Page 46 of Love Me Not

And I was right.

But Becca and I were very different people. She was full of love and light, and I was more the cynicism and shadows type. Trey deserved more than that. He was too friendly. Too sweet. I’d corrupt him in no time and then we’d both be bitter skeptics.

“Thanks again for coming,” Trey said, catching my eye. “All of you.”

Several thanked him for the tickets and offered more condolences on the loss. The team started entering the cafeteria, and the applause exploded again. There were lots of hugs as the kids joined their loved ones. Aiden’s family was at the opposite end of our row, and as he stood beside a woman I assumed to be his mother, we exchanged a glance before he quickly looked away.

My heart went out to him.

“Hey, Ms. Pavolski,” said Emma, bounding into my line of vision. “Since when do you come to football stuff?”

“Since tonight, I guess.” I offered her a warm smile. “When did you become a sports fan?”

She spun, casting a glance toward Aiden, before turning back, pink high on her cheeks. “Just wanted to root the guys on since it was such an important game.”

I knew for a fact that football mattered as much to Emma as it did to me, but there was someone in the room who mattered to her a great deal. I could only pray he didn’t break her heart before Christmas. As soon as the thought occurred to me, Kandace stepped up to Aiden, pointing to his number beneath her right eye.

There were so many moments when I wanted to tell my students that what feels monumental now would be a story or a person they won’t even remember in ten or fifteen years. But I’d be wasting my breath. Just as I wouldn’t have listened at their age, they wouldn’t listen now.

“I think we should start rehearsing without the scripts,” I said, wanting to keep her from seeing the couple talking.

“We’re ready for that. Have you noticed Aiden already knows his lines? Makes it so much easier to play opposite him when neither of us have to constantly check our pages.”

“I did notice that.” Aiden’s body language gave off the impression he was only tolerating Kandace, but he wasn’t ending their conversation either. “Burke is doing well, too,” I pointed out, hoping maybe I could shift Emma’s focus.

“He’s okay, but Aiden is so much better. You’d think he’s been acting for years.”

I couldn’t argue with that. My anxiety over the production went way down after seeing him progress so quickly.

Emma checked on Aiden in time to see Kandace shake her pom pom on his arm in a blatant display of cheerleader flirtation. “Do you think he likes her?” she asked.

One thing that did not change in fifteen years was the inability to read a man’s mind.

“I don’t know, sweetie. Will you be okay if he does?”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I don’t really care. I was just curious.” The lies we tell ourselves. “I need to go catch up with my friends. See you at practice on Monday.”

“See you then.”

She disappeared back into the crowd and I turned to find my group chatting away. Trey had moved on, and I found myself searching for him from table to table. I finally spotted him a couple rows over, talking to a woman I didn’t recognize. She was smiling up at him, hanging on his every word. Three times her hand touched his arm and my jaw tightened.

“That’s a look of death,” Becca said, sliding into the seat beside me. She followed my gaze and said, “Wow, she’s laying it on thick, isn’t she?”

“None of my business.”

“Are you sure about that? Because if looks could kill, we’d have all just witnessed a murder.”

“You guys need to give it a rest. I’m not going out with him.”

She snorted. “You should tell your face that. Anyway, Jacob and I still need to pick up Noah from Mom’s so we’re heading home. Ryan and Megan are taking Donna, and Josie and Miles opted to order a car since they wanted to leave early. That leaves you with us.” Becca looked Trey’s way again. “Unless you have another option.”

I didn’t even notice that Josie and Miles were gone. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Okay, then, let’s go.”

I grabbed my can of pop and Jacob carried the tray full of empty burger baskets up to the return window. On our way out, he made a quick left to tell Trey goodbye. Extricating himself from the unknown woman, Trey excused himself to come say goodbye to me and Becca.

“Thanks again for coming. The guys really appreciate the support.”