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The other drawback of being at school meant we needed to keep our distance again. His smile deepened, and he mouthed, ‘It’s going to be okay,’ more than said it aloud.
Warmth fisted in my chest. Yeah, it was going to be okay.
Jake all but fell into the chair on my other side, breaking the spell, and I glanced at him to find his hair damp and his expression a little wild-eyed. “I think it’s official.”
“Agreed,” Ian said as he slumped next to Coop. They both reached for their coffee, and they both looked exhausted.
“What’s official?” Archie asked as he bumped my knee and then nodded to my burrito. Yeah, yeah. I needed to eat. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he grinned.
I took a bite of my burrito while Archie watched before I looked back at Jake. He groaned. “Coach hates us.”
Ian chuckled. “He hates you more.”
“Oh yeah,” Jake said as he stretched. “I’m going to hurt tomorrow.”
I frowned. “What did he do?”
“Just made us run several different patterns in the rain after we ran two miles and did fifty pushups, crunches, and burpees.”
They were the only reason I even knew what a burpee was.
“Someone’s getting flabby,” Coop said with a slow grin.
I hid a snicker as Jake and Ian both glared at Coop.
“Well, one perk I see,” Archie said. “At least you’re both on the same side in wanting to beat up Coop.”
“Yep,” Ian and Jake said in the exact same tone. There was a beat, then all four of them cracked up and some of the unease drifted away. This was normal.
“Oh my god, Frankie!”
Dammit, I shouldn’t have thought I was out of the woods so soon. The tension in my gut ratcheted up to a hundred, and I shifted in the chair.
“Crap,” Jake muttered as he twisted until he faced the direction Cheryl came from, one arm against me so he was more or less between me and her.
I hadn’t spoken to or seen Cheryl since Homecoming.
Since she gave me her bottle of water and wandered off.
Since her boyfriend attacked me.
Wide eyes wet with tears, Cheryl flew right across the cafeteria like a laser-guided missile. A flash of chestnut hair behind her promised Rachel was in hot pursuit, but there was no way to avoid Cheryl, and the whole cafeteria was watching,
Coop rose, and so did Archie, but Jake blocked her even as Archie shifted closer.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Cheryl said, her voice equal parts ragged upset and thrilled. “I’ve tried to call you like three hundred times.”
“Cheryl,” Rachel said before I could. “Ease up.”
“You didn’t tell me she was coming back today,” Cheryl continued whirling to Rachel. “We could have done something, we should do something…” She swung back to me. “We’re definitely doing something. Lunch? No that’s a time limit…”
“Cheryl, timeout,” Ian said, his tone firm, and Cheryl snapped a look at him. “Back off. It’s Frankie’s first day, and we’re taking it easy.”
“Well, no duh,” Cheryl said with an exasperated look. “But we’re like best friends, and I’ve been worried, and you guys haven’t let me see her or given her my messages, have you?”
I caught Rachel’s eye, and she rolled hers. “Cher, come on, let’s go finish breakfast. We’ll catch up with Frankie after she’s had some time to be back.”
“You got to see her,” Cheryl answered, whirling on Rachel. “I haven’t, andmyboyfriend is the one who ended up arrested.”
