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“And there come the last two to complete their squad,” Brett said with a roll of his eyes before picking up his sandwich.
My gaze shot back up to see Willa and Gunner walking over to the table. Girls jumped up to hug Willa; the guys all called out greetings to Gunner. Some were rather colorful. They all seemed so happy to be there together, and the energy around them made it so appealing. What must it feel like to have a group of friends like that? People you had grown up with and knew everything about? Those that you trusted and loved like family. I was jealous of it. I could admit that. But I had always been envious of that life. Having friends in general seemed like a fairy tale to me. Which was another reason I wanted to go to college this fall. I wanted to make friends and fit in with a group. I wanted to be a part of something like that.
“Could they be any louder? This isn’t Lawton High and they don’t own the damn place,” Brett grumbled.
“They’re happy to see each other. Aren’t most of them home from college? They’re reuniting.” I was defending them again.
Brett shook his head. “You don’t know them, Ezi. Trust me. They’re jerks.”
He had started calling me Ezi lately and I wasn’t fond of that, but I wasn’t going to be rude, either. I let it go.
Gunner was standing with his arm around Willa’s shoulders as he talked to the group. The waitress brought them two extra chairs, and they all moved around the table. They weren’t exactly social distancing. They were all packed around the table.
“You haven’t tried your food yet,” Brett pointed out, and I turned my attention back to my food and ate it. Even though I wasn’t hungry. It was good. Not great, but one of the better items I had tried.
The group got quiet, and I couldn’t help but look over to see Tallulah putting her arm around Aurora. Like she was giving support. The group seemed somber now. Gunner had walked over to Ryker and he stood up. Then the two guys hugged, and I saw Gunner say something to him. My eyes stung with emotion even though I couldn’t hear them. Even though I didn’t know them. I knew who they were thinking of and what had changed the mood at the table.
As I looked at them from the outside, they appeared to have it all, but they didn’t. They were missing one of their own. He was gone forever, and he had taken a piece of who they were with him.
No Strings CHAPTER 11
ASA
“Soooo… what’s so interesting at that table over there? I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume it’s not Brett Darby,” Brady whispered as he leaned toward me. I cut my eyes over at Bexley to make sure she was still in conversation with Willa. When I saw they were still chatting, I turned back to Brady.
“You don’t know her?” I asked, wondering how she had been so invisible to the males in this town but right in front of us on a daily basis. We all got gas at her parents’ place. It was on the way to school.
He glanced back at the table again to see if he should know her. I wanted to look with him just to see what she was doing now, but since Brady had noticed me already, there was a chance someone else would catch me too. I focused on my last few fries and finished them up.
“No, I’d have noticed her at school. She doesn’t go to Lawton,” he said finally, then added, “unless she’s new this year.”
I took a drink of my soda before responding. “She’s lived here her entire life. Parents own the Quick Stop near the high school.”
Brady looked back their way again. He was being too obvious. I nudged his knee with mine. He took the hint and stopped studying the other table. “Cinnamon rolls. Her mom makes those addictive cinnamon rolls. She’s the girl behind the counter. I remember wondering once how old she was since she didn’t go to school with us.”
“Homeschooled,” I explained.
He gave a small nod, then grinned. “You eating a lot of cinnamon rolls these days?”
“No,” I said, slightly annoyed because I’d been thinking about going to get some.
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny over here?” Bex asked. Bexley Duran was fun. She was from Graystown, which was about ten miles southwest of Lawton. She was the head cheerleader at Graystown High and a senior this year too. We had met at a party last December and kept in touch via Snapchat. I’d called her today and asked her if she wanted to do dinner with my group of friends. She had been happy to come last minute.
