“Hockey banquet?” Her face twists.
Oh shit. Declan hasn’t even mentioned the banquet to Ember. Maybe he didn’t want her to feel bad. I know Fletcher said thatDeclan would be all for telling Cam about their relationship, but Ember isn’t ready yet.
“Yeah, my sorority plans it every year. It’s basically a banquet for the hockey players to kiss donors’ asses, and their reward at the end of the night is getting laid.”
I kick Brinley under the table.
“Ow!”
“Brin.”
“Oh, not everyone, though.” Brinley backtracks. “Tate goes with Fletcher every year, and they’ve never slept together after the event.”
“Or at all.” I clarify. “Trust me, he’s probably just trying to save you. I only go with Fletch because he’s worried a girl will ask him, and then he’ll have to find a way to let her down; he’s not great with confrontation, especially with strangers. So, I’ve been going with him since freshman year, since I know the team, and it’s just easier that way.”
There’s still a sadness in Ember’s eyes.
“And you don’t need to bring a date!” Brinley adds. “It’s totally optional. Jere tends to avoid the date part. So, Declan will probably avoid it, too, this year. And I’m bringing Alex, so add me to the list of people going to this banquet with no plan to get laid at the end of it.”
“Yeah, right.” She forces a smile. “I’m probably overreacting to the whole thing. I just don’t know why he wouldn’t tell me.”
“Probably slipped his mind.” Brinley clasps her hands together. “A lot is going on with our dad, so he probably didn’t even realize how close the banquet was.”
“Exactly.” I reach across the table. “Nothing to worry about, okay?”
“Okay.”
Fletcher and I spent the majority of that stupid banquet getting drunk, and then once we realized the Hawks game was on, we watched it.
We showed up at the banquet with all the guys, but by the end of it, I had no idea where they had gone. Ember and Declan disappeared for a while, then came back separately, trying to hide the fact that they had run off together from her brother. Cam was nowhere to be found when they arrived, though.
“Have I ever told you that you’re insanely smart?” Fletcher shoves the last bite of pizza in his mouth.
“Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?” I sink down onto the couch, using my arm to cover the light from my eyes.
“No, but. Not everyone would be smart enough to order a pizza so that by the time we got back here, it was just delivered.”
“What can I say? I come from a very smart group of individuals.”
Fletcher decided it made the most sense to come back to my place after the banquet. For starters, we only had to get one Uber, but we also had no idea how many of his roommates would be getting laid back at his place.
I think he actually just came here because he knew I was ordering pizza.
“Those banquets fucking blow, man.”
“Yeah, you might have to find someone else to go with you next year.” I groan. “I’m banqueted out.”
“Tatum Lewis, you can’t not come with me in our senior year. It would be like ending a tradition.”
“Maybe you could take Becca.”
I don’t mean for her name to come out the way it does; honestly, I think I’m just a little tipsy and don’t have full control over what I’m saying.
“Becca is only a friend,” he argues.
“So am I.”
“It’s different.”
