His face was unreadable and my heart started beating faster, so I looked back at the ground. A pit began forming inside of me, attempting to punch itself through my stomach lining. What was wrong with me? I didn’t even know her and I didn’t like her. Who was she? What did she look like? Were they good friends? It hadn’t occurred to me that Alex might be…dating. The thought never even crossed my mind, and now it was there, forcing every other thought out of it. “I’m done. Does anyone want the rest of this?” “You’ve barely touched it. Come on.” Cicero waved at me. “Eat a little more.” “No, really, I’m full. I’ll toss it in the fire if no one wants it.” Cicero eyed me with skepticism. With his brow raised, he reached out and took the meat from my hands. I didn’t speak much the rest of the evening. I doubted Cicero and Sonya thought much of it, distracted with their memories of past festivals. Alex stayed seated beside me, but he didn’t say anything. Sometimes, he would chuckle or comment at something his parents said.
