I blink. “Oh, well then we cannot be friends.”
He cocks his head to the side. “Being into sour stuff is what makes us compatible or not?”
I nod emphatically. “Yes.”
“What kind of sour stuff are we talking?”
“Oh.” I rub my hands together. “Sour patch kids, Sour Skittles, Sweethearts at all the seasons, Air Head Bites, Sour Trolli gummies. Oh, they have these new sour patch chews that are so good.”
He leans towards me and ducks his head. “Smile.”
“What?” I ask in confusion.
“Smile,” he says again.
“Why?”
“I need to check that you still have all your teeth.” I hit him lightly on the arm, and he smirks.
I give him a big toothy smile. “I have all my teeth.”
“I’m just messing with you,” he says quietly.
I realize we’ve stopped, and I look out the window. “Oh. We’re here.”
“You were too busy flirting to realize we arrived,” Evie says as she opens her door.
I feel my face heat. “We were not flirting.”
Quint laughs out loud, and I frown at him. He and Reid open the sliding doors and climb out, leaving just Slater and I in the van. “We weren’t flirting.” I tell Slater.
He meets my eyes and gives me a devilish smile. “Oh, we were definitely flirting.” Then he pulls himself forward and through the narrow walkway between the two middle seats. He climbs out, and I work to find my wallet.
“You coming?” he asks, poking his head back in the van.
“I’m just trying to find my wallet.”
“You won’t need it.”
I huff. “I’m not letting Zane pay for it.”
“Not what I had in mind,” he says. I finally find my wallet and breathe a sigh of relief.
“I found it.”
“Good. Can we get going then? I’m starving.”
“Just go without me,” I tell him as I slide through the middle row to get to the front. He scowls at me.
“I’m not going in without you. Come on.” He reaches out a hand. I’m not sure if it’s to help me out or if he’s simply reaching for something on the seat. I climb out and stretch.
“Come on, Shortcake. Let’s go.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Shortcake? That’s worse.”
“Shortstack?”
“Ugh, that’s the worst of all of them.”
