“My dad’s a huge NBA fan. He’s all about the Warriors. I was basically raised on replays.”
Come on, dude. She threw you a ball. Grab it.
“I love basketball, too.”
No shit. Fuck, I am failing so hard right now.
In my defense, my mind is totally elsewhere. It’s like my mouth can’t do its thing—it’s still busy processing the memory of Carrie’s tongue rolling against mine. I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about my talk with Adam, either.
No matter how hard I try to get into the moment with Cheyenne, the truth is I don’t want to be here. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to bail on this messed-up date, though I was looking forward to having dinner with her—or I think I was, at least. Now Irealize I only agreed to it to prove to myself that there’s nothing here. I don’t want to spend my evening with this girl, I realize. I can’t do this.
“… after college?”
Wait—what?She just asked a question, and I have no idea what it was.
“What did you say?”
“What are your plans for after college? NBA?”
“That’s the dream! First, I need to crush this season so I get drafted high.”
“I believe in you.” She smiles.
She’s pretty, I realize. And chill. She doesn’t bully me the way Carrie does, and she doesn’t shoot me dirty looks the way Carrie does, either.Stop it!
The server slides our plates down just as my phone pings.
Cheyenne smooths her napkin over her lap. “Got a ride?”
“I’m off duty tonight.”
I tuck my phone into my jacket pocket, stab at a potato, and lean in for a bite. My phone buzzes again. I know I should just ignore it, but when it throbs a third time, I can’t resist. I place my fork down. What if it’s Carrie? I want it to be her so bad. If it is, all my problems disappear. I glance down.Urgh. Two messages from Lane, one from Lewis.
SUPERLANE:Some girl just puked in Adam’s car.
I suppress a smile. We take it in turns to work Saturday nights, ferrying students from campus to downtown. Tonight is Adam’s shift, and it’s the second time he’s had to deal with a Situation.
SUPERLANE:I’m with Lois and the guys at the Java. Carrie’s here too, btw. She’s nice!
I frown. I didn’t know she had plans to head out with them tonight—that’s not like her. I’m basically the only person she hangs out with, especially in the evening.
“Everything okay?” Cheyenne looks worried.
“My buddy Lane has a problem with his car.”
My fingers are flying.
DONOVAN:Watch out for her.
I send the message off. I feel uneasy, knowing she’s out there in a bar full of guys. I scroll down to Lewis’s message.
LEWIS: You’re dead to me. I didn’t know you were on a date tonight! Absolute disgrace, dude.
Does that mean I can take a shot at the other Wolinski? Why didn’t you tell me she was hard-core? She tried to stab me in the eye with her straw, man. That a good sign?
My knee jerks up to bang against the table.
DONOVAN:NO!
