Chapter 25
I MOVE through my editing assignments and focus on uploading pieces to the app that are scheduled to go live this weekend. I force smiles when people stop by my desk to chat about the show and try to stay busy to avoid more talking than I have to. And to distract myself from thinking about that crazy look he had in his eyes when he saw me talking to Will.
I get the majority of my tasks done and my stomach is growling like a hungry bear. I text Evie to see if she wants to grab supper.
ME:
What time ya outta class?
Want to grab supper?
BESTIE:
I’m in class until six and then headed over to the game.
Want to come with us?
That’s a big fat no thank you. I have no desire to see him play. The last time I went, he couldn’t even be bothered to wave back. I like the other hockey girlfriends that she’s going with but I rather not look desperate in front of them. ”I almost type out the ”hell no” that’s blinking like a neon sign in my head but shoot off a ”go have fun instead” instead.”
I don’t like eating alone but it looks like I’m running outta options here. Davis mentioned some football meeting they were all going to so that crosses him off the list. Must be why Drew isn’t with Evie.
I don’t really want to text the showcase girls. I left them all hanging and didn’t bother to reply to any of their text messages last night. I have a book on my Kindle app I can start. I’d go home to eat but there’s nothing but snacks and I want a real meal. Plus I think I deserve a double dose of desert. I want all the chocolate.
BESTIE:
Penny just got here today so she could probably meet you for dinner.
Penny was scheduled to be here a week ago when the semester started but Covid kept her home. I don’t know her too well, but she adores Evie and is Max’s sister so I’m inclined to offer her some hospitality.
I send her a text and ask if she wants to meet me but she doesn’t respond. I’m getting hungrier the longer I sit here. I plopped down on a bench outside of the cafeteria to see who I could muster up for a supper date and have come up short. Guess it’ll just be me and my book.
I settle on some chicken and wild rice with a salad before spotting Edi stashed away in a corner. She doesn’t notice me walking over as she takes bite after bite of a giant sandwich. She’s barely coming up for air.
“Mind if I join you?” I ask and she looks at me with pure annoyance as she starts shuffling around the various plates she has spread out on the two-person table. She’s got herself a half-eaten sandwich, a bowl of soup, two bananas, an apple, a few cookies, and a pile of chips.
“Well don’t just stand there, sit down, people are staring,” she hisses out with a glare before I slide into the seat across from her. I start cutting up my chicken and the sound of my metal knife against the white ceramic plate is the only sound between us for a beat. Until Edi starts yelling at her soup.
“Que mierda, está caliente!” She dramatically drops her spoon into her bowl and it splashes some chicken broth onto her hand. She snaps it back to her chest and looks ticked off. I hand her some napkins and I get a lip twitch which I’m nearly certain is a version of an Edison Santos smile.
“You alright?” I ask while she keeps huffing and puffing and swearing.
“Nothing is alright, not a damn thing about today is alright,” she says and spoons out ice cubes from her soda cup and dumps them in her soup bowl along with some remnants of what I’m assuming is Coca-Cola.
She frowns at her soup and watches the brown bubbly liquid spread over the chicken and noodles. “See? This is an exact representation of my dumb fucking day.”
“Wanna talk about anything?” I offer but don’t push.
“I got in fucking trouble because of that dick. I’m so sick of his shit. Cabron.” Ahh, so this is about Hunter. She keeps her eyes trained on her spoonful of soda soup, blowing on her food before slurping it up. She starts aggressively dunking potato chips into the broth and mutters, “I can’t afford to lose this job.”
“Why didn’t ya schedule with him then?” Seems like the logical thing to do but then again she was getting a ton of satisfaction from leaving that boy on read.
“He didn’t give a shit if he fucked me over last semester so why should I care if he fails and can’t play a dumb game?” She says with an eye roll and shoves another soup-dipped chip into her mouth.
“Like ya said, you can’t afford to lose this job no matter how ya feel about him or the situation. Looks like you have to text him back,” I tell her and take a bite of my supper, keeping my eyes on my plate.
“It’s like the universe is trying to push us together.” My eyes snap up to find Will towering over our tiny table with a few other guys flanking him.
I look up and when he smiles at me, I still don’t feel even the tiniest flutter of a butterfly wing. I don’t feel any spark, and in the words of the great Carrie Bradshaw, there’s no va-va-voom.
“Why the fuck would the universe want that?” Edi snarls and all but shows her teeth at the three men before us. One doesn’t even try to hold back his chuckles. I feel my face pinch in response and Will hits his friend in his stomach to get him to stop being so rude.
“Because since we’ve met we keep running into each other.” His smile is perfect, it’s warm and wide and stays in place as his eyes dance over my face.
“It’s been coincidental,” I politely respond.
“It’s serendipitous don’t you think?” he says with a wolfish smile.
“I bet you have no fucking idea what that word means,” Edi grumbles.
“It means having good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries and perfectly describes Sloane and I,” he offers and Edi rolls her black eyes and adjusts her beanie hat. He doesn’t notice, he hasn’t stopped looking at me. It’s like he’s expecting me to agree with him. Should I be? Is he the fresh start?
“I’ll let you eat,.” He reaches up to finger the ends of my hair before I move my head away. There’s no exciting zap with his touch. It’s actually the complete opposite and leaves me ice cold. “I’ll text you, beautiful.” I politely smile in response and then he’s gone.
“What happened with you and Evie’s brother? The one who isn’t a dickhead,” she asks while wrapping up her cookies in spare napkins and gathering her hand fruit.
“Nothing happened.” And ain’t that the truth.
“Are you going to go out with that guy?” She uses her chin to point to where Will walked off. “He looks like the kinda guys I went to high school with. Pretentious fucks.”
“It’s just a frat party, he’ll lose interest as soon as he realizes I have no plans on sleeping with him.” He may be all smiles and swoony lines, but he’ll stop once he gets the hint.
If he’s really the fresh start I keep hearing I need, he’ll stick around. Either way, I need to move on and this party will be the start of me doing just that.