“We could always go out and grab something?” That hopeful note is still in Ollie’s tone.
“I wanna come,” a light-haired girl next to Ollie pipes up. He glances at her and doesn’t respond.
Milo pulls his phone from his front pocket and checks the screen. “It’s already seven after, we might be late getting back,” he warns.
The girl next to Ollie assumes it’s for her, and replies, “I don’t even care, we can skip the rest of the day if you guys have a place we can go.” Her eyes run over Milo.
I sense Dante’s presence before he even enters the large room. He walks up next to me, standing a little closer than most would find normal. “What’s up?”
“Nobody packed lunch, we’re thinking of going off campus.” Ollie places his palms on the table and stands.
The girl and one of her friends follow suit. She peers around, looking at the guys like she’s expecting some kind of acknowledgement.
Dante shoves his hand in his front pocket and pulls out his keys, dangling them in the air. “We can call Ares and see if he wants to meet us at the diner?”
“If we do that, we won’t be coming back for the rest of the day,” Milo interjects, watching me for a reaction.
“It’s only a couple hours, and it’s right before break.” I glance between the three guys. I’d be more than happy to get the hell out of here, but the girl isn’t coming.
Ollie lets out a little whoop. “Let’s do this man.”
Looking unsure, the girl clears her throat. “So, can we come too?” She avoids looking at me.
“Sorry, family only.” Ollie bounces over to Milo, Dante, and I. The girl’s face falls, and she slides back to her seat. Her friend leans in close and they whisper a few words between themselves.
We exit the lunchroom as a group, there are a few aides and the lunch ladies, but no one questions where we’re going.
As we move through the hallway nearing the office, Milo tugs on my hand to stop me. “You guys go ahead. I’ll take Laura to the office and tell them I’m taking her home for the day. That way the school won’t call.”
“The automated service will probably still call,” Ollie comments, “but it’s not like you gave a real number so who cares. They won’t know.”
I squeeze Milo’s hand, appreciating his thoughtfulness. “As long as a real person isn’tcalling, it shouldn’t matter,” I offer. Milo resumes his pace, keeping my hand in his.
I expect a teacher or someone tostop us when we reach the parking lot. I little nervous thrill has me looking over my shoulder.
“Hey, we got out early. Want to grablunch?” Dante has his phone at his ear as he opens the driver’s side door. “Someone said the diner, but we can go anywhere.” He settles behind the seat, putting the key into the ignition but not starting the car. After a brief silence he says, “We’re just leaving school, it’ll take us about twenty minutes to get there.”
We all pile in after him, Ollie and me in the back with Milo in the front. “Where are we going?” Ollie whispers near Dante’s shoulder.
“All right, we’ll be there soon.” Dante pulls the phone away, hitting the end button. “Ares is in Monroe. He went to sign the papers for the house, he said we can meet him there.”
“That fast?” I look around at the guys.
Ollie settles back into the seat. “When you’re motivated, and have money, almost anything is possible.” Dumbfounded, Ishake my head.
* * *
Dante parks his car in the outer lot of a fancy Japanese restaurant. We’re near the big mall we went to over the weekend. There are several nice restaurants and hotels lining the narrow road that leads to the shopping mall.
I get out of the back using Milo’s hand and stretch my back. “I never looked upstairs at the house, is there a bathtub?” I direct my question to Ollie, he was all over that house, up and down.
“Just a standard old thing, nothing special.” I purse my lips. A tub is the one thing Ares’s bathroom is seriously lacking. Baths aren’t something I gotveryoften using camp showers most of my life. Even a standard tub, whatever that is, I’m sure will be fine.
We walk up to a tall set of gold double doors, where Milo and Dante each grab a handle as Ollie tucks my hand over his elbow. He gives the guys a cheeky bow and escorts me through the doors. We’re greeted by a young man in dark pants and a crisp, button-down white shirt. “Do you have a reservation?”
“We’re meeting someone,” Milo answers. “Costa,” he adds.
The young man bounces his head and waves his arm out. “Right this way, please.”
