Now That I've Found You - Kristina Forest Page 0,20

before I pull my hand away.

“I’m Rafael Gonzales,” he says smoothly. He runs a hand over his hair, flashes a smile, and winks. I can’t tell if he knows how cheesy he looks or if he actually thinks he’s charming. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“It would be a pleasure if you took our order.” A tall white woman stands behind us with her arms crossed, looking disgruntled. “Or should I ask to speak with your manager?”

Raf frowns and opens his mouth to respond, but Milo steps in. “We’re about done here,” he says to the woman. He turns to Raf. “Can you bring two large fries to the table? The usual sauces.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Raf says, waving him away. “Ben and Vinny are already in the back.”

Milo nods and steers me past the line, toward a table where two other boys are sitting. One is lanky, with medium-brown skin and curly hair. He’s reading a thick paperback novel with a dragon on the cover. The boy beside him is Asian, and he’s wearing gold circular, wire-rimmed glasses. He waves at Milo and shoots a quizzical look at me, elbowing the reading boy to get his attention. Now they’re both watching us as we approach.

“Yo,” Milo says, sitting down across from them. He motions for me to sit beside him, so I do. Quietly, he says, “This is Evie. You know, Ms. C’s granddaughter.”

I wait to see what their reaction will be. They don’t need to kiss my hand like Raf. I just hope they aren’t Paul Christopher fans who might hate me.

Slowly, the reading boy puts down his book. His friend beside him adjusts his glasses. And then … they stare at me.

“Hi,” I finally say.

Milo clears his throat and gives them a look that says, Stop being weird.

“Sorry, they’re awkward,” Milo explains.

“I’m Vinny,” the boy with the glasses quickly says, rolling his eyes at Milo. He leans forward and offers his hand for me to shake. “Vinny Oh. It’s so nice to meet you. Well, technically we’ve met before, but super briefly. Last Christmas.”

I cringe, hating that I barely remember anything from when they sang carols at Gigi’s. Was I that checked out, so busy texting Simone?

“I’m Ben,” the other boy says. His smile is wide and welcoming. He glances back and forth between Milo and me. “Um, are you here just visiting your grandma?”

“We have the FCCs on Sunday,” I say, and Milo coughs. I glare at him, and he shrugs innocently.

“Alanna was my favorite character in Mind Games, even if she was only alive for, like, twenty minutes,” Vinny says. “I always say she should have been in it longer, right, Ben?”

“Typical that the Black person got killed first,” Ben says, nodding.

My character, Alanna, was a quirky girl who wore Crocs and braces, and she played the trombone in the school band. She’s practicing alone on the football field when she gets murdered by the teens in a cult terrorizing her small town. I loved playing her because she was one hundred percent her own person. I guess that must have resonated with Paul’s fans. Last year, Hot Topic’s bestselling T-shirt had a picture of Alanna with RIP written underneath.

Ben leans forward. “Can you play the trombone in real life?”

“No,” I say, smiling. “I can’t play any instruments, actually.”

“Oh, well, that’s also cool,” he says, smiling too.

Then that’s it. No more questions. And best of all, they don’t bring up Paul Christopher firing me or the video. This is unexpected.

“Apparently, Raf has a surprise for us,” Vinny says, frowning. “We probably won’t like it.”

Milo sighs. “Do we ever?”

“How much do you wanna bet that it’s a new song idea?” Vinny says. “I’ll bet five dollars. No, better yet, if I’m right, one of you has to do dishes every night this week.”

Milo and Ben both balk. “Hell no, not worth betting on that,” Milo says. “And you technically don’t even live there, so it’s not fair.”

I relax a little, now that the conversation doesn’t revolve around me. Just as I’m starting to remember how hungry I am, a large basket of fries appears before my eyes.

“For you, madam,” Raf says, placing another basket in front of Ben and Vinny. He actually bows before he slides next to me on the bench. “I hope you like Thai chili ketchup and pomegranate teriyaki sauce. But if you don’t, just say the word and I’ll—”

“It’s fine,” I say quickly, placing my hand on his shoulder and keeping