One of the Girls (Friendzone #1)

by Robin Daniels

  “Where’s your team unity…Captain?”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “It’s fine.”

  “You sure?” I asked, doubtful.

  He waved me off. “Eh, nobody will see it. It’s not like I wear strappy sandals to school.”

  “I have some you could borrow,” one of the girls teased, and everyone laughed.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  I shook my head with a chuckle. “Gold or blue?”

  Nick grabbed the gold out of my hands. “This one is really sparkly. And you know how much I love sparkles…”

  “Okay, you lost your right to choose.” I tore the gold bottle away from him and threw it at Cass. “Blue. You get blue.”

  Nick watched as I reluctantly applied the blue polish and a top coat. When I finished his pinkie, he said, “I hope you don’t expect your nails to look this good when I’m done with them.”

  “You don’t have to do mine.” My words rushed out. He cocked an eyebrow. “Seriously, Nick. We’ve already tortured you enough for one night.” I weaved cotton between his toes so he wouldn’t smudge the wet paint.

  “That wouldn’t be very fair, now would it?”

  “Really, it’s fine.”

  He leaned forward, placing his hands on my shoulders and giving me a serious look. Our eyes locked with a force that made it impossible to look away. His voice dropped low, quiet enough that no one else could hear. “Mia, don’t feel bad. I could’ve opted out. But I’m trying to prove that I’m all in. If that means getting my nails done, so be it.”

  My mouth had suddenly gone dry, as was becoming a frequent occurrence around him. My brain went into overanalyze mode—again. I knew it was nothing, but it sure felt like his words held a double meaning. That was the tricky thing about Nick. He always seemed to be saying one thing with his lips but something entirely different with his eyes.

  “You’re being a good sport,” I replied. It came out a little breathy.

  “It’s worth it,” he said. What I heard was, You’re worth it.

  I recognized a familiar warning. That dumb tingling in my lips, telling me I was in imminent danger of overheating. “All done,” I chirped, slapping his knees with forced enthusiasm. I pulled away before he could melt me into a puddle at his feet.

  The spell was broken. Nick went back to his fun, casual self. He glanced down at his toes and wiggled them. “Not too bad. Now, switch me spots so I can butcher your feet.”

  “Please don’t.” I snickered. “I kind of need them.”

  I plopped onto the couch and rolled up my pant legs. Nick got down to business, repeating the same process I’d used on him, only with the added step of removing my red polish first. It turned his fingers pink, and he complained about the smell. But after that, he was totally focused—so careful and concentrated that his eyebrows furrowed and the tip of his tongue peeked out from his mouth.

  When he was finished, he picked up my feet, and holding them together, blew gently on my toes. It tickled something awful, but I wasn’t about to stop him. My thoughts drifted to how it might feel if he were doing something similar against my neck, and I shivered.

  “Don’t wiggle! You’ll bump them and ruin all my hard work.” He lifted my legs under the ankles so he could show off his masterpiece.

  “Hey. Not bad,” I said, being 100 percent sincere. They looked better than when I tried to do my own fingernails left-handed. “You swear you haven’t done this before?”

  Nick beamed with pride. “Nope,” he replied, then turned around to get Stacie’s attention. “What do you think?”

  Stacie crawled across the room, squinted at my toes, and patted him on the back. “He’s a natural, ladies,” she called to the room. “Next time your finish gets chipped, skip the line at the salon and head to Nick’s house.”

  “Woah, there. Hang on.” Nick threw his hands up in a defensive gesture, his face bathed in sheer terror. “This was a one-time thing. You guys know that, right?”

  Stacie solemnly shook her head from side to side. “I think this should become a regular event. Let’s say, every Saturday for the rest of the season.” She looked around the room. “I call for a vote. All in favor, raise your hand.”

  Nick looked pale enough that I thought he might pass out. “That’s enough.” I laughed. “Stop messing with him, or he’ll quit. And I still need some free tumbling lessons.”

  Stacie pursed her lips. “Good point. Okay, motion withdrawn.” Nick chuckled along with everyone else, but I could see the hint of relief in his expression.

