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“Just checking,” Archie responded with a hint of a smirk.
Tiddles waited just inside the door but cut off mid-yowl at Archie’s voice and then the cat was smoke as he vanished out of the kitchen and down the hall. “Don’t let the cats out,” I said as I juggled my backpack in and carried it through the kitchen toward the living room. The place was mostly neat, though I still needed to run the vacuum and probably should dust, but it wasn’t like Mom and I were using the living room at the moment.
I hadn’t specifically checked, but her car hadn’t been in the carport and her bedroom door was always closed. I had no intentions of checking it right now. “There’s water in the fridge,” I called. “And I think some sodas. Need to shop this weekend.” That would excuse the scarcity inside it. Not that it was bad, but seriously, the last grocery shopping had been the Wednesday before school started, and I’d done it.
Thankfully, I’d tossed the bad chicken so that wasn’t sitting in there to scream out,look at me, I’m wasteful. Tory stretched out from under the bed to rub against my legs as I toed off my shoes. Football game meant outside, which meant hot, so I wanted to change into fresh shorts and a lighter shirt. Fortunately, school dress code was a little lighter at football games than it was during the school day.
“Hey, Frankie,” Archie knocked on the doorframe, and I pivoted, hands on the buttons to my shorts. His gaze dipped to my hands and he backed up a step with a wince. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, what did you need?”
Coop popped up behind him. “We were debating dinner.”
I glanced from one to the other. “And?”
“Archie said you two needed to study, but you’d swing back by here to get me for the game.” The look in Coop’s gray-green eyes said he didn’t believe it. Archie on the other hand merely raised his eyebrows, almost a silent entreaty to agree with him.
We didn’tactuallyhave to study. We were both caught up on the reading, and we could quiz each other on terms, but somehow, I doubted that was what Archie meant. “Well, this started out as a study date,” I reminded Coop. “You were there when we made plans on Monday.”
Disappointment flickered through his eyes, and Archie’s smile grew a tad smugger. “Okay,” Coop said raising his hands. “I guess I’ll see you guys in a couple of hours?”
“Yep,” Archie replied, giving me a wink before he followed Coop up the hall. Rolling my eyes, I shut my bedroom door the whole way and got changed. The deep blue halter top worked for school colors and I pulled out my favorite pair of denim shorts. They just barely cut off where my fingertips hit my thighs, so they’d pass visual inspection. Well worn and a little faded, they were super comfy and just thick enough to protect my ass from the hard metal bleachers.
Leaving my sneakers next to the bed, I dragged out a pair of sandals and slid those on before pulling my hair all the way up into a ponytail, then finished with a baseball hat.
Archie was messing with his phone in the kitchen when I came in to get the food out for the cats. “Your phone buzzed,” he said, waving to the living room. I glanced at my backpack. It was exactly where I’d left it and didn’t look like he’d opened it. Thankfully, I hadn’t left the phone out.
“Thanks.” The lure of wet food was enough for the cats to overcome their reticence toward strangers.
“In the mood for anything specific for dinner?” Archie asked.
I shrugged. “Not pizza? Or burgers.” I’d had the former a couple of times this week, and I served the latter all the time at work.
“Sushi? They do some good stuff at the hibachi place.” He glanced at his phone. “We have time. We could do hibachi, talk while he’s cooking, work up our plan and then eat.”
“Hibachi’s a lot of food.” Even if my stomach gurgled at the idea of some grilled steak and shrimp. Oh, why did I think of that? Now even my mouth watered at the idea.
“That’s what takeout containers are for. We can bring the leftovers back, since we have to come get Coop anyway.” He made a face at the last. “Could always just text him once we’re at the restaurant to find his own ride.”
“Don’t be mean,” I chastised. The cats had plenty of food and water. Their litter box would be fine until morning. I opened my backpack to pull out the spiral-bound notebook I used for government, and the folders with our vocab for both classes.
“Not being mean. He knew you and I had plans. Not my fault he’s been an idiot all week.”
“Maybe not,” I said, tucking those under my arm before retrieving my wallet. I fished out one of the twenties Mom left me, and then stowed the wallet in my back pocket before I grabbed my phone. When I offered the twenty to Archie, he shook his head and held up his hands.
“Nope. And can’t make me do it.”
Sighing, I closed the distance and backed him right up to the table then stuffed the twenty in his back pocket. He grinned.
“You know some people have to dance for that much money.”
“Sure thing, Magic Mike, but you brought me tacos.” I patted his cheek and retreated ignoring the way he grinned a little wider. There were messages on my phone.
Jake:Normally we hit Mason’s after game, but what if we went somewhere else?
Jake:Maybe Emilio’s?
I laughedand Archie leaned over my shoulder to stare at the message.
