“Yeah.”
“Was he okay with it?” Corey asks.
I nod. “He’s worried about me getting distracted.”
“Clearly he doesn’t know you,” Grey says. “You’re the damn poster child for ADHD.”
I grin. “See you guys tomorrow before we kick some Cal State ass. I’ve got a prank to pull.”
“What did you decide on?” Palmer asks.
“It won’t be my best work,” I admit. It’s late. Every damn booster wanted to give a speech tonight.
“Don’t forget what’s at stake,” Hudson says.
“I thought you wanted me to move back into the dorm?”
He pats my shoulder. “I want you to be happy.”
Palmer makes a siren sound. “Sappy alert.”
Laughter breaks out among the group. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“We’ll put your spare dorm key under the mat, just in case you piss her off,” Grey says, patting my shoulder as I veer right toward the parking lot, and they continue left to the dorm building.
I flip him off and make my way to my truck and head for the nearest store for a couple of things to kick off this prank war.
Chapter7
Hadley
“Hey,” Katie says, closing the front door. “Another lasagna?” She eyes the lasagna I recently pulled from the oven. The sauce is still bubbling between the thick layers of mozzarella.
“It’s the last one for a while,” I assure her. It’s my third this week.
“I’m not complaining, but my waist might.”
I grin. We’ve barely made a dent in most of the pans of lasagna that we’ve been taste-testing before I pawn them off to different neighbors. I still haven’t found the right balance between acidity, sweetness, and spice. I spent most of my day, reading reviews and tips from different lasagna recipes, jotting down a dozen notes that I implemented today along with some other tips I’ve learned from previous recipes.
“This is a serious commitment,” she says, moving beside the oven and eyeing the lasagna.
“It will be ready in about thirty minutes if you want to try it.”
“I just got done having dinner with Carsen.”
“Where’d you guys go?” Over the past week, I’ve been making an effort to engage with Hannah and Katie, and they’re beginning to reciprocate the efforts, making the aches from missing April less noticeable.
“We tried that new Greek restaurant that left the coupons on campus.”
“Was it good?”
She nods, before leaning closer to the lasagna and taking a deep breath through her nose. “Not as good as this smells. What did you change this time?”
“I added finely minced carrots and did half sweet Italian sausage and half spicy Italian sausage.”
“It smells amazing.” She moves back to her position leaning against the counter. Katie’s hair is a darker shade than Hannah’s and comes down just past her shoulders and is usually curled in beach waves. Her eyes are a dark blue that don’t remind me of Nolan’s in shape or color, and she hates all sports, which surprises me even more now that I know Nolan plays football at such a competitive and elite level.
“You’re welcome to it. In fact, I insist. I need to know if you notice the carrots.”