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Alex snorts, and my lips curl in the corners of my mouth gently.
She rolls her eyes. “Okay, then I’ve had enough of it. How about that?”
Shrugging, I pick up my food to finally eat. “Whatever you want. It’s Emily’s world, I just live in it.”
“Ah, I miss your dazzling personality. I feel like I’ve barely seen you outside of practice. It’s weird here without a car. I feel like I’m stuck in the dorms,” she says with a pout.
Greg wraps his arm around her shoulder. “I told you I would take you wherever you want.”
“That’s weird because I feel like I’ve seen you more than I did in high school,” I tell her.
Emily sighs. “Probably because it’s slower. More chances to just hang out in between classes. I don’t know why they forced us to wake up at seven a.m. every day to prepare us for college when most professors don’t even want to come in before nine a.m.”
I swallow my bite before laughing. “I preferred seven a.m. classes after our morning practices. It’s weird to have enough time to go grab breakfast if we want to.”
Alex shifts in his seat next to me. “I didn’t know you guys went to the same school. You guys end up in the same dorm too?”
Emily frowns and looks at me with a pout. “No, somebody got an apartment off-campus.”
Both boys turn to glance at me in surprise.
“You got your own place?” Alex asks.
I shake my head. “No, I live with my family.”
“They all moved here?” Greg asks, the incredulous tone making me blush.
“Yeah, they did. My mom got a better job offer so I guess she thought why not.”
Greg smiles. “That’s awesome to have that kind of support.” I didn't fully appreciate how sweet his comment was when the ever-growing irritation to my left interrupted.
“Man, I wouldn’t want my family following me to college. This is the time you want without their watchful eyes,” Alex says, laughing as he rubs a hand down his chest.
Emily rolls her eyes. “Yeah, don’t worry, Alex. Your mom wouldn’t care about the nonexistent girls you bring over and your daily dates with a cheese pizza.”
His hands drop in his lap as he stares at her, his neck and cheeks flushing. Greg shakes his head, pushing at Emily’s chin with his knuckle. “What have I told you, beautiful? Alex can dish it, but he can’t take it. You gotta retract those claws.”
My stomach twists in second-hand embarrassment, so I turn to him with an exaggerated look of judgment. “You eat pizza with only cheese? That’s serial killer behavior.”
Alex blinks at me before realizing I’m joking and smiles softly. “No, putting pineapple on your pizza is serial killer behavior.”
Emily snorts. “Tell him your favorite pizza, Sage.”
I lick my drying lips, narrowing my eyes at her. “I’m actually not that picky. I could eat any kind of pizza, even plain cheese.”
Emily squints and then nods slightly. She got defensive over his comment about family, knowing I’m close with mine. I love her dearly and appreciate her, but it’s not like I know the poor dude well enough to even care about his opinion.
“Have you actually ever tried pineapple and ham on your pizza, dude? It’s not bad. I wouldn’t order it willingly, but if the offer is there, I’m not gonna turn it down,” Greg says, breaking up the tense stare-off between Emily and me.
Alex shakes his head. “The thought of warm pineapple disgusts me.”
“You know what I think is gross? Bacon in ice cream,” I say.
Emily gasps. Maple bacon, whatever nasty concoction, is her absolute favorite, and I know I hit my target.
I snicker, enjoying the friendly banter that continues as we finish up our lunch. Alex finally gets the hint and scoots away from me, giving me more room, and I relax in the booth. It’s nice to spend time with others, but it also reminds me of my loneliness. That this isn’t something I do often, either because oftime or money. It also helps briefly to remove my mind from the ever-hanging cloud storming over me. I crossed the line with my coach and now that he’s ignoring me, I’m not sure how to feel about that other than confused and hurt.
Chapter Fifteen
