The Hat Trick

by Tara Wimble

  “You little bi-” Janice chucks her wallet at Robin in a ‘hold my shit’ kind of way and gives chase to Lexie. It’s useless since Lexie has already mounted her bike and cycles circles around Janice. There’s no one who can outrun her when she’s on wheels. Then-

  “JANICE!” Robin yells. Lexie turns to look at Robin extending her arm right up in the air from across the parking lot of the station. She waves a small piece of paper. “Your criminal ass just got her number!”

  Janice actually spins to look Lexie in the eye. “Oh my god.”

  Robin waves the piece of paper that supposedly has the officer’s number on it with a gleeful smile.

  Janice shakes her arms as she sprints towards Robin forgetting the ice pack on the floor. “Oh my God.”

  Somewhere between Janice jumping on Robin and the three of them realizing that Officer Sorenson could probably hear Janice shouting about how freaking hot it was when she told Janice she had to sit in the squad car, Lexie finds it in her to smile about it all.

  Janice grins back at the both of them on their bikes. Something lingers in the air and between her recounting of the entire night she watches Robin swerve harmlessly into Lexie’s path, ringing her bell as she does, oblivious to the rest of the world.

  Oh well, she can always tell the story tomorrow.

  ***

  SHE doesn’t hang out much with either of them again until after midterms. Thanksgiving is coming up and her parents are emailing her with their plans to come and pick her up from school for the holiday so between studying and packing there’s only a few days where she’s totally free.

  That’s the day that Janice turns up at her dorm holding a wetsuit in one hand and Robin’s shoulders in the other. “Surfs up!”

  “You guys were serious about this?”

  Janice’s black eye faded after a week or so and Lexie kind of put her frustration over the whole situation to rest. It’s just hard sometimes.

  “Totally.” Robin grins. She’s already dressed for the beach, with a bag slung over her shoulder instead of her bike chain.

  She makes her way into Lexie’s dorm room and begins to look half-heartedly for her things. Lexie thinks she’s more interested in the posters on her wall. She’s not the only one though. Lexie has wasted many a night waxing poetic thoughts over Christine Sinclair’s abs.

  Janice grins while Robin’s back is turned. Although they managed to talk during classes, they haven’t really caught up; with Lexie only gleaming that Janice hasn’t yet gone through with calling Officer Sorenson, despite her confidence, and admitting to her just what her almost-arrest interrupted.

  The amount of ‘sorry!!’ texts she’s received since then has been staggering.

  “Dude, where’s your swim stuff?” Robin calls.

  Lexie quickly locates her bikini and shoves it in her sports bag before Robin, or Janice, can ransack her room anymore. Thank God her roommate is at the library.

  “So, we’re going with Laurel because she’s the only one who actually has a car to hold the boards, but she’s just going to tan or play beach volley ball or whatever.” Janice tells her once they’ve managed to drag Robin away from Lexie’s bed, which Janice nudges her over.

  Laurel is waiting in the car for them when they get out of the building. She’s finishing strapping Robin and Janice’s boards on when Lexie spots the girl Laurel had been cheering for at the soccer game, Amy, hauling an icebox into the back of the car.

  “Don’t worry,” Janice jokes. “Amy’s awesome.” She takes Lexie’s bag and tosses it to Laurel while she continues to talk about the trip.

  Lexie is checking she hasn’t forgotten anything when Robin strolls up next to her. “You good?”

  She brushes her shoulder with a smile. Lexie nods, noticing the contrast between their skin and the space that isn’t there. “I will be, until I get on a board I think.”

  Robin nudges the both of them towards the car. “I think you’ll pick it up quickly. You’re pretty skilled like that.”

  Lexie feels blindsided by the connection. The day is warm but it’s not hot, yet Robin touches her back before she gets into the back seat, and suddenly she’s burning. That’s the other thing. They haven’t really spoken about what happened in the bike store. It’s like it’s locked up in their respective minds, waiting for one of them to bring it up first.

