Entanglement

by Max Ellendale

  "Cool." She pretended to broaden her shoulders. "I'm going out later, Beej. No idea what time I'll be home. Don't wait up."

  "Now you got the hang of it." I laughed as I messed up her hair. "Later."

  "Bye." She grinned around her spoonful of cereal and I headed outside to wait for Ciara and Eve.

  An hour later, we sat together in the bleachers of a soccer pitch filled with people of all ages. Around the perimeter, concession stands, food trucks, and a booth with a radio broadcast crew drew small crowds on and off. Eve sat in front of me with Ciara beside her. I propped my feet up on the bench between them, and leaned forward to share nachos and a funnel cake. Alex straddled the seat beside me, gazing out at the field from under the brim of a purple hat.

  "She's hot. Check her out." Alex nudged my elbow and all four of us stared at the field as the women drew closer. "Number fifteen."

  "Agreed. Hot," I said, nodding.

  "Your sister just tripped that girl." Eve clapped excitedly and I laughed at her enthusiasm for violence.

  "Saoirse looks just like you, Ciara," reflected Alex. "Shorter though."

  "And blonde, not red," I added.

  "So essentially she doesn't look like her at all. Nice observations, ladies." Eve rolled her eyes and we chuckled.

  Saoirse's team, clad in pink and white, slaughtered their opposition in the first half of the game. The yellow and white team hadn't scored yet and the tension heated as time went on.

  "So, what exactly is this charity event for?" asked Alex.

  I shrugged, glancing around for a poster or something. "I have no idea."

  "Something to do with climate change. Or immigration," Eve offered before taking a mouthful of funnel cake.

  "That's…completely opposite causes." I stared at her, and she shrugged. I looked to Ciara whose face turned bright red with her laughter.

  "It's for ovarian cancer research!" she bellowed, and we all joined her hysterics.

  "Look out!" Someone shouted and I looked up in time to see a soccer ball headed our way. Everyone ducked, but I shot out of my seat and caught it. The sound of my palms colliding with the synthetic leather shocked me out of reacting.

  "Shit. Good catch." Alex gripped her shirt as she righted herself.

  "She's used to balls flying at her," said Eve and I cocked a brow at her.

  "What are you even saying—"

  "Hey," one of the players called out as she jogged over to us. Her cleats in the grass matched the color of her pink socks. My eyes wandered up her form, lithe, muscled, and familiar. "Hey." Her voice lifted an octave and I started when I met her gaze.

  "Shit. Hey." My eyes widened when I recognized Professor Lewis. Despite the fact that she wore no makeup, and had her hair in a tight ponytail, her radiant features remained.

  "You gonna give me that or are you joining the team?" Her smooth lips curved into a smile as she lifted a sweaty brow.

  "Uh…" Was all I could say before I tossed her back the ball. "You…I…soccer?"

  "Lots of soccer here." Lewis laughed at me, but when the referee blew the whistle, she glanced back toward the field. "See you after?"

  "Um. Sure. Yeah." I nodded, swallowing down the thickness in my throat. "Good luck."

  The smile she tossed me over her shoulder nearly melted me to the core. "Thanks, Billie," she said before jogging back to the field.

  When I looked back to the women around me, all of them stared at me with their jaws slack. I never wanted to die so much in my life. Not literally, but…

  "What?" I glanced between them as I sat back down.

  "Did you just get asked out by a random girl?" asked Eve.

  "For shit's sake, Eve. She said her name. Obviously, they know each other." Alex jabbed her thumb in Eve's direction and rolled her eyes.

  "And we're back." Ciara clapped her hands once to get my attention. "You know her?"

  "Yeah. Sort of. She's a professor at U.W. I had to interview her a few weeks ago for a case," I told them. "And don't get any ideas. She's straight."

  "No way. My gaydar is tingling." Alex pointed at the field. "Look at her. Number seventeen in pink. Rainbow tingles all over."

  Ciara glanced over, her bottom lip between her teeth as her brow furrowed. "I think Billie's right. I've hung out with all of these women, gay and straight. She's never been on the rainbow side of anything. Saoirse probably knows for sure though."

