Page 239 of Tell Me I'm Enough

He just raises his hands. “Hey, I’m just saying, if you happen to finish up your imaginary football practice early, maybe come check it out with us, yeah? It’s really just a chill night. No having to bear your soul or talk to anyone. Honestly, so many people come, no one would even know you’re there.”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it,” I lie again.

“I mean, Lydia, Lani, and Simone are gonna come with us, too. It could be fun.”

My head snaps toward him.

“She is?”

Both of them grin instantly.

Oh, hell. I don’t know why I make myself so obvious around them. I don’t need their shit, not when it comes to her.

“Who is…she?” Bash asks, like he doesn’t already know, like every single one of us standing here isn’t a full-on simp for one of those girls.

“Maybe I was talking about Lydia,” I say, shrugging, just trying to rile him up.

Bash swipes his tongue across the inside of his mouth, looking annoyed now. “Funny…try again.”

“Okay, you got me…I was asking about Lani.”

Erik goes still, slowly raising his eyes to me. The glare is so deadly, it almost scares me…yet I can’t help the satisfied grin that appears on my face.

“Not happening. Never happening. Don’t eventhinkabout it happening. Got it?”

“That’s a lot of confidence for someone she treats like a disease she’s afraid of catching.”

He cocks his head at me. “That’s for show. Don’t let her fool you.”

“Might wanna tell Tank that,” I say, not being able to stop myself from poking the bear. “I’ve seen him texting her quite a lot lately.”

His jaw flexes, but he tries to keep his cool. “I didn’t know he wanted to end up back in the hospital so soon.”

I raise my brows. “Saint Erik has a violent side I see. I like it.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I put someone in the hospital over that girl. Don’t think I won’t do it again.”

“Oh shit,” I murmur.

“Ineedthat story,” Bash says, standing up and leaning against the bleachers.

Erik looks off in the distance, trying to calm himself.

I feel a little bad, but I couldn’t help it. Riling up the bad boy inside Erik is one of my favorite things to do.

He turns back and waves a hand at me. “How about we get back to the girl you werereallyasking about?”

I try to give them a look of indifference. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, I can smell the bull from over here,” Erik says, smiling, “and it stinks, Mase.”

“Whatever. I’m not talking about her to y’all.”

Bash chuckles. “Hey, don’t get your panties in a bunch. We’re rooting for you, seriously.”

“Shut up.”

Erik stands, grabbing his bag and phone. “In the wise words of Taylor Swift—my advice is to ruin the friendship.”