“Girls, I’d like you to meet Ezmita. Ezmita, this is Willa, Maggie, Tallulah, and Aurora.”
All of them smiled and Tallulah, who had been sitting the farthest away, leaned forward and took a tray of cookies, then held it out to me. “Welcome, and eat up. My momma made a ridiculous amount of cookies even after I told her Nash said we had plenty of food.”
I took a cookie, thankful for something to do with my mouth other than talk.
“We are hoarding them over here, though, because her momma bakes like a god,” Maggie added, then popped a cookie into her mouth.
From the television shows I’d watched, I didn’t think teenage girls ate like this in front of guys or ever. I was happy to see that wasn’t the case. I took a bite and it practically melted in my mouth.
“Amazing, right?” Riley asked, taking a cookie for herself.
I nodded.
“So, Ezmita, you don’t go to Lawton. Where do you go?” Maggie asked.
I swallowed my bite and tried my best to relax. “I was homeschooled. My parents are overbearing. Controlling. Etc.,” I said, being honest.
“My parents tried to homeschool me, too. It was lonely,” Aurora said. She spoke softly, but I could hear her. Maybe I wasn’t the only shy one here.
I nodded. “Terribly lonely.”
“Are you getting to go off to college at least?” Willa asked this time.
“Yes. After begging, pleading, fighting with them, they agreed to let me go.” I paused then, not wanting to say where. If they all knew why Brady had invited me, then they would think I had chosen a school near Ole Miss on purpose. Which, deep down, was one of the factors in my choice. But I wasn’t ready to admit that to myself or them.
“That’s great. Where you headed?” Maggie asked. All their eyes were on me. I was the focus here and I really wished I wasn’t. I knew they were all trying to be friendly and make me feel welcome, but this was too much at one time.
“DONE! That’s how a master does it!” Gunner called out loudly, and my head immediately swung in that direction. He was standing up with his hands in the air, holding a remote control like it was a trophy.
“You gotta beat Brady before you can do a fucking victory lap,” Asa said. I glanced in his direction then. I was unable to stop myself. He was grinning and kicked back on a giant beanbag. He had to know I was here… right? It felt strange that he hadn’t come over to speak to me, seeing as he was the reason I was invited.
Had Brady made a mistake? Of course he had. I should have cancelled this. The feeling of being unwanted was so uncomfortable. Especially with the girls being so nice to me. Did they feel bad for me that I was here and Asa didn’t care?
His gaze met mine as if he could hear my thoughts. I froze. Wishing that running out of here wouldn’t make me appear like a lunatic. We sat there like that for what felt way too long when he stood up, and I swung my gaze back to the girls around me.
They had all been watching me. My cheeks flamed bright red. Could I claim a sudden illness, then flee? Would that keep me from looking too pathetic?
“Asa, huh?” Maggie asked with a grin on her lips.
“Don’t be nosy,” Riley said to her.
“Asa is a nice guy,” Tallulah added.
I couldn’t speak right now if I wanted to. It was a good thing I didn’t want to speak. Throwing up was closer to what I wanted to do.
“Thanks, Tallulah, but you know all I was after was your momma’s baking,” Asa’s voice came from behind me. Oh God.
“Oh, I know. Trust me,” she replied with a laugh.
I didn’t turn around. I should turn around. Shouldn’t I? Why wasn’t I home right now watching Gossip Girl or Ozark? That was easy. That was safe.
“Ezmita.” Asa’s voice said my name and oddly, in the midst of my inner turmoil, it was comforting. I turned then to look up at him standing behind me. “Glad you came, sorry you’ve been left to this bunch of gossips for so long.”
I could tell from his tone he was teasing them. He liked his friends’ girlfriends. They were hard not to like. I smiled then. “They’re good company.”
“Eh, I’ll just take your word on that. I’m better company, though,” he said with a half smile. “Besides, Gunner has already beaten me, and I need a break from his cocky ass.”
“Okay,” I said, not sure what he was asking me here. This apartment wasn’t huge. We had very few places to go. Unless he wanted to take me outside, then take me home. Get me out of his space.