Page 58 of Falling Backwards
“It sure isn’t, ’cause this straw isn’t made of sugar that’s gonna rot my teeth.”
He narrows his eyes.“You don’t know anything about my dental hygiene, so let me tell you it’s perfectly fine.And it’s not like I eat gummy worms every single day.”
Paxton chimes in, “Just every two or three days.”
Emma snickers with him, and I bite back an involuntary smile.Luke, however, sends his friend an appalled look.
That expression gets a quiet laugh out of me, honestly.I try to muffle it with the back of my hand, but Paxton still winks at me and Luke still turns grouchy blue eyes my way.
Handsome asshole.
“Laugh all you want,” he invites me, “but that straw isplastic, not something you’re supposed to eat.”
I look at him like he’s crazy.“I’m not eating it.It’s not food.”
“Exactly, it’s not, so use it the way you’re supposed to!”
I mock him with, “It’s not like I chew on my straws every single day!And why don’t you quit watching me do it if it’s irritating you so damn much?”
“Don’t you think that if it were easy to ignore, I would’ve done it already?”
I start to retort, but glitzy movement on the other side of the table distracts me.Joy sweeps down into the empty space next to Paxton, somehow managing not to spill her drink.I’m proud of her, really, for how careful she’s been in that pretty dress.
Next to me, Luke lets out a low huff of annoyance that I can’t help echoing.
Emma says, “Hey, Joy.How’s it going with that dude?”
Joy smiles.“Okay!We seem to have some things in common.”
“Nice.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll see if he wants to sit with us in a few minutes.Would any of you mind?”
Luke and Paxton shake their heads.
Emma reminds her, “It’s your birthday.Do what makes you happy.”
I nod my agreement.
“Well, being with you all makes me plenty happy!I’ll see how I feel in a little while.”She grins at us, then drops her voice beneath the noise around us.“But a fraction of the reason I came back was to tell Maggie and Luke that they kind of slipped back into their usual selves for a second there, and I noticed Kyle noticing.He literally perked up like he’d caught you in a lie.”
Just like that, I feel chilled, and the tone at our table shifts.
Emma scoffs.
Paxton says, “Seriously?”
From the corner of my eye, I see Luke clenching and unclenching his fists on his thighs.
I can’t seem to do anything but continue breathing simply because I’m a living human being.
Emma lowers her voice as well.“Are we sure we can’t just go over there and tell him to fuck off or else?”
Joy sends her a cautioning look, then sends me a sympathetic one.“According to what we read online, yes, we’re sure.After someone like him has been refused, it isn’t a good idea to continue engaging with them if they keep coming around—especially not to retaliate.It’s best to take precautions and ignore the person and stay away.”
Emma smoothly cracks her knuckles.“It’s pissing me off that he’s still sitting over there watching her.Get a goddamn life, man.”
I catch the twitch of the hand Luke has closest to me.I blink and it’s suddenly out of his lap and resting in the empty inches between his thigh and mine, almost touching me.
