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“What’s up?” The sound of Thorne’s voice startled me into silence, and out of nowhere, he appeared.
I turned to him, glancing up into his moss-green eyes, and forgot what I was about to say.
“Oh, we were just talking about you guys joining us over at the lounge for lunch,” Gabby supplied.
“Uh . . .” Thorne glanced at me, and I shook my head. “Penelope and Topher too, right?” he asked.
“Sure,” Gabby said, like she planned on them joining us all along. “The more, the merrier.”
Again, I made a slashing movement at my throat, but he ignored me.
“Cool. Then I guess I can ask one more friend?”
“Whoever you want, darling.” Gabby placed a hand on his bicep and squeezed like she was trying to feel the shape of his muscles, and I instantly wanted to rip her perfectly manicured fingers off one by one.
“Barry, buddy!” Thorne waved across the room to scrawny, dorky Barry, who sat at the table with his lunch tray alone. “Come eat with us.”
Barry pointed to his chest as if to say,Me?
“Yeah, you. Come on.”
Fighting a grin, Barry picked up his tray and hurried toward us.
“You’re friends with Barry?” Gabby said in a dull voice.
“Yeah, we’re tight now,” Thorne said, but he was hardly paying any attention to Gabby. Instead, he focused his attention on Barry, who awkwardly offered a fist bump at his arrival.
“Okay, well. I’ll just be waiting,” Gabby said, then scurried off to the Royal lounge, probably regretting her life’s choices..
“I am not eating over there,” Topher said like we’d asked him to head into the gauntlet. “I just broke free from all that, and I refuse to go back.”
“You still talk to Luca,” I said in an accusatory tone.
“Yeah, because he’s not a total douche. He’s actually halfway decent.”
“What? She’s just being nice,” Thorne said, and Topher shot him a look that said,You’ve got to be kidding me.“Besides, Barry’s coming with us. Aren’t you, Barry?” Thorne slung an arm over Barry’s shoulders while he nudged his glasses up his nose, nodding.
“Fine. But just for today. And only because Barry’s going,” Topher conceded, and I smiled because this was going to be entertaining watching her tolerate one of the nerdiest kids at school sitting at her table. It was the best kind of punishment for being a snob I could think of.
We made our way to the lounge area and settled in. Thorne and I sat on the couch together with Barry to our right and Topher and Penelope in a corner chair.
Everyone nibbled on their lunches while Gabby and JT discussed some party at his house, and I fought the urge to ask Thorne how his interview for Wake Up America went.
“P, what a cute skirt. Is it vintage?” Gabby asked, breaking through my thoughts.
Her eyes danced with humor, and I knew she was making fun of Penelope’s thrift-store clothes, right in front of us, no less.
I gritted my teeth, wanting to rip her throat out, while Penelope blushed.
“Back off,” Topher warned, slipping his hand possessively around P’s waist.
Gabby turned to me next as if her job was done and bumped me in the arm. “Xia and I saw you at the Addy Awards. What an amazing dress.”
“Totally,” Xia chimed in.
“You should absolutely wear it to prom.” Gabby smiled.
“Totally should,” Xia parroted, and I had to stifle a laugh.
