Page 41 of Enemy Games

She spun around, tossing her dark brown hair over her shoulder and offering me a wide smile. “Oh, hi. Come in.”

To my own room? Gee, thanks.

“What’s going on?” I dropped my backpack onto my desk chair and looked around the crowded room.

Kennedy and Ethan were sitting on Benjamin’s bed, and I almost teased them for having matching buns on top of their heads, but Haley’s pacing in the middle of the room distracted me.

“We’re waiting for Benny boy to finish his primping so we can go,” Reid answered from my bed.

“Go where?” I leaned against my bed, next to his legs, feeling out of place in my own living space.

“To the movies.” Kennedy kicked up her feet, trapping Haley from making another pass. “You’re giving me anxiety. You need to stop.”

“I can’t stop!” she argued while pushing her way through.

“You’re all going?” It wasn’t often that I felt excluded. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time it happened, but jealousy and hurt were suddenly rearing their heads.

“Yeah, didn’t you get the text?” Reid watched his girlfriend with an amused smile. “We thought you were cutting it a little close, but since the pretty boy is taking so long, you made it.”

“I didn’t get a text.” I pulled out my phone. There were no new notifications, but when I unlocked the screen, there was a red bubble over my messages icon. “Oh, I don’t know how I missed it.”

“Well, you’re here now, so we don’t have to track you down across campus.” Ethan tossed a puck up in the air and caught it, then did it again.

They would come looking for me? Of course they would. We were best friends. We didn’t leave a man behind. I was being ridiculous, jumping to conclusions.

“I’m done.” Benjamin walked out of our small bathroom, running his hand through his damp hair. “I asked for ten minutes, and I only took seven, so can you calm down now?” he snapped at Haley.

She shrugged and pointed to the door. “Fine, but let’s go. I want time to get snacks before the previews.”

“Who cares about the previews?” I followed Kennedy out and shut the door behind us.

Ethan and Reid both turned. “She does.”

“She always has,” Ethan added. “She thinks it’s the best part.”

“It is! You get to be all excited about what’s coming, then the actual movie starts and you’re already in a good mood,” Haley tried to explain, but it still didn’t make sense to me.

“Don’t try to argue. It’s a waste of time and energy.” Reid dropped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “But we love you anyway.”

I fell into step next to Ethan and caught him rolling his eyes. Kennedy elbowed him in his ribs. “Be nice.”

Her whisper held plenty of warning.

If it wasn’t for Benjamin, I wouldn’t be joining them. As much as I liked the girls, it just got to be a lot when you hung out with the four of them. They had so much history together that you couldn’t help but feel left out of years of inside jokes and stories.

We crossed campus to the movie theater in the student union building. Since it was a Thursday night, the line was short, and we were able to pick seats toward the back.

“I’ll do the snack run,” Reid offered. “What does everyone want?”

“I’ll come with you.” Ethan turned to Kennedy. “Frozen Junior Mints and a medium popcorn?”

She nodded, and Haley reminded Reid to ask for their popcorn to be buttered in layers.

“I can’t decide what I want, so I’ll come with you too.” Benjamin stood before looking down at me. “Want anything?”

“Just a drink. Thanks.”

“Got it.” The three of them headed down the stairs, and I realized I made a mistake. I was rarely alone with the girls. After being cornered by them and interrogated on a few occasions, I did my best to avoid this situation.