Page 15 of His Secret Santa
McKenna huffed. “Why would I change? I’m perfect the way that I am.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away, Tonya at her heels.
“Holy spitballs.” Jamie laughed. “That was awesome. You put her in her place good.”
Abby looked doubtful. “Nothing I said mattered to her.”
“So what?” Holden spoke up, a bit impressed himself. “You stood up to her and that takes guts.” He shrugged. “More guts than I have most of the time.”
“I don’t want to be intimidated by people like her anymore,” Abby murmured. “It makes me feel like I think they’re better than me. And there’s no reason to think that when they’re such awful people.”
“Exactly.” Jamie pointed at Holden. “That’s what I’ve been telling this one all along. They’re not better than us.”
• • •
“What was that all about?” Lincoln asked when McKenna and Tonya returned to the lunch table.
“Abby.” McKenna spit out the name as she sat down. “I kicked her off the squad.” She exchanged a look with Tonya that suggested she wasn’t telling the whole truth. Nothing new about that.
“Really?” Gina Carlton leaned forward. “Why?”
“She thinks she’s better than us because she’s a muff diver.”
“Wait… what?” Gina grinned, shocked. The others around the table suddenly took interest.
“Are you serious?” Troy Miller jumped in. “Abby? No way.”
“Yes way,” McKenna insisted. “Total carpet muncher. Why do you think she’s hanging with those faggots? They’re her kind.”
“That’s your proof?” Lincoln mumbled. “Because she’s hanging out with those two?”
“What other proof do I need?”
Lincoln sighed and shrugged. He didn’t believe for one second that Abby was a lesbian, but extracted himself from the discussion, nonetheless. There were some topics of which he steered clear. This was one of them.
“Shit,” Troy muttered. “I was gonna hit that.”
No, he wasn’t. Gay or straight, Abby Michaels had no interest in Troy. In fact, she seemed to find him repugnant. She wasn’t wrong. Lincoln played the “friend” bit, but he was no fan of the obnoxious dickhead, either.
Lincoln cast a discreet glance toward the other table where Abby sat next to Jamie Dayton and seemed quite content. No, Abby had never been an option for Troy… her sights were set elsewhere.
There was no question—she had made the better choice.
Lincoln tuned out their conversation until McKenna touched his arm and leaned closer. “I have something extra special for your birthday this weekend.”
“Yeah?” Lincoln smiled, wondering if it looked as forced as it felt.
“Uh-huh.”
“Before all that,” Troy cut in, “it’s party time.” He stood and pumped his arm. “Whoop-whoop! Birthday bash!”
The others joined in, hooting and hollering.
Lincoln had other plans for his eighteenth birthday—plans that didn’t include his friends. But the party would go on… if only to distract his friends.
• • •
Birthday bash.
It was Lincoln’s birthday that weekend. Holden didn’t only know this because he’d been crushing on the guy for four years, but also because his own birthday was just a few days later. One of his fantasies was about him and Lincoln celebrating their birthdays together… just the two of them… giving each other all kinds of gifts.