“You do.” Liam grinned.
“No worries,” Angie said. “There will be no fangirling. Just waitressing. Does everyone know what they want to drink?” She glanced at me. “Why don’t we start with you?”
“Uh,” James said. “We’re still waiting on two people.”
“Two?” I asked.
Griffin rammed his elbow into James’s side.
Okay.
James’s eyes widened. “Sorry. We’re waiting on one more person.”
“That’s okay,” Angie said. “I’ll bring an extra water and your friend can order a drink when he gets here.” She glanced at me. “What’ll you have?”
“Dr Pepper, please.”
“Shouldn’t be putting all that sugar into your body during race season,” Bowen chided.
“Let me worry about myself,” I sang. I needed endorphins wherever I could get them tonight. Bring on the sugar. Bring on the caffeine. I turned back to the waitress. “And can I get two orders of chicken wings for everyone?”
“Aw, thanks, man,” Griff said, rubbing his stomach.
“Sure thing. And how about you?” Angie asked Liam.
“Water with lemon. Thank you.”
“I’d like a Dr Pepper as well, please,” James said, making Bowen tsk again.
“Hit me with the doctor, too.” Griffin’s eyes twinkled at how much that annoyed Bowen.
The waitress nodded and walked away.
Bowen shrugged. “You’ll all be crying into your Dr. Peppers when I win the money pool.”
“Mkay,” Griffin snorted.
“Nope.” I pounded a spirited rhythm on the table. “Nopity, nope. Only good vibes tonight.” I pounded again.
Griffin’s lips curled up at the corners and his nostrils flared, fighting a laugh. “Tell the truth. Which one of you slipped something into Cash’s drink before I got here?”
“Nada,” Bowen said. “That’s just his frenzied, barely-holding-it-together energy.”
James sat up taller, tipping this way and that, peering at the entrance. “Oh, Theo just got here.”
Like a stoplight had turned red and this was a game of Chinese Fire Drill, Bowen, Griffin, and James slid out of the booth while Liam scooted closer to me.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“What up, boys?” Theo asked.
My eyes followed his voice but they didn’t land on Theo.
They landed on Charlie.
For thirteen days,avoid, avoid, avoidhad played on a loop in my mind—every moment a struggle with her living in the same house. It was only broken up by a secondary mantra:distract, distract, distract.Which was what tonight was supposed to be: one large distraction.
From her.
