Yara laughed. “I guess I’m in too. I have a meeting with the org later, but I’ll see you guys at the apartment after.”
Ari winked. “Sounds like a plan.”
Since she’d broken up with the dentist, Ari decided life on the East Coast had become dull. After only a week of planning, she rented an apartment off campus. She wasn’t interested in Westbrooke but felt it was finally time to spread her wings outside of her family. Who better to spread her wings with than an almost sister she’d never met in person.
Having her by my side for my last year felt like a dream come true. Sharing an apartment with her and Yara was going to be a memory I’d cherish forever.
“Hey,” Dakota said, ducking into our welcome tent. “Reporting for duty.”
“What’s up?” Yara said with a bright smile. “You’re early.”
He shrugged. “Figured you guys might need an extra pair of hands sooner.”
“Awesome.” Yaya bounced on the balls of her feet, excited to have more help. “Mind getting started with gathering carts?”
Dakota nodded as he rolled his sleeves up, revealing a new set of tattoos on his arm. He’d been dedicated to finishing his sleeve before the new football season started.
“Woah,” I commented and gestured to a red rose. “You know, one day, you’re going to have to tell us what all of them mean.”
Dakota looked confused as he peered at his arm. “The tats?”
Ari laughed. “No, the direction your hair grows. Yes, the tats, Kota.”
He smiled at us. “Not everything has to have meaning. Sometimes, things can just look beautiful.”
“Is that code for, we’re not special enough to get the story?” I teased with a fake pout.
“It’s code for, maybe some things are more interesting when they’re a secret.” Dakota gave us a wink.
My smile wavered. I knew he wasn’t referring to Weston but the mention of a secret made the thought unavoidable. As agreed, David, Dakota and I kept quiet about Weston and Lawrence. It wasn’t always easy, especially when we found ourselves together. Regardless, we took the commitment seriously.
Thankfully, Weston’s name never came up in the abduction investigation. Yet, we hadn’t heard from him. We were all convinced it was for the best. Showing his face on campus made him a target to all the people we didn’t know he did favors for. That list had to be long considering how often Weston disappeared on his teammates last year.
“You guys coming to the scrimmage next week?” Dakota asked. “Got some new guys on the team, so I think it’s going to be a solid year.”
“You had me at new guys,” Ari said. “Definitely interested in meeting some of those.”
Yara laughed. “Agreed. You can count on us.”
Dakota grinned. I nodded when he looked at me to confirm I wanted to join them. He always checked in on me. After Weston left, I was forever grateful for Dakota and David for distracting me.
“I think we’re going to need some more water bottles,” Yara said when she glanced at our depleting stash.
“I got a full cooler of green juice in my van,” Ari offered.
Yara tried to hide her wince. I laughed at the wrinkle of her nose.
“They have extras in the student center,” I told Ari and then to Yara said, “I’ll grab a pack.”
“Thanks,” Yara said with relaxed shoulders.
I ducked out of the tent and started towards the student center. Any school sponsored event provided free water and granola bars for those taking part. All I had to do was show my volunteer badge and I could get as many cartons I could carry.
The guy manning the water quickly signed my name on a sheet of paper. He offered to carry the case back to the tent, but I refused. Once I got to the doors of the student center, I realized I’d made a mistake in refusing his help. The case of water was heavier than I expected.
As I struggled to push open the glass door with my hip, someone came to my side. He urged the door open for me to walk through.
“Thanks,” I said through a heavy breath as I walked out of the building.
