Page 177 of We Shouldn't Be Together
“Thanks, James.”
As Jamie glides away from the skatepark, I hope she’s finally understanding why I’ve been wanting to talk about Tabitha. The girl is so adorable and sweet. Surely Jamie saw that? Man, look at the girl. How Jamie could still see her as nasty is beyond me.
The guys are gravitating around Tabitha, and when I approach, Tyler asks, “Did Jamie leave?”
“Yep. She had a bus to catch.”
Tabby stands from the bench. “Bummer. I was hoping we'd talk.”
Parker edges closer to her. “Don’t worry, you can talk to us.”
Tabby shrinks inward and her eyes narrow at him. “Umm, okay?”
“Yeah,” Lewis cuts in. “What the heck are you doing with Kai?”
“Ahh, I…” she stammers.
I’m about to jump in and push them away from her, when they laugh.
“Tabitha, do you realize you’re one of the most gorgeous girls in school?” Parker asks, smirking. “You can do better than Kai.”
An instant smile sprouts on Tabby’s face as she turns to me with a silent laugh.
“Yeah, no offence, Kai,” Lewis sniggers. “We know it’s your birthday, but come on.”
I throw my palms up. “Come on, what? I’m not good enough for Tabitha?”
As if rehearsed, all three guys lift their flattened palms and sway them in a so-so motion.
I’d lay them all out if it wasn’t plainly obvious how much they’ve put Tabby at ease. Holding her belly, she jiggles in soft laughter.
I move by her side and wrap her in a hug. “Guess what, guys. It doesn’t matter what you think.” I peck a kiss on the side of her forehead. “She is here with me.”
“Is this a kidnapping thing?” Tyler stage whispers at Tabby. “Are you under duress? Do we need to get help?”
I swat at him, and everyone falls to pieces with laughter.
“Okay, okay,” Parker says, catching his breath as his laughter dies down. “In all seriousness, spill. How long has this been going on?”
I look down at Tabby. “Do you want to tell them?”
She gives a slight shrug, and I unravel my arms from her. I’m betting, if they let her tell our story, they’ll accept her even more.
“Umm, well,” she’s shaking on her opening line, “we were reassigned as chemistry lab partners. Naturally, we hated each other’s guts.” She pauses as the guys erupt in hysterics. “Then my brothers forced us to study at a coffee shop.”
“Wait? Did you two go to Jamie’s?” Parker asks, like the implications will cause his head to explode.
“No, no,” I’m quick to reply. “Village Coffee. Other side of Main Street.”
“I was gonna say,” Parker says, shaking out his shoulders. “I feel like Jamie would have yakked our ears off about that.”
“She would have definitely had something to talk about,” Tabby continues. “We called each other pretty nasty names and walked out of our study session before we’d even opened a textbook.”
“You didn’t even bring your textbook,” I point out.
“Because you sabotaged me,” she fights back, lips curling at the memory.
Tyler folds his arms. “So how do you go from name-calling and walkouts, to locking lips here at the skatepark?”
