It was a not-so-subtle hint that our current practice session was now over.
She glanced over her shoulder at me. “Tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “I’ve got a game tomorrow.”
“Oh. Right.” She gave her head a little shake. “I forgot.”
“Actually…” I grabbed my guitar case and came over to her. “I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come.”
She blinked up at me. “Where?”
Olivia gave a little snort near the door but we both ignored her.
“To the game.”
Collette’s eyes widened in surprise as I fidgeted with the case in my hands. “I, uh…I mean…”
“She’d love to go,” Olivia said. We both turned to look at her and she grinned. “Isn’t that right, Collette?”
Collette nodded, turning back to me with a little smile of her own. “Yeah. Sure. I’d love to go.”
I grinned as I backed away toward the door. A date it was not. It wasn’t even close since I’d be on the field all night.
But it was something.
TEN
COLLETTE
I sat in my car outside the academy’s dorm entrance, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I waited for Olivia to come out. I couldn’t believe she’d gotten me into this…and now she was making us late.
We were supposed to be on our way to Ethan’s football game and yet, I felt like I was on my way to the dentist. It was going to be painful, I just knew it.
Which was why I’d tried to cancel on Olivia all day at school today only to have her sigh and look me in the eye as she told me to stop being a wuss.
I finally groaned and told her if I had to go, then I was driving so I could decide when we left. She’d squealed and hugged me. And now here I sat, waiting. I’d texted her about ten times only to get a thumbs-up emoji as a response. It was hard, sitting here, waiting for my best friend to finish beautifying herself. Not that I could blameher. After all, we went to a school with absolutely no boys. It wasn’t a wonder why she was taking her time.
I was about to turn my car off and climb out to hurry her along, but the door opened and she stepped out—in a mini skirt and a tank top. Half of her hair was pulled up onto the top of her head in a messy bun.
She smiled and waved as she hurried over.
I glanced down at my dark red hoodie and jeans and blew out my breath.I wasn’t going to be jealous. I wasn’t going to be jealous.I needed to keep chanting that in my mind because the green monster was starting to awaken inside of me.
Which just made me feel worse. What kind of friend was I? I couldn’t be happy for Olivia when I felt bad about myself. But I couldn’t feel good about myself, especially when I was around my practically perfect best friend. It was a vicious cycle.
The passenger door flew open and Olivia dropped down onto the seat. She grinned at me as she reached up and grabbed her seatbelt. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. The click of the buckle sounded in the silence as I pulled away from the curb.
“It’s okay,” I said. I swallowed a few times and felt my irritation with my situation lessen. It wasn’t Olivia’s fault and she shouldn’t suffer because of my issues.
After all, if I let it bother me, that made me a pretty crappy friend.
“So,tell me more about Ethan.”
I paused at the stoplight and glanced over at her. She was grinning like a fool as she studied me. I shook my head and pressed on the gas as soon as the light turned green.
“Oh, no. We are not going to go there. Ethan is just a friend. That is all.” I was grateful that I sounded more confident than I felt. My feelings for Ethan were beginning to change and I was one hundred percent sure those changes were felt only on my end.
Ethan was the unsuspecting guy that I was finding myself falling for. But how could I not? After all, he was exactly what I didn’t know I wanted in a guy. He was sweet. Funny. Sexy. Gosh, that boy. He lifted me like I weighed nothing and when he wrapped his arms around me?
