Chapter Text
You must be at least one of two things in order to play this game. Brave or mildly insane. For most guys, it’s both. Ekko didn’t know which one he was and frankly he didn’t care. Everything felt… right when he was in between those lines. He needed the escape. He needed to forget everything and anything that might have been pissing him off at any given moment.
“Come on guys! Focus up!” Coach Lane shouted from the sidelines. It’s 1st & 15 on their own 34-yard line. 5:24 left in the 4th quarter. It’s Piltover & Zaun University vs Basilich University. P&Z is leading 21-17. Ez false started and pushed them back 5 yards. There goes the Power that they were going to run. Ekko loved Power. It was simple. Just follow your blocks.
“My bad guys!” Ez said as he joined the huddle.
“Whatever. Coach is right. This game is far from over. We have to stay focused. We didn’t come all the way to Noxus just to lose!” Jayce exclaimed.
“No doubt. What’s the call?” Claggor asked.
Jayce listened to the mic in his helmet and then brought everyone in. “11 Left Trap. 11 Left Trap. Got it?”
“Break!” the huddle said in unison.
“11 Left Trap. Interesting call.” Ekko thought to himself. It didn’t matter. It was his time to shine. He had been having a solid game to this point. 80 yards rushing on 17 carries and 2 receptions for 20 yards. He had gained 22 yards on his first reception but because a certain blonde-haired idiot fucked up his block, the second reception lost two yards. But, that was in the past. He was locked in. The icing on the cake of this game would be a touchdown but all they really need to do was eat clock, hence the run plays.
The stadium was raucous. Baslich was a relatively small school compared to Noxus Prime University but they could still pack a stadium with 70,000 students and fans. Ekko loved the noise. The screams of impassioned and/or drunk opposing fans got him going. He loved shutting them up.
“Alright everyone get set!” Jayce yelled out. “56 is the mike! Green 19.” Jayce’s cadence was simple. He didn’t believe in adding any pazazz to it. “Green 19. Green set hutt!”
Time begins to slow. Ekko’s body begins to move on instinct. Claggor is already making his way to the middle linebacker and Potter was about to flatten the unsuspecting D-tackle. The hole opened up beautifully. Jayce hands the ball off to Ekko and it’s time to go to work. Ekko hits the hole and there’s daylight. He gets 5 yards before anyone touches him. The outside linebacker had gotten a hand on him but Ekko managed to shake him. He gained another 5 yards before a safety got him by the legs.
“Fuck!” Ekko exclaimed. It was a great run but he knew he should have had six. He flipped the ball to the referee and jogged back to the huddle.
“Great fucking blocking boys! Ekko. Add some shake and bake there and that’s a first down!” Ezrael proclaimed.
“Shut the hell up! If someone hadn’t false started that WOULD have been a first down.” Ekko retorted.
“Calm down you two! Let close this game out, ok?” Jayce interjected. “Alright call’s in. We’re gonna go 10 Left Counter Weak on two. 10 Left Counter Weak on two. Got it?”
“Break”
Claggor stayed behind a little to talk to Ekko. “I’m pulling for you, Little Man! Screw the first down. Go get six!”
Claggor was his best friend on the team. They had been playing together since they were kids. He trusted no one more to throw a block his way when he needed it.
“Say less, Clag!” Ekko responded. The team lined up and got set. Jayce began his cadence. Ekko’s heart is racing. He can feel it. The opposing fans. The other team. He could feel how worried they were. Time was running out. Clock was already down to 4:30 left. Two or so more first downs and the game was essentially over. Basilich was prepared for the run. They knew it was coming and Ekko loved knowing that. “Try and stop me!” He thought to himself. The ball was snapped and started the chain reaction of organized chaos that happened every time they ran a weakside Counter. Claggor and Blitz, as he was affectionately called, began to pull to the other side of the line. “The End is sitting. Jayce, you better make the right read!” Luckily for everyone, Jayce did make the right choice and handed the ball off to Ekko. Ekko knew he had to sell that he was going left and give Blitz enough time to get to his block. As he plants his foot to cut back, he can hear the sound of pads colliding. Claggor did his job and leveled the defensive end that had foolishly ran up field. Blitz had also gotten to where he needed to be. Good. “Time to let loose!” Ekko quickly thought to himself. He accelerates to the hole that had formed on the left side of the line. Blitz had managed to block the linebacker and as Ekko reached the third level of the defense, there was just one safety to beat. The safety was in good position to make the play, but Ekko hit him with a clean spin move and left him in the dust. Ekko wasn’t as built as your average running back but what he lacked in strength and stoutness, he more than made up for it with speed and elusiveness. After losing that safety, all that was in front of him was turf. He kicked it into high gear and made sure no one was going to catch him. 20. 15. 10. 5. Touchdown. The crowd fell silent as they knew that the game was over. He let out an almost primal scream.
