“We—”smack“aren’t—”smack“dating!”Smack, smack!
Holding my sticky and stinging hand to my chest, Raquel finally fills up the cup with a grin and hands it over to Colten.
“Thank you, Raquel,” Colten says, taking the cup like he didn’t just watch me get beaten up trying to avoid this. “But it was actually a chocolate slushie. It ruined his favorite shirt.”
“Ew, chocolate slushie?” Raquel says, scrunching up her nose. “Glad it ruined his favorite shirt, though. I hope he treats you better.”
“We’re not dating!” I complain again, but Raquel ignores me as she loudly compliments one of the other girls on the glitter in her hair.
Colten moves to stand beside me at the counter, thankfully only sipping his drink this time. I run my sticky hand under the faucet and scrub off the sugar.
“Have any of your other girlfriends broken up with you because of me?” Colten asks, that intense gaze on me again. I swallow hard, feeling oddly nervous. “You’ve always said that you’re the one who breaks up with them.”
“Ahhh,” I say, clearing my throat as Raquel laughs loudly, though whether it’s from her conversation with the others or from what Colten said, who knows.
“It’s basically mutual,” I say, clearing my throat. “If someone doesn’t want to date me, then I don’t want to date them either. So, mutual.” I concentrate very hard on making sure my hand is completely clean.
I can feel myself losing any cool upperclassmen points from Nico with each second that passes.
Raquel laughs again, and this time it’s obvious it’s because of what I said. I feel a flush rise on my cheeks as I turn off the faucet and look over at Colten.
“Look, it doesn’t really matter,” I tell him. “Some girls just don’t get that guys can have close friends. They’re like those creepy anime girls who think every guy with a close guy friend is in love.”
“I’m not into anime, but I broke up with you because of Colten, too,” one of the other girls in the group says. I don’t even remember dating her? Also, she’s wearing a shirt that says ‘I’m a Lez-bean’ with a picture of a rainbow bean.
“Same,” the girl with glittery hair beside her says, nodding. She’s wearing a matching rainbow lez-bean shirt. I squint my eyes, trying to place them, but neither girl rings a bell.
“How many?” Colten asks, still watching me over his cup.
“How many what?” I ask as I turn my attention to my wet, but clean, hand. I just know it’s going to be covered in bruises tomorrow. Softball girls don’t mess around.
“How many girls dumped you because they thought you love me?”
I cough loudly, choking on my own spit. The heated flush on my face grows ten times stronger. If someone cracked an egg on my face right now, I’d probably get it over easy in no time.
Nico, who distanced himself from us and joined another conversation, snorts into his cup as he side-eyes us before turning back to his new buddies.
“What the—Colten?!” I sputter, unable to even start addressing this. Because—what?What?!
“Are they flirting or fighting?” One of the lez-bean girls asks.
“Both?” Raquel offers. I ignore all of them.
Though really, I think Colten is trying to fight, because why else would he be embarrassing me like this?
The punch is clearly hitting him. He's even leaning against the counter like he can’t hold himself up. Still, I can feel the tension radiating off him. He’s really pissed.
I should properly apologize, I know that, but honestly? I’m kind of pissed too. Maybe it’s time we actually talk this out, but not here, not in front of everyone.
His balance shifts even further, enough that I have to reach around him to keep him steady. He leans into me, his body radiating heat against mine as his face nuzzles into my shirt.
Oh. He’s drunk, like,reallydrunk.
I take a deep breath in, knowing Colten would hate to be seen like this in front of strangers. He never gets drunk outside of our apartment, and even then, it’s rarely this bad.
“I’ll be back,” I tell the group, tightening my grip around Colten’s waist and steering him out of the kitchen.
I’m still angry, but Colten isn’t fighting my hold. He easily lets me lead us away, his body leaning against mine with each step.
