I don’t answer.
“My mom said she saw you two together. It has to be him. He’s the only neighbor our age.”
“Okay, yeah, it’s him, but you can’t tell anyone.”
“You only went out that one time, right? The day my mom saw you with him?”
“I’ve seen him since then.”
Her brows draw together. “Seen him or gone out with him?”
“Both. We’ve kind of been hanging out.”
She sighs. “Rumor, why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Making things harder on yourself. Out of all the people you could hang out with, you pick Jackson Novak? The guy your cousins hate more than anyone else?”
“I don’t care if they don’t get along. They don’t have to. It doesn’t mean I can’t be friends with Jackson.”
“It’s not just about them not getting along. It’s worse than that.”
“Meaning what?”
“Let’s talk inside. I’m starving.”
We go into the taco place, put our order in, and find a table in the back.
“So what is it?” I ask. “What’s the story with Jackson and my cousins?”
She looks behind her, then back at me. “Braden’s the one who hates him. Trystan hates him too but only because of what he did to Braden.”
“What’d he do?”
She lets out a breath. “I don’t want to get into this. It’s none of my business. Ask Braden about it. He’ll tell you. Or Trystan.”
“I can’t ask them. They’ll wonder why I’m asking. Just tell me.”
She shrugs. “I really don’t know that much. What I know is more rumors than anything else.”
“Yeah? So? What are the rumors?”
“Braden and Jackson used to be friends. And they—”
“Wait — when were they friends?”
“When Jackson went to Twisted Pine. He and Braden were on the football team. They were both really good. They were the reason the school was finally winning games. If Jackson had stayed last year, they would’ve gone to State, maybe even won. But he left and went to Legion, Twisted Pine’s number one rival.”
“So this is about football?” I sit back in my seat. “That’s stupid.”
“It’s not just football.” She checks behind her again. “It’s also about a—”
“Order for Shayla,” the guy at the register calls out.
She gets up. “I’ll be right back.”
She returns with our food, setting mine in front of me.
