The Red String | ONC 2024

12. Managing Expectations

"I cannot believe they actually pulled that off!" Emma said as they filed out of the gym. The rush of cool night air hit her face, and as much as she loved coming to these games, she loved getting out of the suffocating gym even more.

"Nah, we've got a great team." Logan insisted.

"You sure?" Jackson asked. "Because the way they played today..."

"Yeah, ok. It was a little touch-and-go for a while there." Logan admitted. "But we pulled it out in the end, didn't we?"

"True." Abby nodded.

As they neared the first line of cars in the parking lot, the group automatically slowed down, letting the crowd part around them. Emma started idly scanning the cars, trying to remember where they parked. She was pretty sure it was on the far left.

"So what are you guys doing now?" Logan asked, looking from Abby to Emma.

"I don't know..." Emma said, turning back to the group. "Usually we grab something at Tony's."

Tony's was the local diner. Emma had been going there with her family for as long as she could remember. It was cheap and only a few blocks from school, making it the perfect place to grab a bite while reliving the minutia of any game. Besides, they had the best chicken sandwich in town. Emma and Abby went there after every single game— either to celebrate their wins with burgers, or to drown their sorrows in milkshakes.

Sometimes, they'd go there to critique the shortcomings of various players or to ask each other what the coach could have possibly been thinking. But more often than not, they'd end up reliving the highlights. It had always been a guilty pleasure of Emma's— to nitpick and analyze until she figured out exactly what had been the deciding factor of each game. And while she did love pulling apart the losses, she preferred reliving the high points a lot more. Today, they definitely had a lot of high points to review. At least, as long as they ignored that somewhat pathetic first half.

"Why don't you guys come with us?" Abby asked the boys. Jackson spoke up instantly.

"Tony's sounds great!" he said. "I haven't had one of their burgers in forever."

"You had one last time we won." Logan scoffed.

A slow smile started to spread across Jackson's face.

"And before you even say it— No, it wasn't forever ago that we won." Logan said quickly.

Emma snickered.

"So, you guys coming?" Abby asked. It seemed to Emma like she was more focused on Logan's potential answer than on Jackson's actual one.

"For sure— I'm starved." Logan said. "Can I get a ride with one of you guys?"

"You didn't drive here?" Emma asked before she could stop herself. His car probably wasn't in the best of conditions at the moment.

"Not with this." Logan said, raising his arm. "I might be able to sort of steer, but there's no way I can shift."

 "Oh, well... yeah..." Emma shrugged. Really, she should have known that.

Jackson turned to Logan, looking surprised. "You're not going to go celebrate with the team?"

"Celebrate the win I had absolutely no part in?" Logan asked. "Nah, I think I'll just take it easy— let them enjoy it themselves."

"Fair enough." Jackson shrugged. "I'll take you."

"Thanks."

Emma followed Abby to her car, glad that her friend had picked her up today. She'd driven to school the past few days, but ever since that accident, she tried to avoid driving as much as possible. Besides, Emma never had liked driving in the dark. As they drove to Tony's, Abby turned to Emma.