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Why the fuck did I sign up for an 8:30 lecture on Mondays?
I laughed and kept scrolling.
Connor:
The parking lot for Katie’s apartment doesn't tow, does it?
I’m going to crash there tonight.
My smile disappeared, and I stared at Connor’s texts. I had thought about Maci the entire drive back from Charlotte. I thought about her before I passed out last night. And I thought about her when I got my coffee this morning. I hated that she wasn’t one of the unopened text messages in my inbox. I hated that I didn’t know what to say if I sent her a text.
All because I wanted to make sure there were clear lines drawn.
Nah, you should be good.
Connor didn’t say anything back. He wasn’t someone who pried when it came to drama or personal business, but I knew he was curious when it came to Maci and me. I slipped my phone into my bookbag for the rest of class. Suddenly I didn't want anything to do with the world outside of this riveting economics lecture.
* * *
It was almostten-thirty when my class let out. Since this class was full, I waited until the hordes of people gathered at the door made it into the hallway before I attempted my escape.
I drained the rest of my lukewarm coffee and threw the empty cup in the trash. The building was loud with conversation as two more doors opened and released more people into the hallway. I turned to face the closest exit when I saw the familiar dark curls and bright blue book bag.
“Katie?” I lowered the hood of my jacket and waited a moment for her to turn around.
Katie spun around and smiled as soon as she saw me. She took three giant steps, and I pulled her into my chest for a hug.
“Jaxon Hayes.” She adjusted the straps on her book bag. It was tight around the zippers and looked like it was about to burst with the number of items she had shoved into the pockets. “It’s nice to see you. It’s weird that it has taken this long to see you, actually.”
I offered a small smile for her honest confession. Katie always told it how it was, and she was always caught up with what was going on with Maci. I would have loved to see her reaction to the chlamydia incident. There were certain scenes you just couldn’t make up in your head.
“I’m figuring out how to fix that.” I ran a hand over my fresh cut. I was thankful that my barber back home could fit me in before I left.
Katie sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You guys will figure it out. Connor is very invested in your story by the way.”
“You mean yourboyfriend?” I teased, and she rolled her eyes. “Of course he is.”
“Never would’ve met him if it wasn’t for you coming to the rescue.” Katie looked behind her to survey the area before she continued, “By the way, I want to thank you for what you said to Tyler.”
I cocked my head and stuck my hands in the pockets of my jacket. My run-in with Tyler happened over a month ago, and I never intended for Katie to hear it.
“I heard you that morning when we were at Kroger.” She lowered her voice. “There was never a good time to bring it up. But I wanted to say thank you. Tyler hasn’t been a problem since.”
“I told you I would have a talk with that guy.” I shrugged. The idea of Katie stressing over some asshat like Tyler made my blood boil. “Connor is a great guy. I am happy you guys worked out.”
“Talk to Maci,” Katie urged, changing the subject back to my problems. “I have to head to my next class, but don’t be a stranger. I have all kinds of recipes for us to try on Thursdays or whatever night dinner ends up being.”
It was nice to know that Katie was optimistic about me coming around again. I watched her walk away and laughed when she turned around to make sure I heard her. I nodded and headed in the opposite direction toward the student union.
Seeing Katie reminded me how much I missed the life that I had left here before break. When I left for break, I was spending all of my free time with Maci and hating the fact that she was sleeping with Bryson. I had wanted to see Maci in person since I drove onto the exit for Bowling Green. After the fight she had with Bryson yesterday, there was no way they would be back to normal soon. It would be wonderful if that was the final exchange between the two of them, but the last time I checked, Maci had feelings for Bryson. One of them would cave. The more time I waited to reach out, the more I risked her never talking to me again.
As I passed Jamba Juice, I pulled out my phone and scrolled down my messages until I got to our thread.
Do Thursdays still work for you?
She would know what I was talking about without any more detail. I was taking a big chance asking about our old routine as if nothing had happened, but Thursdays had always been our thing. If we were going to move past this, I wanted the friendship we had or nothing at all. The second option left an ache in my gut.
I scanned the menu while I waited for a text back, trying to distract myself from the fact that I was nervous to get a response. I guess there was a first time for everything. I ordered a strawberry banana smoothie and paced back and forth in front of the pickup counter.
