“Yes?” How does he know who I am? Am I in some sort of trouble? Has someone hired this guy to come rough me up for some offense I didn’t know I committed?

“Devin.” He holds out his hand. When I just stare at it, he adds, “I’m a friend of Austin’s.”

There’s a slight sting at the knowledge that I wasn’t the only person Austin invited to sit in his family section.

Told you, you aren’t special.

I shake his hand and we take our seats in silence. We’re both happy to watch the game and ignore each other. I can tell Devin’s glancing over at me occasionally, observing me like an animal in the zoo.

And here we have the awkward gamer girl. As she is outside of her natural habitat, you will see she has adopted the native colors in an attempt to camouflage with the environment and improve her chance of survival.

It grates on my nerves. I peek over at him, catching him staring. He doesn’t look away. A few weeks ago, I would’ve ignored him, tried to make myself as small and invisible as possible. Now, I want to give him a piece of my mind.

“Can I help you?”

“Nope.” He takes his time returning his gaze to the field.

“How did you meet Austin?”

“Same place, same time.” Well, that’s about as noncommittal as you can get with an answer. He keeps his eyes on the field, dismissing me with his body language as much as his words.

“How long have you known each other?”

“A while.”

You don’t say, how informative.

I decide to turn up the heat, knowing he’ll react if he knows Austin at all.

“Did you ever meet his mother?”

Devin turns his large body toward me, reading me with those charcoal eyes. I’m proud I don’t flinch under the scrutiny.

“Once,” he finally answers before turning back to the field. It’s enough for me to know that he isn’t family, but he must’ve known Austin since they were both kids. Maybe from foster care.

Outwardly, they’re complete opposites. Austin has a bright smile, beautiful blue eyes and sandy-blond hair. He’s always joking, teasing, up for a good time. Devin is dark, black hair, olive skin. He’s brooding and menacing. Inside, there’s something similar between them. A certain level of detachedness. They’re both used to being on guard.

Despite how off-putting Devin’s demeanor is, there’s something familiar about him too. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m comfortable sitting next to him, but I’m not as uncomfortable as I would be sitting next to a stranger.