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We were still reading when the bell went off announcing the end of the day. I finished to the end of the paragraph on the page and Jake held up a finger as I packed away my textbook and then he nodded as he snapped the book closed.
“Definitely going to stop and grab that on my way home.” He handed it back to me.
“It’s funny, right?” Because that was the thing that struck me. The author of the dummies’ book had tried to take facts and added snark to them, a turn of phrase here, a well-placed pithy comment there. All of it designed to soften the reader into absorbing the facts willingly. Since Ilikedhistory, it was almost like being offered ice cream to eat my favorite meal. I’d have done that anyway.
He snorted. “Probably funnier than it should be.” But I got it. He stuffed his books into his bag, then snagged my backpack and held it up so I could thread my arms through the straps.
Despite the fact the bell had rung and the stampede of footsteps and too many voices filled the hallway, neither of us hurried. One, because unless you were in the parking lot when the bell went off, there was always a long line of cars to get out. Two, the buses always took priority, so the bus lanes were closed and there were literally hundreds of students choking the hallways as they headed out to get onto their respective buses.
Then there were the walking kids. I’d been one of those. The apartments were a solid twenty-three minute walk at a brisk pace, but at least most of the walkers were already across the street. I pushed the door open, but Jake braced it and then we wandered down the hall.
Looping my fingers through the straps, I didn’t rush any more than Jake did. His parking space was a lot closer than mine, but instead of angling toward the Hall B outer doors where he parked, he trailed along with me toward the gym halls closer to where I parked.
“Do you have practice this afternoon?” I hadn’t asked either he or Bubba for that matter. They’d come from the athletics hall that morning before coffee and Bubba’s hair, at least, had been damp. But I hadn’t really looked at the closely at Jake’s. In addition to summer practice, the football team usually had two to three-hour practices at least three times a week, sometimes four if they were heading into playoffs. Morning practices were better than afternoons, at least in August.
“Not on Mondays,” Jake said with a hint of a smile. “Morning practice on Mondays and Tuesdays, then afternoon Wednesday and Thursday. Big game on Friday.”
Crap. First game of the year. Another “landmark last” as it were, especially for Bubba and Jake.
“Want to go grab some more coffee and work out a schedule for when you want to do EU history review? I figure we can keep each other honest.” Jake hesitated a beat, then added. “Okay, you can keepmehonest.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t mind, but I gotta take Coop home.” He was probably sitting on my car waiting impatiently for me. Or maybe he was off making out with Laura. She looked good, after all.
The snarky thought nipped at me, and I smothered it with a pillow.
“Eh, make him walk,” Jake suggested. “Or give him your keys and you can ride with me.”
I stopped in mid-stride and glared at him.
Give him mykeys?
“Or not,” Jake backpedaled, raising his hands. “I forgot.”
I didn’t letanyonedrive my car. Coop was lucky I let him rideinthe car.
Speaking of the devil, there he was, leaning against my car with Bubba.
“You know,” Jake mused as we closed the distance, but he didn’t finish the thought. The afternoon heat threatened to smother us. The air was heavy and sticky. I made a face, already aware of the sweat gathering along my hair line and the way my shirt clung in the back. Coop looked cool as always, but at least Bubba had the grace to perspire.
“Heads up,” Jake called, and his keys flew on an arc. Bubba caught them easily. “Give Coop a ride home? Frankie and I are gonna go get something cold and go over our homework schedule.”
We were?
Really?
“Yeah,” Bubba said, tossing the keys up once before catching them, then he threw them back toward Jake. “No. I got dibs on Frankie. I asked her in calculus to go over the assignments with me. Can’t afford to fall behind in there.”
“Pfft,” Coop intoned dismissing them both. “Frankie’s mine this afternoon. We have an AP Lit project.”
That we already divvied the work on…
“Too bad,” Bubba countered, glaring at Coop. “Calculus is due tomorrow. When is your lit assignment due?”
Next week, but Coop only smirked. “Doesn’t matter, Frankie does all homework the day we get it. She’s never leaving anything until the last minute.”
“Exactly,” Jake tacked on. “Which is why we’re going to figure out our study schedule now. You two can wait.”
Before I could interject, a whistle cut through the three of them as Archie pulled up behind my car. He had an elegant old school Ferrari. Remember what I said about too much money? Archie didn’t flaunt it, except when he did. That car? Definitely flaunting it. But the hot orange coupled with the sleek lines meant it would stand out no matter who was driving it.