  “What’s next on the agenda?” one of the new girls asked.

  “We could—”

  Cassidy cut me off. “Truth or dare.”

  Bad idea. I’d outlawed spin the bottle for a reason. I knew this was Cass’s attempt at an alternate avenue to kissing. Even if it wasn’t with her, she’d dare someone else to pucker up. I was about to voice my opinion when there was a loud knock on the window. Most of us jumped, including Nick. When I looked toward the source of the noise, I saw someone crouched in the window well. Nick froze in silence. The rest of us screamed.

  Chapter 13

  My heart was in my throat for about three seconds, until I realized that the banging sound was Sean’s fist. It was pressed against the glass along with his face. I walked to the window and stood in front of him, arms folded across my chest. “Don’t worry, ladies, it’s only a harmless little pest,” I said loud enough for him to hear.

  Sean opened his mouth and sealed it against the surface. Puffing his cheeks out, he blew as hard as he could, leaving a smudge of steamy breath and Chapstick-covered lips. “Rude!” he replied, pretending to be hurt.

  Stacie marched over and opened the window. “What do you want?” She sounded less annoyed than I thought she would. Though, I shouldn’t be surprised. Sean’s childish antics often got him off the hook in potentially tense situations.

  He took the open window as an invite and crawled through, carefully shaking his shoes off before he put them on the shaggy beige carpet. “I came to check up on my BFF at his very first slumber party,” he said with a high voice and a lisp.

  When the girls realized they were safe, most of them went back to doing their thing. Mia stood next to me. Stacie placed her hands on her hips and smirked. “Your falsetto needs work. You don’t sound like a girl so much as a eunuch.”

  Sean whispered to me, “What’s a eunuch?”

  “I’m not sure, but as you can see, I’m fine.”

  He screwed up his face. “How are you fine? I see no evidence of a pillow fight.”

  “Get over the pillow fight thing already.” Stacie huffed. “We have never, nor will we ever, have a pillow fight. In our underwear or otherwise.”

  His face got serious. “Never say never. You limit your potential.”

  “Oh, brother. You want a pillow fight? Because I’m about to pummel you with a pillow. Or smother you.”

  Sean grinned. “Very well; I accept.”

  Stacie reached out to whack him upside the head. He ducked and covered himself with his arms. Unfortunately, in doing so, he got a glimpse of my toes. “Is that nail polish?” he asked in horror. My face and neck got hot. There was no denying it. The evidence was clear. Sean’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and his voice got pitchy. “You let them put nail polish on you? Wait till the guys hear about this!”

  “Sean—” I warned.

  Mia cut me off. “What do you want?” He blinked slowly, and she added, “In exchange for your silence?”

  “Don’t bargain with him,” I advised her. “He plays dirty. It’s a little known fact, but his middle name is actually Rumpelstiltskin.”

  Sean ignored me. “I want you to—”

  Stacie growled, in full-on beast mode. “I swear, if you say anything about a pillow fight, I will beat the crap out of you.”

  “Chill, woman.” He tsked her and scowled. “I was going to say that I want you to let me stay at this little soirée until Nick has t
o leave.”

  “Half an hour,” Stacie countered. Sean shook his head. She caved. “Fine. A whole hour.”

  He shook his head again. “Midnight, or I call up Cole and the boys the second I walk out of here.”

  Stacie narrowed her eyes. “Nick’s your best friend. Would you really betray him like that?”

  “Why don’t you test me?” Sean’s eyes were gleaming mischievously.

  We’d drawn an audience. Some of the girls had amused looks, some were whispering. No doubt they were all wondering to what extent Stacie would protect my reputation. I hadn’t pegged her for the type of leader who’d give in to a terrorist’s demands. Yet, here she was, trying to strike a deal.

  Mia was quiet as a mouse during the whole negotiation. I wouldn’t call her timid, but she’s not a get up in your grill kind of person, either. Which is why I was surprised when she stepped between Stacie and Sean. “Deal. You can stay until midnight, on one condition.”

  “And that would be?” Sean grinned, baring his teeth like a nefarious villain.

