tomorrow night because that was the original plan, but with E traveling for his own away game, he suggested Bette change our tickets to today in case there were any weather delays.
We sidestep our way around a man on his phone, continuing through the terminal toward our gate. “Besides…you’ve traveled with me enough for competitions to know I hate this crap something awful.”
“Truth.” It’s my turn to hip-check him at his devout-testify hand wave. “It is lucky you were such a damn good cheerleader, otherwise we would have left your ass behind at The Barracks.”
I scoff. “Jerk.” I get him with an unsuspecting elbow back into his gut. “And what do you mean I was a damn good cheerleader? I still kick ass.”
“Love you, brat,” he says instead of answering.
I scrunch my nose and pucker my lips, telling him without words how I feel about him in the moment before reluctantly agreeing, “Love you too.” I pause as JT helps us weave through other travelers. “But I think Trav might be replacing you as my favorite surrogate brother.”
He guffaws and hits me with an eye roll. “Please.”
“What?” I shrug. “I’m just saying he’s a lot nicer to me…”
“You guys are still in the honeymoon stage of your friendship. Once that wears off, he’ll start treating you like the rest of us.” The rest of us being him, G, CK, B, and, of course, E.
We make it to our departing gate and look around for a cluster of free seats to accommodate our traveling party.
“The honeymoon stage is not a friendship thing.” It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “It’s a dating thing.”
“Bullshit.” JT turns sideways in his seat to face me, laying his arm over the back of mine. “Right now you and the quarterback are in that”—he clears his throat, adding a girlish lilt to his voice—“you’re my new best friend, I love you so much, how have we not been friends before this stage.”
I glower at him with narrowed eyes. And Mase says I’m the smartass. He would never survive hanging with my bestie for an extended period of time.
“Soon enough, that new-friend shine will fade and Trav will recognize you for the real pain in the ass you are.” JT boops my nose.
I bat his hand away. “You’re an ass.”
“I know.” He pops a shoulder, unaffected. “But as previously stated, you love me anyway.”
Currently, not so much. I kind of want to hit him right now.
“You’re wrong, though. Trav and I have never been the gushy-over-our-new-friendship type. The closest he’s come to declaring his undying love for me is when I feed him.”
“They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” JT leans back and circles a hand over his, nodding.
T and Savvy are laughing from their seats across the aisle, clearly entertained by our antics.
“Careful, Jim,” T warns her brother. “It sounds like you’re at risk of losing your spot at the top of PF’s list.”
Bette, having had to check her bag to bring the scissors and clippers needed to style our guys’ hair, returns at that moment. My gaze homes in on the large coffee carrier in her hands.
“What’d he do now?” She gestures at JT with the carrier but directs the question to T.
“Nothing,” JT answers, accepting the Dunkin’ cup Bette holds out to him. “I was just trying to get PF to smile.”
Bette belly-laughs as she passes out the rest of the coffees.
“You know it’s hazardous to your health to mess with Kay this early.” I catch the smirk Bette tries to hide behind her cup.
I tuck my feet beneath me and cradle the paper cup between my hands, inhaling deeply while I have a private moment with my salvation. This white chocolate latte is the only best friend I need.
“Really feeling the love people,” I grumble.
“Oh hush.” JT tucks a finger under my cup and tips it toward my mouth. “Drink your coffee.”
Bette, being the most organized person on the planet—I swear it was the reason why being a long-distance newlywed was easy for her—arranged everything about the trip for not only us with her, but everyone joining us.
Somehow, someway, she was able to work out flight arrangements that had the five of us flying in from Baltimore, G and D from New York, and CK from Kansas landing in at Dallas/Fort Worth within an hour of each other.
Em and Q are also arriving in Dallas today but will be tied up with their commitments with the Red Squad,