Maxon’s stone courtyard had been transformed into a spectacular ghoulish garden. The solar lights were wrapped with green cellophane and cast an eerie glow. The awnings and patio railings were decorated with cobwebs. There were witches on broomsticks and ghosts hovering in the air. The wire was almost invisible unless you looked hard enough, it was so well done.
Because Maxon’s parents were home for this party, it was alcohol free, but the drinks that were being served sat on ice inside of large cauldrons. I didn’t begrudge Cooper for marveling at the house. I reacted the same way. I imagined what his reaction might be if he saw Drayton’s—it was twice the size.
“Would you believe me if I said that I need to go to the bathroom?” Cooper leaned in and shouted over a DJ Khalid song. “I’m not just going to snoop around this amazing house. I do need to take a leak.”
I laughed and pointed at the staircase attached to the outside of the house on the other side of the courtyard. “Go up to that patio. There’s a bathroom in that first living area where that group of people are. You could find a less crowded bathroom in that house, I’m sure,”—I smiled—“it’s just the closest one to the party. But I doubt most of those people are waiting to use it. There’s a pool table up there.”
“Oh right,” his shoulders dropped. “I thought that I was going to be hanging on forever. I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be here.”
He zipped through the crowd. I watched his pirate run and giggled. He did have that Jack jog down to a fine art. As I wandered farther into the crowd, a couple of the guys from the team ran past and booed at the outfit that I was wearing.
“Fuck the Cowboys,” Derek, wearing an old-school cop costume, shouted.
I scoffed. “I’ll leave that to you.”
He scowled. The rest of the guys cackled and screamed about how glorious the Broncos were. Derek got a little too close and began to chant. He was slurring his words and stumbling. “Broncos. Broncos. Bronc—”
“That’s enough.”
He was pushed to the side, and I felt as if I had room to breathe again. Drayton shook his head with exasperation at the group of intoxicated team members. He gave them a series of light shoves and warnings until they headed off in another direction.
He turned around again, fixing me with an amused smile that I returned. But it wasn’t long before his gaze moved and drank in what it saw: me. From head to toe, he was shameless in his appreciation. He was confident and unwavering and, as usual, I felt small but powerful.
He looked perfect as well. Of course. He was a firefighter. I think. His orange pants were held on with a pair of suspenders that fit snugly against his bare torso. I would never complain about how little he wore a shirt. He was doing society a huge favor.
“Dallas Cowboys. My team. What’s that about?”
“This is your team?” I gasped with my hand over my mouth. “I had no idea. I picked it because it’s my name.”
“Oh. And eighteen? My number …”
“It was the number that came with the jersey.” I shrugged. “Total coincidence.”
“But,” I said quickly, knowing he wasn’t buying a word of what I was saying, “if this comes across as some kind of ice breaker, an attempt to clear the air and make amends, well, that could work too.”
I got the sense he was relieved to hear that I wanted the two of us to be friends again. No, it wasn’t easy. Yes, there were major feelings that I had toward him. But having nothing to do with him was worse. Especially when I had to see him at school every day.
“You look—perfect. Gorgeous.”
My heart soared, taking on a speed that was ever-so-slightly concerning. He made my dopamine levels go haywire with the simplest words and the subtlest gestures. I wanted him to reach out and embrace me under his arm the way he used to. I hadn’t even realized how much I missed that small action.
“You wanted to ask me something?”
“Yeah, but not here. Walk with me? We won’t leave Maxon’s, I promise.”
“That’s not saying much. This place is huge.”
Before we’d made it a mere three feet, I stopped and gasped with embarrassment for almost leaving when Cooper was here.
“Dray.” I reached for his arm as he greeted a couple of his friends sitting on the stone bench seats around the fire. He turned around and I felt disappointment coursing through me when he gave me an expectant smile. “I can’t leave. Ask me here.”
“What’s the pr—” And that’s when I knew that Cooper was back. Drayton’s frown fixated behind me.