  "I'm going to go with rainbow tingles." Eve narrowed her eyes as she watched Lewis take control of the ball as she dribbled it down the field. "She moves like a lesbian."

  "How the fuck does someone move like a lesbian?" I tossed my hands in the air and Alex laughed. "I've seen her move in her classroom. She's straight."

  "Or she just asked you out! What if you assume she's straight and you screw everything up?" Alex gripped my shoulders and shook me. "Pretend she's gay. Talk with her after. See what happens."

  "I don't like this game. This is how I functioned for most of my twenties. Guessing whether girls were gay or not. I'm not doing it." I shook my head and frowned, pulling my phone from my pocket to stare at it for no reason other than to distract myself. "I'll talk to her after out of respect for agreeing to do so. That's it."

  "But you like her…" Alex placed her hand on my back, and I ignored the gesture.

  "It doesn't matter."

  "I'll find out," said Ciara, her tone softer as if it meant to console me somehow. "Don't worry."

  "I don't care. Okay? Let's just drop it." I glanced to Eve, and in typical fashion, she said nothing when tension shifted. She watched me, and for a fleeting moment, she offered me a sad smile. I shook my head and she turned around to face the game again.

  Once everyone stopped looking at me, or attempting to fix whatever mess I landed myself in, I was able to enjoy the game.

  And watch Professor Lewis.

  She wasn't the same woman that commanded a classroom full of undergrads. In shorts and a clingy jersey, her muscles flexed and her feet moved faster than I could follow. I had no idea what position she played, or what position any of them played except for the goalie. But I knew for sure that I didn't hate any of it.

  Saoirse took control of the ball, racing down the field and weaving in and out of the legs meant to stop her. Lewis ran for her, both of them like two freight trains barreling out of control. Saoirse twisted around her, kicking the ball through Lewis' ankles, but she was having none of it. She spun in a circle, bolted after her, and dropped low in an attempt to kick the ball away. The two of them collided, Lewis sliding on the turf while Saoirse lifted from the ground. The crack of flesh meeting flesh rang out between gasps. People in the bleachers rose to their feet and I covered my mouth. They landed in a tangle, but neither of them seemed fazed by it. Lewis shoved Saoirse off her, scrambled to her feet, and made for the ball before any of the players could get it. She kicked it away from a woman in purple, wove around another, and pounded the ball toward the box. It soared over the goalie's head and into the net.

  Her team erupted, leaping into the air as Lewis jogged away from the goal. They clapped her on the back, and one of her teammates messed up her hair. She made her way over to Saoirse where the two of them semi-embraced before breaking apart for the next play.

  "My heart is in my chest. Holy shit." Alex gripped her shirt, while Ciara was all smiles. Eve carried an air of disinterest, though she never took her attention away from the field.

  Grass stains covered the entire left side of Lewis' uniform now, and it clung to her sweaty body in ways forced me to pay attention. To say I never expected a nuclear physicist to play soccer was an understatement.

  By the second half, Saoirse's team won three to one over Lewis'. In the end, all of the women hugged and their spirits held no ill-regard. After all, it was a charity game and not the World Cup.

  Folks began leaving the bleachers for vendors and the band that set up under a huge tent behind the field. I remained behind, however, as promised. The other girls li
ngered, as if waiting to see what happened.

  Lewis appeared, with a towel draped over her shoulders and the soccer ball under her arm. She smiled at me when she met my gaze and tossed me the ball.

  "Souvenir," she said as I caught it. "We figured you earned it for saving the masses from facial fractures."

  I chuckled and gripped the ball tighter in my palms. "Thanks." Lewis glanced at the women surrounding me. "These are my friends, Ciara, Eve, and Alex." I gestured to each of them then to Lewis. "This is Professor Lewis, I mean—"

  "Mira is fine," she said, the gentle smile never leaving her face.

  "Good to see you," Ciara said first. "You knocked my sister on her ass before. Good job." Ciara offered her a high five and Mira reciprocated while the rest of us laughed.

  "Thanks." She chuckled, glancing from Ciara to me. "Shining moment. Normally we play on the same team, but we all split up to do the charity event."

