Faster We Burn

falsetto that sounded scarily like my mother. I rolled my eyes and hung up on him.
     
    ***
     
    Lottie let me do her up for our little evening out, which gave me a distraction from thinking about everything I didn’t want to think about. That didn’t mean that I could completely stop, because everyone else was talking about it.
    “I hope they put him in jail for the rest of his life. That’s where he belongs,” Trish said as I braided Lottie’s hair back from her face.
    “Trish, maybe we shouldn’t be talking about this,” Audrey said, glancing at me. “How are you doing?”
    “I’m fine,” I said with a smile. The guys were all down in Will’s room playing Minecraft and the girls were in ours “getting pretty” as Simon said. He was practically gleeful about inviting his new boyfriend on our ‘group hang’ as he called it. I just hoped Stryker would play his part. I was just pinning one of the braids to Lottie’s head when my phone buzzed with a picture message from Stryker. I hesitated a second before I clicked on it.
    He was standing in his kitchen, wearing a frilly apron and holding a spatula, one arm extended out so he could take the picture.
    A mother’s work is never done .
    I snorted with suppressed laughter. I messaged him back asking where he’d gotten the apron and set my phone back on Lottie’s desk.
    “What’s that?” Lottie said as I resumed doing her hair. “What’s so funny?”
    “Nothing,” I said in what I hoped was a convincing voice.
    “I’ll guess it begins with a Stryk and ends with an er,” Trish said, doing the patented Grant eyebrow raise.
    “It’s nothing. Just let it go.” All the ladies in the room shared a collective look at my expense.
    “Whatever. Just whatever.” I finished another braid and pulled the rest of Lottie’s hair into a low, loose bun and secured it with an elastic band and some pins.
    “There. You’re perfect,” I said, tapping Lottie on the shoulder to tell her she could get up. She did and stood right in front of me.
    “He’s a good guy. You deserve a good guy who makes you laugh.” She grinned and went to admire her hair in the mirror with Trish and Audrey.
    I just nodded. He was a good guy, but I didn’t deserve him at all.
     
    ***
     
    “Okay, you two need to stop taking up all the cute. Leave some for the rest of us,” Trish said as Brady and Simon argued about what kind of pasta they were going to share at the restaurant. Brady was shorter than Simon, but just as adorable with blond-tipped hair and a preppy fashion sense. They held hands, swinging them as they walked, and I couldn’t help but smile. I was still laughing to myself about Stryker’s little picture message. Already this ‘group hang’ was turning out much different than I expected.
    When Will had suggested the place I hadn’t objected, but being in the same restaurant I’d once been to on a date with Zack turned out to be a not so great idea the minute I walked in, and then my smile about Brady and Simon froze on my face. Shit. I’d been doing so well.
    Stryker’s hand rested lightly on my back as we went inside. “I hope I’m supposed to ask you if you’re okay tonight, because I’m going to. Are you okay?”
    “Not really. But keep that to yourself. Please.” I looked over my shoulder at him and met his eyes. He toyed with his lip ring and that made me think about kissing him.
    “Sure thing.”
    We pushed three small tables together to get all of us in. Simon wouldn’t settle for us being in separate booths. The waitress turned out to be a girl from my anthro class, but I couldn’t remember her name until I read “Carrie” on her nametag.
    It was complete chaos with everyone talking at once and she looked overwhelmed. Of course they had all engineered it so I had Stryker on one side and Lottie on the other. Trish was right across from me and looking grumpy about the fact that she was the only one who didn’t have “someone”‘ Stryker’s foot kept bumping against mine under the table and I knew it was deliberate, so I banged my foot against his, only harder. I had heels on, so if worse came to worse, I could always stab him with one.
    It was completely different from the last time I’d been here with Zack, and I tried to relax and let myself sink into the moment.
    “Be nice,” he muttered at me when Carrie brought our drinks. He ordered a beer since he was the only one who was old enough. “Want a sip?”
    “No,