Friends.
The word feels like a bullet, piercing the skin right above my chest.
I glance at Mike as I withdraw my hand, a silent question about his term to describe us.
He doesn’t look at me.
“Are you from Arkansas?” I ask her.
She grins again, reaches for Mike’s drink, and takes a small sip. “I am. I moved here with Mikey.”
Mikey?
He hates being called Mikey, but he doesn’t correct her.
“Are you also attending Brighton?” God, why do I keep asking questions? Does it matter? It feels like it does. It also seems like they should be more forthcoming rather than continue to feed me tiny details.
Maddie looks at Mike, but his gaze turns to me, trepidation suddenly visible like he’s had the good sense to realize that he blindsided me.
“I am, and I’m so excited.” She wraps her hands around Mike’s arm and leans against him.
“Hey, Poppy!”
I’m still reeling about Mike and his girlfriend and the fact they’re attending Brighton together that it takes hearing my name being called a second time to turn in my seat. A girl I vaguely recognize waves from her place at the end of the line before she looks behind her and shrugs her shoulders as though realizing there’s no reason not to step out of line. She approaches us with a broad smile while I struggle to recall her name. “Hey! How are you?” she asks.
Dumbfounded and shocked, but I can’t admit either, so I paste on a smile and nod. “I’m great. How are you? It’s good to see you.” I’m not lying. I am so incredibly grateful to have a distraction that I’m considering hugging this virtual stranger.
“I picked out my costume for the party this weekend. I’m so excited,” she says.
I consider asking for details about her costume and offering her to sit with us—anything to help garner a distraction and an ally because while there’s no threat, it feels like I need someone in my corner.
“A costume party?” Maddie asks. “That sounds like so much fun.” She glances at Mike as she leans into him. “Doesn’t it? I haven’t been to a Halloween party since high school.”
Discomfort and obligation nest on my shoulders as Mike glances at me.
The girl who abandoned her place in line and made this conversation even worse grins. “You guys should come! It’s going to be so much fun. I heard there’s going to be a live band.”
I shake my head. “There’s not.”
She doesn’t seem to hear me, though, and continues. “The whole football team is going to be there, and so many others. You guys should come.” She looks at me, and the smile on her face begins to melt.
“I mean, that’s okay, right?”
I gulp. No, it’s not okay. Nothing about this is even in the vicinity of okay, but confrontation is my number one enemy, and so I nod, hoping beyond hope that there’s no way Mike would ever want to come. “Right. Yes. Definitely.”
The girl’s smile turns back on, and she turns her attention back to Maddie and Mike. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Anna Beth.”
Hearing her name triggers the hint of a memory but not enough to use her as a scapegoat as I’d planned.
Maddie tucks her hair behind her ear and smiles. “It’s nice to meet you, Anna Beth. I’m Maddie, and this is my boyfriend, Mikey. We just moved here from Arkansas. Do you go to Brighton, too?”
Anna Beth nods. “Yes! That’s so great. Let me see your phone.”
Maddie doesn’t hesitate, handing her phone to Anna Beth, who quickly taps across the screen. “You guys will definitely want to come to the party, then. It will be the perfect way for you to meet people. I just texted myself from your phone, so I’ll send you the address. It’s Saturday at eight. Be sure to dress up.” She turns her attention back to me. “I have to get going, but nice to see you, Poppy!” She backs away and gets back into the shorter line.
And just like that, I find myself wishing I’d listened to Raegan’s advice and skipped out on this meeting as Maddie starts listing off couples’ costume ideas for her and Mike, cozying herself even closer to him.
“Is the party at your place?” Mike asks.
I swallow the truth and nod. “Well, kind of. It’s at my boyfriend’s house.”
Mike tips his chin up like the word is a weapon I was concealing. “Boyfriend?”
“Yeah. Hopefully, you guys can come.”
“We’d love to,” Maddie says. “I was so worried it would be hard to find friends here, but I’m so glad you’re proving me wrong.”
My gaze flips back to Mike, waiting for him to make an excuse and bail both of us out of this situation because there’s no way I’m going to become friends with his new girlfriend. It violates every rule in the handbook.
“Is he anyone I know?”
My forehead creases as his question replays in my head.
Why is he asking questions?
After blindsiding me, the last thing he should be doing is asking clarifying questions about my fictional relationship.
I shake my head, lacking the confidence to say anything. The skin between his brows puckers as he looks at me with curiosity shining in his familiar brown gaze like he recognizes my lie.
I tear my attention back to Maddie as I scoot my chair back and stand. “Well, it was great meeting you, Maddie, and to see you again, Mike. I have to get going, but I’m sure I’ll see you both around.”
Maddie stands as well, and I try to take a discreet step back. I don’t want to shake her hand again, and I really don’t want to hug her. “It was so nice to meet you. I’ve been a nervous wreck about this move, and realizing people here seem so normal and nice is really reassuring.” She closes the gap I was trying to create and wraps her
