“Yes, the one you were with. You seemed so happy and relaxed and eager to start college afterward. Did you two exchange numbers? Have you been exchanging naughty texts?”
“What about pics?” Corey asks.
Erika leans over, around Brett, to slap Corey, who laughs.
“I’m just teasing!” he protests.
“If he hadn’t asked, I would’ve,” Tyler says with a grin and a shrug.
I laugh. “No, we…” I sigh. “We ran into each other again.”
“You did?” Erika gapes at me. “Where? When? How?”
“I plowed right into him. We were on the phone—”
“Wait!” she screeches. “You never told me, and it was how long ago?”
I smile and wiggle my fingers at her. “Yes, well, I’m telling you now, so doesn’t that count for something?”
“Was it a good reunion?” Erika asks, her tone a bit more cautious now.
It’s crazy how much she can read me.
“Not exactly, but then he later on invited me to his place…” I trail off as I see Shane smirk.
“A drip or a gush?” he asks.
“Shane!” Erika flat-out punches him in the shoulder.
Shane just lifts his eyebrows a few times. “Don’t act like we don’t all know what he was after.”
“A second time, yes, but I refused.” I wave my hand. “I won’t get into why, but ever since he and his friends have been harassing me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Erika groans. “Damnit. I had such hopes, too, when you said you two reconnected.”
“We didn’t exactly reconnect,” I mumble, “but what’s really messed up is the way that Rob acts.”
“He’s the worst bully of them all?” Erika guesses.
“Not really. No worse than the others.”
“He didn’t pull down your shirt to flash everyone, did he?” Erika asks.
I blink a few times. “What…”
“Nothing,” Brett says quickly.
I eye him and then shift my gaze to Erika. Her face is bright red.
“Did Brett—”
“What’s messed up about the way Rob is?” Erika asks in a rush.
I glare at her, letting her know with my eyes that I am going to demand answers later, but for now, I let it go.
“He defended me to the point of breaking a kid’s nose when he talked shit about me,” I explain. “He and his friends can say what they want, but anyone else… I’m not fair game. It’s weird.”
“Maybe not as weird as you would think,” Erika mumbles.