Page 27 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
“All I was going to ask was?—”
“Next!”
The girl behind shouldered me out of the way, chirping out her coffee order before I could get a word in. It made sense, though—she wore a Jefferson High sweatshirt. Another Bulldog.
For a moment, I just stood there, huffing in disbelief.
“Mads!”
My name was called at the same time the door chimed at the front of the shop, and I turned to find the pack of Top Tier Bobcats filtering their way inside in all their blue and gold glory. Jade led the group, and she zeroed in on me in an instant. “You’re here early.” Shedidn’t seem too surprised, though, almost as if she had expected it.
“I was trying to get us a spot,” I said. “But all of the seats are?—”
I cut myself off as I looked to where the group had migrated, to one of the booths closest to the door. Ashton tipped his head at a few girls our age who occupied one of the larger booths, giving them the flirting eyes. They scrambled up out of their seats with giggles.
“There’s no loitering,” Noah said as he made the drink of the girl who’d cut in front of me. If I thought his glare at me was intense, it was nothing compared to the way he looked at Jade. “If you’re not buying something, you all can get out.”
“Mr. Rule Follower, are you?” Jade drew one of the fifty cent lollipops from the jar on the counter and laid it down, shooting him a sickly sweet smile. “She’ll buy this.”
After digging two quarters out of my change purse, I slapped them down, swiping up the candy in the process. I lowered my voice as we walked over to our friends. “He’s a Bulldog.”
“I know,” Jade replied, not even batting an eye. “You don’t remember him?”
“Remember him from what?”
“From the Bobcat/Bulldog game last fall.”
“I was sick for that game, remember?” Which had beensounfair. The biggest game of the season and I’d been puking into toilet all night because my immune system couldn’t handle the back-to-school germs. “Did something?—”
“No coffee?” Ashton demanded as Jade and I got close. “Seriously?”
“Go wait in line yourself if you want some,” she fired back, sliding into the booth seat beside Riley.
While the booths were bigger than average, only three could fit in on a side. Connor, Reed, and Kyle sat on one side, with Ashton, Riley, and Jade on the other. I stood awkwardly above them all. Again. “We should’ve chosen a place with more seating.”
Kyle, at the end of the booth, stuck his knee out and patted it. “Have a seat, Maddie.”
“I’d rather stand.”I’d rather die. “When Landon comes, where is he going to sit?”
“Just sit down.” Jade’s voice and patience snapped. She seemed far more on edge than usual. Maybe she was second-guessing her choice of location, too. “You look like a weirdo just standing above everyone.”
I gritted my teeth as I sat down on the very edge of Kyle’s knee, making sure my cheer skirt was fully flat as I did so. And hesmelled. They didn’t even have practice today, but he reeked of sweat.
I looked around the table. “WhereisLandon?”
No one replied, but the attention slowly ended up on Connor, who stared out Expresso’s window blankly. Something about him was off, too. His shoulders were stiff, and his face seemed more dejected than usual. I wondered if Jade and him fought—again. Maybe that was why Jade seemed in a mood.
“What?” Connor asked after Reed elbowed him. “Landon? He’s not coming.”
“He’s not coming,” Jade echoed flatly. Her lip curled as my heart sank. “He knows what that means.”
“He knows. He doesn’t care.” Connor went back to staring out the window. “He said he’s not voting.”
“So that means…” Riley glanced at Connor. “We give Landon a Most Likely To label?”
Silence hung across our table. “Of course not,” I said when no one spoke.
“It’s the rules.” Riley lifted her chin. “If someone doesn’t vote for the Most Likely Tos, they get put on it.”
