NATHAN
Lunch on Monday is when everything starts to unravel.
I'm sitting at our usual table with Tyler and Marcus, picking at a sandwich I'm not really hungry for, when Tyler elbows me in the ribs.
"Dude, you're doing it again."
"Doing what?" I ask, not looking up.
"Staring at Sophie."
My head snaps up. "I'm not staring at her."
"You literally just were," Marcus says, grinning. "For like, a full minute."
I look across the cafeteria. Sophie's sitting with River and Avery at their usual corner table, laughing at something River's saying. She's wearing jeans that actually fit and a dark green sweater that makes her look... good. Really good.
I look away quickly. "I wasn't staring. I was just—"
"Staring," Tyler finishes. "It's okay, man. She does look different."
"Hot," Marcus adds.
