Page 82 of Bridesmaid Undercover
“You like pineapple on your pizza?” Maple asks.
“Love it,” Everly says as she lifts one of the lids, revealing pepperoni.
Shyly, Maple looks up at me. “Do you still like pineapple on your pizza?”
“Can’t get enough of it,” I answer. “Do you still hate it?”
“It’s not great,” Maple answers.
“Looks like just pepperoni and cheese,” Everly says as she places a piece of pepperoni on her plate and cheese on mine. “Figured you would go for the cheese,” Everly says. “Didn’t you mention in the questionnaire I had you fill out as the best man that you can’t handle spicy foods? Didn’t want to give you pepperoni and risk the toots.”
Uhh…what?
Everly, what the fuck?
Maple glances between us, looking confused. “Are you guys friends?”
“No,” Everly says, shaking her head. “Just exchanged some emails, and as someone who needs to help plan things, it’s good to know who I’m working with. He said he didn’t want a lot of spicy food at the parties because it gives him the toots. But you’d know that, right, Maple?”
“Um, I can’t recall.” Maple looks up at me. “Did you toot a lot after eating spicy foods?”
I look between the two of them, loathing Everly in this moment. I get what she’s trying to do, but couldn’t we have gone with something other than flatulence?
“You know, I think it’s something that I’ve developed recently,” I answer, feeling that wave of sweat start to trickle down my back.
“That’s what happens when you get older,” Everly says before taking a bite of her pizza.
“Yeah, but I think it’s something I’m working on with my doctor, so hopefully it’s solved soon,” I say.
“Fingers crossed,” Everly says, holding up her fingers. And when Maple isn’t looking, she winks at me.
I know I want to get to know Maple again, but so far, her impression of me is that I like to greet people by motorboatingthem, I stumble, fumble, and bumble my way through every conversation, and apparently, I toot when I eat spicy foods.
I can see the attraction already.
She must be frothing at the mouth, ready to date me again.
“It hasto be beginner’s luck,” Everly says after her second strike in a row.
Yeah, in a fucking row.
I glance up at the scores and sigh at how terrible I’m doing. I know we prepped Timothy for me to be pretty good, but I think we can assume that was a lie. I’m terrible, but I didn’t think I’d be so terrible that I’d be thirty points behind the next person…the next person being Maple.
Jesus Christ, man. Keep it out of the gutter at least for one go-around.
Everly takes a seat next to me, looking loose and free. She’s been chatting it up with Timothy every so often, making him laugh. Maple has been sitting next to me as if we’re complete strangers. Stiffly.
Occasionally, Everly will turn toward us to engage, but for the most part, it’s been me and Maple, staring down the pins in front of us, not saying a goddamn word.
She wanted awkward? Well, I’m handing it out in droves right now. I still have no clue how this is happening. Sure, it’s been ten years since we’ve seen each other, but we used to talk all the time. Easily.Didn’t we?I mean, we spent so much time together when we weren’t studying, or out with our friends…surely, we used to talk. She hasn’t even asked me anything about myself. Hudson was her biggest fan, and yet, she hasn’t evenmentioned him. Or Haisley. Nothing. No interest in my life.But have I asked her about hers?
Mario picks up his ball and gets into position. While he’s preparing to run his turn, I decide to take a chance and talk to Maple because something has got to give. I can’t do this silence anymore.
“So, this is fun, huh?” I ask.
Not quite a great opener, but it’s something.
“Uh…sure,” Maple says.
