“Well, hello, Mrs. Rivers,” she says. “I didn’t think I’d see you alone.”
I hoist myself up onto the stage and then pull my lunch out of my backpack. The grass around the stage is purple today, one of our school’s colors, but it doesn’t make me feel even a hint of school spirit. The people sitting on it seem bland against the bright background. “Yeah, well, just because we kissed doesn’t mean I’m going to turn into a starstruck fangirl and follow him around like a puppy would. I’m still me.”
“Wait, so you’re telling me that even now that you’re together, you’re not going to admit you have the hots for him?”
“The hots?”
“Yes, the hots. You are so into Duke Rivers that you can’t even think straight. I want you to admit that out loud, and I want you to tell me that I was right all along.”
I see Duke walking across the grass toward us, looking anything but bland. He smiles and waves to people as he goes. His blond hair seems to reflect the sun and create a halo of light around his face. He catches my eye, and his smile widens. “You were right,” I say to Laila. “I totally have the hots for Duke Rivers.”
She laughs.
“Hey, Blue Eyes,” he says, when he’s in front of me.
Laila clears her throat. “I’m not going to gag on my lunch if I stick around, am I?”
He turns to her. “No. And actually I was hoping you ladies would accompany me off-campus for lunch.”
“But we’re juniors,” I say, maintaining my seat as Laila hops up, ready to go without question. Going off-campus for lunch is a senior privilege.
“Don’t worry, we won’t get in trouble. I have an in with the parking-lot guard.” He grabs my brown-bag lunch off my lap, wads it into a ball—food and all—and sends it flying into a trash can twenty feet away.
“Hey. I could’ve saved that for later.”
He holds up his hand. “Do you want me to get it back?”
“Gross. No.”
When Duke said he had an “in” with the guard, he just meant that, like always, he could sweet talk anyone “into” anything. Five minutes later, Duke pulls into the parking lot of a local burger joint called Fat Jacks, and right away, through the large wall of windows, I see tables full of seniors from school.
“You didn’t tell us we were meeting people,” I say. It looks like the whole football team is in there, plus the cheerleading squad.
“Bring it on,” Laila says softly. Like a predator, she scans the fresh meat through the window, picking out her prey. I laugh. As we walk toward the door, I notice Bobby sitting at a corner table and I immediately stop, squeezing Duke’s hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“Bobby’s here.”
“It’s okay, he already knows. He’s cool with us.”
But I’m not cool with him, is what I want to say, but Laila is already holding open the door.
“Duke,” the guy grilling burgers calls out when we walk in.
“Hey, Ernie! You comin’ to the game Friday night?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
To me Duke says, “Go find a seat, and I’ll order for us.”
“Cool.” Laila marches straight over, and I follow.
“Hey, Ray,” she says, sitting at an open table next to him.
Ray looks up, seeming pleasantly surprised to see Laila. “Hey, ladies.” He raises his hand, and the ketchup bottle flies off our table and hits his open palm with a loud smack that makes me jump. “Welcome.” He opens the ketchup and pours it on his fries. When he’s done, he looks right at me. “Clairvoyant, right?”
Duke must’ve told him my ability. “Sort of.”
“Awesome,” Ray says. “Tell me my future.”
I want to tell him not to look so impressed. My ability may be rare, but it can only help me.
“I’ll tell you your future.” Duke sits down and sets a basket of fries in the center of the table. “It’s in the end zone, gripping a football.”
Ray nods. “Yes!”
I offer Duke a thankful smile, and he rubs one hand down my back, then holds up his other hand and says, “Ketchup.” The bottle flies back over. After he pours some on his fries, he says, “Smile, I’m about to embarrass you.”
“Please don’t.” But before I even finish the words, Duke stands and says, “Everyone, this is Addie, my girlfriend, and her best friend, Laila. Introduce yourselves when you get a chance.” Again with the surge of pride at the word girlfriend. When did other people’s opinions of me start to matter so much?
I give a halfhearted wave. Laila says, “Hey.”
Duke sits back down and kisses my cheek, but when the guy behind the counter calls out the order, he pops back up again. I feel like I’m in an alternate universe when Bobby sits down next to Laila and across from me at the table.
“Hi, my name is Bobby,” he says sarcastically. “Welcome to the group. At least for the next couple weeks.”
Laila’s fists, resting on the tabletop, tighten. But before she can punch him out, which I have no doubt she is about to do, Duke sits down with our burgers and sodas.
“Bobby,” he says, and they do a “cool guy” fist-bump thing.
“Hey. Addie and I were getting caught up.”
“Good,” Duke says. “I hope everything is cool with you two.”