“No.”
“No,” she repeats and grabs my wrist. “So, let's go.”
Reluctantly, I let her drag me over to where the three of them are standing. My brother hugs me first before embracing Kennedy in a way that looks a little more than friendly. Meanwhile, Knox says hello but Zayn refuses to acknowledge my existence. My brows furrow as I watch him greet a bunch of acquaintances walking by, but won't even look my direction.
“Never thought you would become a cheerleader,” Knox tells me.
I shrug. “Never thought you would become a boyfriend.”
He snickers at that. “Okay, touché.”
Even with the banter between Knox and me, Zayn refuses to chime in at all. Then again, no one asks him to. He keeps to himself, looking down at his phone and at the stands that are becoming more and more crowded.
I don't know what I expected, but it definitely wasn't this. The last time I saw him was at the party we went to with Blade the other night, and while we didn't really say anything to each other, he still sent desperate, fearful glances my way that confused me to no end. But this ignoring me thing? That's a far cry from the concerned-friend act he's been putting on.
“We've got to get back, before Chrissy notices we're missing,” Kennedy tells me.
I nod, and the two of us say goodbye to the boys. With one last glance at Zayn, I drop my head and let Kennedy loop her arm in my own. She looks over at me and sighs.
“I'm sorry,” she says sadly. “Is this weird for you? I should have talked to you about it first.”
Confusion etches across my face as I look at her. “Huh?”
“Me and Easton,” she clarifies.
“Oh,” I reply, and then it hits me. “Oh! You two are...”
A light blush coats her cheeks. “I mean, we haven't exactly defined it, but we've been talking a lot more recently.”
Since school started, Kennedy has quickly become one of my closest friends. Hell, she's one of my only friends. And while it's weird to think of her and my brother together, I can tell it makes them both happy. There's no way I'm standing in the way of that. Unfortunately, I know what that feels like.
“No, it's fine. I'm happy for you.”
She exhales. “Okay, phew. But, if that's not it, what's with the look?”
I glance back at where the guys are talking and watch as Zayn smiles, like he wasn't just completely blocking out the world a minute ago. “He wouldn't even look at me.”
Kennedy follows where I'm looking. “Isn't that what you wanted?”
“No. Well, kind of.” I pinch my nose between my thumb and index finger. “I don't know. I just didn't expect him to go from kissing me a few days ago to acting like I'm nothing to him.”
She gives me a sad smile and wraps me in a hug. “Try not to think about it. You have Blade, and you're happy with him, right?”
I tilt my head to the side. “He's good to me, yeah, but...”
“But he's not Zayn.”
Exactly. “I thought that was one thing I liked about him. All Zayn did was hurt me and try to act like he did nothing wrong. I can't let myself get wrapped back up in that, but I also don't think I'll ever get over him, either.”
“I don't think anyone expects you to, babe.”
She's right, of course, but that doesn't make it suck any less.
HALFTIME COMES AND I'VE never been more nervous to do these stunts. The music starts, and we begin the routine with Kennedy and me doing back handsprings across part of the field, going in opposite directions. I nail every move and then move into place as the girls toss us into the air at the same time. My legs kick out exactly how they're supposed to before closing again and being caught.
They maneuver me just the way we practiced and shoot me back up. The whole crowd cheers as we finish, and I catch sight of Zayn. For the first time all night, he's finally looking at me with a subtle smile on his face. But as if he realized what he was doing, he drops his head and turns away.
I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting.