The Junior (College Years 3)
“In the kitchen. There’s a surprise in there too.” Jackson grins as he lets me go.
I dash into the kitchen to find Hayden pouring large amounts of frothy margaritas into glasses. “Hey, you made it!”
“Sorry,” I apologize. “We took a nap.”
“Uh huh.” The knowing look on my friend’s face says it all, but I ignore her.
My gaze snags on Ellie sitting at the tiny kitchen table. I do a double take when I spot a blonde head. Wait a minute.
Ava is here?
Yep, she’s currently sitting on Eli’s lap and he’s got his arms around her waist like he’s never going to let her go, while she chats animatedly with her very best friend. I go to them, lightly touching Ellie’s shoulder and when she glances up, a giant smile spreads across her face as she leaps to her feet and pulls me in for a hug.
“Gracie!” she practically shouts, squeezing me tight. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you.”
I hug her back, briefly closing my eyes. “Missed you too, babe. Let me look at you.”
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We pull away from each other, my hands still on her shoulders as I take her in. She’s freaking glowing with vitality. Her dark eyes sparkle and the smile on her face is contagious. Her hair is long and flowing with gentle waves and she’s got on a flowered sundress that skims her body perfectly.
“Even more gorgeous than usual,” I tell her.
She laughs. “I could say the same about you.”
“And I’m not even in my teacher wardrobe,” I tease.
Hayden makes her way over to the table, a glass in each hand. “One for you,” she offers it to me and I take it with a thank you, greedily sipping from the straw. Ooh, that’s strong.
“And one for me,” Hayden says as she collapses in a chair across from where Eli and Ava are sitting. “Making margaritas is exhausting work.”
Ava comes to me and we hug. “I didn’t know you were coming,” I tell her.
“It was a surprise.” She glances over her shoulder at Eli, who’s watching us. Oh, that guy is so stuck on her, and I don’t even find it pathetic. His love for Ava is just there, obvious and hers for the taking.
I immediately think of Caleb, and how well we’re getting along. As if we’ve always been together. There have been no words of love, of course. It’s way too early for that kind of talk, but lately I’ve been realizing I could see something…more with this man.
Then I banish the thought because it’s too damn scary.
I chat with the girls as we down our margaritas. Eli eventually leaves us to go outside with Tony. We listen to Ellie tell all kinds of funny stories about touring with Jackson. All the places they see and the people they meet. The groupies who lose their minds over Jackson, even if he so much as walks onstage. He’s getting so much attention. A clothing designer wants to feature him in her next campaign. He has over ten million followers on Instagram and close to twenty-five million on TikTok.
He’s a huge sensation. Big. The girls love him. Guys love him too.
And he’s our friend. It’s so crazy to think about how big he’s blown up over the last year.
Tony eventually comes inside with a platter full of barbecued chicken. We all make plates and eat outside at the makeshift table Tony and Hayden put together. The night air is cool and I’m sitting next to Caleb, our sides pressed into each other since it’s so cramped out here. I don’t mind though. It’s nice having him by my side. Swiping food from my plate because he’s so damn hungry all the time. He burns lots of energy on the field and with me.
Ha.
Eli and Ava are the first to leave, and we don’t give them any grief for bailing early. We know what they’re up to.
A few minutes after they leave, Diego and Jocelyn have to go. They have a sitter with Gigi and need to get home. Once they’re gone, the guys go inside to play video games for old times’ sake—no joke—leaving me, Hayden and Ellie outside, still sipping on melted margaritas and giggling because we’re buzzing a little bit.
“Should I make more?” Hayden asks, holding up her mostly empty glass.
“Uh uh.” I shake my head. “We have to go to work tomorrow morning.”
“How’s that going anyway?” Ellie asks.