  She held her chin high and stood her ground. “We get to paint your toenails, too.”

  Sean gasped. “Heck no!”

  Mia shrugged. “Suit yourself. But right before you interrupted us, we were getting ready to start a game of truth or dare. And with cheerleaders, nothing’s off limits…”

  Smart girl. He couldn’t rat me out if his own toes were a matching shade of blue. And there’s no way he’d turn down a no-holds-barred game of truth or dare. I was proud of Mia. Who needed to be mean and threatening when you had ingenuity and mad negotiating skills?

  Sean narrowed his eyes in contemplation. When he pursed his lips, I knew we had him. “Fine. But you guys can’t rat me out, either.”

  Mia held out her hand and Sean shook it. Then she stepped closer to me and put her arm around my shoulder. “All members of the Ravens cheer squad have upstanding moral character. We’d never turn on one of our own. And we don’t go back on our word.” She glanced around the room. “Right, girls?”

  “Right,” fourteen voices agreed. They were almost loud enough to drown out the lone “Usually” that was accompanied by a snicker. I didn’t even have to look to know who’d said it.

  Sean glared at Cassidy. She shrugged her shoulders and pretended to carelessly pick at her nails. “What?” she asked. “I figured honesty was part of upstanding moral character.”

  I laughed to myself. What the girls didn’t know is that the likelihood of Sean blabbing to the football team in the first place was slim. I wouldn’t completely put it past him, but he always had my back. This was more like information he’d hold over my head anytime he wanted something. But thanks to Mia, I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the year getting blackmailed.

  “Whatever,” Stacie said. “But I’m not painting your nails.”

  “I’ll do it,” Cass offered. She was chewing on a Red Vine, with an evil glint in her eye. Sean had no idea who he was dealing with. He got settled in the corner spot of the couch, and Cassidy started on his toes while the rest of us loaded up with junk food.

  Mia looked as if she was searching for something specific. That’s when I noticed that the Cheetos were hiding under a blanket. I grabbed the bag, opened it, and handed it to her. “Thanks. It’s like you can read my mind.” She smiled. No, it’s like I’d watched her eat lunch every day for the last four years. But if she wanted to believe we had some sort of telepathic connection, then who was I to stop her?

  I was sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch, along with a few others. There wasn’t much space between me and the twins, so I was surprised when Mia wiggled between us. “Want some?” She tipped the Cheetos toward me.

  I wasn’t hungry, but it gave me an excuse to readjust my position. I leaned into her and casually draped my arm on the couch behind her shoulders. Then I reached into the bag with my other hand. It was so smooth that none of the girls even noticed.

  Sean did. He gave me a sly grin before rubbing his hands together. “So, who’s running the show here? I was promised a game of truth or dare.”

  Everyone looked at Stacie. “Let’s go youngest to oldest,” she suggested.

  Tori blushed. “That’s probably me.”

  “All right. Truth or dare?”

  She bit her lip. “Um…truth?”

  “Bold move,” Cass said without looking up. Tori shrank back. Her face turned a pale shade of green, and she squirmed.

  “Cass, don’t scare the poor girl!” Mia reprimanded her, then looked over at Tori. “Don’t worry. We won’t hit you too hard in the first round.” The tiny girl’s shoulders relaxed. Mia had a way of putting everyone at ease. It was a gift, really. “What is your biggest like and dislike about cheer so far?”

  “Remember,” Cass added, “you have to tell the truth.”

  Tori pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and nervously twirled it around her finger. “I love the choreography so far. You guys are way better dancers than the junior high team.” There were a handful of snickers. I’d never seen the junior high team perform, but from the sound of things, Tori’s assessment had been gracious. “And what I dislike most…” She hesitated. “Is when Stacie makes us do conditioning until I want to puke.”

  A few people, including me, laughed. I never thought twice about the amount of conditioning we did. It beat doing a thousand burpees in the sweltering summer heat. But Tori was pushing a hundred pounds—at best. A twiggy thing like her probably had a hard time keeping up.

  “I can live with that.” Stacie grinned in satisfaction, and Tori looked relieved. “Okay,” Stacie said to the twins. “Which one of you is older?”

