"shocking" ! supertf

7. first game.

i stood in a room with a few other management league members. we talked about the different teams, discussing the win or loss outcomes. we mainly came here, separated from the general audience to eliminate any distractions, and watch the game from afar. i've seen many of these people before, so it wasn't as silent on my end at least. however, i had to wear a blouse and slacks, as professional as i could be. not exactly in my comfort zone, but it felt nice to feel pretty for once.

"you're with shock this season?" another TA asked, his name was daniel. last year, while i worked in dallas, he was around in houston. we met last year at the first game, and were pretty often talking whenever we had the chance.

"yeah, you?"

"LA. i miss texas, though," he sighed, as we both watched the screen, waiting for the teams to make an appearance.

"i'm liking california a little more. how did LA do?" i asked, as i hadn't shown up until after they played.

"they won, by the wire though," he nonchalantly spoke. i was eager to see matthew's face on the screen. i made a mental note to not do anything out of the ordinary when he came on, like smile or get weirdly awkward with people around me. "did you see that they're thinking about permanently putting TA's on a team?"

"no," i slightly frowned, looking over at daniel finally. he looked the same as last year, a little taller than me, smaller build with black, fine hair.

"yeah, i guess they're offering permanent positions to some people if they want it. they think it might be better for the teams, not to have a different person each year." he explained, taking a small sip from his glass. i knew they served alcohol, though daniel reeked of it. it reminded me of last year, he got extremely drunk and i had to arrange a ride to take him back to his hotel. i concealed a laugh at the memory.

"are you gonna take it?" i asked, looking back at the screen. nothing yet.

"i was thinking about houston. i like it there, and it's not crazy far from home. you?" he asked, glancing over at me.

"oh, i don't know. i kinda like the traveling. i guess we'll see," as if on queue, they started. i saw matthew's face immediately, and smiled. i knew i promised myself i wouldn't, but it was hard not to. he truly looked good on screen.

•

towards the end of the game, it started to seem like there was no way that san francisco would lose. i started making dinner reservations for the team as soon as i could, on my phone. i prepaid for it using the company card, with per diem already on it. i set the reservations for seven, giving them plenty of time to finish, and do their signings afterwards.

"you think of the best stuff, i should really be taking notes," daniel had smiled at my phone, noticing the reservations being made. i smiled, too, slightly proud of myself for doing my job actually pretty well, at least for not knowing much about the game.

"it's good to let them have fun, too," i finished the dinner reservations, finally giving myself time to figure out what i would do for dinner.

"hey, you wanna go get something to eat? just the two of us? we can be back before they get done doing their signing and meet ups," daniel asked, waving his hand at the screen, slightly.

"um, yeah, that's great actually. i was just thinking about what i should do for dinner," i laughed slightly, nodding my head.

"well it's on me tonight. i wanna talk to you about that promotion some more," daniel stated, looking back at the game. i felt my heart squeeze on itself when it showed matthew's point of view. he was really good. it was nearing the end of the final round, and it was obvious that san francisco was going to win. daniel already stood up, finishing his drink before looking at me patiently.

i figured it would be strange to hold off on us leaving just so i could see matthew and the rest of the team win. the victory was already set, and i needed to act professionally. i couldn't let my recent fling with matthew get in the way with that.

"is italian okay?"

"yeah, that's perfect."