Shut Out(43)

“What are we doing?” I asked Chloe through gritted teeth.

“Neither of us is dating a football player anymore, Lissa. So we don’t have to worry about pissing anyone off. Ellen invited us.” My new best friend tossed a smile at my old best friend, and a nice full-circle feeling overwhelmed me. Just for an instant.

“Take a seat,” Adam said, grinning at me. “Anyone who makes an ass out of Randy Vincent is a friend of mine.”

“Actually,” I said stiffly, sliding into the chair on the other side of Ellen’s, “I think he made the ass out of me.”

“Au contraire,” Adam argued, pointing a plastic fork in my direction. “While it may have seemed that way in the moment, in the long run, Randy will be the one to suffer. He revealed to half the female population that he cheats on girls and divulges intimate secrets about his girlfriend to the school at large. So even though it sucked for you, consider your scene at Homecoming a fair and kind warning to the rest of the world. Oh, and most likely, it will keep him from getting laid.”

While I doubted that last bit, based on the way The Blonde had been wiggling in Randy’s lap when I passed, I didn’t argue.

Chloe plopped into the seat on my other side. “Anyone going up to get food?” she asked, jerking her head toward the lunch line.

“I’ll go with you,” I said, feeling silly about standing up when I’d barely been sitting for five seconds. “Come on.”

“Oh, go ahead,” Chloe said. “I was just seeing if anyone else was going. Can you get me a Diet Coke? Thanks.”

I swatted her arm with the back of my hand. “Lazy ass.”

“You love my ass. Don’t lie.”

“I’ll go with you, Lissa,” Ellen said, getting to her feet. “I’m actually craving those gross, soggy french fries. I must be losing it.”

I laughed a little nervously before following her toward the lunch line. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure why I was still so anxious around her. I mean, we’d attended two slumber parties together in the past two weeks, and we’d talked… a few times. But then again, this was the first time we’d been near each other without Chloe and Kelsey between us, screaming obscenities at each other.

“Hmm. Maybe I’ll get a hamburger instead,” Ellen was saying. “They’re obnoxiously greasy, but sometimes greasy can be good, right? What do you think?”

“I’m sorry.” It came out of my mouth before I could stop it. I tucked my hair behind my ear and cleared my throat. “I mean, not about the hamburgers. I’m sorry about us. How we stopped hanging out and stuff, and—”

“I know. Me, too.”

“It was my fault,” I said. “I let having a boyfriend and the whole football–soccer drama come between us.”

“Yeah… You did mess up pretty bad,” Ellen said, reaching down and squeezing my hand. “But whatever. I’m over it, and we’re hanging out now. We’re cool.”

I beamed at her. “I’m glad.”

“Me, too.”

We chatted for a few more minutes as we inched forward in the line, catching up on the things we’d missed in the last year—apparently, Ellen’s brother had gotten kicked out of middle school for fighting and was now going to a private school. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been with her through that. But it was like she’d said—I was there now, and that’s what mattered.

“You know,” she said after we’d loaded our trays with food and I’d grabbed Chloe’s Diet Coke, “I knew. Even before Randy said anything at Homecoming, I knew you were… Well, I knew you hadn’t slept with him.”

I blushed. “Um… thank you?”

“No, seriously,” she said as she handed the cranky-looking cashier the money for her lunch. “I mean, I second-guessed myself a few times, but when you started the strike I just thought… I thought I still knew you, and the you I knew wouldn’t have slept with him, if that makes sense.”

“I thought about it a few times. We got close.”

“I know, I know. Don’t get me wrong, he’s hot and I know you loved him, but…” She hesitated, watching as I paid for my meal. “As much of a control freak as you are, I knew it couldn’t have happened. Not with an idiot like Randy, at least. It’s nice to know I still know you.”

“Better than anyone,” I told her.

“Except Chloe,” she said, walking back to the table with me. “You two are insanely cute together. It’s almost ridiculous.”

I was about to respond when we reached the table and Chloe—speak of the devil—leaped from her chair and swiped her Diet Coke off my tray so fast that I jumped, startled, and a few fries fell off the plate and onto the floor.

“Right.” I sighed. “Really cute.”

Chloe took a swig of her drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Sorry,” she said. “I was dying of thirst. You guys took forever.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Highness.”

“You’re forgiven.”

Ellen laughed as she reclaimed her seat next to Adam.

I sighed and sat down, only just then realizing that there was now someone sitting in the seat across from me.