Drowning

Applebees

They were meeting at Applebee's at 7 so that all the Cobras had time to shower off after the tournament and change into regular clothes. If she were any other girl, especially one who was about to be in the same place as her crush, she would have spent her time changing into a fancier outfit, putting on makeup, doing her hair all fancy. But that wasn't her. Well she did change her outfit technically, but that was because she wasn't wearing a T-shirt to freezing Applebee's. She opened her dresser drawer to grab a flannel and her eyes caught on a sweater that was folded beside it in the drawer.

"Good thing this wasn't my favorite shirt or anything." She shifted uncomfortably as she pulled a sticky part away from her skin. "Only one more period of the day right? I can handle a sticky shirt for that."

Apparently she wasn't very convincing because the next thing she knew Eli was standing next to her again in a slightly baggy striped t-shirt. She turned her head to look at him and noticed his hand extended out to her with his sweater in it.

"Here. You can wear this if you want. No one wants to wear a sticky shirt."

Finley looked at him in surprise. Her heart was racing once again as she looked at the boy in front of her.

"Are you- are you sure?"

He simply nodded his head this time, but Finley couldn't stop staring at him.

Her heart ached at the memory of Eli. A small smile crossed her face as her hand brushed over the fabric. She was going to return it to him, but then with the whole Hawk transformation, it just never seemed like the right time. But she grabbed the dark green flannel beside it and shut the dresser drawer. He has a girlfriend, get over him.

Finley wished she could punch herself. This guy made her such an idiot. Whatever, she could get over him, he wasn't all that great. She looked in the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm the crazy that was her brown hair. Ever since she was a baby, her hair was crazy and wouldn't stay down unless it was actively being wet with water. In fact when gel was unable to keep her hair down for more than 5 minutes before she even turned one, pretty much all hope was lost to tame the spikey lions mane.

Her fingers stopped halfway through her hair. What the heck was she doing? Eli. Dang it. Her hand fell to her side. He was just a guy, and if he couldn't like her for her, then who cared? She shouldn't have to change for a guy, that's what every YA novel was about, right?

She grabbed her phone from her bed and stuffed it into her jean's pocket, before sliding on her black converse. It was time to go hang out with her friends.

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A snort escaped Finley and she raised her hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to keep the laugh stifled. Demetri pivoted in the booth to face the girl next to him, his mouth gaping.

"You have got to be kidding me. That's the joke you find funny?"

"I'm- I'm sorry." Finley waved him off, still laughing, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "It's just so stupid."

"You're not wrong there." Hawk mumbled taking a sip of his drink.

"Wait, I don't get it." Moon was smiling at the happiness of the girl in front of her, but she was very confused.

"Well Yoda speaks backwards so -" Finley shook her head, having to stop and laugh again.

Demetri rolled his eyes, despite this being his joke. They had decided to go around telling bad jokes in an attempt to see either who could get the most laughs or who could hold off laughing the longest. The competition aspect wasn't very clear as they had stated it was just for fun, but clearly there was the underlying insinuation that there was a competition. Moon had laughed more than any of them, and up until now Finley hadn't laughed at a single joke. But this one from Demetri, well it just got her.