Catch and Cradle

by Katia Rose

“Where’s Iz?” Our fourth roommate normally would have joined the pile by now. “They’re picking up dinner,” Jane answers.

nb representation! happy pride!

“Thanks, Jane.” I’m grateful my voice isn’t shaking. “I’m fine. He’s just a fucking asshole.”

bi representation!

Piece of pizza is such a funny phrase.

That’s still never stopped me from imagining pushing Becca up against a wall in said locker room.

oh so she’s a simp

She’s so fucking cute. I shouldn’t think it, but I do anyway. Hope Hastings is dangerously cute.

So they’re both simps

I’d look at her. She’d look at me.

That one tiktok sound I look at him And he looks at me And I look at him And he looks at me

After everything that happened in my freshman year, I’ve been regimenting my thoughts just like I regiment my morning routine: precise repetition with no room for mistakes.

Waiting to find out what happened freshman year I guess

Maybe I should switch my major.

Me every day

Iz is the definition of the ‘lover not a fighter’ type. They’re always pining after some girl and making big romantic gestures with flowers and curated playlists.

Aren’t we all

Iz can barely make it down the hall in the athletics centre without seeing some girl they’ve taken out for a three course pasta dinner or a homemade picnic in the park.

Somebody’s always making a weird noise somewhere in the building.

“Okay! We’re starting with some catch and cradle drills today. Split off into pairs. Your partner will pass you the ball, you’ll catch it, run halfway up the field while cradling, run back, pass the ball off to them, and then they’ll run up the field while cradling, etcetera, etcetera.”

I think I know what this means but I’m not sure hahaha

“I have a few words prepared to bring this inaugural training camp to a close, but first I want to take a minute to acknowledge this beautiful field we play on and this campus we walk around every day as Mi'kma'ki territory. It’s a privilege to be on this land, and it’s a privilege to play this game that came from its native people. We all need to remember that.”

a LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT Coach is such a dilf

Claws out!”

“Chickadees are my mom’s favourite, and I guess somewhere along the line, they became my favourite too. I got it just before I left home. We have a lot of chickadees where I’m from.”

wth is a chickadee

She’s a business major and has an even more intense study schedule than I do. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already prepping for assignments.

Damn I’ve never met a business major who studies

“Um, okay...” She scans the signs one last time. “I’ll do the iced lavender specialty latte. That sounds...lavendery.”

That’s a gay drink

That’s a gay drink

I never realized how little I actually socialize.

“Fuck yeah!” Paulina shouts. “Claws out to tear up the gender binary!”

lobster claw dance

Someone explain what this looks like

“You mean the story about that time the smoke detector went off and we all had to run out of the house in the middle of the night because Jane and her boyfriend set her curtains on fire, and Jane wouldn’t give us any details besides blaming it on a butt plug?” I deadpan.

The chant continues to ring out behind me as Paulina shouts, “You can do it! Use that little lobster claw and click!” “I’m a lobster!” I yell, my finger still hovering above the keyboard. “You’re a lobster!” they all echo.

She’s directly across from me, and we keep locking eyes, smiling and looking away, then locking eyes again. It’s very gay.

SUPER FUCKING GAY

I slip my Keds on,

NOT THE KEDS

I haven’t even thought much about my career, or where I want to live, or who I want to be when I’m no longer captain of the UNS lacrosse team.

Me

“Oh my god, capybaras!” she shouts when we’re up on one of the walkways, looking down on a grassy landscape dominated by a big pond and a small forested area. “I love capybaras!”

Jane is the only twenty year-old I know who can cook a turkey with the skill and precision of a wizened housewife.

Not to brag but I can also do that

And then she kisses me. She kisses me, and I kiss her back, and maybe it’s only our lacrosse team going crazy, but it feels like the whole world cheers just for us.

So I take it. I take the shot, and we win the title.

I think it’s so funny that this moment is one sentence long

I am so ready for all of this.

Not the fade to black Teasing me

It’s followed by a string of alternating peach and heart-eye emojis. I grin down at my phone. She’s such a dork.

I hold the flowers to my chest and shake my head. “I fucking love you.”