Falling for My Best Friend

by Victorine E. Lieske

  I let go of his hand, not realizing I had been gripping him for dear life. “Sorry.”

  He laughed and flexed his fingers. “Is this too intense for you? Should I shut it off?”

  I was too into the film to stop. I had to see what would happen next. He was right. The movie wasn’t horror, it was edge of your seat tension. “Shut up.”

  “You want to keep watching?”

  “Yes.” I motioned for him to be quiet.

  He chuckled and relaxed back into his seat. “All right, then.”

  “Shh!”

  “There’s no noise in this movie. What is it you want to hear?”

  I whacked him in the chest. He just smiled and settled into his chair. That’s what it was like for Parker and me. We knew how to get under each other’s skin, but more importantly, we knew when to cut it out so the other person didn’t get too mad.

  I got so into the film by the climax of the movie, I was bawling. Not just tearing up. I was ugly crying. Parker just handed me a tissue so I could blow my nose.

  When the credits rolled, I grabbed the remote and turned off the screen. “Some movie choice, nerd bucket. Now I have to go to the party looking like my aunt just died.”

  “Hey, how was I supposed to know it was going to end like that?”

  “Read the reviews.”

  “I don’t like spoilers.”

  I stood. “I’ll be in my bathroom, making myself look like I didn’t just spend the last ten minutes crying.”

  “You go do that. I’m going to raid your fridge.”

  I was normally not a makeup girl, but as I stared at myself in the mirror, I decided I could use a little so my eyes didn’t look so red and puffy. I splashed cold water on my face and patted it dry. Then I got to work. By the time I was done, I didn’t look half bad. And you could no longer tell I’d had a cry fest.

  I walked into the kitchen. “Ready to go?”

  Parker held a chicken leg, gnawing on it. “In a sec.”

  “Why are you eating? There’s going to be pizza there.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll have some of that too.”

  I gave him my best death glare. “I have no idea why you got such great metabolism, and I’m going to have to diet over the next two weeks because I ate a bear claw this morning.”

  Parker just smiled at me. He finished eating and then slipped on the jacket I’d bought him.

  I waved my hands and shrieked. “Wait a second! We need to style your hair. I totally forgot.”

  Parker grimaced but followed me up the stairs anyway. I made him sit in my reading chair while I threw hair products on my bed.

  “Oh, no. No way are you going to put that stuff in my hair.”

  I frowned at him. “Why not?”

  He pointed to the pink bottle of mousse. “I’m not going to smell like girl hair.”

  “Fine. Just a second, then.” I stomped out of my room and down the hallway to my father’s bathroom. Travis came around the corner and followed me in. His helmet was gone now. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for Dad’s hair products.”

  Travis wrinkled his nose. “His what?”

  I opened the cabinet and pulled out the only bottle of gel he had. “This.”

  “Oh.”

  I left Travis in my father’s room and joined Parker. I shoved the brown bottle of manly hair care in his face. “Here. Is this better?”

  Parker nodded. “Yes. You can use that.”

  I opened the bottle and poured some out in my hand. Then I rubbed it on both hands. Parker fidgeted. “Sit still.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I ran my fingers through his hair, spreading the gel through. “Man, Parker. Your hair is soft. What do you do to it?”

  He looked up at me. “Wash it?”

  “With what? Baby kitten tears?”

  He chuckled. “Are you done yet?”

  “Nope. Be patient.” I kind of didn’t want to stop playing with his hair. He’d let it grow out a bit more than usual, and it was fun to see what it would do with the gel in it.

  I raised the hair up a bit in front and let it flop over, almost covering his eye. That look, combined with the jacket, made my heart rate speed up. “Dang, Parker. You’re a lady killer.”

  He raised one eyebrow and stood up from the chair. “You think?”

  Holy cow, I wasn’t sure what had happened to him, but he was definitely looking good. It was messing with my head. “Let’s go.”

  As we passed by the living room, my father paused the show he was watching and stretched to look at us. “Hey, where are you two headed off to?”

