I watched Renee turn on her heel and hurry away, head tilted as she raced down the stairway, body tense, face red. The blond kid accompanied her, and I could tell by the way he walked that he was pleased she'd blown me off for him. Fists tightened by my sides, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I'd just have to try again.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and watched her depart, feeling like an idiot and a loser all at the same time.
Well, that hadn't gone as planned.
"Hey, man," Jake said, coming up to clap me on the shoulder. I flinched, shrugging it away, but he only laughed. "What a fucking wipeout. Dropped for another dude. Who was that guy, anyway?"
"At least my attempt to make amends was an apology, not a come-on," I said through clenched teeth. "And she wasn't wrong, you know. You and Matt should apologize too."
"I'll apologize," Jake agreed, a haughty grin forming on his lips. "With my stiff dick."
"Get a fucking clue, dude," Matt said, coming out from behind the wall he and Jake must have been hiding behind the whole time. "Renee Lyon isn't that kind of girl."
"What kind of girl?" asked Jake. "She was a female. Weren't you paying attention in class? Males and females have the same animal-driven desires for a good fuck. It was science."
"If you listened closely, you would have also heard that attraction differs greatly from person to person," I told him with a shrug. "So, if Renee was physically attracted to me, for example, that doesn't necessarily mean she'd be attracted to you too."
"Oh, fuck off, Aaron." Jake shook his head and punched me in the arm again, harder than necessary, and I resisted the urge to flinch. You would think that over the years, I'd built up a tolerance to Jake's physical abuse, but that didn't seem to be the case. I rubbed the spot on my arm he'd just hit and sat down at one of the study tables, dropping my bag next to my feet. After a moment, Matt joined me, and so did Jake.
"You've both tried and failed," Matt mused, his eyes locked on the ceiling as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and stuck one into his mouth. A student walking by our table shot him the stink-eye, but I knew he wouldn't actually light it. Matt met her gaze and waved, winking, and the girl hurried away with a sneer. Our fearless leader was at it again.
"My attempt was half-assed." Jake leaned back in the chair, balancing on its back legs, tapping his thigh with annoyed fingers. He was getting riled up again over this girl, and nothing good would come. "If I put effort into it, I'd have Renee in the bag."
I shook my head and pretended to focus on a pen mark engraved on the wooden tabletop. Matt was staring at Jake, cigarette hanging limp from the corner of his mouth. He didn't say anything, but he was smirking, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
"Well, I didn't know," Matt said after a few moments of silence. "But you both had your chances, yeah? I guess that just leaves one person left."
"You gotta be kidding me." Jake ceased his tapping and looked at Matt, unimpressed. "You were meaner to her than any of us ever were. She actually liked you. God only knows why. She won't go for us. Why in the hell do you think she'll go for you?"
My eyes traveled between Matt and Jake, chest tightening with apprehension. It was hard to say who would get to Renee first if it was not going to be me. For her sake, I didn't know if I wanted to stick around and find out.
"Because," Matt said, climbing to his feet. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and slipped it back into his pocket, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. His eyes flick between Jake and me, lip curling. "I am better than either of you, and I'll prove it."