Page 10 of Unfix Me

Since he wasn’t going to put in the effort to carry a conversation, I racked my brain for something to say. The longer he stared at me- half irritation and half confusion on his face- the more I questioned what I was doing. I should just let West keep him as his own friend and mutter awkward hellos to each other whenever we ended up in the same place.

“You like football.” I nodded toward the pin on his bag. Now that I was closer, I could see that it had the letters MVHS on it.

“Yeah,” he replied tentatively. “I played in high school.”

“Oh, sweet. What position?”

“Quarterback.”

My eyes widened. With a whistle, I nodded appreciatively. “Impressive. I took you for more of a kicker.”

“I tried that, but after I fell on my face for the fifth time, coach decided it wasn’t my forte.”

A genuine laugh left my throat. To my surprise, he smiled.

“You didn’t want to play here?” I asked.

“Nah. I went to community college for a couple years before this and haven’t played since high school. It’s more of a pastime for me. My dad… He, uh, wanted me to play.”

“I get it. I’m really only playing because of West.”

“Oh. I thought you came here for football.”

With a shrug, I leaned back against the wall and crossed my ankles. “I got an academic scholarship. I like football but with West.”

He hummed his understanding. “You guys are close. More than just old friends and rivals, as he put it.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “You know that one person that you’ll always put above yourself? That you’d die for.”

A blank stare met my question. I looked past him absently.

“Anyway, that’s who West is. Don’t hurt him. He’s more sensitive than he looks.”

Sen nodded slowly. “More than just a muscled-up jock.”

“Exactly. Although, he’s that too.”

His gaze found the floor. “He seems like a good guy. I gotta get to class.”

He started to turn and I caught his wrist like before. “How do you feel about burgers?”

“Burgers?”

“Yes, Seneca. Burgers.”

His eyes narrowed. “How do you know my full name?”

“Roll call, duh. So, back to my first question.”

“Burgers are… fine.”

“We’re grabbing some at Dickey’s after practice tonight. It’s a Seattle classic, apparently.”

I watched him blink a few times. He seemed to realize that I was still holding onto his wrist because he shifted in a way that let him pull it free casually.

“I’m busy tonight.”

“Lots of homework?” I teased.

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