  "Do you?" Ciara chirped, and her smile turned into a grin. "Good to know." Her eyes fell on me for a moment. "Speaking of, we're going to go find her. See you later, Billie."

  "Later," I said, gulping as I watched Ciara drag Eve away from the scene. Alex stood by, smiling goofily, until Ciara called her over.

  "They seem nice. I've seen Ciara around before, but never formally met her," said Mira, drawing her gaze away from the trio as they headed toward where Saoirse and her teammates chatted by a concession stand. Mira straddled the bench in front of me as she sat, and draped the towel over her knee.

  "They are. Mostly." In the now vacant bleachers, vulnerability and awkwardness tangled my every movement. I sat down opposite her, mimicking her position, but keeping the ball close to my stomach.

  "You seemed surprised to see me here," she said, tilting her head when she smiled. "Why?"

  "I mean, I've only ever seen you commanding a classroom in a pair of power heels and speaking in tongues. I just didn't take you for a sportswoman," I said, rather eloquently considering the circumstances.

  "I've only ever seen you in heeled boots, demanding respect with a gun at your hip and a badge around your neck. I didn't take you for a sportswoman either." She chuckled when she said it, and the way her lips parted had me staring at her mouth longer than I should.

  "To be fair, I still have the gun."

  "Where?" Her brows lifted with her smile.

  "Ankle." I patted my hip and laughed softly. "And concealed. Can't take the cop far from the precinct."

  "I suppose not," she said, falling quiet for a moment. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

  "Um…nothing in particular? Why?"

  "We have another game not far from here, but a real one this time. Would you like to come?"

  "This one seemed pretty real…"

  She laughed, shaking her head. "I mean with our teams actually facing off for real stats. What do you say?"

  I nodded my agreement before my brain could stop me from shooting it down with words. "Yeah. Sure. Okay."

  "Great." Her expression brightened, and her sea-green eyes twinkled in the yellow light of the setting sun. "Can I have your number? I'll text you the address."

  "Oh." I started at the question, and fumbled with my phone. "Yeah. I'll text you so you'll have it."

  "Still have mine?" She leaned over to peer down at my phone while I tapped through the contacts.

  "I keep the contacts of all useful people." That was a downright lie if I ever heard one myself.

  "Glad to hear." She watched as I sent a text to her number. "Great," she said, patting the ball between my knees. "I better meet up with the team to take pictures before it gets dark. See you tomorrow."

  "See you." I watched as she hopped up, then jumped down the rest of the bleachers to the grass. "Thanks for the ball."

  "Welcome." She pulled her hair from the ponytail as she walked backward away from me until she made it to her team.

  I drew in a deep breath, and looked around to find Ciara, Eve, and Alex hovering beside a food truck, all three of them in varied stages of a snicker. I made sure Lewis wasn't looking at me when I flipped them off.

  ***

  "Are you gonna talk?" Angelina asked me while she sat beside me in the bleachers of one of the local high school soccer fields. We'd spent the entire first half of the game watching Lewis and her teammates beat the crap out of the other team. The aggression, tension, and sweaty sexy women held my attention almost as much as their passion for the sport. My preconceived notions about Professor Lewis crumbled to bits as I watched her toss an elbow after stealing the ball and scoring a wild goal from half a field away.

  "About what?"

  "You realize we've never gone anywhere together that wasn't a bar, a coffee shop, or a crime scene."

  "That's not true."

  "It is."

  "Well, you're still my friend." I glanced at her while wringing my hands together. "And partner."

  "I am," she said, giving my forearm a squeeze. "Take a breath, girl. Why are you so anxious?"

  "What am I even doing here, Angie?"

  "Accepting an invitation from a girl you like?" She shrugged. "You've been really mellow lately. Ever since Eleanor came to live with you."

  "Mellow how?"

  "Quiet. Resigned in a way."

  "It's an adjustment." I pulled my gaze from her to watch the action on the field again. "A good one though. She's really happy. Robert, too."

  "I'm glad to hear that. Where's your happiness though, Billie?" She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "Eve told me you were a little peeved at her yesterday."

