Sacking The Player

Tate

T

he guys and I decide to head over to Chili’s for burgers. The hostess smirks at me, almost knowingly. “Do I know you?” I ask her.

She smiles, huge. “You should. Considering you’ve been helping out my bestie with her ex-boyfriend problem.” She quickly looks down to her seating charts and the grin coming off her is radiating. “Follow me, boys.” Now I remember, she’s the girl that dragged me to the bathroom to kick Keith’s ass.

She gets us to a booth and right across from me is Amaya, sitting all by herself, stuffing her face.

I’ve been avoiding her for a few days. And it killed me to do so. But I needed just one day away from her to get my head on straight, and even avoided going to class yesterday so I wouldn’t have to see her.

“Holy shit, she can eat all that? She’s so damn tiny,” Big Tex says, looking shocked.

She has no idea people are staring at her. Amaya has two of the biggest burgers I’ve ever seen, a plate of fries, some chicken dish, and a salad in front of her, and she takes a bite of every single thing. I just stare, dumbfounded. How the hell? The other night when we ate together, she sure as hell didn’t eat near that much, and even gave me the last bit of food off her plate.

“Let me out,” I tell Adams.

I stand over Amaya, she doesn’t even know I’m there, until I slide in on the other side of the booth as she’s still stuffing her face.

“Uh hi?” She says, appearing slightly embarrassed at being caught with so much food.

“How on earth do you fit that into you?”

She stares at me angrily. “How do you fit the knowledge you learn into your tiny brain?”

I chuckle. “You’re not one of those chicks that eats a bunch then pukes it up later, are you?”

She rolls her eyes. “I ha

ve a really high metabolism, and I enjoy food. You got a problem with that?”

I hold my palms up. “No, just curious. Damn, girl. I like to eat too. You just surprise me is all.”

Today she looks nothing like her prissy little dancer self. Her hair is down and shit its long. I’d like to run my fingers through it. She looks over at me through her long lashes wearing a curious grin. She’s still standoffish, but I can tell I’m wearing her down. She’ll be mine soon. I’ve got a plan.

“Now that you know my food secret, I guess I should let you know that the other night I was still starving when I gave you my food. I just didn’t want you to think I was a freak or something.”

I grin. “Now that I know your food secret, I’ll make sure next time to order you double of what I’m getting, and I promise not to touch your food.”

We share a small laugh.

“Mhmm.” Her soft pink lips curve into a pout that I want to claim.

“Mhmm what?” I run my hand through my hair.

“Just trying to figure you out, King.” She shakes her head, looking away again.

I watch her as she takes a drink from her soda and wonder if her lips taste as sweet as they look.

“Yo, T-dog, you done flirting or are we gonna order?” Bucky hollers.

“T-dog?” Amaya bursts out laughing.

I ignore her dig at my other nickname. “I think Amaya here has enough for all of us.”

“Fuck that, I don’t share my food,” she scoffs.

A girl who can eat like that and has a mouth on her, I might be in love. I reach for a fry and she smacks my fingers.