third option—the one where I want to spend time with her and I can play loyal as long as my back is turned.
“Cool. I’ll be home around nine, I guess.”
I hold up a thumb and walk away, mentally doing the math on the number of hours left before nine. It’s barely twelve-thirty.
I get back to the booth where things started, my burger probably still several minutes away from being ready. Abby is twisting where she stands, eyes on the spot where her gym shoe digs at the floor. She’s dressed for the gym in tight black leggings and a black workout tee, a white long-sleeved shirt tied around her waist. Unlike me, she’s got her hair tucked neatly under a hat, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s so she can hide underneath the brim.
“I guess I’m driving you back to our place?” My words come out convincingly nonchalant, but June reads below the surface. My friend shakes her head at me slowly, a warning I ignore as I fish out my wallet and toss a twenty on the table. “Just take my burger home. I’m not hungry anyway.”
“I’ll eat it,” Lucas says, winking at me. Clearly, June filled him in on the details he missed. “I’ll probably be over in an hour too. I don’t mind doing my own thing while you guys study or whatever it is.”
“Run lines,” Abby corrects. She tips her head up sharply and her eyes shift from Lucas to me, but they’re impossible to read. Maybe I’m overreacting, because I could swear she’s her usual self, short-tempered and pretentious, and appalled that Lucas wouldn’t understand her world.
“Right, study,” Lucas says, just to be a dick. I chuckle, mostly to fit in but also because that was funny.
“Ready?” Abby’s entire body has turned to face me, and she’s completely void of tension, at least it seems so on her end. I, however, am an impossible knot.
“Sure, yeah,” I say, picking up my water cup and gulping down half of it. I set it back on the table and clutch my keys in my pocket, nodding toward the door. Abby walks away first, not bothering to wait for me, and I breathe out a laugh as I follow, a little thankful for the normalcy.
“So, see you at one?” Lucas calls after us.
That’s hardly an hour. It’s less than thirty minutes from now. But I know he should show up. If he’s there, everything will stay above board, maybe even my imagination. If he doesn’t show, I might get all sappy and shit and pull out my guitar.
“Sounds good, bruh.” I hold up my hand as I push through the door, the tiny bell ringing at the top as I leave. I’m pretty sure that means June gets her wings.
8
Abby
Stick to the plan, Abby.
I woke up with a renewed sense of business as usual when it comes to Tory D’Angelo and me. If only he’d participate in said plan. This works much better when he acts like a dog, tossing out misogynistic jokes while acting like every girl wants him.
Every girl does want him.
I sense he’s trying, though. His cocky swagger is only at mid-strength. He called the guy with the double-sized spoiler and whirring muffler who tried to race us a douche, then laughed when the guy had to stop short because a minivan pulled out in front of him. Other than that, he’s acting as if I’m not sitting here, a foot away from him in his bucket seat.
I kiss his brother sitting in this seat. What am I thinking? What am I doing? Why am I even dating someone? I’m not emotionally equipped for this stuff.
We get to the main drag of town and traffic halts, a line of twenty or more cars in front of us. Tory rolls down his window and climbs halfway out from his seat, sitting on the ledge. I lean toward the middle of our seats as if somehow, I can see better from here.
“They’re removing some of the downed trees. Looks like they’re almost done,” he says, slipping back inside before I have a chance to move away. His brows draw in a little and his mouth sits on the cusp of laughter as our eyes meet.
“You wanna have a look?” He points over his shoulder and out his window.
“Pfft.” I huff, glowering before blinking my gaze back to the windshield and situating myself away from him again. This little tiff almost feels normal. If only I