I was wrong though.
He’s cooler n
ow than he was that first day on the bleachers and not cool in a good way.
“No reason,” I tell her, lying.
She gives me an incredulous look. “Right… if you’re not mad, then I’m not really a cheerleader,” she says, laughing.
I throw a pillow at her. “Okay, I’m a little mad.”
“Why?”
“Because I saw him first.”
“So you called dibs and now your brothers are taking over?” she jokes.
I give her the dirtiest of looks I can muster. “I don’t mean it like that.”
“So then what?”
“I just mean, I saw him first. I met him that day at the bleachers. I even forced him to talk to me. Then, when I saw him the next week, he was actually a lot more relaxed. He used more words. He even joked a little. I thought more would come from it, but the moment my brothers came into the picture, it’s like I no longer exist.”
Jenna takes a deep breath. “Are you sure he’s pretending you don’t exist?” she asks. I get why she’d doubt it; I have a very strong presence. Most people can’t ignore me even if they wanted to, but he’s really good at it for some reason.
“When he comes over he always catches a ride with my brothers. It’s literally the two of us in the backseat and I feel like the tension in the car, which Nick and Colton obviously can’t pick up on, makes me feel like I’m going to explode.”
“So are you guys just quiet the whole time?”
“Yup. I look at him. He looks at me. Then we each look away and don’t speak. We get in the house and the boys go downstairs to the basement. I assume they talk about football and play pool or watch TV or whatever it is they do.”
“You’ve never gone there to hang out with them?” she asks.
“No girls allowed,” I tell her.
“That’s crap. It’s the twenty-first century.”
“Tell that to my brothers. Anyway, he just hangs out with them and that’s it. I see him in the halls and he smiles at me sometimes and other times he just walks by me and doesn’t say a word. It’s so exasperating,” I tell her, rising from the chair and dropping face first on my bed.
“I can see why,” Jenna replies.
I get up from the bed. “I’m going to get some water, want any?” I ask. I need to take a quick walk so I can let out the frustration and focus on this assignment.
“Could you bring me a Coke?” she asks and I nod.
Walking out of the room, I make my way downstairs to the kitchen. I open the fridge and look at everything inside. A beer would be nice, but that’s kept downstairs in Colton and Nick’s man-cave, and while sometimes I’m daring enough to sneak in, the last thing I want is for them to embarrass me in front of Chase. Mr. Chase Boulder.
Opening the fridge, I look inside and grab a can of Coke and a sparkling water. I close the door and drop the soda cans on the floor when I come face to face with Chase.
I curse under my breath when the Coke and water rush out of the cans, wetting both of us and obviously the floor. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly, knowing he’s the reason to blame. For more reasons than one, really. I wouldn’t be here getting a drink if thoughts of him weren’t pissing me off.
“You should be,” I tell him, grabbing the cans from the floor and tossing them in the trash.
I turn around to find him drying the floor with some paper towels. I lower to the floor too and take them from his hands. “I’ve got it,” I tell him, my tone harsh.
“It’s my fault they fell, let me help,” he replies.
I shake my head. “You’ve done enough.”