  Robin takes the middle seat, leaning ahead to say hi to Amy, leaving the seat to her left free. For her.

  Somehow Lexie doesn’t see this conversation happening anytime soon.

  “All aboard!” Janice shouts.

  From there it’s all blue skies. Lexie finally meets Amy somewhere between the engine starting and the first mile. She’s a Cali girl like her and friendly. Her hand never strays too far from Laurel or her seat. She turns to speak to her and Lexie can see Laurel looking at her in the mirror. A small thing that everyone shares knowing looks over.

  Janice asks her about soccer and Amy asks them all about how they’re liking college. Laurel is the only one content not to speak, as she focuses on getting them to the beach in one piece, and even Robin finds enough time to start calling her by her nickname, Aimes to the girl’s delight.

  No one sits still. Everyone is in motion. Leaning, laughing, whispering and reaching for the radio. Janice tries to get them all to sing along to Miley Cyrus with limited success when Amy feels bad that everyone else is just laughing. Robin’s laughter rumbles in her chest and shakes against her. Lexie is aware of everywhere they touch and how her body strains to keep as still as she can.

  It’s useless and after that gets tiring she gives up and lets herself lay her head on Robin’s shoulder. The initial jump Robin has isn’t followed by anything else so Lexie stays.

  Laurel glances back at Amy and then at her. She spies a wink that only she seems to see and burns all over again.

  ***

  THEY’RE not the only footprints in the sand when they arrive. Kids and parents run lengths of the beach and several guys eye them as they leave the car to Janice’s amusement. The stares don’t fade when they pull on wetsuits and take off the boards.

  Lexie says something about setting up base camp when Robin wonders aloud if she was going to come down to the water with them. Janice’s chest constricts with the warm and fuzzies when she sees how Robin almost holds out her hand for Lexie to take, but deflates with how quickly it’s disguised as something else.

  Laurel throws a soccer ball onto the sand and disperses the standing duo. Amy brings out the ice box and suddenly the small part of the beach starts to belong to them. Janice’s towel gets unrolled and Robin shucks off her flip flops.

  “Ready?”

  Laurel mutters something about setting up the grill they brought along and food that will probably sound more appealing once Janice’s been submerged a couple of times, before the two of them take off running to the ocean.

  Janice crashes in first, scaring some small children with her victory yell, taking advantage of the moment to push out. She can hear Robin laughing as she follows her.

  They’d planned this trip almost when they’d first met and Janice had noticed Robin’s surfboard. It’s worn look and Robin’s chill vibe had Janice intrigued to the point she’d woken Robin up from a nap and point blank asked her when they were going to the beach together. Luckily they’d become friends fast after that, otherwise it would have been a bit awkward.

  That was before Lexie or Amy or anything, when it was just them talking about surfing and swimming and golden sand without a clue how to get there.

  Janice gasps for air, wiping the water off her face, and turns to face the beach. Robin arises next to her soon after.

  Coming up for air feels like wiping her slate clean. Robin had stared at her the night they’d brought her back from the police station like she wanted to say something but couldn’t. Until Lexie, Janice hadn’t known what she’d done wrong.

  But she still can’t get Robin to say anything. Except this feels diff
erent. They’re far away from anyone who knows them. The water carrying them. Just here, along with the dozen others floating around them, with nothing to hide.

  It’s probably as good a time as ever.

  “So.” Janice coughs, bobbing next to Robin while they wait for a good run.

  Robin glances at her quickly, before looking towards the beach. She knows that look apparently. “We’re not gonna do this out here.”

  Janice slaps a hand to her chest. “Do what? Robin, I told you- We would never work as a couple. That first night at college, was a learning experience for us both-”

  Robin’s shoulder shakes, a telltale sign of her trying not to laugh.

  “-but your shoulders aren’t broad enough for me to find you attractive.” Janice sighs, turning her head away. One of the guys closest to them is staring like his eyes are about to roll into the back of his head and Janice winks. When she turns back to Robin, she hears a splash behind her.

