“Yeah. Mind if I just…” He steps into our row, crowding me back.
I whip around to give Maisie a questioning look. Is this guy for real? She shrugs, looking as confused as me, and we both squeeze toward the aisle as he inserts his large body into the small space between Maisie and Krista.
“That wasn’t an invitation,” I say.
“This place is packed. Plus, we need to get to know each other better.”
“We’ll have plenty of time for that. This is our girls’ night.”
He smiles a big goofy grin, my comment flying over his head. “I love girls’ nights. I have four sisters and zero brothers, so I’m something of an expert. Any chance you’re going to do face masks later? Those are my favorite. Keep my skin softer than a baby kitten’s fur.”
Maisie’s lips are pressed together as she tries to contain the laughter fighting to escape.
“Kittens are baby cats. It’s redundant to call them baby kittens, Jenson.”
He turns to her, smile not dimming the slightest bit at her correction. “Well, you get my point and call me JJ. All my friends do.”
“We’re not doing face masks, and even if we were, you weren’t invited.” I’m tempted to add on a little reminder that we’re not, in fact, friends, but there’s something about him that stops me. He looks so innocent and eager. It would feel like kicking a puppy.
His lip pushes out in a pout. Just like I thought.
All hope of getting rid of him vanishes as the house lights dim and the background music fades out.
The mic crackles as the host steps forward, her bright pink tulle skirt knocking the stand. She reaches out to steady it with a laugh.
“Good evening, friends, and Happy New Year. Welcome to the first retro movie night of the year. For those of you who haven’t been here before, I’m Leilani, the president of the Arts & Humanities Student Union, and I’ll be your host for the evening. We’re going to kick it off with a little trivia. Looks like we’ve got a full house tonight, which is fantastic. This one is going to be epic. Arguably one of the best of the nineties.”
The cheers and claps swelling through the place are louder than usual. Seems like the audience agrees with her.
JJ leans over Maisie. “I wasn’t lying. Beau is a good guy. He just needs to keep everything in order. He’s got routines and a tight schedule. It throws him off when people are late or disorganized.”
A chorus of shushes washes over our shoulders, and I shrink down in my seat, but JJ isn’t phased. He turns around and apologizes to the students in the row behind us, turning back to face the front as Leilani kicks off the trivia session.
I’m wavering. Maybe I reacted poorly to what Beau said or the way he said it. JJ seems to believe his words, anyway. But then I think he might be the type of guy who would befriend a serial killer. He wouldn’t even question the triple set of padlocks on the basement door. Like he might be a little too trusting.
It’s fine, though. I can treat this as a business partnership. In the real world, I’m still going to have to act professionally even with people I don’t get along with on a personal level. Given that my chosen career as an analyst or statistician for a sports team is in a male-dominated field, I’m sure I’ll come across my share of jerks. It’ll be good practice.
Chapter 6
Practice Makes Tension
Beau
Devslidesovertome at the end of practice with a clap on the back. He’s been easing his way back into my life. And after what he pulled last semester, he has good reason to be cautious. Dating my sister behind my back. I’m not quite over it. Not the dating thing. The secrecy. The two people closest to me didn’t feel comfortable telling me the truth. What does that say about what they think of me?
“Good practice. Looks like we had an audience.” He nods to the stands behind our bench where Wilder is sitting.
“Think she was impressed?” I ask. Judging by the laptop sitting on her knees, I’d have to say no.
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Need company for your meeting?”
“Nah, I’m good. You’ve got plans with Cece tonight, right?” I drop that in with purpose, trying to let him see that I’m okay with it. I’m happy for them, even if there’s a hollow space in my chest. Even though I’ve still got them both in my life, now that they’re together, I’m a little more alone.
He nods.
“Okay, I’m going to clean up and meet up with her. Have fun. Say hi to Sissy for me.”
He ducks his head and keeps walking down the hall to our dressing room. He’s still a man of few words. That’s one thing my sister hasn’t changed about him.
