Page 12 of Catching Feelings

But why, oh why did I tell Sabrina I was single?

“What can I get you?” I ask when I arrive at the table, keeping my eyes fixed on the order pad.

The booth seems to take that as a challenge. One of the girls leans forward over the table as if daring me to look at her directly. “Do those fries come… extra thick?”

I will not look up. I will not take the bait. I will get through this shift, make some money, and all the attention will die down soon enough. “I can check,” I say as cheerfully but unaffectedly as possible.

They dissolve into giggles. “Oh, I’m sure whatever you serve will be just fine,” another one says.

“Fine indeed!” the first echoes. The giggles intensify.

I clear my throat. “Anything else I can get you?”

There’s a long, meaningful pause. Then the first girl sighs and says, “No, I don’t think my craving is on the menu.”

And then they’re really goners, eyes wide and lips pressed together in suppressed giggles. The moment I nod and duck away, they erupt in laughter and I can’t believe you said thats.

At the next table, Will and Gabe are no better. “Ohh, Tyler, your fries,” Gabe says in a high-pitched voice.

I sock him on the shoulder, rolling my eyes heavenward. “This shift is going to be endless.”

Will shrugs, but his cheeks dimple with humor. “Try to enjoy it, man. They’re harmless. And who can blame them? You’re a fine specimen! And fresh blood! And you said it yourself—you’re single!”

I groan. “Don’t remind me. I wish I could take back that whole interview.”

Gabe peers at me. “Wounds too fresh? Not ready to move on yet?”

I frown as Kate’s face swims before me. Her long brown hair, soft and layered but only shadowing her expression in my memory. The way she bit her lip and said what was clearly meant to soften the blow, but which only dug the dagger in deeper.

I’m not saying I don’t believe you—just that John’s really hurt, and his story makes a lot of sense, too. I need some space to figure it out.

Not taking sides, but not taking mine. And then things had hit our ridiculous, anonymous gossip network, and—

I grit my teeth, shake off the memory. “Something like that.”

“Enough said. But when you’re ready to move on…” He spreads his hands to indicate all the people watching this conversation. “You have plenty of options. Might not be the worst thing.”

Lindsey catches my eye across the diner, raising an eyebrow, and I straighten up. “Yeah. Maybe. Look, I gotta get back to work. Can I bring you anything?”

Will’s eyes spark with mischief. “Maybe some of those ‘extra-thick fries’—”

I flip him off as I head to my next table. I appreciate the support, but I have work to do. There’s no time to regret my life choices right now. I rip their orders off the notepad and pass them to the kitchen, following Lindsey’s pointing finger to my next table.

I’m so tired of being the center of attention. All I wanted this year was to keep my head down, enjoy some football, and let the past fade away.

I should have lied to Sabrina and told everyone I was in a relationship.

7. SABRINA

The first day of school dawns bright and cloudless, a perfect late-August day. The Hamilton Lakes High parking lot mills with seniors clutching iced lattes and bagels—punctual for the first and perhaps last time this year.

I survey the sea of blue, gratified that most of the class has already donned our handiwork. “They turned out pretty well, yeah? But the font… I don’t know, is it too busy?”

Kara shakes her head immediately. “No, it’s perfect. Eye-catching but clear.”

“The best senior T-shirts this school has ever seen,” Naomi adds loyally.

I throw her a grateful smile. “Okay, but they’d be even better if I’d been able to do that bedazzling. If only someone hadn’t been a grinch…”