  “Wes’s house,” I called.

  My father jumped up from the couch and appeared in the archway. “Who’s Wes?”

  “Just a guy from school.”

  “And what’s going on at Wes’s house?”

  I nervously shrugged. “Just a party.”

  My dad looked like I had said I was going to jump off a bridge. “A party? Since when do you go to parties?”

  “Since today.”

  His eyebrows pulled down and he stepped closer. “Well, what kind of party? Where does Wes live? Are Wes’s parents going to be there? Who else is going?”

  I pointed to Parker. “Parker’s going with me. Yes, his parents will be there. Just up the street, so we’re going to walk. And it’s a pizza party,” I answered in reverse order, not actually sure if I was lying or not. I had no idea if his parents would be there.

  My father took a second to look me over, then he nodded. “All right. If Parker’s with you, you can go.” He pointed at me. “But no alcohol.”

  I held in an eyeroll. “Of course, Dad.”

  After we got outside, I slugged Parker in the arm. “Hear that? My dad thinks you’ll keep me out of trouble.”

  Parker didn’t say anything in return, but he chuckled. When we arrived, my footsteps slowed. He turned to me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I bit my lower lip and shuffled my feet. I hated social events, but my drive to put myself in a situation where Lucas could possibly talk to me was strong. I shoved back my fears and nodded. “Yes. Let’s do this.”

  I grabbed Parker’s hand and we walked up the walkway. Music came from somewhere, and it vibrated the windows. I pressed the doorbell.

  Wes opened the door and ushered us inside. “Pizza’s in the back by the pool.” He said it like he’d already said it a thousand times. I glanced around but didn’t see Lucas. The throngs of teens around me made my throat close up. What was I doing here?

  Parker looked at me like he’d swallowed a fly. “Pool? I didn’t know this was a pool party.”

  I hadn’t known either, but most of the kids were dressed in regular clothes. “I think we’re fine.”

  I started to feel claustrophobic. “Let’s go out back,” I yelled over the music.

  “Okay.”

  We squeezed our way through the house and out the patio door. There were a handful of kids in the heated pool, some more sitting on the sides with their legs in, and others lounging around on the patio furniture. A long table held stacks of pizza boxes and a cooler full of cans of soda. My dad would be happy. No beer.

  Parker pointed to a free lounge chair. “Go sit. I’ll bring you some pizza.”

  I was down with that. I snagged the chair and dragged another one close to hold it for Parker. Just as Parker started walking toward me with his hands full, I felt that familiar tingle down my spine. I knew Lucas was nearby. And then I saw him coming out of the house, sliding the patio door closed behind him.

  And Charlotte wasn’t with him.

  Chapter Four

  I froze, all my breath gone. Lucas scanned the area, his gaze skimming over me before he spotted someone, whoever it was he was looking for, over by the pool.

  I watched Lucas as he walked right past my chair, not even acknowledging me. Parker sat next to me, and I exhaled. “Did you see that?” I hissed as I took a plate of pizza from him. H
e held out a can of Dr. Pepper, my favorite. He must have dug to the bottom to get it, because it was ice cold.

  “Did I see what?”

  “Lucas. He walked right by me.” I waved a hand to fan my face.

  “Mmm.” Parker lifted his eyebrows. “Nice.”

  He was trying to be supportive, but I knew he didn’t understand. I also knew I was acting a bit neurotic, but I had kept my crush a secret for so long, I was excited I could actually talk to Parker about my feelings. “I know you don’t care. I’ll try to be a good pretend girlfriend and talk about something else.”

  Parker’s phone chimed, and he juggled his pizza as he pulled it out of his pocket. He looked at the screen, frowned, sent off a quick answer, then slid it back into his pocket.

  I’d seen that look on his face before. “Is that your mom?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What does she need now?”

  Parker shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll take care of it later.”

  I took a bite of my pizza. It was cold, but it tasted good. “Is she still working at the gas station?”

