and found an F7 that said extra large. I tossed it to Qiang. “You’re welcome.”

“Why the hell are you wearing Mosslark’s pads?” He looked at Danny, who happened to look a bit too suspicious at the wrong time. “Damn it, Danny, who did you bring in here?! I swear I’m telling the coaches if you did anything bad.”

“King, I didn’t do anything! You know I don’t pull!”

“Then who is this?!” He gestured to me, his voice furious and potent with rage.

“Danny didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, I told him to meet me here.” I approached Qiang calmly, positioning myself in front of Danny.

“So who the hell are you? You think I’m just gonna let you go because you’re a girl? You’re still breaking the law! And Danny’s not excused from this either-”

“SHUT UP AND GET SET!” I bellowed at him in my Ian voice. He staggered back, startled. I smirked at the irony of the whole situation. “Recognize that voice, Qiang?”

“You- you’re Ian? Ian Mosslark, the five-star Ohio State prospect?”

“That would be me, yes. I was talking to Danny about going and doing some post-practice drills.”

“But- the- huh?” Qiang was baffled at the idea of me being a girl. “Are you the same Ian that’s always played with us?”

“Yep. It’s always been me.”

“But Ian Mosslark isn’t your real name, right? Because, I mean… well, you can never assume, but-”

“It’s not. I made the name up. My name’s Emilia Karlsson.” Qiang’s face went through a couple of changes before resulting in a smirk not unlike Danny’s.

“And the coaches know that, right?”

“Only Norman and Peters. They’ve known since I started playing.” I remembered I had never told Seiro that the head coach’s name was Todd Peters. Oops. Well, he’s probably figured it out by now.

“So that’s why you always pass to Cat.” My face flushed once again. I can’t take any more of this- this slander!

“Ahem, well, no, not quite, and also what are you even talking about?” I realized I had fallen into Qiang’s little word trap. “Damn it,” I muttered.

“So Cat does have a chance… in a very roundabout way at that, but he does have one. Danny, you mind explaining why you’re in here alone with our unmasked quarterback?”

“Yes sir.” He’s trembling with fear. Ha. Karma. “I was talking with her about how Cat was giving her the green light, and then Cat himself walked in. Luckily she had her helmet on, and so I saw the opportunity to get Cat talking about his crush in front of her.”

“And did he?” Qiang turned to me, expecting an answer.

“A-A bit too much, yes. He just went on and on…” I got woozy just thinking about what Seiro had said.

“And how long have you known about… this?” Qiang turned back to Danny and pointed to my face.

“Since, like, last Friday.”

Qiang once again turned to me. How long is this questioning going to take? I have some drills to do. “How many people know about this?”

“Uh… Danny was the first… then you and my little brother. That should be it, unless there’s someone that found out without me knowing…”

“Good. Try to keep it that way. I don’t know how some of the other players would react, and I don’t really want to find out. You can go ahead and get those snaps in. Sorry I held you so long.” With that, Qiang left the room, closing the door behind him. A separate but similar latching noise came from the door on the other side the the room, the one that led outside.

What was that?

“Mia?” Danny’s face bore a look of dread. “I don’t know who, but I think someone else knows too.”