Ez was the first on the scene to celebrate with him. “What did I say?!? Shake and bake baby!”
As corny as the line was, Ekko didn’t really care. To be honest, he wasn’t even really paying attention to Ez or any of his teammates celebrating with him. Because his eyes and mind were somewhere else. Just past the benches on the sideline. He looked there after every touchdown. He had to make sure she saw it. He had to make sure she was cheering. Yes, she was a cheerleader but when they were younger, they made a promise. Every time he scored, she was HIS cheerleader for a little bit and in return, he would always be watching her routine. As he got closer to the sideline, he saw her. Her long blue hair was in a ponytail instead of her usual braids. Her tattoos and pale skin were in stark contrast with her gold and blue uniform but everything about her glistened underneath the stadium lights. For a moment, she was the only thing on his mind. Scoring the game-winning touchdown felt great of course, but seeing her happy was something else entirely.
Claggor smacked his shoulder pad and that brought him back to reality. “Good fucking shit Little Man!”
“That end is going to be picking turf out his teeth for few days after that block you laid on him!”
“Just doing my job! Making sure you look good!”
“Whatever.” Ekko sighed as they jogged off the field to take their seats on the bench. As he sat down, he took one last look at her. Their eyes met. She excitedly made her signature gesture: the two fingers on her forehead. He couldn’t hold his smile back. He sent the gesture back and laughed. Claggor was his best friend on the team but Powder, or Jinx, as pretty much everyone else calls her, was his best friend full stop. They met one day after their respective pee-wee practices and have been best friends since. There was something that her presence brought that just made everything… click for him. When they were together, on and off the field, he could feel himself become more relaxed, more focused, more… himself. He wasn’t the same without her and pretty much everyone that has ever interacted with him knew that. Ekko’s mind had drifted… again but he was brought back by another one of Jinx’s siblings, Vi.
“Good running out there, Little Man! All that extra training I have you and Clag doing has paid off!” Vi was a junior strength coach for the team even though she was in school herself. People like to think it was because her father was the head coach but it’s really because she really fucking good at her job. Claggor and Ekko were the only Freshmen seeing any real playing time, let alone starting, because of the extra training Vi was putting them through.
“I like to think you’re just picking on us!” Ekko said jokingly.
“Hey! I’ve got to make sure my little brothers are performing at their absolute best! I take no pleasure in running you two into the ground!” Ekko and Claggor began to stare at her in a way that only siblings could. “… Ok. There’s a little pleasure mixed in there.”
“Get out of here, Sis!” Claggor said. “We have to break down those last few plays on the tablet.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. We’ll talk after the game ok.”
“Of course. Later Vi.” Ekko said. After Vi left, a different assistant came and gave them tablets so they could watch film of that last drive and see exactly what worked. There wasn’t much to analyze but even if there was, Ekko didn’t care. When she promised to be his cheerleader after he scored, he promised her that no matter what, he’d be watching her. Powder was a flyer, and she was in the middle of one of her stunts. She always seemed to be at her happiest when she was in the air. He hated that he couldn’t watch her perform more often but such is life. He watched and watched… and watched. He completely missed the last three and a half minutes of the game.
She actually didn’t really care for football. It was just the game that had completely enamored every man in her life. Vander, Silco, Claggor, Mylo, even though he sucked, and of course, Ekko. While she didn’t see why they loved the game so much, she did understand why they worked so hard to get where they were. It was their ticket into Piltover & Zaun University. The name of the school implied that it was for both cities, which was technically true, but really only Piltovans got in. The only Zaunites at the school were here on scholarships for sports or academics. She, Ekko, and Claggor were here on both. Jinx didn’t like to admit it, but she was one hell of a cheerleader. One of, if not the best Zaun had ever seen. She had to be. She had to be as good a cheerleader as Ekko was a Running Back. She didn’t want to get left behind. She had to be the best for him… and Claggor, of course.
