“I had to make sure you were actually here and this wasn’t a bad trip,” I tell her, my face as straight as it can be. She smiles.
“Well, I’m really here. You’re not tripping,” she assures me. I hug her again and she wraps her tiny arms around me. I bury my face in her neck.
“I missed you so much,” I say.
“I missed you, too.”
“Alright, move. I wanna hug!” Ellie exclaims, pushing me aside to bring Gwen in for a hug of her own.
After the greetings, we sit down together, drinking our coffee and chatting. For a minute, it feels like old times, being all together and gossiping. I forget that this hasn’t been our normal for a while now, and it feels good to have all of us in the same room again.
An hour later, we’re on our way to Ellington U’s athletic wing. Sports are pretty popular here, so Ellington allotted an entire space for every sport to play and practice.
The stadium is lit up with big, bright lights. The sound of the crowd is roaring, and it makes my adrenaline spike. I love this atmosphere. When the school comes together to cheer on our team, and we all have a common enemy.
My stomach is rolling, and I can’t tell why I’m feeling anxious all of a sudden. A shiver runs down my spine and I’m not sure it’s from the cold.
“Lainey, you okay?” Gwen asks, her elbow hitting my arm lightly. She gives me a small smile.
“What? Yeah, of course. I’m fine,” I assure her, but I don’t even know if that’s the truth. “Where’s Ryker by the way?”
Gwen shakes her head and chuckles lightly to herself. “He’s with the guys in the locker room. Coach Shaw was ecstatic to have him back.”
“That makes sense,” I laugh.
We make our way to our seats, sitting down and bundling up because it’s so God damn cold. I pull my gloves on and tug my hat down a bit.
“I want popcorn,” Ellie announces. “Do you guys want anything?”
I look between Gwen and Haley who both shake their heads. Deciding I should probably eat something, I nod.
“Yeah, I’ll take some.”
Ellie scoffs. “Well come on then. Get your butt up and come with,” she orders. I look at her with a pout which causes her to put a hand on her hip.
“I can’t, my legs are broken.”
“Get your lazy ass up or you get nothing,” she tells me. I groan dramatically, standing and walking toward her.
“God, someone’s touchy,” I say sarcastically. She swats me on the arm, and I turn around to see Haley and Gwen watching our interaction with smiles on their faces. I stick my tongue out at them, and they crack up.
Ellie grabs my arm and leads the way through the stands and straight to the concession stand. Ellie orders two popcorns and waters as I stand to the side scrolling through my phone. It’s always crazy down here, especially at a big game like this one.
People are everywhere and any normal person might think this was overwhelming, but I feel comfortable. Growing up with no one around you makes you appreciate when you do have others there. Even if you’re not necessarily talking to them.
My phone is suddenly knocked out of my hands, falling to the floor. Shit.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” a familiar male voice says. He leans down to retrieve my phone and our eyes connect as he hands it back to me.
“No Name?” I ask, my head tilting to one side. It’s the guy from the party the other night. The guy Ialmosthad sex with. The guy I totally would have fucked if Holland Monroe didn’t cockblock me.
A piece of his wavy brown hair falls onto his face before he runs a hand through it to push it back. He really is attractive, and I kind of regret not finishing what we started. He smirks, looking a bit nervous.
“Yeah, I guess?” Right, I never actually called him that to his face.
“Sorry, I didn’t get your name when we were, you know,” I say, and he chuckles.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t let me tell you.” I nod slowly.
