I shot her a glare, but it was already too late. The other girls latched onto her statement.
“Fake boyfriend?” Codie repeated. “Is that what he is now?”
“Is that what who is?” Storm glanced between the two of us. “What did I miss?”
Only Athena and Codie knew about what had happened between Auryn and me after the party Friday night. I hadn’t had a chance to fill in Storm and Luna yet. No time like the present.
“Auryn and Ripley hooked up at the frat party on Friday. That’s why we couldn’t find her for the rest of the night.” Athena smirked, shooting me a pointed look.
Storm blinked a few times, like she wasn’t sure if she’d heard that correctly. “Really? Auryn?”
“Yeah I know. He’s a player. Fuck boy. Whatever. That guy I dated a few times from my class was hassling me at the party, and Auryn helped to chase him off. We hung out after that, and one thing led to another.” Hearing myself explain it made me feel like a moron. “Obviously it means nothing. He agreed to help keep Jamie off my back. That’s all.”
“Wow.” Chewing a bite of her chicken salad wrap, Storm nodded thoughtfully. “I didn’t know Auryn was so giving. Must’ve been a crazy good night.”
I groaned. “Don’t do this to me, you guys. Jamie has been hassling me. Auryn helped me out. No big deal.”
Unable to keep her mouth shut, Athena added, “He came to your work the other night and beat Jamie’s ass in the parking lot, but I’m sure it really is no big deal.”
The other three girls erupted in responses that ranged from enthusiastic to disbelief to uncertainty. I nodded, waiting for it all to blow over. Too bad Auryn and I hadn’t discussed keeping this all a secret before my friends found out.
“Could it be that the absolute manwhore that is Auryn Brewer has finally set his sights on one girl?” With her hazel eyes wide, Codie marveled at the thought. Being far more dramatic than I felt necessary.
“It’s not like that,” I insisted. “Seriously. He’s helping me out. That’s all.”
“With some killer crazy sex on the side,” Athena snickered. “That’s all.”
With my cheeks burning, I threw my sandwich in my bag and stood up. “Okay, I’m out of here. I didn’t come here to be ridiculed by my best friends.”
Luna covered her mouth with a hand to hide her laughter, subtly inclining her head to indicate someone behind me. “I wouldn’t run off too quickly. Your boyfriend is here.”
I turned around to find Auryn, of all people, approaching from behind me. He was with Rebel, Stray, and Casper. Those three often joined our group. Auryn was rarely with them.
Quickly sitting back down, I redirected my attention to the can of cream soda in front of me, taking a sip. A wave of nerves racked me. Making my stomach flip-flop a few times. What the hell was that about?
“Hey there, pet. I missed you.” Leaning down over Storm, Rebel pressed his lips to hers.
She playfully slapped his chest. “You just saw me a few hours ago.”
“It doesn’t take much.” He stroked a finger under her chin, making her grin from ear to ear. Lifting her off the bench where she sat, he took her spot, pulling her down onto his lap.
Stray squeezed in next to Codie, forcing her to slide over closer to me. Athena made a remark about being squeezed off the bench when Casper sat down on her side with Luna. It was a tight fit, but they made it work.
Feeling Auryn’s presence as he hovered over me, I glanced up to find him motioning for me to slide over. He took a seat beside me, leaning in to whisper, “You’re looking good today, doll.”
Suddenly self-conscious, I glanced down at my attire. I’d worn a pair of my favorite faded jeans with a low-cut black top, along with a black leather choker to hide some of the lingering marks on my neck. Knowing that he preferred my hair down, I had left it loose around my shoulders in soft waves. Not that I would ever say that to him.
“Thanks,” I said quietly, hyperaware of my friends watching us. Why did this have to be so awkward?
Auryn nodded to where Jamie sat openly staring at us. “Any trouble with that idiot today?”
“Not really.” I shrugged. “There’s been some staring. He hasn’t tried to talk to me or anything like that.”
“Good. I’ll make sure it stays that way. Can’t say that I’m not tempted to dig his eyes out of his head. Sure would help that whole staring problem.” Auryn made hard eye contact with Jamie across the yard, holding it until Jamie looked away.
Needing something to do with myself, I took another sip of cream soda. “That may be a bit extreme. Let’s not do that.”
Stray chuckled, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Oh yeah, I see it. Something is definitely happening here. It’s about time. I can’t wait to throw back every shitty thing you’ve eversaid about love right in your face, Auryn. God knows you deserve it.”
