His Smirk ||

17- Letterman Jackets

I shook my head my hair falling in waves around my shoulders. “No, I offered actually. Can only sit for so long.” the second I said it I’d felt bad. That’s all that they were allowed to do. Sit, watch and serve. I noticed for the first time that they all had sodas in their hands.

“Someone needs more.” the first boy said shooing the boy who’d gotten the beers for me away with a competitive scowl. I laughed to myself and pulled one of the beers from the twelve pack and popped it open.

“You guys aren’t allowed to have any?” I asked as I took a sip ready to walk off with twelve pack in hand but his thirsty eyes had surprised me.

He shrugged. “Nah. We’re here to cater not party.” I noticed he sounded a little proud of it. “Once we’re varsity we’ll get our fill while others watch. It’s just how things are.”

I nodded. I guess the popular crowd really did do things their own way. “How about if someone offers you one?” I asked noticing how his eyes watched my lips as I took another sip.

The boy looked surprised. “Never told any rules about that.”

I smiled and handed out the beer to him. “Well then I insist you do. I can’t finish it on my own.” I added in a wink and he took it gratefully taking a slow deliberate drink as though savoring it’s flavor like it was the very meaning of life.

I was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see one of the cheerleaders from my school I barely recognized had approached me. “Hey Rein. Can we talk to you?” she asked sweetly. I’d never spoken to her directly before. Only once or twice when I had been waiting for Kale after his football games.

I looked down at the beers I held in my hand. “I’ll take them over for you.” the boy I’d given the drink offered. He hoisted himself over the table and grabbed up the beers for me.

“Thanks.” I flashed him a smile and he nodded, striding towards the group I’d left. So he really had watched me walk over from them after all. “So what’s up?” I asked the girl. Peena. That had been her name. I remembered as I thought about how she’d failed to introduce herself that day I’d met her outside the pool. She’d been so smiley and cheerful . So happy for me and Jakeson.

“Let’s talk over here.” She smiled and I noticed for the first time the two girls she had standing slightly behind her on either side. Her entourage. I thought with a shrug as I followed behind them to a less crowded patch of earth that overlooked the bluff. We stopped and she took a long drink from her bottle of Mike’s hard lemonade she was drinking.

“Didn’t expect you here.” one of the girls spoke up first and eyed me up slowly.

I shrugged. “I’ve never come before but Frankie brought me.”

“See that’s exactly what we wanted to talk about.” Preena hissed her eyes losing her friendly shine in a matter of a blink of the eye.

What was going on? I wondered as the girls stepped in closer all three eyeing me up now. Had I done something to upset them? I’d never had a single disagreement at the Academy so I saw no reason for this treatment now. I didn’t talk to anyone but the guys really. I didn’t pay enough attention to anyone else to have started a fight. I didn’t have rivals.