“An asshole. Didn’t you say that?” I tried another tactic to engage him. “How’d you end up working for the Woodsmen?”
The referee was telling the players to come to the center of the field and the action was about to start. Shane glanced over at me. “Did you just ask me something?”
I shrugged and he looked through the binoculars again.
“You’re working so I’ll see you later,” I said. “If you want to come by Walter’s, I’ll have some tasteless fries ready.” I didn’t think he heard me—at least, he didn’t respond. Maybe he hadn’t been shooting his shot at the restaurant, like I’d imagined, and maybe he had just been saying hello today when he’d waved, instead of inviting me to sit with him. I stood, picked up my chair, my blanket, and my thermos of hot coffee, and headed down the bleachers.
This guy wasn’t going to be any help to me in snagging a Woodsmen, but maybe one could find me instead. He’d have to look at the restaurant, because I’d already gotten five texts from my mom asking when I was going to show up there. “Molly,” I sighed quietly in her disappointed voice. Then I walked back to the paved parking lot and went to my car.
Chapter 2
Iput my fist over my mouth and pretended to cough but in reality, I was disguising a huge yawn that made my jaw crack. Then I nodded as if I had been paying attention, like this lecture was so damn fascinating that (of course) it had been a cough and not a yawn.
“Hey,” a voice whispered, and I glanced to my left. The guy sitting two seats over was holding out a foil-wrapped stick of gum. “It has guarana. It’ll keep you awake.”
I looked for a second before reaching over to take it. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. What’s your name?” he asked.
“Excuse me,” our professor stated. She was staring directly at us and I looked down.
“Sorry,” the guy called and some other people giggled.
She returned to her lecture and I returned to staying awake. I unwrapped the gum and sniffed it, and although it smelled pleasantly minty and herbal, I didn’t put it in my mouth.
At the end of the class, the same guy scooted over into the seat right next to mine as I put away my stuff. “It’s good, right?” he prompted.
“What?”
“The gum. It gives you a little boost.” He smiled at me. “I can get more for you.”
“Are you DEA or is this some kind of anti-drug ad? Are there hidden cameras?” I asked.
He laughed. “It’s legal and I’m Corbin. I’ve seen you around before.”
Really? That was flattering. “I’m Molly,” I said, and we walked out together. I had seen him before, too, because I’d thought he was kind of cute. He also dressed better than I did, but that was true of most people in the world. I said his name several times in my head, since I wasn’t great at remembering them. But I hadn’t met many people at this school so that hadn’t been a problem for me.
He complained a little about the class we’d just left before switching topics. “We’re having a party at my frat this Saturday,” he told me. “You should stop by.”
“Uh…”
“Can I have your number, just in case?”
“Just in case of what?” I asked.
“In case I want to text you,” he said and he laughed again.
By the time I got into my car, he did have my number and I had plans for the weekend. “Not bad,” I told myself. “Not bad at all.” I felt good about it all the way to the restaurant, where I knew that my dad was already pissed about how late I was. But it was necessary, because that class was required for my major and I had already dropped it twice in prior semesters because of scheduling problems with my shifts at the restaurant. Now, I absolutely had to take it if I wanted to graduate in a few months, and I really, really wanted to graduate in a few months. So even if he was angry, I was doing it this time.
And yes, he was angry.
I heard crashing metal in the kitchen when I arrived and I also heard my name a lot, not a disappointed “Molly” sigh but a very angry “Molly” growl with curses attached. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to be late every Tuesday and Thursday,” I said to my mom as I went into the office to change. “That’s the only time the course is offered this semester. I was ready to take it last summer, but—”
“I know,” she said when I came out. She put the hat on my head and pointed at the trays. “These are for six and this is for nine.”
The dining room was already full of Junior Woodsmen and she had been pulling double duty as cashier and server. Whose fault was that? Mine, apparently, although I didn’t see my brother or sister picking up any slack. I was, as always, the slack-picker and my dad wasn’t the only one pissed about that. So was I! He would be even worse on Saturday night when I ditched my shift to go to that party, but too damn bad for him.
One of the first orders that I delivered had a burger in a lettuce bun and I bet that my dad had been unhappy as he slapped it together. As I had suspected, Shane Bishop was at a table waiting for it.
