Page 22 of Loved By The Bad Boy

“What’s up with you two?” Ben asks. His eyes scan the cafeteria, probably in search of Calum. I haven’t spoken to him since he fought Ben. He needs to learn when to retreat or shut up. Those two are so hot-headed with egos the size of Sam’s house. “Figured out who’s dating who yet?”

There is no other evidence of the brawl between him and Calum beyond the fading bruise on his cheek. I wonder what excuse or lie he told Maddie and Josef. Are they here with him? Did Asher also move to New York? Did he really move, or he’s here for a temporary stay? I don’t ask him.

Imani snorts. Mira laughs. “Kinda, yeah. We think so. Imani thinks she’s bi.”

“I don’t think. I am.”

“You’re not bi because you appreciate handsome men,” Mira says, exasperated. It sounds like a conversation they have had too many times to count, and she’s about to lose it. Holding Imani’s head steady, she nods at Ben. “Look, Ben is hot. But I don’t want to bone him. Do you want to bone him?”

“Ew,” Imani blurts out. I giggle into my palms. Ben rolls his eyes. “He’s just good for the eyes.”

“Exactly. Appreciation doesn’t translate to want.” I nod in support, partially because I’m relieved I won’t ever have to fight with my two new best friends because of a boy. “You like Ben or even Calum as a friend. It’s almost a brotherly type of affection. But me? You have the hots for me.”

Imani frowns at Mira. “I do?”

Her voice sounds soft, and her question is sincere. I shrink on the bench, eyes darting to the door for a quick escape. This conversation is so outside my range. If they ask for my opinion, I’m out.

“You don’t?” Mira shrieks.

“Just kidding.” Oh. Thank God. Laughing, Imani throws an arm around Mira’s shoulders, but her annoyed girlfriend shrugs it off. They go at it a few times until she presses a kiss to Mira’s lips. Mira blushes. Suckers. Ben’s hand brushes mine. I don’t know what he’s expecting from me, but I place my backpack between us, and he groans. “You should have seen the look on your face.”

“Whatever,” Mira answers, but she’s smiling now.

“If you two are cool with each other, what’s the problem? Why do you look so sullen?” I ask.

Imani sighs. “Our gig was canceled. The idiot canceled it last minute without informing us. Can you imagine? I found a new place for us, but he’s asking for money. What’s wrong with people?”

Everything. Humans are weird.

Mira massages Imani’s shoulders as she curses this guy. They are so cute. Maybe it’s time for me to introduce my friends to my parents. But that will be later when we move from the hotel.

“How much?” Ben asks.

“Two thousand,” Mira murmurs.

I whistle. That’s kind of like a lot. If Ben and I were still in a relationship, I would consider asking if we could pay for it from our winnings. But I don’t know what he did with the money.

“So, we need to get two thousand bucks before Friday?” I ask. That’s four days from now.

“No.” Imani shakes her head. “This new guy has an opening for next week. Friday, twenty-fifth.”

Ben and I exchange a glance. That’s our fourth month anniversary. Okay, what’s wrong with me? There’s no anniversary because we broke up. We. Broke. Up. I rest my head against the wall. These mixed feelings are giving me a headache. Where’s Calum anyway? Does he know?

“What if we do a kissing booth?” Mira asks. I swear she thinks differently. “A kiss for a dollar.”

Imani snorts. “That’s too poor, I think. We don’t even have up to two thousand students here, and we will never get the full money if we do it at that rate. What if we made it three dollars?”

I glance at the table behind her. It’s full of boys from the football team. I watched them once. They all look like boys half the female population would like to kiss with their beautiful faces.

“How about we make it five dollars?” I ask. It’s the price of a small coffee. My eyes connect with that of a boy on the football team, and he grins. I don’t know what to do with the attention, so I smile back. Ben clears his throat. I ignore him. He’s not my boyfriend. “Kissing with tongue could go for ten dollars. Look at those hot guys over there. Every girl would love to kiss them.”

Imani and Mira turn at the same time to look at them. “Not me,” they chorus.

“Fine. Maybe every straight girl. I know I would.” Sighing dreamily, mostly to annoy Ben, I lean forward and continue, “Look at those lips. We only need to talk to them. I’m in if you guys are.”

Mira purses her lips. “I guess it’s worth a shot. If they agree, and we find some more girls.”

“Me!” I’ve always played by the rules for most of my life. Doing this would be fun. Maybe I could refuse tongue kissing since I wouldn’t want to exchange saliva with anyone that’s not Ben. Again? Seriously?Stop thinking about him, Tessa. “I’ve never done a kissing booth in my life.”

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