I look up toward the entrance just in time to see a group of about nine people scanning the line. I do a double take of the dark-haired girl toward the back and the guy standing next to her. It’s definitely not Oz, but the girl is familiar and the topic of our conversation, even though I don’t know her name.
She’s clinging to the straps of her backpack near her shoulders, making her arms frame her tits perfectly, and I’m not the only one to notice. The guy next to her is looking down at her chest. I almost say something to Memphis and ask him if it really is her, but something stops me.
Maybe I’ll wait to see what she has going on with the guy next to her. He seems interested, but she’s not giving off the same vibes. She actually looks uncomfortable. Just as I’m about to open my mouth to tell him he’s not going to believe who just walked in, someone walks into my line of sight, breaking my view of her and sitting in the chair right next to Memphis.
“Hey there, boys,” Makayla coos. She’s trying to be cute, but it bugs the hell out of me when she acts like this. “Did you have a good summer?” She leans a little closer to Memphis. He doesn’t back away from her, but I can see the tic in his jaw.
I know she’s not really asking how his summer was, she’s asking if he missed her. Memphis has never and will never miss her. They had an arrangement that he broke off the second she started trying to elevate herself to more than a hookup.
“Summer was good, quiet,” he says and turns his head so he’s actually looking at her. I don’t know what she sees, but it’s clearly something different than what I do, because it’s obvious to me he doesn’t want to participate in the conversation at all.
“Mine too, I wish you would have come out to see me.” She lifts her hand as if she might try to touch him, but she stops herself and curls her fingers in.
“What are you doing here?” Oswald drops heavily into the seat next to me. I didn’t even notice him come in. I glance around, looking for the group their girl was with, but I don’t see them. Damn it, I got distracted.
“Hello, Oz,” Makayla says flatly. I wonder how she would act if she knew how important Memphis’ brother is to him. Would she have treated him as something other than the burden she seems to think he is? I don’t think she ever stood a real chance with Memphis. Hell, until today, I didn’t think anyone really did, but she ruined any chance she might have had when she acted like Oz was a third wheel.
“Why are you here?” Oswald says again, but he speaks slower, like Makayla was too dumb to understand his question the first time. I try not to smile, but I don’t put much effort into it.
Instead of replying to Oz, Makayla turns her head to look at Memphis, who’s kind of smiling now too, and she says, “I called you a few times.”
“Let’s eat.” Oz hits my arm with the back of his hand to get my attention. “Maybe I’ll get lucky, and she will be gone when we get back.” He pushes his chair back, not waiting for a reply from me, but I join him all the same.
“You’d think she’d get tired of being shut down,” he mutters as he makes his way to the food court.
“I warned him about repeat offending.” I grab a tray from the pasta station behind Oz. He doesn’t do much more than point and grunt at the people serving the food. He’s either tired, or seeing Makayla really put him in a bad mood.
“Hit it and quit it,” Oz agrees loudly.
“Classy.” A female smacks her lips. “I like it.”
“That’s how we do,” Oswald teases and spins around. There’s a blonde with her hip cocked out and a wide smile on her lips, but the face that draws my attention is the one just behind her.
I know the moment Oz notices her too, because he inhales sharply and exhales. “Wavy.” Her name clicks in my head—Waylynn. I don’t know how I could have forgotten that.
“I guess you haven’t found a diesel yet. Once is never enough with us, that’s just a warmup,” the blonde says, and Waylynn suddenly finds the ground much more interesting than this conversation. “Why do you look so familiar?” The blonde squints her eyes and tilts her head to the side.
“He’s Gravlin’s little brother, plays football,” someone else chimes in.
“Now I see it.” She snaps her fingers and points. “I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about, little Gravlin.” She looks Oswald up and down.
Normally, I would be all about the banter, but I know this would piss Memphis off. He likes to keep his private life private, and this is about as personal as it gets, not to mention he likes Waylynn, and this might hurt his chances with her. He’s been too good of a friend to me to let this explode.
I accept the blame. “That was a bad joke on me.”
“No need to backtrack, handsome, we’re all adults.” The girl looks around her small group. I notice Waylynn inching backward. She’s trying to escape, and I don’t blame her.
“Waylynn.” Oz leans to the left to see her through the others.
“Oh, you two know each other?” the blonde nearly singsongs.
“Um,” comes her less than articulate reply.
“Yeah,” Oswald answers with more conviction while sizing up the guy that seems to be sticking close to Waylynn’s side.
“Grabbing dinner after class?” Oz says, but it comes out more like an accusation.
“Study group,” the guy replies and shifts his weight to the other foot, so it looks like he’s even closer to Waylynn.
