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“I don’t need friends like that, Kam.”
“You called me Kam. Can’t take it back. We’re friends now.”
God, he’s annoying. “We’re not friends. I’m leaving.”
“We have a core curriculum class together, philosophy,” he says in his final and desperate attempt to stop me from leaving.
“You go to Columbia?”
He runs his hand through hair that’s black as night. “I do. I’m not surprised you didn’t notice me. You’re kinda … in your own world.”
Yeah, I fucking am. I’d rather shut everyone out than set myself up for something like this. This is what happens when I socialize, every damn time. People are assholes.
“My world is a great fucking place to be.” This guy has an earnest face. Why does he have to be so earnest? Especially with those black-rimmed glasses.
He holds up a hand with a ring on it. “Not married, only engaged. I’m sure you noticed that by now.”
Ugh. This guy is going to make me talk to him. Then he’ll annoy me at school. “Who’s your guy?”
“Thought you’d never ask. My guy is Linden. This is his second year with New York, but I only joined him here this year—last year was rough. Rhett and Linden hang out sometimes.”
“Have they fucked?”
“What? No.” He holds his ringed finger up again. “Linden and I have been together since high school.”
So have a lot of people, like Jimmy and his husband. But I relax, and Kamiko forgives my rudeness in favor of forcing this conversation. I listen for as long as I can, but I don’t want him getting the wrong idea.
“I gotta go, man. Rhett’s expecting me,” I say, which is true, although I’m not particularly in a rush on account of His Highness tonight. But then I remember about the selfie and I’m a horrible person for this, but if Rhett said to get one, I should because he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to that stuff.
“I got it. Linden will want me out there cheering for him, too.”
“Would you, uh, mind taking a selfie with me?” God that’s weird, but maybe he’ll write me off as a weirdo after this and it’ll work in my favor.
His eyes widen and then he puts his hand over his heart like I’ve wounded him. “I can’t believe you’d?—”
“Look, I’m sorry but?—”
“—want to capture the moment we became best friends forever! I’m honored.”
“We’re not best?—”
“C’mere, bestie.” He pulls me into his side, touching me, and snaps a photo with his phone. “What’s your number? I’ll text it to you. Actually, never mind. I’ll get it from Tabby. Get outta here and cheer on your man.”
That’s definitely gonna bite me in the ass later, but that’s for Future Logan to deal with. I have a hockey game to pretend to watch.
* * *
Icould have sat in a box, which may have been preferable to being in the crowd, but lovesick me wanted to sit as close to Rhett as possible. He got me two tickets behind the home team bench;twoin case I wanted to bring someone.
I’m all ready to glare murder at him, but when he skates out onto the ice in full gear, I’m gone for the manipulative bastard. The crowd goes wild for him, formyfucking Rhett, as if he belongs to them. His ass is mine, even when I want to carve his nuts off with a dull spoon.
The rest of the team glides onto the ice for the warmup and I spot Jack. My heart aches for home at the sight of him. Home isn’t where I lived for eighteen years. It’s where I spent three months of the summer.
“Your voice. Five minutes. Three times a week,”Mercy reminds me after every call.“But it can be more than that. It’s my attempt at not being overbearing.”
“Sorry, but you fail. You’re overbearing,”I told him.
“People keep saying, but I still don’t see it. Talk soon, kid.”