  “You know what.” Robin is smiling at the sky, not at her, which is why it’s not as real as it should be.

  Janice paddles her feet in the water. “I’m just asking because I care y’know? I care.”

  Robin scratches her board. The waves lap against them. A good one passes by them and several of the guys go for it, but they wait. “I don’t know what’s going on. I think I almost did but ah, things don’t always turn out the way you want it to.”

  “So?” Janice says. “What is it that you want?”

  “A good wave.” Robin replies. “To drop philosophy. To run the great wall of China. A hotdog.”

  Janice has known her long enough to ignore the evasive answers and stick around for the one that she wants.

  “To reconcile all of this.” Robin admits and Janice realizes that she’s been thinking about this for a while. A bible for a pillow and dreaming for a path.

  Robin’s been praying more.

  “I thought you were okay with it.” Janice scrunches her face. Sea salt stings her eyes.

  Robin moves up and down with the tide. “Yeah. Maybe.” Another sigh, another missed wave. “Maybe I need to think about it more.”

  “I think she’ll understand.” Janice chances bringing Lexie into it. “You’re friends now.”

  “Yeah.” Robin leans over and Janice knows she’s going for this next wave, with or without her. “Friends.”

  Her hand cuts through the water like a knife and she takes off, leaving Janice staring at the bubbles in her place. She sees the top of Robin’s head disappear behind a wave. The rolling water takes her to the beach.

  Lexie, Laurel and Amy are small figures where she sits on the board but she can see them all stand and clap as Robin makes new steps onto the sand. When Robin looks back, Janice looks down. Things weren’t supposed to get this complicated.

  They don’t talk on the next few runs. Janice gets her own applause when she returns and then on the three after that, before Lexie and Amy start kicking the ball around and Laurel starts up the small grill she has. Robin goes out for longer than she does, taking Janice’s board and Lexie’s hand.

  Janice swallows back the words she wants to say but can’t find yet watching them and wondering what they talk about in the vast blue. Robin might need to think about what she wants but Lexie is paddling right next to her, determined, and Janice knows that there’s no mistaking what’s already there.

  “Here,” Laurel taps her shoulder with a paper plate. Janice takes the burger gratefully and groans with the first bite.

  “Oh thank god, I was worried we were gonna starve next year.” She exclaims.

  Laurel gives her a look. “How big is this imaginary apartment going to be? What? Me, you, Robin, Lexie-”

  “Oh it’s gotta be bigger than that.” Janice insists. “Especially if you want Amy to live there too.” She waggles her eyebrows and Laurel pretends to busy herself with cooking but really shoots a look to where Amy is reading in the sun.

  “Have you asked her about it?”

  Laurel shrugs. “We’ve only just started dating, Jan. Not everyone falls madly in love.”

  “But you can fall madly in bed.”

  “...”

  “Santos?”

  “Eat your food, Jan.”

  “SANTOS.”

  By the time Lexie and Robin emerge from the sea with the grace of supermodels or professional surfers Janice has retrieved the soccer ball and started to challenge Laurel to a skills contest.

  “What does she get if she wins?” Lexie asks.

  “Nothing!” Laurel yells and curses as Janice spins past her in the sand, taking the ball with her, at the same time as Janice says: “To know if Santos has solidified her membership in the league of extraordinarily good in bed lesbians.”

  “Wow.”

  “Okay.”

  Laurel kicks the ball away with a gleeful shout. Before backing away from Janice. “Wait, don’t the bisexuals get their own league?”

  Somewhere behind them Lexie hears Amy laugh. Apparently neither of the competing duo has realized that she’s heard everything.

  Robin shakes her head and goes for the food that drew them out of the water only stopping when Lexie takes too long to follow after her.

  Being out on the water with her was something Lexie can’t describe. The calmness she expected was replaced with an enthusiasm she saw when they made the bike together and an obliviousness that Lexie saw right through. They weren’t going to talk about this yet.

  Instead they were going to surf and taste salt in their mouths and laugh until the other surfers moved away. Touching skin to see the water droplets race down each other’s arms.

