Battle of the Captains

team effort

I didn't think I'd ever get used to eating lunch with Austin and his friends but barely an hour after that thought, I did easily enough since his friends were practically mirrors of my own. I guessed people with a lot in common naturally attracted the same kind of people because when Austin and Jake made the first move towards friendship, inviting themselves as well as their entire group– Ian from the football team, Dean the non-football player-slash-swimmer, Dean's swimmer girlfriend Chloe and Chloe's best friend Amy– to our lunch table, we all just clicked like we'd been a whole group all our lives. Of course it helped that our school was small so we all kind of knew of each other.

Making the move to become friends wasn't the only first move they made.

Actually, all of the first moves, Austin and his friends made together. Sure, the small stuff like inviting us for pizza after school was totally, completely normal. The weird part was that asking me out was more of a team effort than a personal proposal.

I was just sitting there in my usual seat between Austin and Liz, minding my own friend chicken– which by the way was one of the only meals that the cafeteria served excellently– when Jake spoke up.

"Wasn't there something you wanted to ask Kody about?"

At the mention of my name, I looked up to see Jake directing his question at his best friend who shook his head and glared.

"But yesterday, you said–"

"I'll ask her later, douchebag," Austin said, glancing at me momentarily before redirecting his attention to his food.

"Harsh," Dean snickered.

"If you guys don't shut up, I'm disowning you."

"Disown away."

"Don't be a chicken, Austin," Liz said, pulling her hands up to her armpits and flapping her elbows up and down. I raised my eyebrows at her, wondering what she knew that I didn't. I began to poke at my half-eaten chicken, feeling left out.

"I'm not being a chicken," Austin said. "I don't like being told what to do."

Frustrated, I put my fork down. "Will you guys stop talking in code?" My interest in my lunch was slowly diminishing. I stared at Liz meaningfully.

"The only reason you don't know what's going on is because Austin is too wimp to tell you."

"You're gay," I deadpanned.

"Cute," Austin said wryly.

"Ask you," Ian corrected. "He's too wimp to ask you."

"Well stop being a wimp and ask me already," I said. "I'm really curious and I hate being left out."

Austin looked genuinely exasperated but I swear it wasn't my fault this time. "Believe me, you don't want me to ask you now." But guess what, I did because I was stubborn, thinking what do you know about what I want? Also, for the first time ever, everyone was making fun of him but me. Unacceptable. Practically reading my mind, he spoke again. "We'll talk later."

"But the suspense is killing me," Chloe said a little too exaggeratedly.

These guys, these friends of Austin's, I'd known them good enough to know that they weren't tattletales and that they were loyal people. Whatever they were talking about, it was no life-shattering piece of information.

"Why?"

"Because Austin wants to ask you out," Liz loudly whispered.

Austin threw his hands in the air. "Who told her?"