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“Yessir,” I replied with a grin.
The guys and I showered up, then I got in Xander’s truck with Terrell, Kenzie, and Deena to hit Waldo’s Diner. I wasn’t the kind of guy who cared too much about clothes, but tonight, I’d taken time to find a pair of jeans I liked and paired it with a cream-colored Henley shirt. My sister Des always called Henleys the guy version of leggings. I wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but I assumed it was good.
I hoped April liked my clothes and cologne as much as I liked her looks. But to be fair, she could roll up to the diner in sweats and I’d still be drooling over her smile, her wits, the no-nonsense way she viewed the world.
From the back seat of the truck, Deena said, “Is lover girl coming to the diner?”
Xander answered before I could. “She better. Diego is way less of a pain since she came around.”
Kenzie nodded. “True.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, trying not to be defensive.
They all exchanged a look, and Terrell said. “I’ve got this.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “You were getting a little tense at the end of the summer.” He placed his other hand over his chest. “I get it. Last year of school starting up had me stressed too. But it was like ever since she started at the Academy, you got your spark back.”
Xander nodded. “Or maybe that dog she watches fetched that stick out your butt.”
While Terrell laughed, Deena scrunched up her nose. “Gross.”
“It’s a good thing,” Kenzie said, reassuring me. “You’re happier now.”
I nodded, trying not to take it personal. I didn’t want my friends to see me as a pain, but I did feel better now. Not just because of April, but also because Jacinda was helping me find a direction for my life outside of the expected. Even if I was still having trouble nailing down my mission statement.
We rolled up to Waldo’s Diner, and the parking lot was mostly full. I got out of the truck, looking through the diner windows to see April and Sadie sitting in a booth toward the back of the diner.
It was just the two of them, and April had her arms waving through the air, excitedly telling Sadie a story. I wished I could hear what it was about—that I could see that side of April more often.
Terrell clapped my shoulder. “Come on, lover boy. Let’s get inside.”
I chuckled in response, following them in. The entire restaurant cheered as we walked through the door.
The guys and Deena got pulled into a table with the cheerleaders, and Kenzie and I went to sit with Sadie and April. Sadie seemed to tense with Kenzie next to her, but she still smiled and said, “Good game, Diego!”
“Thanks,” I said.
April cringed at me and said, “Am I ever going to get used to seeing you be tackled? It wasn’t nearly as fun to watch now that I like you.”
Kenzie laughed so hard she snorted. “I like her.”
I shook my head. “You can go back to hating me for a little while, as long as you come to the games. I think you’re my lucky charm.”
“Yeah?” April asked.
I nodded. “Coach said I played better than I ever have tonight.”
“Gah,” Sadie said. “Why are you two so cute?”
“Right?” Kenzie agreed.
I smiled across the table at April, and she returned the smile before shyly looking down. Adorable. As usual.
A waitress came by and took our orders for milkshakes, then Kenzie asked, “Did you two do anything before the game?”
Sadie and April shrugged at each other, and Sadie answered. “I just picked April up at her house, met her parents for a little bit. That was fun.”
My eyes slammed to April’s. Sadie met her parents? Including her dad? At her house?
April had been so nervous to even let us pick her up before the rafting trip. A strange sense of... hurt? Betrayal? Confusion? Jealousy? Bloomed in the pit of my stomach. I knew April and Sadie were friends, but I wanted April to let me in too. And this was a signal that she was still holding me at arm’s length.