  Parker’s gaze fell. “No.”

  For as long as I’d known him, his mother had struggled with keeping a job. She’d worked some fast food places, had been a janitor, a cashier, and between those jobs had been unemployed. It seemed lately, the time she spent working was fewer and farther between. “Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say to him. I was sure he hated the instability.

  I’d asked him one time about his father. He didn’t even know his name. His mother wouldn’t talk about him. I guess she’d gotten pregnant in high school and had moved out on her own to raise Parker. I wasn’t even sure if his father knew about him, which was super sad. Parker never wanted to talk about it, so half of my information was assumptions.

  Parker and I finished our pizza and we sat and watched as kids splashed in the pool. It was chilly enough I was glad I hadn’t known there would be swimming. I get cold easily, and I could imagine myself turning into a Popsicle if I had tried to be one of the cool kids in the water.

  The sliding door opened and Charlotte walked outside. Disappointment rose in me as I watched her face light up when she saw Lucas. She picked her way through the crowd toward him. As she passed by my chair, she smiled. “Hannah. You came.”

  “We decided to come for a while.” I grabbed Parker’s hand to show her we were together.

  Her gaze flickered to our hands clasped, and her smile widened. “That’s great.”

  I allowed my gaze to follow her strides until she joined Lucas. She snuggled into his side and I swallowed back the jealousy. Lucas looked at her with such adoration in his eyes that it made me want to puke. He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

  I suddenly stood up, my chair scraping on the pavement. “This wasn’t a good idea,” I blurted out.

  Parker jumped up as well. “You want to leave?”

  Lucas came up from his kiss, and his gaze connected with mine. He’d caught me staring at him. Heat rushed to my cheeks as he continued to look at me, a curious expression on his face.

  In a panic, I grabbed Parker and planted one on his lips. His eyes widened and I knew I had stunned him, but I couldn’t let Lucas know I was sitting there, pining after him. My brain registered the warmth of Parker’s lips on mine at the same time his arms snaked around my waist, pulling me closer.

  I was glad Parker had gotten my signal and was making the kiss look real. I knew I should be doing something other than just standing there, pressing my lips on his, so I slid my hands up his chest and hooked them behind his neck.

  Parker moved his lips over mine, and I wasn’t prepared for the sensations that overtook me. What was going on? My skin tingled and my toes involuntarily curled. His hand rested on my lower back, and the warmth of the contact spread through me.

  I’d kissed a boy before, but it hadn’t felt like this. I was on fire at the same time chills ran down my spine. My fingers found his hair and threaded through it. So soft, even with the gel in it. His lips parted and he let out a tiny gasp. I pulled back, my gaze flicking to Lucas to see if he was still watching me.

  He was. My heart pounded as Lucas gave me a small head nod, a smile creeping on his lips. I couldn’t believe it. Lucas had actually noticed me. I smiled back.

  Parker stepped back from me, letting go of my waist. He turned to glance in the direction I was looking. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes when he saw Lucas. “You ready to go? I’ve had about as much of this party as I can take.”

  What? Parker wanted to go? Just when his plan was starting to work? I shook my head, but Parker didn’t see it because he had already taken two steps toward the sliding glass doors.

  “Wait!” I grabbed his arm and turned him back around. “Can we stay for just a few more minutes? Please?”

  He gave me a pained look. I must have underestimated how much he hated social events. “How long?”

  “Not long. I promise.”

  Our chairs had been taken while we were standing—and kissing—so he stalked by me and took a seat in the grass next to the pool. I grabbed my Dr. Pepper and followed him.

  I sat down on the grass beside Parker and set my can of soda on the stony tile of the swimming pool. I leaned back, aware of every move Lucas was making. He kissed the top of Charlotte’s head and then turned to talk to one of his buddies.

  Parker and I sat silent for a few minutes as I played the part of Lucas’s creepy stalker girl. Then Parker nudged my knee. “What are you doing for your community service project for civics class?” He leaned toward me as he spoke. The noise from the kids in the pool made it harder to hear.

