Blue wished more than anything Noah was here. He had a calming and diplomatic presence that Ronan listened to a little less than half the time, which was better than nothing. Instead she had Algionby wine mixing with public school water. Blue knew Ronan and Gansey both could be cruel in their own ways, at least if Adam was there the playing field would be more level.
But he nor Noah were, she sighed as she saw Gansey's well-manicured head followed by the buzz cut that was Ronan.
Sam was slouched against the wall of the back booth, facing Blue as she looked toward the door.
"My friends are here."
Blue had spent most of the car ride there talking about herself, something she wasn't really used to do hanging out with the boys and the adventure that surrounded them. It seemed to her Sam was playing an unofficial game of 21 questions with her and Blue was alright with the conversation revolving around her for a change. She didn't even get a chance to mention the boys at all, much less prepare Sam for what could be an oncoming assault. Blue may have grown to love the boys, but the memory of the first night they met in Nino's was still fresh in her mind. They all could be ruthless in their own way.
"Just wait here a sec, you don't mind sitting with them right? They mean well, for Algionby boys anyway."
"Not at all, go ahead I'd love to meet some of your friends." She gave a little wave of her hand to gently shoo Blue away.
Gansey and Ronan were loitering by the door waiting to be seated when they caught sight of Blue.
"Jane! How is our favorite waitress doing?" Gansey beamed.
Ronan just pointed a finger to the back booth and stated, "Someone is sitting at our table."
He sounded neither concerned nor hostile, like someone reading off the morning announcements.
"Ah, yea about that. That's Sam. She's a new girl that just moved here about a week ago. She doesn't know anyone really yet, so I figured we could make her feel more welcome."
"We?" Ronan shot out.
"Female interaction won't kill you, Ronan."
"How do you know? I've yet to hang out with one, and I don't see anything here worth breaking that record." He smirked and started to head back towards the door.
She pleaded as she looked at Gansey for his approval.
"Ronan, wait. Let's just humor Blue for a little while. We should wait for everyone anyway to start planning anything concrete. Let's just get some lunch."
Ronan's obvious eye roll was not the best indicator of agreement, but he did keep his mouth shut on his way to the table.
"Just please be nice you guys."
" I'm always a fucking gentleman."
Ronan unceremoniously threw himself into the far side of the booth and Gansey took the outside spot.
"It's very nice to meet a school friend of Blue's, my name's Gansey and that's-"
"Ronan Lynch." Sam finished for him. She wasn't looking at Gansey at all, but was just staring at Ronan as he played with his straw wrapper. Gansey at this point; however, was rather awkwardly holding his hand out for a handshake.
"Oh, so you know each other?" He offered as he tried to recover from his failed handshake attempt by fiddling with his cup.
"Just who the hell are you?" Ronan looked up and his mouth was set, ready to bare fangs.
Just once, just this once, Blue wished having a conversation with Ronan wasn't an exercise in trying to disarm a nuclear weapon.
Sam readjusted herself on the bench, leaned forward and smiled icily to match his venom.
"I was expecting you to be better looking, but that tattoo of yours was a dead giveaway, you had to be Ronan Lynch. Your lack of social graces only confirms this." She leaned back against the booth and swung her arm across the back ledge.
"I won't ask again. Who the fuck are you?" He narrowed his eyes even more and Blue half expected him to stick out a pronged tongue.
"You don't know who I am?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised, Kavinsky never really said you guys were that close."
At the mention of Kavinsky both Gansey and Blue raised their eyebrows in unison. Ronan was still silently fuming in his attack position.
" My name is Sam Rodriguez. I knew Kavinsky back when he was still living in Jersey. We went to school together and I guess you could say we were rather friendly." From the smirk that crossed her mouth, Blue assumed that 'friendly' was open to some interpretation.
Ronan looked like he was about to be ill, he was equal parts confused and angry.
" Rodriguez. Yea, he might have mentioned you. Doesn't explain why the hell you decided to come to bumble fuck, you're about 2 months too late for the funeral."
Blue and Gansey were beginning to feel like they were watching a spectator sport. Gansey turned to Blue with a look that asked, did you know? Blue just shook her head in response.
" Kavinsky was always going to burn out in a blaze of glory on his own terms. I've got to proverbially tip my hat to the bastard." She looked out past Blue to the rest of Nino's let a melancholy smile rest on her face.
"I'm here because I know what Kavinsky was. I know what you are. And you're going to need my help."
"Bullshit. You don't know shit about me, so shut your trap."
Ronan was at his breaking point, if Gansey wasn't blocking his exit he would have already left.
"Dude, we're leaving."
He began sliding towards Gansey to usher him out of the booth.
"Bottom."
Sam was smiling like she had a secret she wanted to tell.
"What in God awful fuck are you talking about now, you stupid bitch."
"Ronan, not here." Gansey warned as he put a hand on his shoulder.
"You know, Kavinsky always thought that you were a top but I gotta say I have to disagree with that assessment. Look at the how well you obey commands. Heel boy." The last part she mockingly imitated Gansey's accent which came out more drunk Coronel Sanders then old money south.
Something in Ronan snapped. He had never hit a girl before, never even thought about hitting one, but this was different somehow. Every fiber of his being wanted to smack the stupid grin off her face. He managed to exercise enough restraint that instead of lunging to punch her, he settled for grabbing a handful of her t-shirt and yanked her across the table.
"Shut your fucking mouth, before I break your jaw." He growled into her face. Blue was too shocked to have much of any reaction beyond thinking they either looked like they were about to make out or bite each other's faces off.
Unfazed, and still grinning her impish smile, Sam gently placed a hand on Ronan's to loosen his grip on her shirt.
The feeling that Ronan felt next was hard to describe. He suddenly couldn't remember why he was angry, and a gentle calm flooded to replace it. It was like coming home to the Barns.
"Now is that any way to treat a lady?" Sam smoothed out her shirt and resumed her easy slouch position against the bench.
Ronan sat in a stupor, still halfway leaning over the table where Sam had been released from his grip. What the hell just happened?
"I think that's enough of an introduction for now." She then turned her attention to Blue as she slid out from the booth and beamed, "Thanks for the sweet tea, I'll see you tomorrow in class."
With a gentle pat on Blue's shoulder she flicked the aviators down on her face and sauntered toward the exit with one hand in her pocket and the other gave a nonchalant wave of goodbye.
"So that's Sam…" Blue said, still looking at the exit. She turned her attention back to table, and Gansey was staring at Ronan, who was still looking rather slack jawed.
"Ronan, are you ok?" He put a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently hoping to regain his attention.
"Yea…I think so."
He seemed to be slowly coming back to the conversation, like he had been asleep this whole time.
Gansey looked back to Blue.
"I don't think I have to tell you, but we need to find out exactly what and how she knows about Kavinsky and Ronan."
Blue knew he was right. There was a knot forming in her stomach now. Just how many people knew about the things related Cabeswater?