When it was apparent they were going to undress right in front of me, I sat up and grabbed my clothes to take a hot shower. I wanted to rest longer, but I didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I thought Missy did it on purpose just to see me squirm. When I came out to my dad, he told me to never be alone in a locker room with only one other person. At least there were three private showers. I grabbed one and hurried up. I could soak my sore muscles tonight when I got home.

“Hey, Sutton. Are you going to Tom’s?” Amberlynn yelled.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Okay, you’re here alone. We’re leaving and we’ll see you soon,” she said.

The private stall had a lock, but I was still vulnerable, so I rinsed out my hair and quickly dried off. I wondered if Parker was going to Tom’s. Just in case, I took extra time to style my hair and put on a tiny bit of makeup.

The parking lot at Tom’s Pizza was full, but I found a spot on the side of the road. It was the place to be because not only did it serve cheap, mediocre pizza, it also had a bowling alley, an arcade with games from the nineties, and dance-off machines. I high-fived several people on my way inside. “Great game, McCoy!” and “Awesome win!” followed me until I found a spot in my booth.

“I called you,” Hayley said. She scooted over closer to Harrison to make room for me.

“I haven’t even looked at my phone,” I said. I grabbed a slice of pizza and ate it in four bites. That game took all my energy and I needed to replenish ASAP.

“Max has been asking a lot of questions,” Harrison said.

I looked at him. “What kind of questions?” He looked innocent, but I knew what he meant.

“You know, about a certain cheerleader,” Hayley said.

I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal and grabbed another slice. “Yeah, so?” I gave her the now is not the time look.

She caught on and changed the subject. “Your lip is a little swollen,” she said.

“My whole body is banged up so I’m not worried about a little cut.” Honestly, I was more worried about my ankle that I rolled at the end of the game. I needed to ice it.