This particular game had been relatively boring. Ekko had been a little quiet, but he was still producing. Jayce had thrown for two touchdowns and Scar had returned an interception for a touchdown. It was getting to the end of the game, and they had the ball. Seraphine was standing beside her with a worried look on her face. “What’s with that look on your face?” Jinx questioned her pink-haired teammate.
Jinx and Seraphine met on the first day of practice. Seraphine was a sophomore from Piltover. Jinx had a natural predisposition to not trust Piltovians. Pretty much every Zaunite did but Seraphine was different. There was something about her that was different. Come to find out, her parents are from Zaun. Seraphine wasn’t like her, but she wasn’t like them either and that was enough.
“I’m nervous! If they don’t score, Basilich can still win with just a touchdown.” Seraphine retorted. “Are you not nervous?”
“No.” Jinx quickly replied. “They’ve got this.” She had said “they’ve got this” but she really meant “HE’s got this.” There was no way that Ekko was going to let this game slip away.
The first play of the drive, after Ezrael false started, was a run play to Ekko. She loved watching him run but there was always a twinge of worry in her mind every time he touched the ball. She would never give him the satisfaction of knowing she was worried about him but fortunately, Ekko had never got a severe injury.
Jinx knew Ekko was frustrated after he was tripped up. She knew him better than anyone. “Ekko’s going to score on this next play.” she proclaimed. Seraphine looked at her like she had just seen Jinx eat dirt or something.
“You know that how exactly?”
“You’ll see. He’s frustrated but he’s also fired up. When he’s like that, he’s damn near unstoppable.”
“I know you have faith in him and I’m not saying that I don’t but there is a lot of-” Seraphine was interrupted by Ekko getting loose and sprinting towards the endzone. The rest of the team erupted into cheer while Seraphine stood there speechless. “How did you know?”
Jinx was ignoring her of course. She had a promise to keep.
It was different. Jinx worked tirelessly to become the cheerleader that she was. She wasn’t the naturally jubilant person that someone like Seraphine was, so she almost always was forcing a smile. But, whenever Ekko did, well anything good on the field, her cheering just was natural. And luckily for her, Ekko had given her lots to cheer for over the years.
As Ekko trotted to the sidelines and sat down on the bench, Their eyes locked. In that moment, they might as well have been the only two people in that stadium. It was like this every time Ekko scored. She could just block everything else out and focus on him. She never really understood how or why this happened, but she didn’t really care. She did her signature move: the bunny ears. Her mom taught her that back when she was a kid and it stuck with her after all these years. It warmed her heart to see Ekko flash them back to her, along with his million-dollar smile.
“Hey Jinx! Can you please focus?” A voice that Jinx was pretty damn tired of hearing, spoke up. Caitlyn was behind her with the same ever serious look on her face. “You can flirt with your boyfriend after the game. We have a routine to do!”
“Ekko is my best friend, not my boyfriend!” She hated it when people just couldn’t understand their friendship. Especially Caitlyn, whom due to her being Vi’s girlfriend, should know better.
“Oh. Right. I forgot. … Wait. Why aren’t you two dating? It doesn’t make any sens-“
“Ok! Enough! Can we move on to the routine now?” Jinx interjected. “Let’s do this!” She said with a false sense of urgency.
Jinx hurried away from Caitlyn. Her and Seraphine walked over to the rest of their stunt group. Her stunt group consisted of Seraphine, Zeri, her old friend from Zaun, and Taliyah, a nice girl from Shurima as her side bases.
“The Boy Savior did again, didn’t he!” Zeri exclaimed. Zeri had been witness to Ekko’s skills a lot more than every person on the team… except for Jinx of course.
“You know he hates being called that.” Jinx responded.
“Yeah, by everyone who’s not you! Just like how no one except Ekko, Vi, and Claggor is allowed to call you by your real name!”
“Hey! We had better hurry up and get in formation! Mel is staring!” Taliyah worriedly reminded the girls.
“Ah shit! Alright. Get me up there, girls!” Jinx semi-enthusiastically said.