  “I’m volunteering at the senior center. Every Wednesday they have Bingo, so I’m going to run that for them. And then on Sundays, I’m going to run their craft room.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “What kind of crafts?”

  “I don’t want to do anything that requires a lot of detailed work, because some of them don’t have a lot of dexterity. I’m going to bring in some rubber stamps tomorrow so they can make cards. I haven’t figured out what we’ll do the week after that yet. I’m still in the planning stages.”

  “Sounds cool,” Parker said.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m volunteering down at the soup kitchen.”

  I’d never been in the soup kitchen, so I was quite curious about it. “Do they really only serve soup?”

  Parker rolled his eyes. “They serve all kinds of food. Soup kitchen is just a name.”

  “Are you helping to cook?”

  “I don’t know yet. My first day is tomorrow.” He shrugged. “We’ll see. I’m not a bad cook, if that’s what you’re asking. I know how to read a recipe.”

  I shoved his shoulder. “I know.”

  Parker’s phone made another noise and he pulled it out again. I leaned closer to see the screen, but he hid it from me. “What?” I asked. “Is she asking you to do something embarrassing?”

  He scoffed, but I saw a flash of something cross his face. “No.”

  “Well, what is it, then?”

  “She needs a ride home.”

  “Where is she?”

  He frowned. “Does it matter? I have to go. If you want to stay, that’s fine. I’ll text you later.”

  I jumped up before he could leave me sitting there by myself. “Okay, okay. We’ll leave.” I bent to pick up my Dr. Pepper when one of the football players rushed by me. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much room and he grazed my side, causing me to go off balance. Before I could take a proper breath, I fell head-first into the pool.

  Warm water rushed over me and I gasped. Wrong thing to do under water. I choked and struggled to get my head above the surface, but I was turned around and wasn’t sure which way was up. I frantically waved my arms around and kicked at the water, but the disorientation made it impossible for me to swim. Water filled my nose.

  This was it. I was going to drown right in front of Lucas, in a p
ool that was probably no deeper than three feet. How embarrassing.

  Strong arms encircled me and I felt an enormous tug. My head cleared the water and I took in a breath, coughing and sputtering. Whoever fished me out of the pool laid me down on the grass and I looked up, expecting to see Lucas. I knew he could swim. It should have been him.

  But it was Parker’s gray eyes that gazed at me, concern pulling his eyebrows down. His hair dripped water on me and his white T-shirt clung to his body. Since when did Parker have muscles? I shook my head and coughed some more, until I was sure I could breathe without hacking up a lung.

  When I finally sat up, I realized everyone from the back yard was gathered around, staring at me. I heard whispers of, “Is she okay?” and “Who is that?”

  Mortification heated my skin. I threw my hands up in the air. “Ta, da! And for my next performance…”

  The crowd burst into laughter and relief helped balm my embarrassment. People went back to whatever it was they were doing and Parker patted my back. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded, not sure I wanted to trust my voice. I stared at his leather jacket, laying in a heap beside the pool. In my mind I could see him jump up, tear off the jacket and dive into the pool to save me. Emotion swelled in me as I thought about what might have happened had he not done that. I honestly thought I was going to die tonight. I threw my arms around him. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  He returned my embrace, warmth seeping through me. His muscles flexed under his wet shirt. With his arms around me, I felt safe. I knew Parker wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.

  Lucas walked up to us and I jumped back from Parker, suddenly feeling guilty, for some odd reason. Lucas just stood there, looking at me. My heart sped up and I had an official freak-out moment.

  Chapter Five

  “Hey, it’s Hannah, right?” Lucas said in that smooth voice of his.

  My breath caught, but not from the water in my lungs. Lucas was talking to me. Actually talking. To me. And he knew my name. How did he know my name? My stomach fluttered and I felt lightheaded. I smiled at him, hoping I looked cute and not like a drenched hag. “Yes,” I managed to say without starting up another coughing fit.