“I’ll have the same.”
The server nods before skating away, and Indi looks at me like an evil genius, wagging her eyebrows at me. “So… you and Coach Saint?”
“And here I was thinking that I’d at least get a bite in before the inquisition commenced.”
“Oh, I am definitely not a sit around and wait for something to happen for me kind of girl.” She grins. “Now spill the freaking tea.”
I roll my eyes and let out a deep breath. “Okay, so I already told you I lived here when I was a kid. Back in the day, Lincoln, Maverick, Finley, and East were a fearsome foursome. They were tight as tight could be, and nobody fucked with them. Back then, when my mom was still around, I lived in the house next door to East and Lincoln, so we were pretty friendly, I just wasn’t one of them. But then one of the bigger kids at school thought it would be fun to push me off the swing set when I was like five, I think? East, who didn’t take shit even back then, basically made the kid eat dirt and took me under his wing. The other three accepted me into their circle, and we became inseparable.
“I don’t think I’d have gotten through my mom disappearing the next year if it wasn’t for those guys. I remember feeling so lost, but between the four of them, I was literally never alone. I remember Lincoln sneaking over and climbing the tree next to my window. He’d sneak in my bedroom and stay with me overnight just so I didn’t have to be alone.”
She just leans back in the booth, staring at me with wide eyes. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same people? Because I’m not going to lie, that doesn't sound like the guys I’ve seen jackassing around here at all.”
“We were all crazy close until Dad hit it big and took me on tour with him just before my twelfth birthday. It wasn’t as easy to stay in touch then, cell phones were a thing, but not like they are now, and my dad wasn’t a fan of me having one. He was weird, and more than a little paranoid about technology. We lost touch, and by the time I had a cell, we hadn’t spoken in so long that it didn’t feel right getting back in touch with them. I have no idea what happened while I was gone, but the icy reception I got when I came back isn’t exactly what I expected. But I can’t hold it against them, not really.”
“Hell yes you can. You left with your dad—it’s not like you had a choice. They have zero reason to be the giant bags of dicks they were today.”
“I mean, they didn’t really do anything…” I trail off just as our shakes are brought over. I take a sip, groaning at how good it tastes when my taste buds come alive. So thick and chocolatey. I would happily go into a food coma after having this.
“No, but they didn’t stop Blair from being a catty bitch either. You and I both know, even if you have been away, that they could have stopped her if they wanted to.” She’s not wrong, and now that I think about it, I realize they could also be behind the wave of messages coming through to my phone. I can’t prove any of it, so I just shrug.
“I can handle Blair and her bitch squad. They can give me their worst, and it still won’t top some of the shit I’ve been through before.”
She scowls over my shoulder as I finish my mini-rant, so I turn, just in time to see the guys, Blair, and her bitch squad walking in. Awesome.
They don’t immediately spot us in the corner as they take up one of the bigger booths on the other side of the diner. As if hearing my thoughts, though, Lincoln glances in our direction, his frown deepening when he sees me. I really wish I knew what I did to piss those three off, especially since East was so chill with me.
“Well, at least Coach still seems to be on Team V,” Indi says, pulling my attention away from the guys and bringing my focus back to her.
“East was always the most laid-back of them all, the glue that held them all together. Lincoln was the protector, Finley was the quiet one and Maverick was the one with the short fuse. ”
“Not much has changed there then,” Indi laughs, and I join in.
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
Our food arrives, and I grin at the size of the portions. Seriously, salads are for the birds. “Oh man, this is going to be so worth the extra laps I’ll have to do in the pool tonight.”
“You’re going to swim even after all the running? Girl, you’re crazy. I work out as much as they force me to, and that’s it. I’m not going to feel even a little bit of guilt over it either. I’m going to spend my night in a food coma, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll pick up my sketch book at some point. I’m not going to stress if I don’t, though.”
I grin at her and take a bite of the burger, and I swear I come a little in my panties. “Goddamn, this just became my new favorite thing in the world.”
She nods, agreeing as she sinks her teeth into her own.
“So come on, it’s your turn. Catch me up on the hierarchy around here. Obviously the boys are at the top of the food chain still, but how the fuck did Blair attach herself to them?”
She swallows her mouthful and takes a slurp of her shake before she starts to speak. “I have no idea how she attached herself to them. By the time I got here last year, it was like this already. I had the unfortunate pleasure of being Blair’s target last year, so as much as I hate that it’s on you now, thank you.” I laugh at her, and she shrugs, chomping down a few fries before continuing, “After the bitch squad, you have the jocks and the cheer team. Though Blair and some of her squad are on the cheer team, so maybe that’s how that works. Then it’s the rest of us, though being the new kid and outcast definitely put me at the bottom of the pile.”
“That’s so shit.”
“It is what it is, and I’m pretty chill about it. I’m good with being left alone.” She shrugs like she doesn’t care, but I can see that she does really. No one in high school wants to be the kid with no friends. No matter how okay you are on your own.
“So Lincoln and the guys, Blair and the bitch squad, then Raleigh and the team. Who are the party people these days?”
She snorts a laugh. “Oh that’s easy. Raleigh’s best friend, also the wide receiver on the team, Jackson Jones—there’s a back to school thing at his place this weekend. He started here the year before I did and from what I’ve seen, he’s a freaking NFL guy, which in football speak basically means he’s something of a superstar.” She blushes a little talking about him, so I nudge her foot with mine.
“You like the superstar?” I ask, a little shocked after her saying she doesn’t usually like the sports types. I get it though, sometimes you just can’t help yourself. I’ve been burned more than once that way.
“He’s a jock, and I’m, well… me. Pretty sure he doesn’t even know I exist.” She dips one of her fries in her shake, looking down at the table like she’s embarrassed by what she admitted to me. I might have only just met this girl, but there is something about her that calls out to my goddamn soul. If she wants an intro to the superstar, I’m going to figure out how to make it happen. Even if I hate the idea of partying with these people.