Harding gives him a half-hearted shove. “You know you love it.”
“I really do,” McGinnis says, cheesing at the camera before he steps out of frame.
It’s the kind of camaraderie you can’t fake, and pride blossoms in my chest. The Gliders are finally starting to gel, and the bonds they’re building will last a lifetime. Surely that’s more important than who gets credit for the behind-the-scenes work?
“Say something nice about the guy behind you,” Emerson says on-screen, prompting Harding.
He rubs his jaw as if thinking it over. “I feel like I shouldn’t say this because he’s gonna get a lot of questions, but Kristiansen has the best playlist.”
“Give us an example.”
“Last game, he was blasting ‘Carry on Wayward Son’ in the locker room, and it was a whole vibe.” He chuckles. “We’ve got a lot of young guys on the team who are getting a musical education, and it’s been fun to watch.”
Kristiansen lumbers forward, looking unimpressed, and Emerson hits him with the same prompt she’s given the other guys. “D-Vo knows all the best places to eat. It doesn’t matter what city we’re in, or what I’m in the mood to eat, he’s got a solid recommendation.”
We watch until the video ends.
“It still needs to be edited,” Emerson says, “but I thought you should see it. You did that, Ava. It was your team building exercises and willingness to keep pushing against their big, stubborn egos that finally got through when nothing else worked. I don’t know how you did it, but you did do it.” Her mouth tightens. “Don’t let Banks take that away from you.”
“I won’t.” After all, I know the truth. Six weeks ago, most of these guys were practically strangers. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is that progress is happening. We’re getting results.”
“You can’t honestly believe that.” She shakes her head. “You’re a smart woman. You need to stop letting that asshole gaslight you. This team has a lot of potential, and when you help them get their shit together and make the playoffs, you won’t have to deal with that jackass anymore because you’ll have your pick of assignments.”
“A girl can dream.” I flash her a half-hearted smile. In truth, I’d love to continue working with the Gliders, but the idea of reporting to Banks for even one more second after my contract expires is soul-crushing.
Emerson turns away, and for an instant, I think I’ve upset her, but when she turns back to me, she’s holding a book.
“Babe, you need this more than I do.” She holds the paperback out, and I take it.Escaping the Good Girl Trap. I’ve never heard of it, but I flip the cover open and scan the first page. “My mom gave me this book when I started college, and it changed my life.” Emerson pauses, and I look up. “I used to be just like you,” she says.
I pull a face, and she laughs.
“Okay, maybe not just like you, more like, the opposite of you. I was constantly being labeled difficult and hard to work with, and I couldn’t understand why. I was so frustrated because I wasn’t acting any differently than my male counterparts, yet I was always getting shit for being rude and abrasive. Hell, one of my TAs told me I should try being a little nicer.” She snorts derisively. “The point is, I was direct, and I was taking up space, and some people didn’t like it. They expected me to be smaller and more obedient because I was a woman. But I was like, fuck that.”
I laugh. “Of course you were.”
“The point is, the good girl trap is a bullshit societal construct that teaches girls, and ultimately women, to put everyone else’s needs first. It’s the framework for how society expects womento behave and how it punishes them when they don’t. While men are taught to be powerful, we’re taught to be sweet and compliant. To follow the rules and not challenge authority, even when we’re in leadership roles.”
I’ve never heard of the good girl trap, but what she’s describing sounds an awful lot like my Nana’s worldview.
“I’ve got to be honest, what you’re describing sounds akin to growing up in rural Texas.”
“It probably is.” She shrugs. “Hell, maybe it’s more pronounced there, but it’s so much bigger than any one place.”
That’s fair. After all, I’m dealing with the same issues here in Atlanta.
“I’ll give it a read, but how exactly is knowing about the good girl trap going to help me with Banks?”
Emerson grins. “The first step to beating your enemy is to know them. And the first step to reclaiming your power is to understand how and why you gave it up in the first place.”
24
KNOX
I wipemy sweat-damp face with the hem of my t-shirt as I make my way back to the locker room. The Iceplex is virtually empty this late in the afternoon, just the way I like it. The extra cardio session was exactly what I needed—a chance to clear my head and burn off the nervous energy that’s been building all week.
Things are going surprisingly well. The team is 8-5-4 after last night’s OT loss, and it’s the first time in franchise history we’ve had a winning record. I should be celebrating, riding high on the momentum.
Instead, I feel like I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.