Marcus had chuckled, and the fondness in it had me gritting my teeth. I’d torn my gaze away. Finally. Pain smoldered in my stomach.
“Hey.” Caden had come walking back. “Who’s up?”
“You.”
I loved my friend at that moment, so much. Avery’s voice had just the right amount of scathing mixed with niceness. I knew Caden had noticed, but he couldn’t say anything. I glanced over and saw that she’d covered it up with a fake smile.
“Okay.” He’d set his drink in front of me and touched my shoulder. “I got that for you, if you want it.”
Fuck him, I’d thought. Fuck his niceness. Fuck his thoughtfulness, and fuck how he didn’t notice when I didn’t respond. I could see her phone number scrawled over his arm like a cute tattoo.
Yes. Fuck him.
I’d taken the drink and gulped down half of it.
“Summer, you drink?” Avery asked.
Caden had his ball in hand, poised to take his shot, but he looked back. “She drinks all the time.”
Avery gave me an incredulous look.
I shrugged. “I drank at Marcus’ party.”
“You did?”
Marcus laughed, stretching out his legs and resting an arm across the back of the seats next to him. Avery moved into one of them and relaxed as Marcus began drawing circles on her shoulder.
“If I’m remembering right, you were wasted that night,” he told her. “Doubt you’d have the best memory.”
“Oh, yeah.”
She’d given him a dreamy smile, and I’d wanted to gut punch anyone happy at that moment.
“You okay?” Caden had dropped into his chair again.
I’d given him two thumbs up, stuffing everything down inside. “I’m gut punchy and happy.”
His eyes had fallen to my drink. “Maybe you shouldn’t have the rest of that.”
“Too late.” I’d opened my throat and thrown the rest back, letting the booze burn all the way to my liver.
“She’s fine,” Avery spoke up for me. “She’s just tired.”
“We can go,” Caden had said. “We don’t have to play the last game.”
Oh, yes, I’d thought. So you can get home and still have time to call the stunningly beautiful hussy up for a night plow.
I’d forced a smile. “Sure.”
Avery had been watching me when we handed our shoes back, but Marcus pinched her butt. She’d swatted him back, and the flirting distracted her again.
Marcus reached forward now to open the first set of doors on the way out of the bowling alley, but then he paused. He stood there, holding the door open. I’d been waiting for Avery to go ahead, but she didn’t. Her shoulders went rigid, and she didn’t move.
Two people stepped inside. I could see the top of the guy’s head and held my breath. I recognized that hair.
Caden moved forward, his hand sweeping me behind him. He stood between Avery and Marcus, facing the two new people with me tucked in the back. Normally, I’d be all, Screw that. I want to see the action, but in this particular moment, I was content to burrow into Caden’s backside.
“You guys are back together?”
I felt the growl coming back from earlier. I could hear the disdain in Maggie’s voice. Why was Avery friends with her again?
“We’re hanging out. Yeah.”
“Don’t even go there, Maggie.” Marcus’ voice was a warning. “You’ve got no say in who I see.”
She laughed.
I winced at the sourness.
“You’re right,” she said. “I have no say, but Avery’s boring. You told me so yourself. You think taking her out with your brother and whatever floozy is with him is going to make her fun? Think again, hotshot.”
Avery wasn’t boring.
I waited, expecting Marcus to say something. He didn’t. I waited some more, expecting Avery to say something. She didn’t.
My hands balled into fists, pressing into Caden’s back. Fuck it. I was going to say something. I pushed forward, but he held firm. He knew I was pissed. One of his hands swept back, touching my side, as if to calm me down. I didn’t need calming down. I needed to back my friend up, and I tried again to get through.
He held me back. Again.
So I yelled from behind him, “Avery’s not boring!”
“What?”
That came from Kevin, in a sharp strident tone.
“Summer?”
The crowds parted for me. Or, well, Avery and Marcus stepped aside. Caden didn’t. He was a big boulder that I couldn’t move an inch—not that I minded trying—so I stepped around his side.
Kevin’s eyes were narrowed as he took in the way Caden tried to block me with an arm in front. I pressed into it, ignoring the guys and glaring at Maggie. “You’re stupid.”