Page 60 of Sporty Girls Don't Fall For Loners

Zack chuckles as he slips his fingers through hers. “Let’s at least finish. Maybe she’s not really dead.”

She continues to grumble as we finish the movie. Turns out the woman did die for real and Ally is still groaning about it as she and Zack leave to the kitchen.

I decide to remain here and watch my crime show. I’m too lazy to go up to my room, plus watching on a bigger screen makes the show more immersive.

As they’re talking about the case and the killer, the door opens and Zoey walks in. After greeting her aunt and uncle and assuring them she ate so much she’ll pop, she enters the living room, stopping in her tracks when she finds me sitting there.

“Oh, hey. I didn’t know you were in here,” she says. “I was just getting my book.” She goes to the chair and picks it up. “I’ll be out of your way.” She moves toward the exit.

“You don’t have to leave.”

She faces me. “What? Oh. I just figured you’d want to watch your…” Her eyes widen as she stares at the TV. “Ugh. Did he really commit that crime?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Killed ten and wounded many others.”

She frowns as she lowers herself next to me on the couch. “That’s crazy.”

We watch for a bit, then she turns to me. “I didn’t know you like true crime.”

I shrug. “I just got into it the past few years. Ever since…” I press my mouth shut, averting my gaze. No one really knows about my parents, except for Ally and Zack and others who are responsible for my well-being. I wonder if my foster parents told Zoey. I’m guessing not, since she looks very curious.

“Ever since what?” she asks.

“Nothing. Just saw an episode once by accident and I was hooked.” I’m not ready to tell her I’m obsessed with crime shows because I’m obsessed with finding the guy who killed my dad and put Mom in a coma.

“So…what else do you like to do?” she asks.

I squint. “Didn’t you ask me that already?”

She shrugs. “You didn’t really answer.”

“That’s because I don’t like to do anything.”

She gestures to the TV. “What about this?”

“Fine, I guess.”

“And you like playing games on your phone and you like listening to music.”

I keep my eyes on her for a second or two. “Didn’t think you noticed.”

She laughs lightly. “It’s kind of hard to ignore the new kid. Edenbury High doesn’t usually get new kids. We’ve been going to school with the same students since forever.”

“And that’s why everyone was whispering about me?”

She hesitates.

“What?”

“Well, I mean, you had to notice that you weren’t exactly…warm to anyone.”

I furrow my brows. “That’s because I hate crowds and people. Why should I be nice to people who would judge me without knowing me?”

She thinks for a second. “You didn’t really give them a chance to get to know you.” She holds up her hands. “Not judging, just saying you didn’t make an effort to make friends. Which is fine, you know, if that’s what you want.”

“It is what I want. Friends are a waste of time.”

She blinks at me. “That’s sad. I love my friends.”

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