Ty: Call me!
Ty: Don’t ignore me, girl!
Ty: All right, I get it. You don’t want to talk.
Ty: They paroled him.
Ty: Did you read this yet?
Ty: I said Lincoln’s free.
There it was, in bold letters.
He’s free.
Chapter Two Past
I watched as Ellie chatted with Camille and Erin. Ellie wanted to be a part of their clique for as long as I could remember. I never cared the way she did. I looked at Camille with her blonde highlights and shorts that were way too short. She wore a green shirt with cap sleeves and buttons down the middle, stopping mid-belly and tying neatly in a little bow. Erin dressed a little more modest in a jean skirt with jewels on the back pockets and a black tank top. Ellie tried to dress like them and fit in, but she never quite hit the same mark of desperation. She was dressed similarly, but it didn’t quite look like she was trying as hard to fit in.
We were at a home football game. There was no need to go all out. We’ve seen these kids practically our entire lives. I frankly couldn’t care less about the boys in our school. They're all the same. They eat, sleep, and breathe football. It's not that I'm not interested in boys or anything. It's just that the ones at my school annoy the hell out of me.
I was not dressed like I was trying to pick up a boy. I was dressed the way I wanted to be: comfortably me. I was wearing my favorite Green Day tee, cutoff jean shorts, and my Chuck Taylors. Everything about my outfit screamed Lola.
I listened as Camille went on and on about how Braxton Tillerson was so hot and how she was going to wait for him after the game was over. I wanted to bang my head against the wall.
"Hey, Ellie. I'm going to go to the concession stand. Do you want anything?" I asked, not wanting to stand there a moment longer.
"You're going to eat?" Camille asked before I got a chance to hear if Ellie wanted anything.
"Well, yeah," I responded, but felt like saying, ‘duh.’
"What if you get food on you or a hot guy sees you?"
"Um, since when is it uncool to eat?" I questioned.
"Hello, we're at a football game! This is prime guy-time." Camille looked at me like she couldn't believe what I was saying.
I looked at Ellie, who gave me a sympathetic look.
"I'll find you," I said to Ellie.
"Thanks," she responded with a guilty look in her eyes. She knew that these girls were superficial, but she also knew that they were high on the social food chain. Every teenage girl knew that you needed to be "in" with the popular crowd if you wanted to be popular. This was one place, Ellie and I differed.
I left the group, relieved to be away from them, and walked over to our concession stand. There were so many people in line that I couldn't see the front of it. It was too crowded. Across the field, the away team's concession stand looked far less crowded, as it should be since they had fewer people in the stands.
Not giving a crap about any of that, I decided to cross into enemy territory and walked halfway around the field to the not-as-popular stand. The thinning crowds were a welcome reprieve. There were only two people ahead of me. I waited patiently, thinking about how stupid it was to give a crap about eating here.
"Damn," I heard a guy say behind me, drawing out the words.
I chanced a look, ready to glare and saw another guy smack who, I was guessing, was the ‘damn’ upside the head, then murmured, "Shut up."
"Sorry about that," the smacker said. I sucked in a breath. Everything I had felt about boys and football games went out the window. My eyes raked over him. He was wearing black running shoes, black sweats, and a black fitted tank top. He was built—not like a high schooler—but like he'd been out of school for a while, and he was more man than boy. I had to look up to fully take him in. He was huge. His jaw was angular, bottom lip fuller than the top, and his eyes were dark. He was wearing a Cubs hat, so I couldn't quite make out his hair color. He was gorgeous. Suddenly, I felt like Camille and her posse, wanting to pant after a boy. But that wasn't exactly right. I didn't think anyone could describe him as a boy.
I attempted to say something but snapped my mouth shut then turned back around. God, kill me now! He was so hot. I felt tongue-tied, which wasn't like me at all.
I waited patiently to be the next in line when I saw Mr. Morris working the counter. All throughout high school, his son and I were in each other's homeroom, and our lockers were next to each other.
"Hey, Lola."
"Hey, Mr. Morris. How are you doing tonight? Busy?"
"I'm good. Be better if my boy wasn't sitting on the sidelines while North hands it to us." I looked back at the scoreboard and meant to check the score but became caught in the hot guy's gaze. I looked away again, wondering why this boy who was so freaking hot, was checking me out.
"Wow, we're losing badly," I said to Mr. Morris.
With an annoyed head nod, he asked, "What can I get for you, Honey?"
"I'll have a soft pretzel, a sprite, and some skittles."
"Cheese or mustard?"
"Cheese, please."
"Be back in a sec." He smiled at me, then turned and went about getting my food.
"Hey," the tall guy stood next to me and leaned against the counter.
I sucked in a deep breath. He was that beautiful.
"Hi," I managed to respond.
"Sorry about a second ago. Alex can be a jackass."
"Hey," the boy I now knew as Alex said.
"Ignore him. He's my younger brother, and sometimes he has no manners."
I looked back at Alex and was surprised that they we're brothers because Alex was black, and this guy wasn't.
"You're brothers?" I asked, surprised I could form a coherent question.
"Well, we're not from the same womb or anything, but yeah."
"Well, nice to meet you," I looked away from him and to my purse to take out money to pay.
"Lincoln," the guy standing next to me said.
"Pardon?"
"My name's Lincoln, and you're Lola?"
"I'm Lola," I confirmed.
Mr. Morris returned with my goodies. "That'll be six-fifty."
I moved to hand Mr. Morris, the twenty I dugout. "Here, let me." Lincoln handed Mr. Morris money before I got a chance to.
"I can't let you do that."
"You can. Think of it like I'm investing."
Mr. Morris gave Lincoln his change, while I grabbed my food and moved away from the window so Alex and Lincoln could order.
"Grab me a Coke, would you?" Lincoln asked Alex, moving closer to me.
"All right, Lincoln, how do you figure buying me snacks is investing?" I finally asked.
"Well, for starters, it wouldn't be as good of a how-we-met-story if I just eavesdropped your name and let you walk away. See, I'm hoping since I bought your goodies, I can bribe you into letting me get to know you."
I smiled shyly and was not even sure what to say. I never got stupid around guys. Never.
Alex walked over to where we were standing and handed Lincoln his Coke. "Thanks. I'll catch up with you in a bit, yeah?" Lincoln lifted his head to Alex.