Chapter 6
ALEX
“Fields.”
I stare out the window as a horde of football players make their way across the path outside, pushing and shoving each other. They’re probably on their way to practice.
“Fields!”
I blink and whip my head toward Fiona, who looks thoroughly displeased with me. I can tell by her expression that she’s got her She-Devil horns on.
I swallow. “Yes?”
“Your ideas for the next Goldberg issue?”
I clear my throat.
Mason catches my eye from across the table. His eyes are wide with fear, like Fiona might lunge across the table and scratch my eyes out with her claws.
I shake my head at him, and he shoots me a warning look in return.
“I was thinking about doing a piece on caffeine and finding out how the student body gets its fix.”
Fiona squints at me. “You’re just trying to get more press for your cafe, aren’t you?”
I frown. “No, I—”
She gives me a stern look.
“It would be an insanely easy piece for me to get information on. I wouldn’t even have to interview anyone. I could just write down everyone’s orders as I take them.”
Fiona shrugs. “Sure. But is anyone actually going to read about it?”
I bite back a retort because I don’t have the energy to fight with the She-Devil right now.
“I think it’s a good idea. People are always looking to try new drinks, and Alex is a talented writer. You know he can make it interesting,” Mason says to Fiona, spinning a pencil through the crook of his index finger and thumb.
Mason always comes to my defense, and I adore him for it. Without him, Fiona would probably tear apart every piece I wrote.
She has a soft spot for him, and she should. The pieces he wrote last year for The Goldberg covering the football games did huge numbers and increased our readership by more than fifty percent.
It also helps that he’s dating the quarterback, Callum Brown, and everyone wanted a piece of that gossip to chew on.
She listens to him almost all the time now, albeit with some hesitancy.
She looks back at me. “Try it out. If it flops, I’m making sure you never talk about coffee again.”
She takes a sip from her thermos, and I almost laugh at the irony of it.
The meeting adjourns, and I haul my backpack over my shoulders before waiting by the door for Mason.
“Thanks for having my back,” I tell him as we make our way into the hallway.
He smirks. “No trouble. Gotta look out for the editor-in-waiting.”
I scoff. “Not unless Fiona plans on failing her classes just to stay on the paper longer…”
Mason puffs out a breath. “I still can’t believe Fiona’s still so…”
“Bratty? High-strung? Suspicious?” I interrupt.
He laughs. “That’s one way to put it.”
“It’s like she doesn’t trust me, even though she says I’m her right-hand man,” I say as we push through the journalism building’s doors and step into the September air.
Mason shrugs. “She runs a tight ship. Plus, it’s her last year on The Goldberg, and I think she’s trying to hold onto the last vestiges of her power with an iron fist. I don’t blame her.”
I lightly knock against Mason’s head. “Can you sprinkle me with a little of your writing power? I’m gonna need it if I want the She-Devil off my back,” I plead.
Mason snorts, batting my hand away. “Unless you want help writing for the sports column, I’m not sure what I can do for you.”
I shrug. “Do you know anything about athletes’ caffeine intake?”
Mason nods, pushing a lock of dark hair off his forehead.
“Uh, yeah. For football players, at least. They make sure not to have any. Callum doesn’t even want to look at me when I’m drinking coffee.
It’s like he thinks he’s going to become addicted to it if he stares at it too long, or that it’s going to show up on some kind of drug test.”
I laugh. “It might.”
Mason squints at me, sunlight reflecting off his glasses. “Why do you ask?”
I shrug. “Oh, my coworker said athletes never come into the cafe, but one athlete—a football player—came in a couple times, and I’ve…”
Mason raises his eyebrows. “Ah. So it’s about a guy.”
I frown. “No! It’s not. I just… want to know why he’s taken an interest in the cafe all of a sudden, that’s all.”
Mason nods slowly. “Does this football player happen to be tall, muscular, and insanely hot as well? Or are you this interested in all the random customers who come in, too?”
I cross my arms. “He might be. But that’s not why I’m asking. He’s just… interesting.”
Mason gives me a look I don’t like. “Uh-huh.”
I cluck my tongue. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Never mind.”
Mason readjusts his glasses. “Do you know his name? If he’s on the football team, I probably know him.”
“He said his name was Logan. I don’t know anything else. I barely spoke to him.”
Mason raises an eyebrow. “You spoke to him long enough to get his name.”
“Drop it,” I say through gritted teeth.
Mason puts his hands on his hips. “I know a Logan. But he’s not on the team anymore…”
My phone starts ringing.
I take it out of my pocket. It’s Naomi.
“Sorry. I really have to take this,” I mumble before turning slightly away. “Hello?”
“Hi. You were supposed to pick me up from school today because Mom can’t, remember?”
I close my eyes. “Crap. Sorry, Nay. I’ll be right over. My meeting ran a bit late. What time did school end?”
“I’m already done.”
I grit my teeth. I wish I’d remembered.
“I’m coming now. I’ll be there in ten minutes, okay?”
“Okay.”
I end the call and turn back to Mason. “Sorry. Guess I’ll hit you up later. My little sister needs to be picked up from school. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
Mason nods. “Yeah, see ya.”
“I’ll send you my piece when it’s done,” I say as I walk backward toward the parking lot.
Mason nods. “I’ll keep it out of Callum’s way so he doesn’t have to read the word ‘caffeine.’”
I chuckle and make my way back to my car.
For some reason, Mason’s words about Logan not being on the football team anymore keep coming back to me.
I always see him in gym clothes and Hornets gear, so why wouldn’t he be on the team anymore?
Did he get kicked off? Drop out?
As I get into my car and put it in drive, I can’t stop thinking about who Logan might be and why I can’t get him off my mind.