Page 17 of Jump on Three

Delilah snorted a laugh. “Of course. What would movie night be without snacks?”

Once I pulled on comfy pants, we migrated to the small living room, shoving our tiny couch to the wall and throwing pillows and blankets on the ground so we could all sit together. Luciana showed up just as we finished carrying take-out containers from the dining hall.

“Thank god field hockey season’s over.” She frowned at me. “Wait—do you eat junk when you’re in the middle of a season?”

I lifted a shoulder. “The season hasn’t technically begun.”

She popped open the lid of a container, revealing a pile of steaming mozzarella sticks. “So, you can eat these and not feel guilty?”

“I don’t feel guilty about eating,” I replied. “If I eat too much, I’ll swim an extra lap or two to make up for it.”

She sighed. “I wish I had that attitude.”

I plucked a mozzarella stick from the box. “That’s because you’re going to be in the Olympics. I swim because I like it.”

She waved her mozzarella stick at me. “You think I’m going to the Olympics? I love you, Evelyn. Do you know that?”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. My face was on fire, and I couldn’t look at her. Fortunately, Delilah swooped in and saved me from being awkward.

“Believe her, presh. We’re Greek, so we have Olympic connections.”

Luciana laughed. “Okay. We’re manifesting me going to the Olympics right now.”

I helped her spread the containers of food on the floor while trying to eat my mozzarella stick. I didn’t really like them and had only taken one to be polite. Now, I regretted it.

Bending down beside me, Delilah put her hand out, and I passed her the stick without a word. She opened the container of french fries and slid it toward me. I plopped down on a pillow and pulled it on my lap, shoveling three or four into my mouth.

As I was chewing, the door swung open, and Bella burst through. Her cheeks were pink, and a pissed-off scowl distorted her sweet face.

“I hate that asshole.” She kicked the door shut behind her.

Luciana sighed. “Let me guess, Felix screwed up?”

Bella groaned, her hands tangling in the sides of her hair. “He’s a rat bastard; that’s what he is. I’m gonna need to eat a lot of shitty food to deal with my temper. He’s lucky I’m not a violent person. Otherwise, his ass would be grass right now.”

When Bella got angry, her Texas accent became thicker than ever. Having been raised in European boarding schools, the way she spoke fascinated me. Normally, I shied away from loud, angry voices, but I could have listened to Bella all day and night.

Luciana patted one of the pillows. “Come sit and tell us everything. We have lots of carbs and fried food to take the edge off.”

Bella marched over and fell down dramatically. “Oh god, is it wrong I want to take these french fries and shove them up his fuckin’ nose?”

“Only wrong because I want to eat them,” I said.

She laughed. “Don’t worry, Ev. Luc won’t let me out the door. My threats are empty.”

Luciana shook her head. “Doesn’t matter how badly he screwed up; I draw the line at wasting french fries.”

“Not physical assault?” Delilah asked.

“Nope. Sometimes it’s called for.” Luc punched the air a couple times to punctuate her statement, but I really doubted she could ever hurt anyone.

“What did Felix do this time?” Delilah pushed the nachos closer to Bella. “I thought the two of you were loved up.”

From what I had observed, Felix, who was another soccer boy, and Bella had been off and on, until the new year when they decided to really try and be on. For the last month, Bella had walked around with cartoon hearts ringing her head and Felix had been a frequent visitor to our suite.

But other people’s relationships failing no longer surprised me. I’d come to the conclusion I didn’t understand love or even like well enough to predict whether couples were toxic or meant to be.

Except Rhys and Delilah, of course. And maybe Beckett and Luc. Other than those pairs, they were all big question marks to me.

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