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He glances at Maggie. “You gonna go with her to the game in two weeks if I win?”
I’m kind of horrified that he’s dragging Maggie into this, and I interject. “You can’t—”
But Maggie cuts me off.
“Sure,” she says, shocking me. But not Sebastian. He looks like he was fully expecting her to agree. He’s sort of used to that reaction, I guess. “A football game might be fun.” She shrugs. “Just don’t expect me to cheer for the Titans.”
Sebastian gives her a hard look. “Man, you ladies are really busting my balls today.”
We both look at each other, likewhatever.
“Fine. You’ve got a deal,” Sebastian says, offering me his hand. And we shake.
Maggie sidles closer to me once Sebastian has rejoined his rowdy group of friends and they’re all fully engrossed in a round of Cards Against Humanity.
“First of all,” she says, voice lowered, even though there’s no way they can hear us. “That boy is seriously cute. In a jock-boy total player kind of way.” She leans closer. “And second, how do you even know those guys?”
I’m going to pretend I don’t feel a pang of jealousy when she says he’s cute. There’s just too much there to examine, and not nearly enough time in which to do it right now. “I tutor him,” I explain, and her eyes go wide with understanding.
“Ohhh… That makes sense.”
“It kind of seems like you know Xavier,” I venture. Dipping my toes into my first real whispered “girl-talk” conversation.
“Ugh.” She rolls her eyes. “You mean the entitled pretty-boy with the stupidly long eyelashes?”
“Uh… I guess?”
“You know who he is, right? Who his dad is?”
I tell her I do. I mean, I know enough. That his dad’s some billionaire tycoon.
“Yeah, well, his little brother—who clearly inherited all the personality and cuteness in the family, by the way—was in the Kids’ Camp at The Welsford, where I worked last summer.”
“Oh wow, you worked at The Welsford?” I can’t imagine this pink-haired, free-spirited gal working at the uptight country club on the peninsula.
“Yup. In the Kids’ Camp. Anyway,” she continues, “pretty-boy gazillionaire over there shows up in the middle of the afternoon one day to pick up Finn, his little brother. Only he wasn’t listed on the form as one of the people allowed to pick him up. And they’re super strict about that; you’re not allowed to let the kids leave unless it’s someone their parents have listed on the form,” she explains. “And I was really nice about it. I explained the rules to him and that I got it was kind of ridiculous. But he was still totally pissed that I wouldn’t let him take his brother. He called the manager over, Caro. I mean, he took this thing really personally.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah. And when the manager explained to him the exact same stuff I’d told him, he called hisdadto get him to put his name on the list. Only his dad didn’t answer, and we ended up having to call Finn’s nanny. And he was livid.”
“I would have been so intimidated,” I say softly. It’s bad enough taking the heat from the SH Prep kids at school. I think I’d shrivel up and wither if I had to deal with them at work, too.
Even though, yeah, I guess they are technically at my workplace right now. But so far, at least, they’re not being rude or condescending or anything. Just kind of loud.
“Yup. He was a total dick about it. Like crazy over-protective of his brother. And taking it out on me.”
Another two groups walk in just then, so we’re forced to break up the conversation. We sort of end up taking turns working the cool kids’ table. And they continue to be surprisingly un-mean. Even Xavier, who I’m expecting to be a total jerk after the story Maggie just told me. I catch her casting disapproving glances his way every few minutes. And any time she goes over to check on them or bring them food, she avoids eye contact with him and addresses someone else in their group.
They only stay for about an hour, but the café continues to be slammed until closing, so any conversations between Maggie and Hayden and I are pretty hurried. Just little chunks of exchanges whenever we cross paths in the kitchen. Which I don’t mind. I like being busy, and the buzz of chatter and laughter throughout the café. The happy energy. I’m starting to feel like I belong here. Like I can be myself and not be ridiculed for it. And this time, when Maggs and Hayden ask me to stay after work to play Terraforming Mars, I agree. Maggs even procured a few coolers from who knows where, and we each have three of them. I lose the game, but it’s still an awesome night.
I eat too much penny candy, drink too much Gin Fizz, laugh too loud, and bask in the unfiltered joy of being around other people without a lick of my usual armor. And when I get home later that night and fall into bed exhausted, slightly buzzed from the coolers, and still warm from the laughter and conversation, it suddenly hits me.
I have friends.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Caroline
