“See you,” I agreed.
Ryan looked between me and the retreating girls, who had turned out to be more pleasant than expected. “Look at you, making friends.”
“You bring it out in me.”
He looked more than pleased by the compliment. “Come on. You’re hungry, right?”
19
“You all right?” Ryan asked.
“Mmhmm.”
“You seem quiet.”
“You know you can still go and hang out with them, right?” I said. “It’s your homecoming day. I don’t want to hold you back.”
Ryan scrunched his nose. “Stop. I want to hang out with you. Honestly, it’s nice to see everything from the outside, and they’ll be going in to get ready for the game soon. And that’s not something I want to think about.”
“Sad?”
He shrugged. “Is it bad if I say a little?”
“No, it’s honest.”
“And I’m allowed to feel how I feel.” He repeated the words I’d once told him about not needing to downgrade his grief over leaving the game and his team so suddenly. Just because it was the right thing for him to do didn’t mean it always felt that way.
“Now you’re getting it,” I said.
The parade of the small yet enthusiastic band traveled down the greenway as we sat on a bench. We watched as the plumed hats headed through town, where people were lined up along the sidewalk.
How had I missed all these festivities in the past three years? No matter if I didn’t attend, but to not have heard any of this from either being tucked away in my room or down a few blocks in town, hunkered over a flower bed in the back of Gertie’s house, seemed like an impossibility.
Or perhaps, at the time, I just hadn’t cared.
“How are you liking it all so far?”
“I’m liking that they have a food truck specifically dedicated to french fries.” I took another off the top of the paper basket, dipping it in one of the four sauces we had gotten since neither of us could decide which would be best.
They were all delicious.
“I’m still a little peeved the dean thought this counted as just as good as my Samhain celebration.”
“You’re right. That’s going to be much different.”
My eyes widened at his tease. “It is!”
He took stock of our surroundings. “Yep. There won’t be snacks or music or people having a good time at all.”
I shook my head. Now, he was just goading me.
Ryan dipped in one cup and then the other, mixing the two.
“Now, that’s just disgusting.” I pointed a fry at him.
“Deliciously disgusting,” he proclaimed. “Go on. Give it a try.”
“No.”
