Caroline looks down at her own ripped jeans, hoodie and sneakers and Daisy has her hair piled up in her trademark “study bun” and she’s in a Disney sweatshirt with leggings. “You are looking pretty sexy for spending the night sitting on the grass in the dark with us.”
“I spent all day in a pen cleaning up goat poop,” I explain. “Sorry if I wanted to take it up a notch. Let’s go.”
I am so eager to get to the event now I basically power walk the entire way there, going so fast that Caroline complains and Daisy makes a snarky remark about how she got her workout in for the week. We pay the entrance fee and walk into the grassy quad where everything is set up. Lots of people have beaten us here and the grass is fairly full. We pick a part toward the back, and as Caroline and Daisy start to spread out the giant blanket they brought, I volunteer to go get snacks, my treat. They’re so excited I’m paying they don’t even question it, they just start calling out what they want.
I make my way to the stand on the left of the screen and before I even step in line, I see him. He’s smiling at a group of girls as he hands them three large bags of popcorn. I try not to feel anything when I look at him but I feeleverything. It’s got to be my hormones and nothing else. I mean, I can’t actually like him.
He takes a ten from one of the girls and his head dips as he makes changed out of the little metal box in front of him. One of his teammates is serving someone beside him and finishes up first. He waves me over and I hesitate. I can’t say I’m waiting for Tate. I don’t know what I can say.
“Maggie right?” the teammate says. “I’m Jonah. What can I get you?”
“I’ll handle her needs,” Tate chimes in and glances up as he hands the girls in front of him their change. “She’s a difficult customer and I’m better at handling the ornery ones than you are, Daniels.”
Jonah looks confused but just shrugs and waves over the guy behind me. I walk up to Tate who has a cocky grin all over his face. I cross my arms and cock an eyebrow.
“It’s cute that you just labeled me a bad customer because I can’t recall ever buying a thing from you before,” I say like I’m thinking really hard about it. “Last year you weren’t working the concession stand at the team movie night. It was that total hottie that graduated. What was his name? Mike…Danvers. Oh man he knew just the right amount of butter to put on my popcorn.”
Jonah laughs, clearly eavesdropping. Tate frowns—hard. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep my smile from blowing up my face. And then I pretend to fan myself for added effect.
“I’ve been told that I’m more than adequate at buttering a woman’s popcorn,” Tate says defensively. “Tell you what? If you’re not fully satisfied with the way I butter your popcorn, you can come right back and I’ll do it again. And again. I’ll do it until you’re completely satisfied.”
Damn him. My face explodes with color. Now Jonah and the guy he was serving are both looking at us like we’re insane. I dip my head, hoping my hair blocks my beet red face from their view and make sure my tone is unbothered. “Actually, you know what? Butter is bad for you, so just give me two large plain popcorns and two packs of Reese’s Pieces. Thanks.”
“Sometimes we need a little of the things that are bad for us. Sometimes they’re fun,” Tate replies casually. “And I know you’re a total stick in the mud, but I’m going to give you a little butter anyway. It might loosen you up.”
Oh my God I hate him, I hate that his snark, which used to make me itch with annoyance, now makes me flush with desire. What sorcery is this, Universe? I fight to remain passive and nonchalant. “Whatever, Tater Tot.”
“Tater Tot?” Jonah repeats as a girl walks up to be served next.
I nod. “Yeah. I grew up on the farm beside Tate’s. His childhood nickname is Tater Tot.”
“No one but you ever called me that,” Tate replies as he scoops my popcorn and glances at Jonah. “She was mad because in fourth grade I started calling her Maggot instead of Maggie.”
“Tater Tot is cute. I like it,” the girl in line says and she grins at Tate like he’s Bradley Cooper or some such nonsense.
“It’s because he was about as useful and intelligent as a fried ball of grated potato,” I explain to her. And when she looks at me I give a little point toward Tate’s pants in a subtle, not so subtle way, and continue talking in a stage whisper. “Also…down there. Tater tot.”
Jonah bursts out laughing. Tate looks like he’s been shot. I toss a ten on the table and grab my stuff and leave. “Thanks for the exceptional service, Tater Tot.”
That did not go as planned and with every step I walk away from him back to my sister and my friends, I get more and more upset. I don’t know why I had to insult his manhood. I mean, it’s probably a good thing. It’s what Maggie who hasn’t seen him naked would do, so at least I didn’t blow my cover. Go me?
“Why do you look like your dog died?” Caroline asks as I approach the blanket she’s sitting on with Daisy.
“Tate was working the concession,” I mumble and add in my headand I think I totally screwed up any chances at a booty call tonight.
“Ah. The arch nemesis with the killer smirk and to-die-for body,” Caroline says, taking one of the popcorns from me as soon as I plop down between them on the blanket. “Yes. What a hardship. Your mortal enemy is total eye candy.”
“What did he do?” Daisy wants to know, but before I can figure out a half-baked lie to tell because I can’t say, “he made innuendos about the double orgasms he gave me,” she turns to Caroline. “Yeah. He’s superficially attractive but he isn’t exactly a great person. He used to call Maggie Maggot in grade school and me Doody instead of Daisy. Which everyone bought into and it sucked.”
“The horror.” Caroline doesn’t seem to be taking it seriously, but Daisy is right. It did actually make us leave school crying more than a few times. And the universe is clearly drilling that into my brain since it’s the second time in ten minutes that awful memory has come up. “Maybe he’s changed.”
“Not according to Alisha Knowles. He’s just gotten worse,” Daisy says and my spine stiffens.
“Who the hell is Alisha Knowles?” I ask as Daisy steals a piece of popcorn and looks down into the bag and frowns. I pull one of the packs of Reese’s Pieces out of my pocket and she grins. We always mix them into popcorn.
“Alisha was in my Farm to Table class last year. Nice girl but a little…unfocused. She really came to college just to party,” Daisy says and rips open the candy package and dumps it into the popcorn. “She hooked up with Tate last year at the Halloween party the hockey team had at their house.”
“The one where he was dressed up in that Eeyore costume and still managed to look hot?” Caroline says smiling. I’d like to say I hadn’t noticed, but you couldn’t not notice. I remember being annoyed he looked hot.
