Stan regarded her for a moment. They had never spoken before. As far as he knew, she was a complete stranger. But she had clearly spent every ounce of courage she possessed just asking a simple question.
There was no version of Stan that was going to embarrass someone over that. A faint smile appeared on his face as he said softly: "Sure."
Fiona blinked.
"The three of you can ride with me. The Audi has room."
Her head snapped up.
"R-really?"
"Yes I’m serious."
For a second, she looked too surprised to process the answer. Then the color in her cheeks somehow deepened even further.
She nodded so quickly that her braid bounced against her shoulder before she immediately looked back down again.
The resulting expression was fascinating. She was very clearly celebrating. She was simply trying, with heroic determination, not to let anyone see it.
On either side of Stan, Sophie and Maya exchanged a brief glance over his shoulder.
It lasted less than a second. It still managed to contain an entire conversation.
’We’re keeping an eye on her.’
’Obviously.’
Across the room, Zack had paused near the exit when Sophie first volunteered.
He had witnessed the entire exchange. The grin on his face suggested he was already preparing to tell this story for years.
As he passed Stan, he nudged him with an elbow.
"Three."
Stan sighed. "Zack."
"Three," Zack repeated. "Actual three."
"Move along."
"This is genuinely insane."
"Move along." Stan urged him again...
Still laughing, Zack obeyed and continued toward the south exit, leading the rest of the team and the remaining cheerleaders toward the waiting buses.
As the room gradually emptied, a few of the other cheerleaders cast faintly wistful looks back over their shoulders.
The math had already been done. Three girls had moved quickly enough to secure seats in Stan’s car.
The Audi had four seats, so it was now full.
Attempting to squeeze themselves into the arrangement at this point would be painfully embarrassing.
So they followed the rest of the group toward the buses instead, carrying with them the small, private frustration of people who had hesitated for half a second too long.
Stan walked toward the parking lot with his three passengers in tow.
Behind them, drifting from the direction of the buses, came the unmistakable sound of his teammates doing what male friends had done since the beginning of civilization: mercilessly mocking the one guy who was visibly winning.
"Yo, Stan’s a menace. Three girls? Three?"
"He couldn’t even leave one for the rest of us."
"Bro probably bought the Audi specifically for this."
"That’s not even his real car."
"Right. This guy has a Lamborghini."
A dramatic sigh followed.
"And he’s not even trying. He’s who I aspire to be."
A chorus of agreement rose immediately afterward.
Stan kept walking as though he hadn’t heard a word. Sophie kept walking beside him, her hand finding his with practiced ease. Her expression remained composed.
The small, satisfied smile threatening the corner of her mouth, however, gave her away completely.
Maya walked on his other side. Her chin sat slightly higher than usual, her stride calm and controlled.
It was the walk of a woman who absolutely refused to acknowledge the commentary occurring behind her and was determined not to look affected by it in the slightest.
Fiona walked half a step behind them.
Her face had somehow become the approximate color of a stop sign.
Both hands were pressed against her cheeks in a valiant but entirely unsuccessful attempt to cool them.
She kept staring at Stan’s back. Not intentionally but her eyes simply kept ending up there.
Internally, she was experiencing a complete system failure.
For two and a half years, she had ridden buses to inter-university events.
For two and a half years, she had attended practices, performed routines, and quietly gone about her life as a perfectly competent, perfectly ordinary member of the Peak University cheerleading squad.
She studied, she trained, she avoided situations requiring excessive social courage. That had generally worked out well for her. Then today had happened.
Today she had spoken up. Today she had voluntarily approached Stan Harrison. Today she had somehow secured a seat in his car. Her brain still hadn’t accepted it.
She didn’t know what she was supposed to talk about during the drive.
She didn’t know what she would do if Sophie or Maya started asking her questions.
She didn’t know if she would survive making direct eye contact with Stan for more than three consecutive seconds.
But she had a seat. For now, that was enough.
They reached the Audi and Stan unlocked it remotely.
The lights flashed and the doors clicked open.
He opened the driver’s door, then glanced back at the three women with the calm, faintly amused expression of a man who had long since stopped being surprised by the strange turns his life took.
"Whichever seats you want."
The three women looked at one another and Sophie moved first, naturally.
She had ridden in his car before and saw no reason to pretend otherwise.
Without hesitation, she slipped into the front passenger seat and claimed it.
The battle was over before it began.
Maya recognized this immediately. Rather than contest a fight she had already lost, she elected to preserve her dignity and slid into the rear seat behind Stan.
Fiona, appearing as though she was actively forgetting how breathing worked, quietly took the remaining seat behind Sophie.
The doors closed. Stan walked around the front of the car, climbed into the driver’s seat, and started the engine.
Ahead of them, the buses had already begun pulling out of the parking lot.
Stan eased the Audi into position behind the convoy.
The trip to Velaris Crown began. Inside the car, silence briefly settled. Four people. One vehicle. A ninety-minute drive. Three women. Two of whom were quietly competing for his attention.
And one who looked dangerously close to short-circuiting from sheer disbelief at being there.
Stan rested a hand on the steering wheel and followed the buses onto the road.
This, he suspected, was going to be an interesting drive.