My lecture is about to start, I’ll talk to you later
Enjoy, smartypants
I smile and lock my phone before sliding it into my pocket and paying attention to the lecture because I’ve missed so much, and I desperately need to play catch-up and pass my final year. The amount of notes I take is slightly terrifying.
After the lecture, we head to the campus café to grab some lunch, although I brought my own because I cannot afford campus food right now. We sit on a bench, and I peel the lid from my homemade chicken salad and dig in.
“What’s your next lecture?” Alice asks.
I cover my mouth as I chew. “I’ve got multimedia storytelling in an hour.”
“Fun.” Jade places her elbows on the table as she drinks her coffee. “I wish I could do that module, but I wanted to do media law instead.”
“I’ll let you know how it is.” I point at her with my fork.
“Are you missing Skye yet?”
“A little,” I confess. “It’s the first time I’ve been away from her for this long, and it feels weird. I trust that if something happens, Finn will call me straight away, but to earn my trust, I have to give him the opportunity. I can’t do that if I don’t let him anywhere near her.”
“I know it’s probably hard, but it’ll get easier. Right?” Jade reaches for my hand.
“Totally,” Alice says.
A group of obnoxious football players step into the café. I know it because I recognise most of them from when Finn used to play and I went to watch his games, but he gave it up when his alcohol dependency became really bad.
Jade flicks her head over her shoulder and scowls. “Why are they so loud?”
I shrug. “Need attention, probably.”
Alice snorts. “Not probably, definitely.”
“Oh god,” I say as my stomach churns. “They’re coming over here.”
Jade and Alice both immediately scowl, moving into defense mode.
I lower my fork into my Tupperware pot and stare up at Reese as he approaches our table. “Maya Brooke.” He grins with a glint in his eyes. “Haven’t seen you around for a while.”
“I’ve been busy,” I respond.
His brows rise. “That about your breakup with Thompson?”
“That’s none of your business.”
My fingers itch to throw my salad at him. I never liked him. He always had to belittle Finn at any chance he got, but I think it was down to jealousy. Finn was a good player when he was on the team, but when he started drinking more and going to practice drunk, it didn’t end well, and Coach told him to get it sorted or leave.
So, he left.
Reese laughs. “So, that’s a yes, then?”
My phone lights up on the table, and he glances down at it before snatching it.
“Hey!” I call out.
“Why is your lock screen a picture of a baby?” he asks with a scowl.
“Give it back,” I hiss through my teeth.
Jade stands up. “Stop being an asshole, Reese.”
