“Are you into him?” she asks. I think I detect the slightest bit of anxiety in her voice. It isn’t like I think she wants to be with him, but I imagine it’s still strange for her to think of anyone else dating him. Especially me.
“Definitely not,” I say too quickly.
Claire laughs, brows slightly raised.
The referee blows the whistle, and I glance back out to the action, gaze somehow going right to the one guy I’m trying to avoid. He’s scowling even now when it’s so apparent they’re going to win today.
“He’s not my type. At all.”
“You have to date to have a type,” she says in a singsong taunting voice that only a best friend can pull off without you wanting to punch them.
“Ouch.” I let out a small laugh as I toss a few popcorn kernels at her.
“No, you don’t get to be offended. It isn’t like you couldn’t find a date if you wanted.”
It still stung a little. “Exactly. I’m too busy this year.”
“That is such a bad excuse.” Claire all but rolls her eyes at me. She’s still smiling, but clearly thinks I’m full of shit. She’s right. Didn’t I just tell Vaughn that he couldn’t use the very same excuse?
“Fine. I don’t want to date.”
“Why not? It’s fun.” She gives me her doe-eyed, lovesick expression. “There’s hand holding and kissing.”
A small laugh escapes my lips. The kissing does sound nice. “I don’t know. I guess I just haven’t found anyone that I like enough that the effort feels worth it.”
“What about Mark?” She sits tall and looks down the bleachers. I follow her gaze to the only Mark in view.
“Brandon’s friend?” I ask. They play hockey togetherand we had a Geography class together freshman year, but otherwise I don’t know that much about him.
Claire nods eagerly.
I lean forward to look at him a little closer. He has dark brown hair and ruddy cheeks from the cold. I think his eyes are brown, but I can’t tell from here. “He’s cute, I guess.”
Apparently, that is all the encouragement Claire needs. She squeals with excitement and nudges Andie on her other side. “What do you know about Mark?”
I’m already regretting saying anything before Andie’s brows pull together then smooth out as a smile curves her lips.
She glances around Claire to me. “Are you into him?”
“Yes,” Claire says at the same time I say, “No.”
“I don’t know him enough to be into him,” I clarify.
“He and Sara just broke up, so he’s single,” Andie says.
“That’s perfect!” Claire smiles at me. She and I seem to have differing definitions of the word. I don’t want some guy who’s just getting out of a relationship. What if he’s heartbroken? What if he did something really awful, like cheated on her, and that’s why they broke up? What if he starts every sentence with, “My ex and I used to…?”
“Are you going to Doyle’s cabin later?” Andie asks me, clearly not reading my hesitation.
I had planned on going to the party, but the idea of being set up when I get there has me reconsidering.
“She’s going,” Claire tells her.
I offer her a glum look that makes her laugh.
“You’d think we were making plans to do something really awful by the look on your face.” She shakes her head at me.
“Now going feels like a lot of pressure,” I admit. Being set up is the worst.
