Page 17 of The Love of My Next Life
Her jaw drops and her eyes bounce around the hallway. People are watching, some are giggling behind their hands, and Eric moves his palm from her back to her shoulder, then pulls her body smoothly under his arm. He says something to her, and a soft smile replaces her shocked expression. My chest is on fire. Just before they walk out the doors, I shout something I know will infuriate her.
“Eric, ask Leonard what she’s hiding under that scarf.” I make sure my voice carries, so everyone can hear me. “Maybe she’ll let you see my handiwork.”
They both freeze for a second, just long enough that I know my words hit how I wanted, then they continue out the doors without a backward glance.
I make my way through the parking lot and head straight for Sam, Julian, and Casper. The way Sam glowers when she sees me tells me I probably can’t use her as a ride to work, and I sure as fuck am not riding in the car with Claire and Lennon. Sam says something to the guys and then storms off, just as I reach the group.
“The fuck did you do to her this time?” Casper asks with a raised brow. I shrug, but don’t answer. I didn’t do anything she shouldn’t already expect.
“One of you guys wanna give me a lift to work?” I pull my cigarette pack out of my pocket, open it, then sigh when I remember I smoked the rest of my last joint at lunch.
“Why don’t you ride with Claire?” Jules asks, holding a fresh joint out for me. I grab my wallet, pull out some cash, then exchange it for the joint.
“Thanks, man,” I grumble as I put the joint in my box and slip it back into my pocket. “Can’t ride with Claire cause there ain’t enough room on her broom.”
The guys laugh and Casper hooks a thumb in the direction of his truck.
“I’ll drop you at work,” he offers. “Gotta leave now, though, cause my shift at the hardware store starts in twenty.” He starts walking to his truck and I follow.
“Later, Jules,” I call behind me. He waves, and when I turn back around, my eyes land on Lennon’s from across the parking lot.
She’s facing Eric, and he’s talking to her, but her attention is on me. I stare back, and she narrows her eyes, but the moment is broken when Eric reaches down and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. And she fucking beams up at him like he’s the second coming of Christ and she’s an evangelical Sunday school teacher. I watch in fury as she says something back, then nods, and he leans down and kisses her on the cheek.
On the fucking cheek.
I’m a split second from rushing across the lot and tackling him, but then he walks away, leaving Lennon gazing dazedly at his retreating form.
I want to fucking barf.
I hop in Casper’s truck and we’re silent for the ten-minute drive. He drops me at the supermarket, and I wait for him to turn the corner before I cross the street and walk the two blocks to the rec center.
I’ve got to run a boxing class for a bunch of eighth graders, and then I’m gonna work the bag myself until my knuckles bleed.
FOUR
“So,what did he say, Lenny? Read it out loud.”
There’s a Friday night Lifetime movie marathon on Claire’s TV, and she sits cross-legged on her bed with a bag of popcorn in her lap. I’m on the air mattress on the floor munching on Oreos. We used to sleep in the same bed when we had sleepovers, but we prefer to have our own space now.
“He asked if I’d go out with him tomorrow,” I say, rereading the text message on my phone. I glance back up at Claire. “What do I say?”
“You say yes, dummy. Eric Masters is fucking gorgeous, and he’s a running back so you know he’s in shape.” She winks, and we both laugh. “Andmayyybeyou mention doubling with me and Josh?” Claire bats her eyelashes at me, and I shake my head.
“I thought you guys just made out and he said he ‘wasn’t lookin’ for anything serious right now.’” I make my voice low and douchey for that last part, making Claire giggle in spite of the shitty topic.
“Yeah, he said that, but doesn’t mean we can’t still hang out.” She throws some popcorn in her mouth and chews. “And if you date Eric then I have a more accessible way in.”
My face drops.
“You are not whoring me out to Eric Masters so you can get more time with Josh,” I deadpan.
“I’m not!” she protests. “I didn’t tell Eric to ask you out. He likes you. I’m just trying to take advantage of your advantageous situation.”
She waggles her eyebrows and I shake my head. She’s incorrigible. I don’t even know if I like Eric, but I guess going on one date is as good a way as any to find out.
“Fine,” I relent, and shoot a text off to Eric. We agree he’ll pick me up at 7 pm tomorrow for dinner and a movie. Boring. Standard. Predictable.
“Yay!” Claire squeals, clapping her hands in front of her. Some popcorn spills onto her bed from her bouncing, but she doesn’t care. “And your burn is looking better, too. You should be able to cover it with makeup easy.”