The aerial stunts that they did after touchdowns were nothing fancy. Liberty poses with the occasional heel stretch. Nothing she hadn’t done a thousand times before. But the routines that she did after touchdowns were special to her. Because those were the ones where he was guaranteed to be watching. Jinx could always tell when he was watching, and that always unlocked a higher level in her.
Naturally, all their routines went smoothly and by the time they were finished, the game was essentially over.
“Final Score: Piltover & Zaun: 28. Basilich: 17.” The PA announcer solemnly stated to the dejected crowd. Ekko was on the field, dapping up the opposing team, saying “good game”. Just going through the motions of post-game before he headed to the locker room. As he was just finishing up, he got hit from behind. The hit didn’t surprise him though. She did this after every game.
“Hey Pow!”
“Awwww. How’d you know it was me?” She said jokingly.
Ekko turned around to see his best friend’s smiling face, which proceeded to put a smile on his.
“1. You’ve done this after every game we’ve had since High School. 2. I could see your tattoos. 3. Who else could it have been? Vi? She’s off looking for Caitlyn.”
“Whatever.” Jinx said through a slight giggle. “Come here!” She pulled Ekko into her arms and embraced him. He reciprocated immediately. “You did so well tonight.” She spoke. Her words soothed Ekko like nothing else could.
“I did alright. There were some-“
“Oh, don’t give me that humble bullshit!” Jinx interrupted. She cradled his face and made sure that they were looking into each other’s eyes. “You played amazingly, and you should be happy! You have worked harder than anyone I know to get to where you are now! Be proud of yourself. I sure as hell am proud of you!”
Ekko didn’t know what to do or say. His body kinda just moved on its own. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, hugging her tightly. After Jinx got over the initial shock, she wrapped her legs around his waist and melted into him.
“Thank You, Pow. That means a lot to hear you say that.” The words glided from his lips to her ears. As the two embraced they could feel someone watching them, but they didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to them was each other.
Those prying eyes belonged to none other than Caitlyn and Vi, who were standing some yards away.
“Violet! LOOK AT THEM!” Caitlyn, clearly frustrated, exclaimed. “And she has the audacity to get mad at me and everyone else for thinking that they’re dating!”
“I know. I know.” Vi responded. “I can’t and won’t force them to do anything, but I think it’s time I put some things into motion. Now, unfortunately, I must go ruin this moment for them. Ekko needs to get to the locker room and get changed and I’m sure Powder needs to do the same.”
“You’re right. I should get going as well then. I’ll see you on the flight home, right?”
“Of course, Cupcake.” Vi and Caitlyn exchanged a quick kiss before Vi headed over to Ekko and Jinx, who were still hugging each other.
“Alright, Little Man! I don’t need you getting your sweat all over my sister. Hit the showers and change.” Vi ordered.
Ekko begrudgingly agreed as he put Jinx down. “I’ll see you on the plane, right?” He asked Jinx.
“Of course! Now, run along. I don’t want you to smell all the way back to Piltover!” Jinx jested.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I’ll try not to sweat the next time I’m being chased by absurdly large men for two and half hours.” Ekko sarcastically replied.
“Go on. Get to the locker room before Da- I mean Coach Lane makes you run laps at practice on Monday!” Jinx countered.
“Yeah, whatever. Vi, are you coming with?”
“I’ll be right behind you, Little Man. I just got to talk to PowPow quickly.”
As Ekko trotted towards the tunnel that led to the locker room, Vi turned to her sister. “Powder.” Vi said in a serious tone.
“Oh god! What did Cait tell you? Whatever it was, it wasn’t that serious, and I’ll apologize later.” A clearly annoyed Jinx replied.
“This has nothing to do with Cait, …Well, it has a little to do with Cait but that’s not the main reason I’m going to bring this up. Now, don’t get mad at what I’m about to say but-”
Jinx had pieced together where this conversation was going. “Vi! Not you too! We’re just friends. We’ve always just been friends! Nothing more. Nothing less. Why can’t people just understand that?” Jinx said, the annoyance in her voice had been replaced with frustration.
“Powder. I want you to answer some simple questions for me. First: What would you do if Ekko got a romantic partner?”
Jinx’s brain stopped working for a moment. “Ekko? Romantic? He would never.” She then came to the realization that that was an asinine thing to think. “I- I-uh. I wouldn’t care as long as they treat him well.” She nervously replied.