  "All of them. For teasing me."

  "About Professor Lewis?"

  "Yeah. I shouldn't have gone with them."

  "If you hadn't, we wouldn't be here," she said, gesturing to the field when the referee called a timeout or something. "I've known you for a little over a year and instead of getting more talkative, you've grown quieter. Don't get me wrong, you're an amazing detective. Quiet, observant, hitting us with zingers none of us have noticed. I'm used to new detectives coming in thinking they know everything."

  "I'm more mindful than that, I guess. Also used to the beat. Observing environments and people."

  "You know what I'm observing right now?" A smile curved her lips when she met my gaze.

  "What?"

  "Your hot teacher on her way over here." She nodded toward the field and I turned in time to see Lewis jogging toward the fence that separated the bleachers from the pitch. Angelina nudged me so hard I nearly fell out of my seat.

  "Okay," I muttered, then climbed down by stepping on the vacant seat in front of me to meet Lewis at the fence.

  "Hey," she called out on her way over, her smile radiant. "Glad you could make it." Her brows lifted when she saw Angelina. "And you, too, Detective."

  Angelina waved, her cheeky smile ever-present. "Happy to witness your badassery on this field here."

  Lewis laughed then turned her gaze to me as she leaned her elbows on the fence. "Having fun?"

  "I am. You're incredible." I nearly choked on my words and how they sounded leaving my lips. "I mean, out there. On the field. It's nuts."

  "Yeah." Her laughter tangled with the word. "Unexpected recreational activities of a theoretical physicist for one-thousand, Alex," she said, grinning when I laughed at her Jeopardy! reference.

  "I'll say. You don't skydive, do you?"

  "No. But I like basketball almost as much as soccer." The referee blew the whistle and Lewis looked back toward the field. "Better go. See you after."

  "Good luck," I said, then made my way back to Angelina.

  "She is awfully happy to see you," she said once Lewis was out of earshot. "Are you sure she's straight?"

  "Ciara's sister said she is. Or at least she had a male fiancé at some point." I crossed my legs, and toyed with the hem of my jeans. "I know I'm just spinning my wheels. She could be a good friend at least."

  "You could use a friend or two anyway." As before, Angelina gave my fore
arm an affectionate pat.

  "Yeah." I glanced at her. "Eve is your best friend, right?"

  "She is."

  "Does she hate me?"

  "Nope. She says you're hard to read though. Which is true until people get to know you," she said, and I drew my eyes from the field to meet her gaze.

  "I had a friend who was a beat cop with me. She used to say the same thing."

  "Who was that?"

  "Dax Stocker. Know her?"

  "Oh…" Angelina paused, her brow furrowing. "Not personally, but I know the name."

  "Yeah. Everyone does." I turned my attention back to Lewis on the field. She wore the same number seventeen jersey as the last game which made it easy to spot her even in a mash up.

  "What happened to her?" asked Angelina. "After everything went down."

  "She moved to Sequim. She's from there originally," I said. My heart thudded in my chest when I watched Saoirse and Lewis land in a pile with another woman who fought for the ball.

  "Do you still talk to her?"

  "I don't. I tried though. She never returned my calls or texts. I can't blame her. I'm just a reminder to her, I guess." I shrugged then nodded toward the field. "Saoirse is limping."

  "Doesn't seem to be stopping her though." Angelina hooted when one of the other women scored a goal. "I think almost everyone on these teams are around our age."

  "Makes sense. How old do you think Professor Lewis is?"

  "Probably the same. Mid-thirties. What's her first name again?"

  "Mira."

  "Pretty name."

  "Yeah. Unlike mine." I scoffed at the notion. "My mom was nuts."

  "C'mon. Billie is a cute name." She nudged me with her elbow. "It matches nicely with Eleanor and Robert. Old school names."

  "Angelina is better."

  The second half of the game became a fight for the soul of soccer, or so it felt like it. The women battled it out viciously when the score tied at two. In the final moments, it was Saoirse who scored the tie-breaking goal, claiming victory for their team. The women crowded around her and lifted her into the air while they chanted something I couldn't make out. The crowd rallied, clapping and hooting for them.