Chapter 72
How did it end up like this?
Koi sipped his cola and looked around. This was the first time he’d been in a place this noisy.
He already knew the ice hockey guys were loud. The cheerleading girls were no different. But when the two kinds of noise were combined, it became impossible to make out who was saying what.
The only small blessing was that no one noticed Koi quietly drinking his cola without speaking.
After practice, the ice hockey guys devoured food like a pack of starving wolves. Koi had been shocked by how much Ashley could eat, but the others weren’t far behind. They tore through the dishes covering the table in no time, and when more food came out, they polished that off just as fast. Watching them, Koi thought, Well, I guess that’s how they keep those bodies.
His stomach was already burning from hunger, but there was nothing he could do. He just wanted dinner to be over and the meeting to begin. At this pace, it wouldn’t take long.
Of course, the thing that kept nagging at him was Ashley and Ariel. He couldn’t even hear the person next to him clearly, so there was no way to eavesdrop on them in all this noise. But judging from their serious expressions, it was clear they were having an important conversation.
I can’t wait long, Ashley had said.
Suddenly, that line popped into Koi’s head. At the same time, he saw Ashley leaning in, and Ariel whispering something into his ear.
Koi’s heart sank like a stone.
*
“Sorry my sisters are acting out,” Ariel said—not exactly whispering, but still only loud enough for Ashley to hear over the noise.