“… Riiiight. Follow up question: Do you think that this hypothetical partner would approve of your relationship with him?”
“They wouldn’t have a choice!”
“Hey, I’m just keeping it real. If Cait and one of her lifelong friends had the same relationship that you and Ekko have, I’d feel some type of way.”
“Vi. What is this really all about?”
“You know I love you, Powder. I want you to be happy. I want you to be loved. I want you to be cared for. I’m sure Ekko feels the same way.”
“I- he- I mean, yeah, I’m sure he does. I’m his best friend.” Jinx said, turning her face away to hide her embarrassment.
“I mean I’m just going to come out and say it: Pow, you’re not going to find someone not just better but better for you than Ekko.”
“VI! What the hell!”
“I mean I don’t like guys, and I see him as a little brother but man, he’s really the full package. Super smart, elite athlete, incredibly handsome. Pow, I would say you could do worse but honestly, you
can’t do better!”
“Alright! I’m going to leave now! I’ll talk to you later sis!”
“Powder, please. The point I really want to make is don’t wait too long and end up living with regret. That’s all I’m going to say. Later, PowPow.”
As the two sisters went their separate ways, Jinx’s thoughts were moving faster than a speeding train. “Ekko. Dating someone?” It was incredible that, throughout all the years she had known him, the thought of Ekko finding someone to date just never popped into her mind. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Vi was right. Ekko was the total package, and he would not stay single for the rest of his life. But what would that mean for her? Vi was also right in that any partner that Ekko had would more than likely not like how close Ekko and her were. The thought of Ekko not being in her life was well, unthinkable. “Damn it, Vi! You put these stupid thoughts into my head!” She shook those thoughts out of her head and powered her way to the locker room.
After Coach Lane had given his victory speech and Ekko had taken his shower, he was finishing changing when Vi walked up next to him.
“Hey Little Man.” Vi said. She had a pensive look on her face.
“What’s up, Vi! What’s with the face?” Ekko questioned.
“Ekko. I don’t say this enough, but you really are like a little brother to me. I care about you a lot and I want you to be happy.” Vi said as she placed a hand on Ekko’s shoulder.
“I mean I appreciate that a lot Vi. I truly do but what’s with the sentimental vibe suddenly? Does this have to do with what you talked to Powder about after I left?”
“I’m glad you’re smart. Alright, I’m just going to rip this band aid off: Ekko, do you like my sister?”
“Vi. She’s been my best friend for 10 years. Of course I like her.”
“No, I mean do you love her?” Vi was already showing signs of frustration at this point.
“… Of course I love her. Like I said she’s my best friend. I’d do anything for her.”
“While as her sister, I love to hear that but that is not what I’m asking. Look, I’m just going to say it: Have you ever thought about dating Powder?”
Ekko was blindsided by the question. “Ummmm. N-no. Vi, I don’t think inside a locker room is the best place to be having this conversation.” Ekko said, clearly embarrassed by the question.
“Like I said, I do care a lot about you, and I want you to be happy. But Powder is my little sister, and I care just as much about her feelings. I know you two have the relationship that you have but the thought of dating never once crossed your mind?” Vi questioned.
“Did Powder say she wants to date me?”
“She did everything except say that. She’s stubborn. You know that. Look, I’m not trying to force a relationship between the two of you, but I think you forget that I’ve been around you two for 10 years. I’ve seen the way you look at each other. I know how you two act when you’re together versus when you’re apart. You two are borderline inseparable. I mean the only reason she’s not talking to you right now is because she’s not physically allowed in this room!”
“Vi, where is this coming from? I thought you of all people would understand how our relationship works.”
“I do. It’s just…“ She let out a sigh. “I have to say it again, I care so much about you two and I would be heartbroken if one of, if not most likely both of you ended up hurt because you guys can’t properly diagnose your feelings. Now, I can’t and won’t force anything but Ekko, I beg of you, please just think about everything I’ve just said. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Vi says as begins to hastily move away from Ekko.
“Wait! You can’t just leave!” Ekko yelled but Vi had no intention of listening. As Vi disappeared out of the locker room, Ekko was left with a thousand thoughts running through his head. Powder. Dating. Them. Together? What would that even look like? He didn’t have much time to think because Claggor came up to him and reminded him that it was time to get on the bus and head to the airport.
