“All good, man.”
“Where are the others?”
“Chris and Steve are on the way. Dimitri, John, and Elias went for water. George is on the phone with his girlfriend.”
Ody shot a few hoops alone until the group gathered. John stole the ball and dunked it.
“You’re asking for it,” Ody said playfully.
He tried to push the bathroom incident out of his head and focus on his friends. A little later, Chris and Steve approached.
“Hey, man,” Chris said.
“I can’t stay long today,” Steve added.
“Why not?”
“I’ve got a date with Danae.”
“Oh, right.” Ody nodded. “Remember how Anna and I were talking about going to Serifos? We’re thinking of making it a group trip. Christina and Antony are in. You guys interested?”
“Yeah, man, I’m in!” Steve said.
“Let Danae know. It’ll be couples.”
Chris started walking off. “Alright, see ya.”
“Get back here!” Ody laughed, pulling him back. “You don’t wanna come?”
“Dude, what am I supposed to do? Be the third—”
“—the third wheel?” Ody teased. He and Steve burst into laughter as Chris shoved them both playfully.
“Alright, listen up,” Chris announced to the group. “Who’s in for a summer trip if you’ve got the cash? Singles only!”
Everyone cracked up.
“I’m in,” Pierce said.
“Same here.”
“Count me in,” Dimitri and Elias added.
Chris turned to Ody. “See? Problem solved. We’ll have a guys’ trip to pick up chicks whileyouboring couples do your thing.” He nudged Ody and joined the others.
Ody laughed and shook his head.
“Oh, right, I meant to tell you,” Steve said. “I saw Mano talking to Kash after class.”
Ody’s smile vanished, his eyes widening. “What?”
“Pretty weird, huh? Weren’t they beating each other up a few days ago? What’s going on with them?” Steve asked casually, unaware of what he had just dropped.
Ody stood frozen. His mind raced with possibilities. Why would Mano talk to Kash? Especially after what happened in the restrooms, when Mano left him behind.
“I don’t know,” he answered, trying to sound casual. “Maybe they were arguing?”
“No, they weren’t arguing. They were just… talking,” Steve replied, equally confused.
