Still Beating

Chapter Twenty-Five

The restaurant Liam chooses has a family-feel to it. There's a stuffed moose head hanging over us on the wall, which is a little off-putting, but the menu is advertising all-you-can-eat ribs, which I'm sure is why we're here.

"Is there anything in this place that doesn't come from a cow?" Maggie asks, scanning her menu.

"I've had the pork chops before. They're decent," Liam answers as he takes a sip of his water.

"Um, pork chops are still cow," Maggie says.

I suppress a smile and glance down at my own menu. I've decided on the buttermilk fried chicken.

"It's pig," Liam corrects.

Maggie scoffs and looks to me for some help.

"Actually..."

"You're a pig," she says to Liam, cutting me off.

I close my menu and drag my finger through some of the condensation on my glass of iced tea.

"Liam, I'm so glad you've found someone who treats you like the prince you are," I say.

"Oh, yeah. I'm proof that nice guys don't finish last."

Maggie sticks out her tongue.

A waiter comes to take our orders. After all that, Maggie goes with a steak. Classic.

"Speaking of nice guys," Maggie says once the waiter turns away. "Is something going on with you and Hayden? You seem off tonight."

"You think Hayden's a nice guy?"

She shoots me a look. "Don't dodge what I'm asking."

I sip my iced tea. "Things are fine. I'm not off."

"He could've come out with us tonight," Liam says.

"I know. But he already had plans," I say evasively.

Gossiping never feels okay to me, but it feels especially awful to talk about Hayden and his father. My phone is lying face down on the table and I flip it over. No messages from him. I don't know if I expected something, but the way my stomach sank, it's clear that I was hoping. Is he doing okay with his father?

"Was he preparing for a fight?"

"What?"

Liam's complexion is a few shades paler, and his eyebrows have jumped up to his hairline.

"Liam, I said, what?"

"God, Liam," Maggie says. "I'm really not kidding this time when I say that you are an IDIOT. I told you she had no idea."

Servers arrive at our table and place our meals in front of us. They mix up mine and Maggie's orders, but I don't bother to correct them. I just glare at my friends until Maggie awkwardly switches our plates.

"What the hell do you guys know that I don't?"

Liam grabs hold of a chicken wing and glances at Maggie before looking back to me. "Well, technically, you do know about it. A bit, at least."

My food is still untouched. "It sure feels like I don't. One of you better start saying more."

"You," Maggie tells Liam. "You're the one who brought this up, and I'm starving."

Liam relents. "Fine. Remember that night way back when we were going to rescue Maggie at that party? I told you about that underground fight club thing on campus, where people place bets on who'll win."

My stomach sinks. I'm going to have to get a takeout box.

"You said you weren't sure it existed. Please tell me it doesn't exist."