30. Gossip

                                    

                                          
Katie
                          
"Katie, Tee, care to come with me to the bar?" Stephanie asks, standing up. She turns towards the guys. "You guys should've done an open bar."
                          
"Oh god no way, do you know how much alcohol this bunch can drink?" Lincoln groans. I notice a lot of people have already gotten drinks.
                          
"We'd end up putting the club in debt. The university would not be very impressed," Ray laughs. The university has high expectations for the faculty associations.
                          
Tina and I stand up. "Let's go," I say.
                          
"Boys?" Tina asks.
                          
"Nah, we're still in charge here tonight. Probably a bad idea to get drunk," Jason states in his serious 'president' tone, "how about this though, drinks are on me, just for you three ladies."
                          
Tina laughs, "Sounds great."
                          
The three of us wait while the bartender makes our drinks. I order a gin and tonic, Stephanie orders a dry martini, and Tina orders a whiskey sour.
                          
"How have you been feeling Katie?" Tina asks once we're out of earshot, "You know, about Lincoln. For the record we're just here as friends."
                          
"Oh I'm much better now." I look over at the table, Lincoln is smiling, laughing at something Ray said. I don't even know if I'm feeling better, or if I've just been doing a really good job of convincing myself I am. "Thank you."
                          
"I'm glad to hear that," she smiles, patting my shoulder. Either way, I really appreciate the support I get from these two.  
                          
"How did you end up being his plus one anyways?" I ask.
                          
Tina looks at Stephanie who nods. "Well I guess you know now that he was going to ask you. Jason talked him out of it, and suggested he ask me," she rolls her eyes, "according to Lincoln, Jason said, 'she's desperate, she'll say yes for sure' asshole."
                          
My eyes widen. "Man, you guys have a weird friendship...if you'd even call it that."
                          
She laughs, "We met on the first day of kindergarten. He kicked over my sandcastle, I shoved him into the sandbox and made him eat sand. We both got in trouble and became friends in time-out. Our chaotic dynamic has never changed."
                          
We all laugh.
                          
"Isn't it bizarre how Jason the womanizer didn't bring a date?" Tina says. 
                          
"Yeah I wonder what happened," Stephanie whispers, even though they're nowhere near close enough to hear us. 
                          
I contemplate telling them that I almost was Jason's date, but I know Steph and Tina will give him hell for the mess that happened, and everything that happened between us would unfold. I don't want to complicate things. "Yeah it's weird," I mumble.
                          
"Ray told me he's been on and off with some girl recently though," Stephanie adds, "some airhead named Anna." I feel uncomfortable but try my best not to let it show.
                          
Tina looks slightly amused. "Jeez Steph, what's wrong with her?"
                          
"Gold digger," she sneers, "apparently he's been buying her lots of expensive gifts to win her over, and she's leading him on slowly to get more stuff." Sounds pretty Jason-esque if I'm being honest. 
                          
"What does he even see in her?" I ask, as the bartender places my drink on the counter.
                          
"I'm sure I can guess," Tina smirks, "she's hot isn't she?" Stephanie takes out her phone and does a quick search. She holds it up and shows us a picture of a girl in a swimsuit.
                          
I almost choke on my drink.
                          
It's the girl I saw in Jason's office.
                          
And yes, she is attractive.