“Hey, Drayton,” Cooper greeted us as he came to a standstill beside me. Drayton didn’t respond. He didn’t smile or say hello. His disappointment was evident. Cooper held out a hand in front of me and offered me a pop. Which I took. “You’re right. There were more bathrooms. This house is amazing.”
“Cooper came to surprise me,” I explained, twisting the cold bottle in my hands. I could feel the heat of the fire in the pit a few feet from us, and the glow illuminated Drayton’s profile. He was so beautiful that it hurt. “He’s taking me to the homecoming dance.”
That’s when his hard features fractured. And he flinched. I couldn’t stand to see him so vulnerable. It wasn’t right. I turned to Cooper, who had been sipping his drink, smearing his fake beard. “Can you give us a second. Please?”
Cooper nodded. His smile was uncertain, but he turned around and wandered off toward one of the drink cauldrons. I could see a number of the cheerleaders who were dressed up as leopards or nurses watching him with approval. I doubted that he’d be left alone for long.
“What’s he doing here?” Drayton asked.
“I just told you. He surprised me. What’d you want to ask me?” I thought deep down, I knew. But I didn’t want it to be that.
“Forget it.” His eyes focused on anything but me.
“You gave me his number,” I reminded him firmly, but there was an obvious quiver in my tone.
“Yeah, I know. I’m glad that you’ve got someone like him.”
“It’s not like that.”
But he didn’t hear me. Or he didn’t listen. He turned around and walked away. His back and shoulders were tense. I could see the muscles that had become rigid under his smooth skin. He approached Cooper. I worried for a minute that he was about to hit him or start a fight. But he simply said something to him, and Cooper nodded, seeming somewhat appreciative.
A beaming Gabby and Josh appeared out of nowhere. They were dressed in what could only be Damon and Elena outfits. Gabby’s long black hair was pin straight, which must have taken hours. No glasses. Bootcut jeans, Converse shoes and a tight tank top—simple clothing, but it was Elena. Josh had changed up his usual slick hair for a messier tousle. He was wearing black jeans and a leather jacket. He was also attempting a Damon smirk, and it was just not working all that well for him.
“What happened to Bonnie and Clyde?”
“We were never doing that,” Gabby giggled. “I just said it so that you wouldn’t talk me out of doing Delena. Iconic. This ship. It’s eternal.”
“How’d it go?” Josh asked resting Gabby under his arm. “I saw you and Drayton talking. Did you say yes?”
“Say yes?”
“He didn’t ask?”
“Ask me what?”
“Are you sure you’re a cheerleader?” Cooper appeared again. His pirate hat and dreads needed adjusting. “I was just talking to those girls and they had no idea who you are.”
Gabby and Josh frowned, watching Cooper. It seemed that there was a lot of confusion going around tonight.
“That’s because some of the girls on the squad are enormous assholes in size zero bodies. Cooper, this is Gabby and Josh. Friends. Guys, this is Cooper.”
“Oh!” Gabby gasped with realization. “Yeah. Hey.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
“Ah, I see.” Josh said.
“See what?” I murmured. I was attempting to converse in a low tone so t
hat Cooper couldn’t hear but it wasn’t immediately obvious that I was keeping him out of it. It wasn’t the easiest task to accomplish.
“I see why Drayton didn’t ask.”
“Ask what?”
He hesitated, his mouth pursed in a tight line. He seemed at war with himself for a moment, but Gabby gave him a nudge, wanting to hear what he had to say as well. “Drayton was going to ask you to homecoming. But I think he might have flushed that plan.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gabby swiped Josh’s arm.
“Drayton made me swear not to,” he defended himself. “He knew that you’d tell Dallas.”
“You two should work on your communication,” I mumbled as I swept the area in hopes of finding Drayton. I knew he wasn’t out there though. “Seriously, you’re like a month and a bit in to your relationship.”
“Oh really?” Gabby bit back, folding her arms as she fixed me with a pointed glare. “We need to work on our communication. That’s interesting coming from you.”
