Fangirl Down

In his room, Wells reflects on the game. He sees Josephine’s toes in his mind and realizes that she really won’t give up on him. He starts imagining the next game and realizes he’s excited to be back on the course with her.

Then his phone buzzes with a text from Josephine. He opens it to find the picture Josephine promised. Wells is immediately aroused by the sexually explicit image of her in her uniform. He touches himself and then texts her, asking if she wants a photograph of his bare bottom. She admits that she does and he sends over the image shortly thereafter. When Josephine doesn’t respond, Wells feels awkward and anxious and goes to her room. Josphine answers the door in her bathrobe, which arouses him further.

Inside, they talk with their faces nearly touching. Then Josephine backs away and admits that she wants to talk to Wells about something serious. She explains more about her diabetes and invites Wells to follow her on the app she uses to track her blood sugar. She hopes that this level of trust will make Wells feel more comfortable trusting her on the course. Wells is moved and agrees to download the app. She then invites him to hang out in her suite and watch a movie with her.

Josephine chooses the movie 300, mistakenly assuming it’s “a happy medium” (142). However, she feels embarrassed during an aggressive sex scene. Wells notices her response to the scene and starts talking dirty to her. She sits on his lap, straddling him, and he undoes her robe. They engage in foreplay and oral sex. Josephine isn’t ready for penetrative sex but is aroused by Wells’s excitement over her body and their sexual encounter. She promises to let him come inside of her and spank her if plays well and holds his temper for the next two days of the tournament. After they both climax, Wells hurriedly puts on his sweatshirt backwards and leaves.

Wells can’t sleep that night. At 4 am, he considers getting up and working out at the gym or going to visit Josephine. He can’t make sense of his feelings and wishes he had a friend to go to for advice. He’s never felt this way about anyone and isn’t sure how to process his emotions. Finally, he goes out for a walk and runs into Josephine trying to get into the pool. He picks the lock as it isn’t open yet and they put their feet in the water while chatting about sex. Wells admits that he left so suddenly yesterday because he was confused by his feelings. He usually isn’t overtaken that way when he is sexually intimate with women.

The conversation then turns to Wells’s childhood and he reveals more details regarding his fraught relationship with his parents. He also asks about Josephine’s past and she admits that she once flashed a policeman while drunk and high with Tallulah years prior. Josephine’s and Wells’s phones start beeping, interrupting their conversation. It’s Josephine’s app. She’s surprised he followed her and that he’s carrying glucose tabs for her. She takes the pills and falls asleep. Wells carries her to a lounge chair and they fall asleep side-by-side.

Josephine and Wells chat and flirt throughout the day’s match. Meanwhile, they try controlling their feelings for each other, unsure if Wells’s improvement has to do with Josephine’s sexual incentives.

After the match, the media wants to interview Wells. He insists that Josephine come with him as they’re a team. They joke and banter throughout the interviews and everyone is delighted by Josephine and her dynamic with Wells.

After they leave the media tent, Josephine and Wells talk intimately and kiss outside of Josephine’s door. Josephine likes making Wells wait for sex but promises that she’s proud of him for how well he’s been doing. After he leaves, Josephine realizes that she’s falling for the real Wells Whitaker, and “not the persona she’[s] always admired” (178).