Page 17 of All That Glitters

“Not a chef,” Jasmine chides.

“Yet,” Shepherd replies, throwing a smile over his shoulder.

The two of them are already insufferably adorable, but adding their nicknames on top makes them a whole other level of nauseating. I’m a romantic at heart—deep, deep down—and I’m happy for my friends, but it’s not fun to be their third wheel in moments like this.

“Anyway.” Jasmine turns back to me. “I’ve got a slice of apple pie with your name on it back at the apartment. There’s homemade ice cream in the freezer, too.”

Comfort food, what Jasmine does best. I muster up a smile for her as we pull into the campus parking lot. My heart is still aching, but it’s a little less raw now that I’m with my friends. Hopefully Aurora and Saylor are still up. I haven’t gotten to see them all day. Our busy schedules make it difficult to catch us all in the same room at the same time.

“Can I come up?” Shepherd asks, sounding like he’s already dreaming about the pie.

“I gave you a whole pie yesterday and a pint of ice cream. Don’t tell me you and Owen ate it all already.” Jasmine tries to sound disapproving, but the lightness in her voice betrays her. She loves it when people enjoy her food. Being a member of the clean plate club is a surefire ticket to her heart.

“Zion had a slice too,” Shepherd says, as if that makes eating an entire pie in less than twenty-four hours excusable.

“I don’t know how y’all can eat that much. I’m an athlete too, but I just can’t do it,” Jasmine laughs.

I remember the days when I used to go to the diner after school with Jameson. We’d get ice cream floats to reward ourselves after a big exam. He’d order what felt like half the menu to go with his. Athlete appetites are no joke. I open the door closest to me once Shepherd parks and then slide out. Thinking about ice cream floats wasn’t the best idea. It only serves to make me think about the fact that I haven’t had one in almost a year. It would be weird to get one without Jameson. I’m not sure I could do it.

“We need girl time,” I hear Jasmine say as I walk around the front of the truck.

She’s standing by the driver-side window, head craned to look up at Shepherd.

“I’ll bring you something to class tomorrow,” she promises, hopping up on the step bar to give him a quick kiss.

“Deal,” Shep says. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

“Love you too,” she replies before giving him another kiss.

I look away, biting the inside of my cheek. Seeing them kiss makes me think of that stupid night Jameson tried to bring up. The one that was the first step toward our ruin.

“Ready for apple pie?” Jasmine infuses her voice with cheer.

“I might need a Shepherd portion,” I say, making her laugh.

“I can make that happen, if the other girls haven’t gotten into it while we’re gone.”

Jasmine links an arm with mine as we head toward our apartment. Shepherd dropped us off in the parking lot closest to our building, so it’s thankfully not a long walk. I still haven’t gotten warm from interviewing Conrad in the cold. He was a nice guy and made it easy, though it was difficult to concentrate when I could feel Jameson’s eyes on me the whole time. He stood with Nash and a few other players off to the side, but I know he wouldn’t have stuck around if it wasn’t for me.

We make it up to the apartment and find Aurora and Saylor in the living room. Saylor is in her typical study spot on the floor, while Aurora is curled up beneath a blanket. One of the Barbie movies is on the TV, which I’ve come to realize is Aurora’s comfort movie of choice.

“Long day?” I ask Aurora as I drop down on the couch next to her.

I’d offer to help Jasmine, but she likes to plate everything a certain way even when it’s just for the roommates.

“My teacher made us stay an extra hour because our turnouts weren’t up to her standards. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to walk tomorrow,” Aurora answers in a tired voice. “You?”

I sigh. “The Traitor.”

Aurora nods in understanding. Saylor perks up, dropping a highlighter lid out of her mouth as she asks, “What did he do this time?”

“I don’t have the energy to get into all of it,” I say.

“I understand. If you want to talk later, I’m here,” Saylor replies with a smile.

That’s one of many things I love about all my roommates. They might push me sometimes, but most of the time, they let me share on my own terms. Which is something I need for the situation. Especially because sometimes I still doubt if I was right to cut Jameson off. I rub my face with my hands. It’s hard not to wonder, when we were friends for so long. But it was going to end at some point. Might as well have been when he hurt me. His actions should have made it easier, but they didn’t.

“One plate of emotional-support pie,” Jasmine says and I drop my hands to find a slice of pie the size of my head with a huge scoop of ice cream and a hearty drizzle of salted caramel.