Cooper stared at the floor as he tapped the bottle of soda in his hand and bopped to the music, no doubt in an attempt to save face. His dreaded pirate hat looked too cute and silly for the situation. I couldn’t imagine how horribly awkward he must have felt, and I wished I wasn’t about to make it ten times worse.
“Do you mind hanging here with these two for a minute?” I handed him my drink. “I just need to go and do something.”
“Sure, Dallas.”
I wished I was torn about how I felt. I wished the desire to ignore my instincts wasn’t as strong so that I could stay right where I was and enjoy his company. I started across the courtyard. I needed to find Drayton.
Heading toward the cabana, my feet scuffed the sticky stone ground. I did my best to stretch a little taller so that I could see the faces of everyone under the canvas shelter. Pushing my way through the crowd, I kept apologizing as I was shoved into dead doctors and hot nurses, zombie brides, girls in lingerie, devils and angels, as well as the odd superhero. Crowds were a death sentence for small people.
Arriving at the other side of the cabana, having passed comfortable-looking lounge chairs and a table where a card game was taking place, I safely tucked myself into the corner, scanning the area again. A clear plastic weather surround stopped the cold breeze from coming inside. The exit was a door-sized flap. The zip was undone. When I was about to slip back into the garden, Maxon came inside, and I intercepted him before he could disappear.
“Have you seen Drayton?”
“He was out back last I saw, Cheer.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. He assessed me with his crooked grin and small eyes. “You’re the sexiest football player I’ve ever seen.”
“Don’t call me Cheer.” I rolled my eyes and pushed past him, stepping out onto the concrete patio. The space on this side of the cabana was more vacant than the other side was. The music was still loud, but as I skipped down the concrete steps and landed on the grass, the noise became dulled.
There was no sight of Drayton and I began to wonder if perhaps he’d left. I wandered through the trimmed lawn anyway, circling around the manicured hedges and following a path of concrete tiles around the corner of the house.
I sensed him before I saw him, courtesy of the stench of nicotine. The cloud of smoke that billowed into the night sky was illuminated by an outdoor lamp that served as a background, and I glanced at the brooding boy leaning against the house with his bare back and broad shoulders.
He stared at the Chucks on his feet and took another drag on the cigarette as I slowly approached him. You’d think after all that panicked searching, I would have been in more of a hurry. But I took my time, wanting to admire him before he realized that I was there and masked the raw emotion that was currently adorning his gorgeous face.
“Dray?”
He didn’t react; he didn’t flinch in surprise or look up. I thought I saw a fast blink flutter his lashes, but it was dark and hard to tell.
“How’s it going, Cheer?” The playful tone made me wince. All I wanted was to have a real conversation. To clear the air and say whatever it was that we both needed to say. It had been a damn long time coming. But it wouldn’t happen if he was in this kind of mood.
“You were going to ask me to homecoming?” I came to a standstill in front of him, but he still didn’t look at me. He twisted the end of his cigarette between his strong fingers.
“Yeah. I heard you weren’t going, so I figured I’d lend my services.” He finally met my eyes and took another drag of his stick before he flicked it into the grass. “No worries, though. I’ve got another date lined up.”
“Why didn’t you ask me earlier? Why did you leave it to the last minute?”
“Because I was trying to talk myself out of asking you,” he said. “You told me to keep clear, and I wanted to respect that. I have respected it. Even if it has really sucked. Would you have said yes if I asked?”
“Yes.”
The moonlight poured down on his face, the glow casting flattering shadows on his chest and jaw. The noise of the party resonated around us, but out here it was quiet enough that we didn’t have to shout to hear each other speak. Although, right then, I felt like the silence was louder than either of our words.
“It’s pointless now. You’re going with Cooper.” He straightened up and began to leave but I stepped in front of him, the moonlight now shining on the back of him, his face engulfed in shadow.
“I didn’t even know he was coming! You gave me his number,” I snapped. “You’ve confused me so many times with your actions and then you pretty much told me to pursue someone else, so what gives?”
