Page 18 of Brad & Finn
He heard a somewhat familiar booming laugh from behind him and turned to see Kellan, one of their wide receivers, laughing at something the man next to him said. As he turned back to face the tables, he was pretty sure he saw Naomi from Algebra II and Jessica, his sophomore chemistry lab partner. It was surprising how quickly the names came back to him, like his brain had been waiting since graduation to fill in the details.
As he neared the table, he heard some familiar names being given, as well as first names of people he recognized but with new last names. The volume in the gym was increasing, and he glanced over his shoulder again to see that the line had already doubled in size.
When it was his turn, he ended up face-to-face with a stressed-out redhead.
“Name?”
“Brad Willson,” he said.
The man paused and cracked a smile. “Our star quarterback! Good to see you, man. I don’t know if you remember me?—"
“Justin!” Brad nearly shouted, sticking out his hand for a fist bump like he’d done so many times in junior year English class.
English was by far Brad’s worst subject, and he’d often pestered Justin with questions on what exactly the excerpt they were reading meant and why he should care. Justin had been a bit of a nerdy-looking kid, but he’d grown into a handsome, if still somewhat frazzled, adult.
Justin smiled, crinkling his eyes, and Brad added another tick next to handsome in his head.
“Yeah, it’s been too long,” Justin said. “Here, let me get you all checked in—and we have a game we’re doing as sort of an ice breaker. Take this card and try to find another that matches. We mixed them all up, so your match might not be here yet, but you can hopefully start up some fun conversations by asking around.”
Brad accepted the card, along with a schedule and some extra pamphlets, and then slapped on a nametag. He wanted to say more to Justin, but he wasn’t sure what, and the press of the crowd behind him had him waving awkwardly before scooting out of the way.
He shuffled through the papers and saw something about fundraising initiatives, a tour, and prom. Some of it had been in the original invitation, but the specifics about Saturday’s activities were new. He made a mental note to read through it that night, so long as he didn’t end up back in Finn’s room, talking until two in the morning, or?—
He nearly ran into a petite blonde woman and had to dance around her to avoid a collision. After apologizing profusely, he made his way back to an empty spot near the entrance door.
It was clear he needed to get his head on straight. He was here to catch up witheveryonefrom high school, not just one particularly gorgeous man. He was used to socializing and small talk. That was how he spent most of his days—when he wasn’t running to catch a train or crammed into a tight airplane seat. He liked socializing because the only other alternative was spending yet more time alone.
Alright, game plan. He could scope out the room, find some familiar faces, and strike up a “how’s the last twenty years been treating you” conversation. Maybe they could bond over memories that didn’t involve falling asleep against each other on return bus rides from away games or splitting lunches when Finn’s dad forgot to pack him food for the third day in a row.
Shit... there went his meandering thoughts again.
Maybe he could play the icebreaker game. He glanced down at the card he’d been handed and saw his word was “emerald.” Two eyes flashed across his mind, and his fist closed around the card, crumpling the edges and smearing the ink across the paper.
Well, back to the drawing board. He scanned the crowd, passing over a few guys from the football team he hadn’t been close with, before spotting several women he knew from the girls’ basketball team. He was just about to go over to them when Chloe’s familiar blonde hair caught his eye. His heart skipped a beat, and he began moving through the crowd towards where Chloe was standing in line.
Obviously, it would be rude of him not to at least say hello.
He didn’t spot Finn until he was almost on top of him. His stance was totally different from how it had been at The Roll. His arms were wrapped protectively around his middle, and his chin was tucked in as he gnawed on the side of his lip.
“Hey, long time no see,” Brad said.
Chloe was nothing but smiles, immediately throwing an arm around his back for a side hug, but Finn’s expression was a little harder to read.
“Brad Willson! It has been far too long!” Chloe said theatrically, holding the back of her hand up to her forehead.
Brad wondered if that was part of some script he was supposed to be following, but Finn shook his head softly before loosening his tight hold on himself and smiling up at Brad.
“Don’t mind her. After The Roll’s abysmal coffee, she had three Keurig pods at her mom’s house?—”
“It’s so we don’t have to pack them!” Chloe exclaimed.
“—and then another cup of whatever the hell it is they stock in the lobby of the hotel,” Finn added with a sigh.
“We’re staying up late tonight!” Chloe insisted, taking a ridiculously large step to the side as the line moved forward.
She’d changed out of her dress, which was probably for the best because the hem most likely wouldn’t have survived such a wide step. In its place, she was wearing a pair of geometric print pants, a frilly blouse, and a blazer. Finn had also opted for a blazer, and Brad tried not to get distracted by the way it filled out his shoulders, yet still tapered perfectly in at his waist.
Finn rolled his eyes and gestured at Chloe. “She wanted us to be matching, so she went through my entire wardrobe and then filled in a few new pieces she deemed ‘essential.’”
