Letterman Jacket

39.5 / three days before

Sutton set her plate across from me at the breakfast bar just as I swallowed a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "I need your help."

"Oh, the great Sutton Kirk finally needs it," I joked, stabbing a piece of braised beef with my fork. "What's up?"

The blonde looked over her shoulder first. "I'd rather talk in my room about this, but I'm hungry as hell and I didn't want to bother you and Nico. I thought you weren't coming down for dinner."

"We were just watching a movie."

"And I'm sure you guys were cuddling and napping at the same time," Sutton said, giving me a pointed look. "Whatever. I don't see him here, anyway."

"Who?"

"He's been asking me out."

I arched an eyebrow and asked again, "Who?"

Sutton sighed and took a sip from my glass of iced tea. "JJ, who else? I told him to fuck off the first time—"

"The first time?" I repeated, my blood running cold. "Wait, how many times did he ask you?"

"He's been doing it since Sunday."

I leaned back against my chair and stared at Sutton. She drank again from my glass. "I thought he wasn't serious about liking you. I thought he was joking."

"Didn't seem like he was," the blonde answered with a frown. "And he was actually hurt with what I said in the bus earlier this afternoon. I've been shooting him down, but he's persistent."

Nico plopped himself on the stool next to me in nothing but knee-length shorts. He placed his plate down on the table and kissed my cheek. "Seems like a serious conversation. Hey, Sutton."

"Hey," Sutton muttered sullenly. "And it is. I think."

"JJ doesn't do dates," I said, averting my gaze from the muscles of Nico's stomach and returning my attention to the blonde. "He doesn't do relationships. Period."

Nico frowned. "Should I leave?"

"Do you agree with Thea?" Sutton asked.

Nico nodded. "Yeah."

Sutton stood. "Stay, I need your help too. I need a glass of my own iced tea before I talk. Want one, Nico?"

"Sure, thanks." He leaned towards his elbows on the bar before raising one eyebrow at me.

I exhaled heavily and pushed my bowl away. "He's been asking Sutton out."

Nico sighed. "Thought we weren't going to deal with this today, but I think it's time we see if it's really JJ we're dealing with or not."

I nodded. "I agree. And it's a new problem, definitely, but we can deal with it tomorrow, babe. Eat."

Nico scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes with his spoon. "Yes, ma'am."

A few moments later, Sutton came back and handed Nico one of the two glasses in her hand before settling back into her seat. "I think he thinks I'm playing hard to get, but I'm really not. He's really sweet, but I don't know if he's just in it for the chase."

I cocked my head to the side. "You said he was a fuckboy."

Sutton groaned. "It just came out of my mouth, okay? I still don't think he's serious about this. About me. But he's really sweet. I would've said yes already had it been another guy."

"How do you know he's sweet?" Nico asked.

Sutton traced the rim of her glass with her finger. "Last night, while everyone else was sleeping, JJ called me and told me to meet him by the boardwalk."