quit terrorizing the freshmen.â
âI didnât do anything,â I protested. âBesides, they were finished, anyway.â
Five minutes later, the table had been bused and we were seated.
I craned my head, pretending to look for our server, but I was really checking out the reaction of the room. Olivia and Hannah were practically doing a Linda Blair to see who I was with.
Dev was glaring at me. I gave him another wave. âYour brotherâs here,â I said to Monet. âLetâs go say hi to him.â
She stared at me. âWhy would I want to do that? I see him all the time.â She gave me a suspicious look. âWhatâs up with you?â
I leaned in. âHeâs sitting a few tables away from Connor.â
âSo?â
âSo I want Connor to see me here with Tanner,â I explained.
âHi, Sophie.â I jumped. Connor was standing at our table. There was no sign of Angie.
âWhy, hello, Connor,â I said.
Connor stuck out his hand to Tanner. âConnor Davis,â he said. âIâm Sophieâsââ
âConnor and I are in a play together,â I interrupted. âWith his girlfriend, Angie.â
Who, I saw from the corner of my eye, was looking decidedly grouchy, sitting alone at their table.
âThis is my friend Tanner,â I said to him. Connorâs eyes focused on Tannerâs arm, which was casually draped over the back of my chair.
âYou look familiar,â Connor said. âDo you go to Eisenhower?â
Tanner smiled. âNo, man. The university.â
Connor cleared his throat. âOh. How did you and Sophie meet?â
Tanner started to answer, but I cut him off before the words blind date could cross his lips.
âMonet and Scott introduced us,â I said. âIt appears Angie is trying to get your attention,â I added.
Connor didnât budge from our table. âHow long have you two been going out?â he persisted.
A soft voice broke into our conversation. âConnor, our food is here.â Angie stood at our table in all her glory. I gauged Tannerâs reaction. He wasnât staring or drooling or anything else the boys at my high school did at the sight of Angie.
âHi, Angie,â I said politely. âWould you like to join us?â
Connor looked alarmed at the suggestion. âGo on back to the table. Iâll be there in a minute, babe.â
She didnât budge.
âConnor, I wanted to get to know your new girlfriend a little better,â I said.
Angie flinched.
Unfortunately, our food arrived then and Connor finally retreated to his own table, with Angie trailing in his wake.
âThat wasnât awkward at all,â Monet commented wryly. âAnd what was that all about? You canât stand Angie.â
âJust trying to be friendly,â I said. I fiddled with my napkin to hide my expression.
âThat was your ex, huh?â Tanner said. Maybe he wasnât so dumb after all.
I nodded.
âSeems like a nice guy,â he continued.
I took a bite of my pasta and smiled at him. It had been a very successful first date. I could see it in the faces of my classmates. I was on my way back to the top.
Chapter 17
I walked into rehearsal on Monday with a renewed sense of confidence. I could face Angie and Connor again with my head held high.
The date with Tanner had gone well, the biggest mouth in school had seen us together, and I detected a thaw in the air. Hannah actually said hi to me in English class, and there was no sign of her T EAM V OGEL T-shirt.
Monet was already there and sheâd wrangled Ava and Scott into helping with the sets.
Connor and Angie were there, too, but I didnât let their lack of discretion bother me. They could cuddle and kiss all they wanted. Sophie Donnelly was making a comeback.
âHi, are you ready to work?â I said to Dev, who was helping carry scenery.
He grunted in response
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