“Fair warning,” Jake says gravely, leaning forward. “There’s bad blood between our football teams.”
“Am I supposed to care?” The people in West Virginia are freaking football obsessed.
“Where’s your school spirit?” He chuckles, the tension leaving his body.
“I killed it.”
“Any particular reason why?” Jake cocks his head curiously.
“Because all the students at Montgomery Academy, except for a few, are a bunch of pretentious dickheads who should’ve been swallowed by their mothers.”
He and Matt howl in laughter.
“Damn, girl.” Jake wipes tears of mirth from his eyes. “I like you.”
“Just being my usual charming self.” I flutter my eyelashes dramatically.
“Wanna swap digits? We can chill sometimes or whatever.” He lifts his shoulder in a half shrug.
“Sure.”
Jake digs in his jacket pocket and takes out his phone. “What’s your cell?”
I rattle off my number.
“Saved, and I sent you a text, so you can have mine too.”
“Okey-dokey.”
“By the way, I’m having a party soon. Do you want to come?”
I perk up. “Heck yeah.”
“Sweet. I’ll text you the deets later.” Jake pushes up from the table. “See you around.”
“Definitely.”
He and Matt amble down the mall.
“Block his number ASAP,” Jamal says.
“Why?” I ask, stumped by his demand.
“Jake and Maverick hate each other’s guts,” he responds wide-eyed.
“And?” I give a dismissive wave. “Their beef has nothing to do with me.”
“Maverick will blow a gasket if he finds out you’re buddy-buddy with Jake,” Kate warns, chomping on her fingernails.
“Fuck him.”
“This is serious, Cocoa,” Kate shrills nervously.
“Look, I know you both mean well, but I’m not letting that psycho asshole control who I hang out with. It’s none of his business.”
The subject is dropped, we finish eating, then head back to town.
I lay propped against my pillows, scrolling through the camera roll on my phone. I literally have thousands of pictures of Micah, Lo, Saint, and me. Melancholy washes over me.
