“Okay, yes that happened,” I groan frustratedly, “but then he said it couldn’t happen again.”
Maliah reaches for the next round of shots. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings for you, babe.” She slides a glass toward me. “That just means he thinks he’s permanently trapped in the friend zone.”
“Exactly,” Eliana agrees, pouring salt onto our hands. “He’s probably waiting for you to realize you like him back.”
I shake my head. “No. If Colton had feelings for me, there’s no way he’d help me get with Zale. They hate each other.”
Maliah slams her shot glass down. “Personally, I think you should forget both Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass and focus on coffee shop guy.”
Despite everything I’m feeling, I laugh. “Wait, which one’s the dumbass?”
“Depends on the day.”
Eliana perks up. “Have you read the book he gave you yet?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. I’m planning to get to that this weekend.”
“That’s perfect,” Maliah says, eyes lighting up mischievously. “Read it, text him, and go on arealdate with someone you don’t have a complicated past with.”
“Almost sounds too good to be true,” I mutter.
“It probably is,” Eliana agrees.
We all laugh again, but eventually the conversation turns more serious.
Maliah studies me for a while. “I do want to talk about what happened at the competition today though.”
The joy I was feeling drains from my body almost instantly, and I sink back against the booth cushion with a long sigh. “I’m still trying to process all of it.”
“I wish you’d told us what you’ve been going through sooner,” Eliana says gently. “We want to show up for you, Kai.”
“Seriously,” Maliah adds, frowning. “I’m pissed Colton got to protect you before I did. I would’ve fought everybody.”
I snort. “At least if you punched someone, Gabriel wouldn’t have been so angry.”
“Exactly.” She crosses her arms. “Me starting the fights doesn’t affect the team rankings, because I’m not on the team anymore.”
“But we all know Koa would jump in, and he’s technically just on a hiatus until next year.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Ugh. He’s always getting in the way of my worst plans.”
I trace the rim of my beer bottle thoughtfully. “Gabriel admitted he’s been trying to get Stephen removed from the judging panel for a few years now.”
Eliana blinks. “Wait. Seriously?”
I nod slowly. “Apparently he noticed the scoring difference too.”
Maliah’s jaw tightens. “I’m digging into that judge. Someone in town is bound to have some dirt on him in exchange for cupcakes.”
“You can’t interrogate people with baked goods,” I laugh weakly.
“Watch me.”
Eliana reaches across the table and places a hand over mine. “Can I ask you something?”
I nod carefully.
“Why do you seem so okay being called a… well, a half-breed? That’s a racial slur, Kairi.”
