“That’s good.” Silence falls over our little group.

“Are you free for dinner?” my dad finally asks. “Your friends are all welcome to come, of course.”

It’s just past five, which is awfully early for dinner, but I’m starving, so I nod. “You guys want to come?” I ask them. They all stare at me, obviously trying to suss out whether or not I mean the offer. I nod again.

“Yeah, we’d love to!” Emma answers for all three of them. “Tony’s?” she suggests, referring to the local pizzeria just on the edge of campus.

“Are you good with pizza?” I ask Dad and Sandra.

“Sure,” Sandra replies, looking overly thrilled at the prospect. Her enthusiasm carries us through the walk to the restaurant. It’s mostly filled with her eager questions about Lancaster. I only answer the ones posed at me directly, letting my friends pick up the slack in the conversation.

Tony’s is bustling with activity. The jovial atmosphere is welcoming, but I didn’t think through how many students would be here, fresh from the game. Normally, I’d bask in the attention, but in front of my dad and Sandra, it’s embarrassing.

Jason Williams leaps up from a table filled with his fraternity brothers to give me a bear hug. “Scott! Way to kick some ass! You better come to Kappa tonight to celebrate. I even got gin and—”

“Jason, this is my dad,” I interrupt, raising my eyebrows meaningfully as I nod at my father.

“Oh. Hi, Mr. Scott. Nice to meet you.” Jason switches from party boy to polite with a charming grin.

“And this my stepmother, Sandra,” I add. It’s the first time I’ve called her that, and it feels weird.

“Are you two… dating?” Sandra asks, eyes on the arm Jason has slung over my shoulder.

Jason snorts. “Plead my case, Mrs. Scott. I’ve been trying since freshman year, along with every other male on campus.”

I twist out of his grip. “Go eat your pizza, Williams.”

I keep my tone light but am incredibly uncomfortable. Jason may have been speaking teasingly, but I know he’s actually serious. He has been asking me out since freshman year. It’s why he’s one of the few hot, popular guys at Lancaster I’ve never hooked up with. Because he’s made it clear it would mean something to him, and it wouldn’t to me.

Because it never means anything.

Or, it never used to.

Sandra continues to ask most of the questions as we eat the steaming pizza. People stop by our table periodically, and each time someone does, I experience a flash of annoyance and appreciation.