Harley had set her tray in front of her, dropped onto the seat, balled her hands into fists and froze. But she gave the barest nod.
“Say what you have to say,” CJ told him, biting into his hamburger and refusing to look at Rory.
“I’m sorry, Harley,” Rory told her quietly. “It was one vid…I shouldn’t have looked at any.”
“You don’t have to answer him, Harley,” Ryan told her.
CJ stuffed fries into his mouth. “Yeah, bae. I can always kick him in his fucking throat.”
Rory refused to give up. “Harley—”
“Dude, shut the fuck up,” CJ ordered. “Your fucking voice is traumatizing her.” He shouldn’t have brought her near these fuckheads. That was on him, but he could rectify that mistake. “Let’s find another table—”
“Hey, CJ,” Skye greeted, waving at Ryan, Devon, and Rory, but ignoring Harley. “I was coming to see if you wanted to sit with me.” She pointed to a table two rows over, where an abandoned tray was next to her backpack. “We can eat lunch together and discuss our project.”
Harley’s expression didn’t change.
“You up for moving to Skye’s table or do you want me and you to find our own table.”
Harley dropped her gaze, her lashes sweeping down in an enticing arc. “I-I…we can go to her table.”
“But—”
CJ got to his feet, interrupting Skye, and waited until Harley stood, too.
At Skye’s table, CJ sat next to Harley, across from Skye. He saw her displeasure andignored it.
“Whose your date to Prom, CJ?” Skye asked after a few minutes because CJ couldn’t think of anything to say while he was focused on Harley.
“No one.” He wasn’t sure if he’d go. Fuck, he hadn’t thought of Prom in months. “It’s April 20th, isn’t it?”
Skye nodded. “I don’t have a date either.”
Fuck, wasn’t that Axel’s birthday? And didn’t Mom and Dad plan to go to a cabin? Had anyone even mentioned Axel’s birthday? CJ certainly hadn’t heard about party plans.
“Did you hear me, CJ?” Skye asked, stealing a French fry from his tray and stuffing it into her mouth.
He frowned at her. “You don’t have a date. I heard you. Keep your fucking hands out of my food, Skye.”
“But I like French fries.”
“There’s more available.”
“If I buy them,” she retorted.
Glowering at her, he slid his tray to the middle of the table. “Take mine, but don’t do that again. Ask me first.”
Harley moved, drawing his attention to her. She’d started eating her salad in slow, mechanical movements.
“Do you want fries, Harley?” he asked her softly. “Salad is healthy and all, but you’ve always like French fries.”
Shaking her head, she laid her fork aside. “I’m not all that hungry, CJ.”
“Then why’d you come to the cafeteria?” Skye asked with a snort.
Harley shrugged. “I thought the smell of food would stir my appetite. I also thought Rebel and Mattie would be here. I should’ve stayed home like Aunt Zoann suggested.”
“Rebel’s still in LA with Mom,” CJ told her. “Mattie is probably home.”
