Page 52 of Freshmeet
“You mean to tell me you have no interest in partying with the rest of us Kirksville summer rejects? Jamie’s going,” she added as if that was a good thing.
I lifted an eyebrow while I chewed. Taking my sweet time, I swallowed and took a drink of my piping hot coffee.
When did the waitress refill it?
“Not exactly the selling point you think it is. My brother was also at that masked party. I think we can agree his taste is questionable at best.”
Her lips twitched. “Fair. But this will be way more fun and way less menacing.”
I hummed thoughtfully, and Sarah let out an exasperated sigh.
“How can I get you to come to the lake with us?”
Sitting back, I rested my forearms on the edge of the table. “I don’t know. What are you offering?”
Her face went from pleasantly pink from drinking to bright red. She bit the inside of her cheek and dropped her chin. That was her go-to move. I couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or if she was genuinely second-guessing herself. “How about I promise to be your official escort? I’ll take care of everything and make sure you have an awesome time.”
“Hm. So I’d be getting the Sarah Tilney experience.”
Nodding, her smile grew. “But better. It’ll be a blast.” She grabbed my free hand with both of hers. “Come on. Say yes.”
Obviously, I was going to say yes. How could I say no to a whole day with Sarah? Didn’t mean I would make it easy on her. “We can leave whenever I want to?”
“Of course. I’m sure if you want to leave, I’ll be right there with you.”
I took a drink and stared at Sarah. To her credit, her glassy eyes never left mine. “Okay. It’s a date.”
She gave me a surprised look and let go of my hand. “A date?”
I shrugged and picked up a piece of bacon. “Why not? Friends can go on dates.” Taking a bite, I chewed slowly, maintaining a calm exterior while inside I was nervous she would reject me.
Her face relaxed. “Okay. A friend date.”
Not exactly what I wanted, but at least my foot was in the door. I promised myself that by the end of our “friend date,” I would be solidly out of the friend territory and in the future boyfriend camp.
TEN
THERE’S NOTHING A LITTLE WEED CAN‘T FIX
BETHANY
“Keep the change,” Connor said, his eyes never leaving the girl across from him.
In fact, he hadn‘t spared me a single look the whole time they were in Pancake Town. Which kind of sucked because we’d gone to school together for twelve years. Hell, we’d been in the same homeroom all four years of high school.
The bell over the door rang as I brewed a new pot of coffee for the late-night/early-morning crowd. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched Connor walk his girl to the car, opening the door for her while smiling like a lunatic.
“Cute couple,” the guy in a hoodie sitting at the counter said when he caught my eye.
I hummed, topping off his coffee.
“They’ve got that All-American thing going for them.”
Nodding, I tilted my head and gave him a once-over. “I actually went to high school with the guy.”
“Oh, yeah?” the guy said. He must have been a student at Northeast.
“Yeah.”
