Take Me as I Am

It had been about a week and a half since Summer had confronted Jonathan about Olivia, and the two of them still had not talked to each other. Olivia was becoming extremely upset about it. She tried to pretend that she was fine, but Summer saw right through her.

She knew that Jonathan was just as upset as it was evident in his game. He had been in a goal drought since the two of them had broken up. And while Jonathan liked to just play it off as part of the ups and downs of the season, Summer knew that the breakup had gotten to him.

Olivia had to stay at work late tonight because the team had a big game against the Anaheim Ducks coming up, and she needed to stay and watch a few more hours of video. So, Summer was sitting at home waiting for her pizza that she had ordered to arrive.

The doorbell rang, and she grabbed the money off of the table and made her way over to the door. She opened it, and Patrick came walking into her apartment. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked.

“I needed to talk to you,” he told her.

“And you don’t own a cell phone?” Summer asked sarcastically.

“It’s about Tazer,” he said.

“What about Jon?” Summer asked skeptically as the doorbell rang again. “Hold that thought,” she said as she ran to the door to find the pizza delivery guy standing on the other side. She quickly gave him her money and walked back inside with the pizza in her hands. “So, you were saying about Jon?”

“He’s pretty messed up, in case you haven’t realized it,” Patrick told her as he sat down on her couch.

Summer motioned for him to take some pizza while she picked up her own piece. “I thought it was all part of the ups and downs of the game,” she said using Jonathan’s own words against him.

“You know that’s bullshit,” Patrick told her. “He misses Olivia.”

“All he has to do is talk to her. He won’t even do that,” Summer said biting into her pizza.

“Yeah, I know,” Patrick said. “That might be partially my fault.”

“Pardon? Qu’est-ce que tu lui dire? Qu’as-vous fait?" Summer yelled at him.

“I have no idea what you just said,” Patrick told her.

“I asked what you said. What did you do?” Summer repeated in English.

“I might have told him that it was a good thing to break up with her.”

“Idiot!"Summer yelled in French.

“Okay, I don’t need you to translate that one for me,” Patrick told her.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Patrick admitted. “I mean she lied to him, and I thought he could do better than her.”

“No one is better than Liv,” Summer told him.

“I know that now,” Patrick said. “We just need to fix everything now.”

“We?”

“I’m asking for your help, Summer.”

“Fine, but I want to know why all of a sudden you changed your mind about Liv. Why did you suddenly realize that she and Jon are good together, good for each other?”

“Have you seen the way he’s played recently? It’s like he can’t play well anymore.”

“Tu dois être en train de plaisanter!"Summer yelled.

“Huh?” Patrick asked, not understanding her.

“You must be joking!” Summer repeated in English.

“What?” Patrick questioned.

“You only want him and Liv back together so that he plays well again? You are the biggest asshole I have ever met.”

“I thought you wanted the two of them to be together,” Patrick said.

“Yes, I want them together. But not because it’ll help Jon’s game. They’re good together, but you’re too self-centered to realize that. All you care about is that Jon goes back to how he was before so that you can win your damn hockey games!” Summer yelled at him.

“I don’t get why you’re getting so upset. You should be happy. I’m agreeing with you,” Patrick told her.

“Yes, but you’re only agreeing because it benefits you!”

“Will you help or not?” Patrick sighed.

“Of course,” Summer replied. “But, I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Jon and Liv.”

“Whatever,” Patrick muttered. “So, what’s your plan?”

Two days later, their plan was set into action. Summer had instructed Patrick to make sure he got Jonathan to come over to Olivia and her apartment after practice. Patrick had argued with her, saying he had no idea how to convince Jonathan to go there, but Summer had told him that if he did that, she would make sure everything was fixed.

So, now Patrick was doing everything he could think of to get Jonathan to go with him. “Dude,” Jonathan said. “Why would you want me to go over there with you?”

“I need you there to translate for me,” Patrick told him.

“What?” Jonathan asked.

“Come on, you know that Summer always speaks in French when she’s around me. I think it’s her way of flirting with me,” Patrick claimed.

“Um, actually, I think it’s her way of saying that she hates you,” Jonathan joked.

“Come on, Tazer. I like her,” Patrick said, and Jonathan looked over at him to see if he was telling the truth or not.

“You like her?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Patrick shrugged. “I think we connected down in Florida.”

“That’s bullshit,” Jonathan told him.

“What?”

“You heard me. It’s complete bullshit. You never connect with a girl! What’s the real reason?”

“I told you. I like Summer, and I’m going to try to convince her to go out with me. I need you there to translate when she starts yelling at me in French. I’d ask Olivia to do it, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t speak French either.”

“She doesn’t,” Jonathan replied. He looked over at Patrick again and sighed, “Fine.”

“Thanks, man,” Patrick said smiling. “And remember, don’t make me look bad in front of Summer,” he added.