My scowl shifts into a full-blown grin when my phone chimes. Riling up Mallory is my full-time job.
Edwards Schmedwards
I! Was! Not! Late! I was three minutes early and sadly ended up beside you. I’m cursed.
Cursed or not, we’re stuck together.
Chapter Seven
“Can I see thenutrition facts, please?” I ask the employee behind the counter. Smaller restaurants like Claude’s Cafe don’t often post their nutrition information online.
“Of course,” the woman chirps. Libby, a real-life angel with a blonde, braided halo, returns with a stack of papers and a big smile.
After ordering, I snag a booth by the window facing campus that’s perfect for people watching. “Apologize” by OneRepublic pauses when I yank out my earbuds to start my breathing exercises. I need them more than ever because once Kenneth arrives, he will spend the whole hour driving me up the wall.
Although he was somehow early to our first class, Kenneth is notorious for being at least five minutes late. He thrives on nothing but freedom and doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Something that feels like jealousy pulses in my chest, and I shove it away when his large frame moves past the window.
Seven minutes late, might I add.
The bell above the door chimes, and Kenneth ducks to avoid running into it. His eyes crawl from the ground to my exposed stomach, catching me in the process of preparing for my breakfast insulin injection. I canalmost hear the annoying tilt of his lips as he closes the distance, pretending to scribble on his open palm.
“Adding public indecency to your list of crimes. I put it at number two on the list. Nothing will ever beat peeing in a church parking lot.”
“It wasnextto the church parking lot!” I counter, my cheeks warm. I’ll never forgive Cade for calling Kenneth to pick us up that night. I was tipsy and there was no way I was going to survive the ten-minute drive home. Sue me.
“Yeah, yeah. Potato tomato, Ed.”
“That’s not the saying and you know it,” I grumble.
His leg grazes mine when he falls into the booth, and I cross my legs under my butt. Warmth exudes off him like squiggles on a cartoon sun, and as nice as it feels, I’d rather freeze.
“Get here extra early to prove a point?” he asks.
“Get here extralateto prove a point?”
Kenneth rolls his eyes, perking up to wave at something behind me. “Morning, Libby. I’ll have the usual, please.”
Libby responds with a chipper agreement before the back door slams shut behind her.
“The usual?” I ask.
“Yup. I come here every day. Once you try a Claude’s cinnamon roll, you’ll never be the same.”
I think of the sweet woman I met five minutes ago and wonder how she became acquainted with the most annoying human I know. “That doesn’t explain why she was so nice to you. I should probably warn her to steer clear of you.”
Kenneth chuckles, leaning in so close that I can smell the citrus on his breath and clean soap on his skin. “I didn’t take you for a jealous woman, Eddie. I think I like this side of you.”
Oh hell. This is why we don’t talk about non-Brain Bowl things. I grab my planner and laptop from my bag, effectively ending the conversation.
“I’m kidding!” he says and leans back. “I avoid the line and pay with cash. In return, she and her girlfriend get free math tutoring from me. Win win.”
I look over my shoulder at the empty cafe. “There’s no line.”
“Still.” The table rocks as he leans against it, curiously eyeing the insulin pen in my hands. “Insulin?”
The tiny needle pricks my stomach. “No. Bleach.”
“How does it work?” he asks, undeterred by my sarcasm.
