Page 231 of Tell Me I'm Enough

We drift toward the parking area in a loose group, the conversation getting quieter as we move away from the crowd of people. He keeps glancing over at me, like he’s checking to see if I’m still there, or trying to get a read on me for some reason. I try to avoid his eyes, but get caught looking at him more than I mean to.

When we get to the cars, Bash slaps Mason on the shoulder. “You played good out there. Don’t let a lowlife ruin the high from that win for you.”

“I’ll try,” he says. “Y’all heading out?”

Bash nods. “Gonna drop the girls back off at their dorm before turning in. You staying out to party tonight?”

Mason shakes his head, looking over at me. “Nah, but…um.” He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “Simone…“

My name in his mouth still does something stupid to my heart.

“Can you wait? I’ll change, grab my stuff, and then I could drive you back. I kinda…wanna talk.”

I feel everyone’s eyes on me and hate it.

Attention never bothers me, but when it’s connected to Mason, it scares the shit out of me.

Lani’s eyes go wide like she’s silently screaming at me to accept, and Lydia just watches carefully. I nod, not wanting to answer out loud, not wanting my heart to make this more than it is. Maybe he just wants to apologize and call a truce, go back to before—before we were…anything.

Mason’s shoulders drop in relief. “Okay. Give me five minutes.”

He jogs off toward the locker room area.

Lydia immediately leans over to me. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I whisper, even though my heart is now pounding. “I’m good. I’ll see y’all back at the dorm.”

They start walking off, and then it’s just me—waiting on a boy.

I sit down on the steps near the edge of the lot because standing feels too vulnerable. My legs bounce, my hands fidget, and I keep checking my phone even though there are no notifications.

This is stupid.

I should’ve just gone with the girls.

I should’ve stayed away.

I should’ve—

Mason appears, duffle bag slung over his shoulder, hair damp like he rinsed off quickly, and his sweatshirt now on instead of his jersey. He looks…tired. Not physically tired, the deeper kind.

He nods towards his car and gives me a small smile. “Come on, pretty girl.”

Stop that, heart.

He opens the passenger door before I can even round the car.

“Thanks,” I say as I slide in.

He shuts it gently and walks around, getting into the driver’s seat and starting the car.

It’s silent at first, neither of us knowing what to say or how to break the ice. We pull out of the lot, and he keeps both hands on the wheel, his posture stiff and too controlled. I turn my head and stare out the window so I don’t have to look at him and accidentally show how much my chest hurts right now being this close to him after so long.

“This is weird,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

He exhales through his nose like he almost laughs. “Yeah.”

I glance at him. “So…we’re just gonna pretend you didn’t disappear on me?”