“There was no one else that you were pursuing before, was there Dallas?” His tone was accusatory. “This was all you. You told me to stay away from you and give you space. I thought we were friends until you went and had a meltdown at the airport and told me to get fucked.”
“Fr-friends?!” I stuttered with disbelief. “Friends don’t dare friends to kiss them like that, and they don’t flirt, and they don’t get jealous when another guy comes along. For once, just tell me how you feel!”
“I wanted to win the game.” He shrugged with indifference. “And as for the so-called jealousy, that’s all in your mind. We’re friends Dallas, that’s it.”
“I don’t get it, your actions and words just don’t line up!”
“What about your actions! You tell me you want nothing to do with me and then you show up wearing that—and yes, I’ll admit that you look amazing, and seeing you in that jersey with your perfect legs out and your incredible waist is torture, but it’s a contradiction, Dallas. What gives?”
I was speechless. I had butterflies in my stomach. I wanted to scream and I wanted to shout. But as well as all of that, I was ashamed. His words were like a punch in the gut. He was calling me out and he was absolutely right.
“Look”—his features softened a little—“just forget it, Dallas. Things have been easier with the space. Just keep doing you. I won’t get in the way.”
He stepped around me and this time, I didn’t stop him.
Chapter 15
Gabby and I wandered through the mall the next morning. I was less than enthused to deal with crowds doing what I was doing—searching for a last-minute dress. Of course, I was far less worked up and frantic than some of the other girls who were tearing around with their parent’s credit cards.
“… so then after Josh threw up, he tried to swing at this guy he thought was staring at my ass, and Drayton literally had to pick him up, carry him to the car, and drive us both home, and oh my word, Dallas, it was hectic. He was such a mess.”
I focused on the fabric of the teal dress in front of me, trying not to wince at the sound of Drayton’s name or the thought of his protective heroics.
“I’m not finding anything here. Let’s go try Belinda’s Boutique.”
Gabby prattled on about last night. After the tiff with Drayton, I’d asked Cooper if we
could cut our evening short. We left Maxon’s and met Nathan at another Halloween party. It was slightly less amped up and the numbers just couldn’t compare, but it was fine. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the best company. Cooper didn’t seem to mind, though. He took everything in stride and never stopped smiling.
Gabby insisted we spend the day searching for a homecoming dress. I didn’t know why she came along; she knew that I was hopeless, and we’d search the entire mall before I settled on something. Cooper had had no problem abandoning the search three stores ago; in my opinion he’d made the right decision. He let us know that he’d be in the food court drowning his male sorrows in burgers and frozen soda until we were done.
“Are you going to tell me what happened with you and Dray?” Gabby asked once she’d exhausted all of her tales of drunken adventure. I sighed as I steered us into the cute boutique. I had known that she’d ask eventually.
“Nothing happened,” I said quietly as I flicked through the racks with a little more hope than I’d had earlier. These dresses were beautiful. “We’re both hopeless. Neither of us will own up to how we feel—not that I actually know how he feels.”
“I think it’s obvious,” Gabby said as she mirrored my movements. “He’s so into you, and we can all see it.”
“It can’t be that obvious when he’s flirting with me one minute and giving me another guy’s number the next.”
“Josh thought it was super weird that this Cooper guy just arrived without warning. Creepy, kind of, but sweet. I don’t know. I just hope it makes Drayton jealous enough to sort his shit out.”
“That’s kind of evil,” I laughed. Of course she’d find a silver lining.
The champagne-colored dress in my hand looked perfect. “I’m going to try this on,” I said.
“Do you wonder if Dray’s trying to protect himself? Maybe he doesn’t want to fall for you for the exact same reason that you don’t want to fall for him?” Gabby asked on the way to the change-room. “Make sure you show me once you’ve got that on. You guys are being so frustratingly ridiculous. You both like each other.”
The QB Bad Boy and Me Page 18
