Continuum by Susan Wu

down the center.  Everything about the guy is a chick magnet.  I turn off my bike and remove my helmet, tucking it under my arm.  I brush my hands through my hair a few times to unstick it from my skull.  As I walk past Sam’s immaculately shiny car, I can’t help but run my hand along the hood.  Sometimes you just really want to hate the guy but he’s just too damn likable. 
    There’s a soft tinkle of bells when I enter the crowded storefront.  Smells of garlic and cheesy goodness linger tantalizingly in the air.  Sam calls out my name and waves me over but they are easy enough to spot.  Three tables had been pushed together to accommodate the large group.  Empty red and white checkered paper lined baskets litter the length of the makeshift table.  They must have just finished round one of appetizers.  Hanging behind every chair is a navy blue lettermen’s jacket with a silver panther sewn into the upper left corner above the heart.  I remove my black leather jacket and sit down in the empty chair next to Sam.
    He claps me on the back in greeting, “Glad you could make it, man.”
    I wave at the others seated down the table and they nod back in acknowledgement.  “Sure thing, Sam.  I needed to get out of the house tonight.”  
    He grins, “I hope you’re not too hungry.  I only managed to save you a mozzarella stick.”  
    Sam hands me a small white plate with a lone mozzarella stick and a smear of marina sauce.  I can’t help but chuckle at the sad presentation.  “Thanks,” I tear into the gooey stick.  It tastes unbelievably delicious so I must really be hungry.  “How was the game?” 
    “We obliterated them, 24 to 3,” replies Liam Griffin cheerfully.  Liam is Sam’s best friend since elementary school and my other Biology lab partner.  That shared history and level of trust is important as he plays left tackle for the Panthers.  “After all their seniors graduated last year, Lakeside’s football team is a joke.”
    “Yeah, but they still have the hottest cheerleaders in the tri-county area,” chimes in Chris Glenn, the team’s star running back.  “Who was that girl you were seeing last year, Liam?  Samantha, Summer, Sandra something?”
    Liam closes his eyes, relishing the memory, “That would be Miss Sheila Larson.  She is this year’s cheer captain, the sassy little blonde one on top of the pyramid.  Let’s just say she was very, very flexible.”  He winks and wiggles his eyebrows emphatically.  Sam groans loudly as the rest of the table erupts into laughter.
    As the noise dies down, Liam turns to me, “Speaking of blonde hotties.  What about you, Ethan?  You and Mackenzie Brooks are quite an item, eh?”
    I shrug it off and answer honestly, “Mackenzie and I are just friends.”
    “I wish my friends looked like Mackenzie,” says Max Boretti, a wide receiver and the only sophomore on the varsity team.
    Liam reaches over and musses up Max’s hair, “Oh, Max.  Maybe one day when you’re a big boy, you can hang with the pretty girls.”
    Max pushes Liam’s hand aside and starts combing his hair with his fingers to get it back in place, “Seriously though, are you taking Mackenzie to Homecoming?”
    “Why?  Are you going to ask her, prince charming?” Sam asks teasingly.
    Max rolls his eyes in response, “Oh puh-lease, everyone wants to know.  She’s practically attached to Ethan’s side every minute of the school day.”
    They all turn and look at me expectantly.  I take a sip of water before I reply, “Uhm, probably not.  School dances aren’t really my thing.”
    Liam looks at me exasperatedly, “Dude, it’s Homecoming.  I know you haven’t been to high school stateside so let me draw you a picture.  Homecoming means insecure girls in skanky dresses vying for a stud’s attention.”
    “Yeah and it’s Max’s only night to possibly talk to a girl,” adds Chris.  A breadstick goes flying across the table but Chris catches it