Page 69 of Love Medley
At that moment, the food arrives. While Ian and Luke dig into their burgers, I shoot off a text to Trix.
Me: Hey, I’m at Bill’s with Luke and Ian. Do you remember Ian Thompson from high school?
Trix: Thetennis player?
Me: Yeah, that’s him. We just played tennis with him and surprise, surprise, got destroyed. Luke just reminded me we haven’t gotten together to play video games in a while. Didn’t Abandoned 2 Die 2 just come out?
Trix: Yup. Do you guys want to come over in a couple of hours?
At that moment, I lift my eyes up to Ian. While we didn’t interact in high school—an awkward time for those of us who weren't Mandy Spellman—that doesn’t mean we can’t now. He might actually be fun to hang out with.
A beat passes, and I make a decision.
Me: Is it okay if I invite Ian too? Round out our team?
Trix: The more the merrier. But if he can’t keep up, we leave him behind.
Me: You mean, we’ll abandon him 2 die?
Trix: You aren’t punny.
I set my phone to the side. “Ian, do you like playing video games?”
“Who doesn’t?” Ian says between bites.
“Have you ever playedAbandoned 2 Die?”
“Hell yes, I love that zombie game.”
“Well, Trix invited Luke and me over to play the sequel,Abandoned 2 Die 2today. You want to join?”
Ian’s eyes light up. Huh. Maybe he needed this more than I expected. I wonder if the tennis circuit gets lonely. “Yes. Yes, I would. Just let me know if you need me to bring anything.”
I shake my head. “Nah. You’ll see.”
We all take showers at our respective places and meet outside of Trix’s house a couple hours later.
“Wow, this place is sweet,” Ian whistles as he shuts his car door.
I’ve been here so much that I don’t really notice how nice it is anymore, but it really is. I prefer Trix’s modern style to the old stuffiness of my parents’ house. I’m starting to realize that even though the Whitlock mansion has never felt like home, these other places—Bill’s, TNT, and Trix’s—do.
While I like to keep those places close to the chest, it was the right call to include Ian. It’s nice to connect outside my core group.
After all, I let Lucy in. And that’s been working out…so far.
“Just wait until you see the basement,” Luke says, interrupting my thoughts. “It’ll change your life.”
Trix greets us at the door. I haven’t seen her in a few months, but she looks exactly the same—naturally thin, with chin-length white blond hair and sharp-angled hawkish features. She’s dressed in her usual gray tank top and olive cargo pants. “Hey losers. Hey Ian, it’s been a long time.”
“Yeah, definitely. Thanks so much for inviting me,” Ian says, his eyes wide as he takes in the interior of her house. I wonder what he thinks of her decor. The walls, the tables and chairs, the tiled floor, the modernistic light fixtures are all in shades of cream and tan…there are no pops of color anywhere. Wyatt would be itching to flex his interior decorating skills if he were here.
The thought of my brother sends a pang through me. Maybe I should think about reaching out to him.
“Ian pummeled us earlier on the court,” I say, wishing my brain would shut off sometimes and just let me be. “So I figured we might as well return the favor.”
Ian laughs. “Do you guys do this a lot?”
Luke, Trix, and I eye each other.
