What?"What do you mean? Of course I'm just his friend, why wouldn't that be true?" I ask, completely confused. This boy is the most handsome boy in town, in the whole damned county probably. Everyone knows who he is. He's a freaking football star who will undoubtedly ride a scholarship to Gainesville, and from what my dad says, will go pro after that. He gets any girl he wants with the snap of his finger, and he's never said two words to me. That made sense. Now, here he is, telling me I'm pretty and questioning my relationship with Cam. This makes no sense whatsoever.
"Why wouldn't that be true?Well, sweet Miss Rory," he says, clearly making fun of my naivety, but I can't take offense, because it's true - Iamnaive. "Your buddy Cameron Foster is a bit of a ladies' man, from what I hear. They sure are drawn to him." Robin is right. Cam's good looking as hell. He’s one of those guys who never went through an awkward phase, and I might resent him for it if he weren’t my closest friend in the world. Girls have always been attracted to his laid back personality, but he's a total player. He has no problem getting any girl he wants to hook up on his terms, but the description is just as fitting for Robin, perhaps more so. Robin's a senior, so he's got a year on Cam and me, but even so, Robin is a freaking magnet for pretty girls. But he's never noticed me before, I don't think, and I'm surprised he's even aware of how much I hang out with Cam.
"The same could be said about you," I hedge, finally finding my wits.
Robin unleashes his full-on, panty-dropping smile and runs his fingers through his dirty blonde hair, a little brighter now from months of summer sun.God, he's handsome. And he knows it too. "Well, what do you think people would say if I had the pleasure of spending as much time with the prettiest girl in school as Foster does? Do you think they'd believe me if I said we were onlyfriends?" That's the second time he's called me that. Hearing something like that, from him, it's alien enough that a part of me still thinks he may just be teasing me.
"If y'all had grown up together and were like brother and sister, then, yeah, I'd believe it. And, of course, the prettiest girl in school is Maddie Stern, everyone knowsthat,and from what I understand you do spend quite a deal of time with her," I reply, vaguely wondering where this courage is coming from. Maddie is a senior like Robin, homecoming queen, beauty pageant winner extraordinaire, and everyone knows she's dated Robin on and off for years. If you could call blowjobs in the locker room dating.
"Correction Miss Rory, Maddiewasthe prettiest girl in school, and maybe I wouldn't have to spend so much time withherifyou'ddo the honor of lettin' me take you out," he drawls, as if him asking me out is the most normal thing in the world.
My wits go back into hiding and I swallow audibly. I open my mouth to speak, but my words lodge behind a lump of nerves.
Robin smirks with satisfaction. "Well I'll let you think about that a bit. Why don't you be a good girl and make sure they put you up in the guest room upstairs tonight. I'll come by later for my answer."
I'm still processing his words as he winks at me before he turns on his heel and saunters to his BMW M3 convertible, folding his tall, lean frame into the driver's seat and peeling out of his family's long drive.
It's minutes before I'm composed enough to ring the doorbell and enter the Forbes' mansion. Lacey and the girls are excited about my arrival, or so they portray. I don't mention my encounter with her brother. I'm not even sure if I imagined it or not. I spend most of the evening of movies and gossip quietly trying to work out what the hell happened on that porch.Was he serious about asking me out? Do Iwantto go out with him?He makes me feel... nervous. He's real attractive, but I have no experience with this. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, how I'm supposed to know if I even like him or not. I don't even know him.
Cam is the only person I'd ever feel comfortable talking to about anything this personal, but here I am, stuck in a gaggle of girls, talking about nothing real, nothing that matters. I'm weighed with loneliness, and just as I'm thinking how much I miss my best friend right now, my phone buzzes with an incoming text.Few other than the people currently in this room text me, so I know it's Cam before I even pick up my phone.
You good Rory girl?
I smile. Cam knows me so well that sometimes it's like we're the same person. Only he would think to check on me right now. Only he would know that a slumber party with a bunch of chicks who are supposed to be my new best friends isn't the most comfortable situation for me.
Yep, u got a minute?
I know he's out with Missy Potter. I know he has sex with her- but not only her. And she seems just fine with that.
I do want to talk to him, but I don't want to interrupt anything. I don't want our friendship to be a burden to him. Ever. And if he's busy with a girl, and takes my call anyway, it wouldn't be the first time he's bailed on someone else because he thought I needed him.
For you? Always. Give me 5, I'll call u.
That means he is busy. If he wasn't, my phone would already be ringing.
Don't worry about it, let's talk tomorrow.
I'll figure this Robin thing out myself. There's a good chance he was joking, anyway. I wouldn't have bothered Cam at all, except if Robin wasn't joking, then he might actually come for that answer tonight.
Not for the first time I feel overly dependent on Cam, and I feel guilty. Maybe I can just sleep in Lacey's room like the rest of the girls and avoid the whole thing. What excuse would I even have to stay in the guest room anyway? I'm about to slip my phone back into my bag when it starts vibrating.Cam.
"Hey I told you not to worry about it," I answer, "And it hasn't even been five minutes."
"Stop, Ror. If you didn't need to talk you wouldn't have asked. Out with it," he orders, straight to the point as ever.
"Those girls treatin' you good?"
"Yeah, they're fine. I'm fine," I insist. "Get back to Missy, I'll call you in the mornin'."
"Missy can wait. Don't you worry about me, Rory girl. What do ya need? If Lacey fucks with you just tell me, I swear to God-"
"Cam!" I cut him off. I'm not three feet from Lacey and I peek over at her, wondering if she could hear him through my phone. She looks at me and her eyes brighten at hearing Cam's name. I excuse myself out the french doors that lead to the side of the house as Lacey calls for me to tell Cam that she says "hi". Once on the porch, I forward her greeting.
"Yeah, yeah, hi back, or whatever," is his response. I'll dress it up when I pass it on to Lacey. "So what's up Ror? You need me to pick you up?"
"No, Cam, I'm fine, really." I take a deep breath. "Okay. I ran into Robin Forbes when I got here tonight," I begin.
"He say somethin' wrong to you?" Cam's voice is low and deathly serious, the threat implicit.
