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My nose wrinkles. I could be lowballing it though. The gold around the center of the band varies the price and I’m too unbothered to sum the inflation rate.
“Hey,” Rory complains as I steal a fry from her plate sometime later, once the food arrives.
My smile is toothy as I dip the fry in the milkshake and eat the whole thing in one bite. The salty-sweet combination is a favorite.
“You have your own,” Rory groans, leaning forward and swatting me away, eyeing the identical meal on my side of the table when I do it again.
“I’m hungry,” I defend with a whine.
What can I say? Hailey knows how to work up an appetite.
“Hey, how are you able to put weight on your foot?” Hailey questions quizzingly. “I thought that was the one you hurt?”
Casually, Rory sinks back down into her seat. The ice pack she had resting on her outstretched ankle is now a forgotten mess of liquid on the ground as soon as she stands up.
“Rory?” Hailey presses when Rory suddenly goes sheepish.
I cross my arms over my chest as my expression turns cutthroat. “Itisstrange, isn’t it?” Agreeing with Williams.
“Uh. It’s a miracle?” Rory’s attempt to deny the truth is laughable.
Hailey’s eyes go wide before hurt starts to overshadow her surprise. Her voice is coated with confusion. “You faked it?”
“Why’d you do it, Lil Sis?”
Rory rolls her eyes by way of an explanation. “Don’t take any more of my food,” she demands eventually.
I can feel the buckets of agitation as they roll off Hailey in waves. She, out of the two of us, is the most distraught as to why Rory would lie and fake an injury. Like me, though, she doesn’t push, probably coming to the same conclusion.
Some things are better left unknown.
thirty-five
Finn
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Finn
Passing the living room on my way down from upstairs, I spot the girls and Aiden in the living room, and something underneath my ribs flutters at the sight before me.
“Whatcha guys up to this fine day?” I ask, more chipper than I had been minutes earlier, as I kiss Aiden on the head and take a seat opposite them on the couch.
It’s been a week since the tournament and somehow, Hailey and Aiden being here more has turned into the new normal.
I mean, when we were still in high school, Hailey came over quite a bit, sure, but since finding out we have a son, we’ve worked out a schedule. Instead, now they both seem to spend full days here instead of me coming over or meeting up.
This thing underneath my bones hits, rattling again, and I scratch at it, not understanding what it means.
“Wedding planning?” Deducing an answer as soon as I ask the question, spotting all the cardstock with fancy envelopes sitting beside them.
Picking one up, I flip it between my fingers. “Does this count as my invite?”
“Give it back,” Rory says, snatching it away before adding it to a separate pile and shoving an already sealed one my way. “Here.Thisis yours,” she deadpans.
Opening it, I hardly glance at it before flipping the envelope upside down. “Where’s the card to add a plus-one?”
My sister scoffs, not lifting her head from sealing off another invite. Hailey, however, gets a wink and a nice little secret grin from yours truly.
