“Well, that was nice of her!” Julie says, filling in the awkward silence.
“It was.” I pat my hands on the table. “Need any help, Mom?”
Mom’s tight smile relaxes into something more neutral, and then she actually grins at me. “Yes, please. You can slice some tomatoes for the burgers.”
I slide out of my seat and join her in the kitchen. Zach keeps eating chips, and I grab a cutting board from under the sink and get to work.
It’s a snapshot of the rest of my life, and it’s the way things have always been. Comfortable. Predictable. Which should make me happy.
So why do I feel so…unsettled?
CHAPTER 6
Ryan
Life sucks.
There’s no better way to explain it.
This past week, I’ve done everything in my power to avoid Claire, and I’ve actually been pretty successful. I thought that would make me feel better—out of sight, out of mind, right? But instead, I’m completely miserable. I miss my best friend, and I feel like I’m about to lose her forever.
At least I have my guys. It’s Saturday night, and we’re gathered around my kitchen table. Aaron invited his friend, Kevin McDonald, an accountant who’s scary good at poker. Which is why we’renotplaying poker. Instead, we’re playing a card game that resembles the TV show Survivor. I invited Chase, an English professor who was hired with me three years ago, and a reputable ladies’ man. We’re opposites in looks—he’s got dark hair, olive skin, and dark eyes, and don’t forget the eternal feud between English and math—but we get along well. Then there’s Marshall, a chemistry professor in his fifties who’s a little cranky but seemed like he needed a friend. Maybe it was weird to throw him in the mix, but I felt bad for him when he started complaining about the math professors taking over the lunch area.
“Camp raid!” Kevin calls out, placing a card on the table, and we all groan. He points at me, and the light from the chandelier above catches his tiny glasses perched on his nose. “Lemme see those cards.”
I show him my cards, and he gets to choose one, then sits back smugly. Of course he took my extra vote card.
“So, Ryan, how’s work?” Kevin asks, moving his cards around in his deck.
“Fine.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Anything interesting going on with your classes?”
“How about we just play the game?” I snap.
“Yikes. You weren’t kidding,” Kevin mutters to Aaron.
“Kidding about what?” I ask, looking at Aaron.
Aaron’s eyes dart between me and Kevin. “I just thought…you know…that he should be prepared for your moodiness over Claire.”
“I’m not moody!” I cry out. Everyone around the table jumps. I clear my throat and sit back in my seat, feigning a leisurely stance. “I’m not moody,” I repeat, this time in a calm voice.
There’s silence for a moment, then they all burst into laughter. I take an angry swig of my soda. “Whatever. You all suck.”
“I get it, man,” Chase says, slapping me on the shoulder. “Claire is hot. No wonder you’re mad.”
The way he says it makes my blood boil even more. He’s dated every woman in town, so his reputation is well known. I glare at him. “She’s nothot,” I reply. “She’s beautiful. And sweet. And funny. And?—”
“Okay, okay, we get it, Romeo,” Marshall grumbles in his low, seasoned chemistry professor voice. He gestures at Chase. “Get on with the game.”
Chase just smirks and points at Kevin. “Gimme a card.”
Kevin groans. “Quit ganging up on me.”
“Too bad.” Chase takes his card and smirks. He finishes his turn and picks up a new card. Marshall takes his turn, stealing a card from me, and then it’s time for tribal council. He clears his throat and begins reading the script, and I feel like a student in his class, slightly terrified but simultaneously bored. After a brief introduction, he allows for discussion.
“I say we vote out Kevin,” Chase says. “The poker champion is obviously better at this than the rest of us.”