  They pointed to each other and said, “She is,” at the same time. Both Emma and Gemma chose truth, and Mia gave them equally easy questions. By the time they were finished, Sean was getting antsy. “Enough of the prissy stuff. Where are the dares? I want to see some kissing. I want to hear some secrets. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Who have you always wanted to make out with? Bonus points if it’s me.”

  Stacie groaned. “If anyone says they want to make out with Sean, you’re off the team.”

  “It’s okay.” Sean leaned back and put his hands behind his head, going for a suave vibe. “You can just tell me later.”

  “Moving on!” Stacie hollered, rolling her eyes at Sean for the dozenth time in thirty minutes. But when she turned away from him, I saw her lips twitch. Sean was a lovable lug, and it seemed even Stacie wasn’t immune.

  The next few girls picked dare. One of them had to stand on her head while singing the school’s fight song. She didn’t know all the words, so she made it up as she went. It was highly entertaining. Another had to wear her bra on the outside of her shirt for the rest of the night, which Sean definitely appreciated.

  The worst dare was to a sophomore named Trish. She had to make a video revealing the name of the boy she liked—someone I didn’t know, named Kevin—upload it to Instagram, and leave it there for thirty minutes. I couldn’t tell if she was worried that he’d see the post or hoping he’d see it.

  There were four juniors, and the first three picked truth. This resulted in learning more than I ever needed to know about who people liked, who were their best kisses and worst kisses, and which teachers were the hottest. Sean was eating it up, but he was born for this gossipy nonsense. Even on the football team, he was the one who always got into everyone’s relationship business.

  Bella was the oldest junior, and she chose to take a dare. “Come on,” she challenged Cassidy. “Make it good. Give me something wild and crazy.”

  Cass had just finished Sean’s toenails. Sean had been too enthralled by the game to pay attention, but I’d been watching Cassidy work and knew exactly what was coming. He bent over to look at his feet and flipped out. “Flowers?” he screeched. “They were supposed to be blue. You put gold flowers on them!” The room was overcome with giggles.

  “Did I?” Cassidy feigned innocen
ce. “Oops.”

  “Come on,” he whined. “What’d I ever do to you?” Sean reached down to rub the paint off, and she slapped his hand.

  “Do not touch those! They might be the best flowers I’ve ever done.” Sean grumbled at her with a murderous look in his eyes, and Cass laughed. “Fine. I’ll make it up to you.” She turned to Bella. “Bella, I dare you to kiss Sean. On the mouth, for at least five seconds.”

  Bella blinked—once, twice, three times. Sean whooped. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” He gave her a long look. I thought Bella was cute, and from the excitement on his face, I could tell Sean agreed.

  I’m not sure Bella was sold on Sean, though. “But…but…” she stammered.

  Sean popped to his feet. “Come on. I don’t bite.” He stepped to the middle of the room and fished a wintergreen Lifesaver from his pocket. It was so very Sean to crash a cheer party, armed with breath mints.

  Cass gave Bella the stink eye. “You said make it wild and crazy. I don’t know anything crazier than having to kiss this fool. And you know what happens if you try to back out.”

  Bella winced. “What’s the penalty for backing out?” I whispered to Mia.

  She leaned against my arm and brought her mouth close to my ear. “Double conditioning for a whole week.”

  Her warm breath tickled my cheek and neck. I sucked in sharply and replied, “Heck, I’d kiss Sean to avoid that.”

  Mia giggled. All my senses became hyperaware of how close she was. How two measly inches were all that separated us. If I turned my head, it’d be so easy kiss her. “Right?” she agreed. It was only one word, but it was enough to cover my arms in goose bumps. I fought the reflexive shudder.

  Bella reluctantly stood and met Sean in the middle of the room but didn’t make a move. Cass started chanting, “Kiss him, kiss him,” and soon everyone joined her. After a few seconds of jeering, Sean grabbed Bella by the hand and slipped his arm around her waist. Then he dipped her backward and planted a big, fat kiss right on the smacker. Stacie counted down from five. When she hit one, Sean tipped Bella upright and steadied her.