The plane rides home after away games were usually relaxing for Ekko. A chance to unwind before having do the same routine over again starting on Monday. However, even before take-off, he was not in right head space. Why had what Vi said to him made so… uneasy? Did he love Powder… in a romantic way? Has he just been denying it for… who knows how many years now? Did-did Powder even want to date him? Was this some kind of fucked up joke that Vi was playing on him? Nah, she wouldn’t do that.
“Man, what is wrong with me?” Ekko said out loud.
“I can think of at least twelve different things!” Ekko turned his head up and was not surprised to see Powder standing in the middle of the aisle. “One of them is that you’re in my window seat!”
Seeing her knocked any wandering thoughts of his head. “Hey, I was just keeping it warm for you!” He joked. He stood up and let Powder take her window seat and he took the aisle one. As the two got settled, they began to conversate about their usual stuff. What are they doing tomorrow? Are you ready for Applied Physics on Monday? While they tried their best to keep their usual tone, they could both tell something was wrong but neither wanted to be the one to break the tension.
Ekko broke first. “Hey Powder. So, what did you and Vi talk about when I left?” Pretending to not know.
“Oh. Uhh. Caitlyn and I had a… disagreement during the game. She wanted to get my side of the story.” She couldn’t look him in the eyes when she said that. She hated lying to him but it was too embarrassing to tell the truth.
“Oh. Ok. What did you and Cait disagree about?”
“We- uh- She-um.” She said struggling to find a lie convincing enough. “You know what? It’s not important. Cait and I talked it out and we’re alright… for now.”
“Y’all got to figure something out. Her and Vi are pretty damn serious. They look locked in for life. Marriage is definitely on the table for them.”
“I know. I know. I don’t hate her. It’s just… she’s so different from Vi. From us. I can’t find common ground with her.”
“Well, let me say two things. 1. You know what they say: Opposites attract. And 2. You do have common ground with her: You both love Vi. You both love Cheer. You don’t have to be best friends with her but try to focus on those things.”
“… I freaking hate it when you’re right.” The fact that Ekko was so smart was something she hated but also adored about him.
“When am I ever wrong?” Ekko gloated.
“Do you want a detailed list, or do you just want one example?”
“Wooow! I thought we were friends!”
The two began to laugh. Everything was back to normal… the outside. Internally, Jinx was caught up on what Ekko had said about Vi and Caitlyn. Marriage? She couldn’t help herself. She had to ask him.
“Hey Ekko.”
“What is it, Powder?”
“Do you want to get married?”
Ekko was nothing short of flabbergasted. “Ummm. Powder. Are you asking for my hand in marriage?”
“No, I’m not, dumbass! I meant in general. Do you see yourself ever settling down with someone?”
“Oh. I’ve never really thought about it. You know me. I’ve focused on other things. Between Football and school, I don’t really have time for romance. But to answer your question: … Yeah. I think do
want to get married someday.”
Ekko’s answer somehow managed to both relieve Jinx and also stress her out.
“What about you? Do you want to get married?” Ekko retorted.
“Are you asking for my hand in marriage?” Jinx said mockingly.
“Wow. You’re so funny, I forgot to laugh.”
“Yeah, yeah. Calm down. The answer to your question is yes, I do. Don’t know when but I hope someday, I can find someone that I can… keep up with me.”
Ekko grabbed her hand. Their fingers interlocked, almost instinctually. “You’ll find someone. There is someone out there for you, Pow. Hell, they’re probably closer than you think!”
Jinx’s face grew red with embarrassment. Only then, had Ekko realized what he said. “I-I- What I meant was they’re probably at school or something!”
“Just stop talking please. Can we just not bring this topic up again?”
“Y-yeah. Ok.”
During the remainder of their time on the ground and during takeoff, there was silence. That had never happened between them. Ekko was focused on distracting himself from the awkward situation he was in when he suddenly felt something on his shoulder. He turned his head to see that Jinx had fallen asleep and was resting her head on his shoulder. A faint smile appeared on his face. He relaxed in his seat and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep as well. During all that time, their hands never separated.
A few minutes after Ekko passed out, Vi came past their seats and looked at the two of them. She couldn’t resist letting a shit-eating grin take over her face.
“This is going to be easier than I thought.”