my life has been one shitshow after another, coming clean with what happened between Stone and me doesn’t seem all that bad. I mean, let’s be real. In the grand scheme of things, Stone doing a hit and run on me last Friday night is pretty goddamn mild compared to the shit I’ve done this past year.
“I know your heart is in the right place, but I think this is more of a guy thing,” I explain, my last attempt to avoid this awkward-as-fuck conversation.
“Well, you’re in luck. You’ve got two guys right here,” she beams at my two best friends, nudging Easton’s shoulder with her own. “But something tells me you’ll do better with a woman’s point of view than one of these guys. A certain tattooed girl with vibrant, black and blue hair giving you a hard time, is she?” she singsongs with stars in her eyes.
My jaw falls flat on the table. Not only is Kennedy intuitive as fuck, but she also might be a goddamn witch.
“How did you know?”
She leans back into the leather cushion with an all-knowing smile splaying her lips, looking pleased for nailing my current predicament right on the head.
“Oh, come on, Finn. Did you honestly expect to keep it a secret for long? I mean, Richfield’s star quarterback cannot be seen trailing after a girl from the Southside for over two weeks without setting tongues wagging all over town. You two have started quite a stir, I tell you.”
“Shit,” I mumble.
I don’t like the idea of being the center of gossip, and I know for a fact that Stone is going to fucking hate it, too. It’s just something else to add to her cons’ list where I’m concerned.
“So, what’s going on with you two?” Kennedy continues, cupping her chin with her hands and gazing at me like one of the rom-coms she loves to binge-watch on Netflix.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I confess exasperatedly, making her brows furrow together at witnessing my frustration.
“Okay. How about you use your words and explain why you’re in such a sullen mood? Baby steps, Finn. You can do this,” she insists patiently.
“Fine. Whatever. You’ll bust my balls one way or another.”
“I think our boy is finally getting it,” East jokes, leaning into the table right alongside Kennedy so he doesn’t miss a second of my humiliation.
I look at Linc, and he’s just as attentive.
Curious fuckers, the lot of them.
Guess I’ve got to bite the bullet, or they’ll never leave me alone. But fuck, this is going to be a hard one to live with once I come clean.
“So, have you ever been with someone, and uh… had an incredible night together, uh… had mind-blowing sex, and then two minutes afterward, they’re, uh… they’re ready to bounce like it never happened?”
“You mean hit it and quit it like you usually do, motherfucker?” Easton teases with a laugh.
I flip him off again while Kennedy jams her elbow in his gut.
“Ouch.”
“Stop being a dick and answer him, East. Can’t you see Finn’s really torn up about it?” she pleads, which makes me feel like shit because I must look really fucking bad for Kennedy to be coming to my defense.
“Why can’t Linc answer him? He gets around just as much as I do,” East defends, tilting his chin in Lincoln’s direction while holding his stomach to prevent her from hitting him again.
Even though Kennedy doesn’t waver her sights from my dark-haired friend, I don’t miss how she flinched with Easton’s statement. And I doubt Lincoln did either.
“Kennedy asked you to do it, asshole. So talk,” Lincoln orders, not exactly ecstatic about East throwing him under the bus to save his own hide.
“Whatever,” he mumbles, and then pretends to take a minute to really think about it. “So, I’ve had some clingers. I’ve definitely had some seconds. I also had my share of one-nighters, but never one who was ready to hit the road after only one fuck. You sure you rocked her world, man? You do know your hands aren’t just for throwing around a football, right?” he goads, wiggling his fingers in my face.
“First of all, fuck you. Of course I know how to use my goddamn hands. And second of all, I know when a girl is faking and when she’s not. And Stone was definitely not faking.”
“Had a lot of experience with girls faking it, have you?” he jokes, gaining a muffled chuckle from Linc at my side.