Page 89 of Old Habits
I give him a thumbs up.
“Andy, come on,” he says, flashing me a wink. “Time to go, buddy.”
Will holds the door open and waits as Andy’s feet patter along the floor.
He rounds the corner and waves at me. “Bye, Jovie!”
I wave back. “Bye, Andy!”
Will lingers in the doorway, staring at me like a ravenous animal before finally backing out onto the sidewalk.
Mr. Trin glides behind the counter and stands beside me. “You know,” he says to his paperwork, “I always hoped you kids would get back together.”
I smile. “Really?”
“No. Go clean the bathrooms.”
I drop the grin and walk off, taking the flier with me toward the janitorial closet.
***
Honestly, stepping foot inside the high school again so quickly after that town meeting makes my stomach churn but I can’t pass up this opportunity to win over an ounce of Clover’s good graces.
Several voices echo down the hallway from the teacher’s lounge as I step inside, laughing loudly and I resist the urge to turn and run back to Will’s safe and warm bed. It’s Sara beyond that door, after all, and the odds of her cutting me any slack are slim but, at least, I can say I tried. I can say I attempted to change their minds before getting tossed to the wolves.
Can’t say that if I bolt.
I stand in the doorway and look inside. My eyes instantly fall on Sara’s bright and shiny face. She’s got those Myers eyes, the same big, green ones that Will has but the two of them couldn’t be more different. Four other women sit around her including Natalie with her puffy cheeks and a casual, sloppy blonde bun on her head.
I hesitate for a long moment before closing my fist and rapping against the frame.
“Hey,” I say to them.
They target me like a pack of perimeter hounds tracking blood.
Natalie keeps her smile while the others drop into various frowns. “Oh, my gosh! Jovie!” She gasps as she hops out of her chair and rushes over to meet me. “I knew it!”
“Knew what?” I ask.
She tugs on my arm to yank me into the room. “You and Will, of course! The whole town is talking about it but I called it like a week ago. Right, ladies? Didn’t I so call it?”
Sara glares at me, ignore her. “What are you doing here?”
I slide my hand into my back pocket to pull out the flier. “I was actually interested in maybe joining the party planning committee…”
Natalie’s mouth drops in a happy gasp as she looks toward the others.
“No,”Sara says, cutting her off. “You can’t.”
I expected this. Counting on a yes so quickly would have been foolish of me but I’m not going to back down yet.
I stand a little taller. “May I ask why?”
“We’re full,” she spits.
“Then, why did you hang these fliers all over town?”
She stands out of her chair and crosses her arms. “We were looking for new members but we aren’t anymore. Besides, you’re not a resident of this town so you’re not eligible to join anyway.”