  Robin hands her off some food and they walk to sit next to Amy, whose amused expression hasn’t faded even as Laurel continues to avoid Janice’s attempts at stealing the ball back.

  “Janice’s not that bad really.” Amy comments.

  She’s not either. She’s better keeping the ball than she is at stealing it though, Lexie notes.

  Robin chews on her question until her food is gone. “How long do you think it’ll take for her to realize the huge hickey on your neck answers her question anyway?”

  Amy’s hand shoots up to touch the discolored skin that Robin points out and blushes.

  Lexie’s knee touches Robin’s and they glance in amusement.

  Amy rolls her eyes. “Alright, freshmen.”

  “Just make sure she’s home by eleven on a school night.” Robin jokes.

  Laurel lets out a particularly loud cheer that sounds suspiciously like something else. Lexie has to grab Robin’s shoulder to stop from keeling over laughing while Amy covers her face with her book. “Don’t even say it.”

  Janice collapses in the sand in a defeat that’s more dramatic than it deserves, while Laurel returns to Amy’s side. Lexie finds a grin returning when Laurel kisses Amy happily in front of them, not even realizing the way her hand comes up to touch the mark she must have left. When she glances away she finds Robin’s gaze shooting from her own face, like she hadn’t expected to be caught.

  It gets darker before Lexie really thinks about it. By then their piling all of their things into the car and throwing the trash away. Janice bemoans the sun burn that covers her upper arms until someone takes pity on her and covers it for her.

  Lexie finds herself sitting next to Robin again, resting her head and listening to how the car grows quieter the closer they get back to campus.

  She watches Amy play with the ends of Laurel’s hair, like neither of them exist to anyone but themselves and suddenly feels an envious trickle turn into an unending flow. A second later, she’s asleep.

  ***

  JANICE hadn’t let the call go through even though she’d pressed the numbers in order so many times that she didn’t even need to look at the little piece of paper anymore. She’d wished she could stay past the ringing to actually brave a conversation.

  Robin hasn’t said anything about it, which is nice of her, even though she can guess wh
at she’d not doing. Eventually she resigns herself to apologize in person, a thought she comes to halfway through one of her elective classes that she’s spent figuring out her life in. It was probably a philosophy class or something.

  When the professor sighs and dismisses them Janice walks in the opposite direction of the crowd, all vying for lunch, back to her dorm to drop off her books and pick up her running shoes. Robin is asleep when she gets back in, with her Communications Facebook group still active on her laptop, proving she’s actually attempted to do some work today. Janice leaves her without making a sound and jogs to the park instead of the sports centre, hoping that the freedom from campus will make her feel better.

  It’s her phone she’s actually looking at, starting up her Nike app, when they run into each other.

  Janice actually thinks she’s dreaming or that she’s accidentally run into a tree and is hallucinating all of this (which sounds plausible) when she puts her phone away.

  Officer Sorenson isn’t in uniform. Janice isn’t even sure she would have recognized the woman without her badge if not for the bolded LAPD stamped over the shirt she’s wearing. Her shorts aren’t stamped in the same way but they’re blue, hiding the tighter black compression shorts she has under them. She looks more like she’s gliding than running towards her and when they lock eyes, as people who are paying attention to their surroundings do every once and awhile, Janice quickly throws her leg up on the bench in front of her and feigns stretching.

  For a second Sorenson makes out like she’s going to jog past her but something must tug her back and she turns in Janice’s direction. All tall, dark and defined cheekbones takes a breath that’s more to do with exertion than nerves takes out her headphones and walks right up to the bench where Janice is stretching her leg and doesn’t miss a beat. “You didn’t call.”

  Well shit. She didn’t expect that.

  “I did.” Is she really going to lie to a police officer? Especially this one? “I pressed the numbers in.” No, no she’s not.

  Sorenson gives a small grin that seems bigger than it is. She’s close enough now to see that her skin is shimmering a little with sweat. “You actually have to stay on the line for it to work.”