Queen Mean (Strawberry Falls, #3) by Jennifer Anderson

Author:Jennifer Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult; Small towns; Ohio; high school; family
Publisher: Jennifer Anderson
Published: 2017-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

A soft glow from the red shaded chandeliers cast shadows across the room. Each light hung above a red and white checked vinyl tablecloth. The romantic feel the mood lighting tried to provide was lost on the table coverings. Garlic, baked bread and Italian spices filled the small town pizzeria.

Catch 22 wasn’t big on ambiance, playing host to many carry out orders as well as locals boasting it the best pizza east of Chicago. Never crossing an Ohio border, I trusted their word. Highway 22 bisected Strawberry Fields, connecting one side to the other, giving birth to the name of our lonely pizza restaurant.

I glanced around the sparse room and found two other tables occupied. A cute old couple eating quietly, probably from many years of sharing a meal together and finding nothing left to say. And a portly gentleman sitting alone with a slice of greasy pizza in one hand and a smart phone in the other not watching while a string of cheese oozed toward his lap.

“I’m so glad you said yes,” Kurt said, breaking our uncomfortable silence.

“Me too.” I nodded in agreement.

My mind couldn’t help but wander back a few hours as I watched Petunia’s red lights fade off down the road when Andrew took my truck home. A part of me wanted to yell, “Screw it,” and take off after him, flinging myself at the passenger side door and telling him to drive as far away as possible. But I couldn’t. My boots remained glued to the pavement, and not even the cold weather forced me back inside the school. I wasn’t sure what changed. Cheerleading was still important, and I always kept my word. When I’d agreed to a date with Kurt, I hadn’t been nervous. But forcing myself to practice then to the locker room to get ready, I thought of a million things I’d rather be doing.

“How was practice?”

“Good. Good. Boring actually.” I stared at him and tried to relax. Maybe if I focused, the night wouldn’t be terrible. “I mean since we’ve won state there isn’t much to work towards except cheering at basketball games. Same name different game if you ask me.” The pop burned my throat as it eased its way down from my straw.

“Boring is the last word I’d use to describe it. I mean when I saw you guys at state, whoa, that was amazing. Don’t you get nervous? Or scared throwing people around like that?”

“Sure at first, but you get over it and realize their safety lies in your hands, and if I move directions even an inch, I’d cause my flyer to fall. And that is so not happening on my watch.”

We both laughed, and I noticed my shoulders fell a little and the tight rock in my stomach eased. Dinner wouldn’t be so bad.

Our easy conversation turned from sports and cheerleading to classes to who dated who and why. Our food arrived, and still the talking didn’t end. Kurt was a good guy, and I needed to lighten up.

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