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colin
I’mstandinginlinewith two trays of food, one for me and one for Abigail when Parker and Ryan come up behind me.
“Dude. You didn’t.” Parker takes one tray out of my hands.
“Hey, give that back. It's for my new friend,” I say as they both exchange a look.
“Oh,he did,” Ryan says as a huge grin stretches across my face.
I know exactly what I’m doing, and it’s about damn time. The girl has been here all but half a day, has turned my best friends upside down, and is the main source of gossip in this school.
“Why man?” Ryan asks as I go up to Linda, the food lady, and flash her my award-winning smile.
“Looking lovely today, Linda. Did you do something different with your hair?” She giggles and waves me on.
I haven’t paid for a meal in years—perks to being a star player on the best team in the state. I’ve got skills that will one day pay the bills. We are all banking on getting scholarships to the same college so we can stay together, the dream being one day drafted to the same team, but that's a long shot.
“Why’s she at our table, O’Brian?” Parker asks as I take the tray of food out of his hands and move my way out into the main part of the cafeteria, where Abigail still sits at our table. Good girl.
“I saved her from your ex, and I was not about to have her eat alone. You both may have had her in the past, but I’m staking my claim on her here and now. Look at her.” They look over at her as she sits there reading the book I took from her earlier. “That there, gentlemen, is a goddess.”
The cafeteria is packed with our classmates, all talking and walking around; in the corner two lowerclassmen are putting up flyers on the walls for the upcoming Halloween dance, and off near the door, teachers are talking. But here at our table where we all sit, pure silence.
Parker is staring at Abigail. Ryan is staring at me, and I’m just leaning back in my seat, waiting for the show to start, stuffing my face with tater tots and whatever this mystery meat is in front of me.
At last, Ryan speaks, “Abby,” She looks up from her book. Her eyes go wide. “Eight years is a long time. I think we need to have a talk.”
“Ryan,” Abigail begins as she carefully puts a bookmark between the pages and closes her book. “If this is thewe should see other peopletalk, I think you are a few years too late. But if it helps, you can say you dumped me.”
Ryan’s mouth drops, and I shoot my eyes over to Parker, who is still staring intently at her. Then I look back at Ryan, who is still in shock.
“Damn, my girl has some fire!” I chuckle.
Ryan looks over at me and crooks his head to the side before looking back at Abigail. “Yeah, guess it is long overdue. How about we say it was mutual.” He extends his hand across the table as a truce, and she takes it.
“Agreed,” she says as she looks him square in the eyes. They both linger for a moment too long, holding hands across the table, and Parker forcefully pushes back his chair, stands up, and storms right out of the room. He apparently has a flair for the dramatics today.
“What the—” Abigail begins to say as Ryan puts a hand up in the air.
“He’s… well… give him some time. But I am glad you’re back, Abbs. We, I mean I—I’ve missed you.” Ryan drops his chin and sighs. He pushes up from his seat and gives Abigail a soft smile before retreating after Parker.
“Just you and me, sweet cheeks. So, tell me all about that book you’re reading. Is it one of those gooey romance novels all you girls love to read?”
Abigail looks up at me with sadness in her eyes. “I caused that. It’s all my fault. I was just a child. I had no say or control over my life. What does he want from me?”
“Baby girl, it ain’t you. Parker is a complex individual who, over the years, at least since I’ve known him, has hardened his heart. He kind of had to.”
“What do you mean?” She asks as I pick up her empty tray of food, and we both stand to walk toward the doors leading out into the hallway.
“It’s not my story to tell, beautiful. You’ll have to ask him.” She looks at me with curiosity and hurt. I can tell because she starts to bite on her bottom lip, and it’s doing something inside of me that has my big Johnson on standby.
I assume she starts digging in her bag to look for her schedule, so I grab her arm and say, “We have French next with Applegate. Room 312.”
“Wait, how did you—” She asks as she adjusts her purse on her shoulder.
“I may or may not have some pull with the office aid as she is partial to my company at times.” I smile at her and wink.
seven
