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Tyler frowned. “But the line is so long. And I’m about to eat my hand I’m so hungry.”

“If you had your crown they probably would let you skip the line, Mr. Homecoming King,” Rory said.

He shook his head. “I would never skip the line.”

“Tyler Chapman?”

All the Scoopers looked up from their table at Penny herself, holding a pizza plate in her hand. The diners around them quieted their chatter, eager to listen in.

“That’s me,” Tyler said, grinning again. He was grinning a lot tonight. Being popular must be exhausting.

“I just wanted to say, on behalf of Haverport, thanks for being so good at football,” Penny started. The entire shop cheered again. “And here’s a pie, on the house.”

Rory snorted as Penny placed the pepperoni pizza down at their table in all its cheesy, greasy glory.

Tyler gave his thanks to Penny as Rory reached in for a slice. Without even glancing at her, he swatted at her hand. “Mine. Get your own.”

“You’re not going to share one slice?”

Blake frowned. “Yeah, man, share the love.”

“Here, you can have my second slice,” Melanie said. “Let him have his pizza. I mean, you did say he was a human garbage disposal these days.”

Tyler laughed at that before digging in, half of his first slice gone in one bite.

“I still can’t believe you guys beat Garrison,” Melanie said. “They made it to State every year I lived there. I think this is the first time in decades they’ve been booted out of the running.”

“So you’re basically saying you’re the good luck charm,” Rory said.

“Sure, that’s right, you can hang this victory on me. Not the fact that Tyler kicked their ass,” she joked. Calvin chuckled softly, sliding an arm around her waist and kissing her temple.

Rory beamed. “I love when my friends swear.”

“It was a team effort,” Tyler mumbled, a mouthful of pizza. He was already reaching for his third slice.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be modest. There’s no way they would have won that game without you. They’ll be back to being absolutely horrible when you’re gone next year.”

Tyler frowned. “That’s depressing. I hope not.”

“Who are you playing at State?” Calvin asked.

“Westford,” Tyler replied. “They have a much stronger defense than us. It’s going to be a tough game.”

She elbowed his side softly. “You can do it.”

He smiled down at her. “I hope so, Ry.”

His phone dinged on the table between them. She glanced down at it without thinking, noticing it was a text from an unsaved number. Tyler reached for it, hiding the phone underneath the table as he swiped on the screen. She watched as he smiled at whatever it was. Her stomach turned at the sight.

“Who is it?” she asked, leaning in to see the text, but Tyler just brushed her off.

“No one,” he shrugged. He slid his phone into his pocket before reaching for yet another slice.

He was clearly hiding something from her, and she hated it. But if he was going to act this way…then fine. Two could play at that game.

Rory grabbed for her own phone and opened up her texts. She turned away from the others and started typing.

We both know you lose to my spoon-fighting skills every time