That makes me giggle.
Alex laughs too. “I’m just teasing. I know you don’t know who I am. Just do this for me this once so I can believe I made you feel better. Ice cream can cure anything, I swear.”
Reluctantly, I agree to the ice cream. I choose chocolate, which seems to be Alex’s favorite too. He tries to talk me intosome candy bar toppings and hot fudge, but I only want the ice cream. “Thank you, Alex.”
“For what?”
“For bringing me to the cafeteria and showing me how to navigate all of this. I was nervous thinking about coming down here alone.”
“My pleasure. I’m glad I could help.” And I believe he means it. “We should make this an every night kind of thing. I can stop by and get you after I get back from practice, and we can come to dinner together. How does that sound?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. It would be putting you out. I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“No imposition. I like you, Stella Matthews. You’re funny.”
Oh. Right. Of course. I know what it means when a boy says “You’re funny.” I’ve heard itmanytimes before. I’m the funny fat chick––every guy’s dream friend. I’m the entertainment while the thin girls get all the good stuff. It figures. I knew he didn’t really see anything in me. Why would he? I try to shake off the bad thoughts. Instead, I ask, “Hey, how did you know my last name?”
“I have my ways.” He winks. “Okay, it’s settled. You’re my dinner date from now on. Now follow me, Miss Matthews, I’ll show you to your seat.” He raises his arm and bends at the waist like Prince Charming. I laugh as he grabs my tray and starts to walk. I’m relieved he’s carrying my tray. People like to look at my plate when I’m out to eat. I guess they want to know whatnotto do.
He stops moving in front of a gigantic rectangular table. It’s not just large; it’s humongous. It looks like they put about three of those eight-foot tables together to make it big enough to house twenty people comfortably. “Here we are.” He turns and steps back so I can take my seat. As I look around, I see a group of men—none of whom are average. They’re all huge––really huge. I know my eyes must be bulging out of my head because I hear a couple of the guys chuckle. “Guys, this is Stella. Stella, these are the guys.”
A few of them say, “Hey.” The rest merely grunt.
I raise my hand slightly in a weak little wave and squeak, “Uh, hi.”
“Okay, you sit here, and I’ll get this jackass over here to move so I can sit next to you.”
The guy in Alex’s seat just grumbles and rolls his eyes, but he gets up, picking up his tray as he goes, saying, “I was done anyway, you tool.”
Alex laughs. Feeling my legs shake with nerves again, I quickly sit down. Alex places my tray in front of me, and I pick up a fork and start to move lettuce leaves around my plate to make it look like I’m eating. Glancing around the table, I count about twelve football players and four girls at the table. I look at each of the girls one by one and smile. A couple of them smile back, but the other two give me nasty looks.What did I do to deserve that?
Just then I’m startled back to reality when a deep voice says, “So, how did Alex get so lucky to get you to have dinner with him?”
Lifting my head slowly, I see a blond guy, who is even bigger than Alex, staring at me. He winks at me with pretty gray eyes. He looks kind of like a big Viking––a Viking that’s had his nose broken a time or two, but he’s still very good-looking. His best feature is definitely his boyish smile. I bet he gets away with all sorts of things when he smiles.
“Um, I don’t know,” I say, blinking quickly.
“I’m Hank, by the way.” He reaches his huge hand across the large table. His arm is so big and so long that he can almost reach from one side of the table to the other without leaning. I raise mine to meet his hand and find it is swallowed up in his massive paw. This is about the only time in my life that I’ve felt small––being at this table with these football players.
“It’s nice to meet you, Hank.” I smile back at him.
He grins, but he won’t let go of my hand.
Just then Alex clears his throat. “That’s enough, Tank. Hands off.”
Hank smiles and winks at me again. “I meant nothing by it. I just wanted your girl to meet your best friend and roommate. I’m assuming I’ll be seeing more of her….”
His girl?What the heck does that mean? “I thought your name was Hank?”
There’s a collective laugh around the table.
“It is,” another huge guy responds, “but we call him Hank the Tank because he’s as big as one. He hates it, so that’s why we keep using it. You know, to piss him off.” More laughs from the guys.
“Oh, I see.” I pick my fork back up and continue playing with my salad.
Alex leans over to whisper in my ear, “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?”
Great. He had to bring up my mother?I know he has no idea what he’s just said, but I’ve lost whatever appetite I may have had. I set my fork down. I try not to look upset, but it’s hard holding back my grimace. I think Alex can tell he said the wrong thing because he quickly changes gears and says, “You haven’t tried your ice cream. You’d better eat it before it melts.”
