I very pointedly hadn’t spoken to him. He just wasn’t aware of my existence.
There was a difference.
Trust me, I wished I hadn’t been so very aware of Alex, but whether I’d liked it or not, I’d become something of an Alex Luven aficionado over the last three years. I knew everything that Avery knew about him—and she knew a lot. She’d watched him, studied him, and collected gossip about him like it was her job.
And all of that information? It had been funneled to me. As her best friend, I’d been the repository for all things Alex.
I hadn’t minded that part of it. I mean, what was a best friend for if not a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on, right? I’d never minded that Avery talked to me, I’d just hated the subject.
More than anything, I’d hated how Avery couldn’t see that he was so not worth her time and energy. He didn’t deserve the love of someone so sweet and kind and wonderful as my bestie.
Luckily for everyone, she’d finally come to her senses. I’d like to think she would have realized it eventually without Cristian coming onto the scene, but I was so glad that he had.
Avery gave me a pleading look as she moved toward the couch to say goodbye. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to come with us?”
Before I could say I’d rather have a fork shoved in my eye than spend my free time with this jerk, Alex beat me to it. “Don’t try to drag the hermit out of her cave, Avery. She might bite.”
I shook my head and threw my hands up. “So many mixed metaphors in one insult. I can’t work like this.”
He smirked again.
He was always smirking.
I accidentally growled in response. I wasn’t typically prone to growling, but when it came to Alex Luven, I couldn’t contain my hatred.
“See?” He arched his brows and turned to Avery with that smarmy grin that somehow had fooled the other girls in our school into thinking he was a good guy. “I told you she was feral.”
“Yes,” I said in a dry tone. “I am a feral hermit who lives in a cave. Great burn, Luven. Eloquent as ever.”
I reached for a Twizzler as he laughed. The guy was always laughing or smiling or joking around. He didn’t seem to take anything seriously, except maybe basketball. I’d heard he was really good, but I wouldn’t have been surprised to find that his prowess in that sport was all natural skill and little on-the-court dedication. It was impossible to imagine him serious about anything.
Alex was a male bimbo. There. I said it. All good looks—yes, I could admit he was attractive. Irritatingly, annoyingly, knowingly handsome. But underneath the good looks? There was nothing there. He was vacant. Vapid.
Was I being harsh? Yes. But that was who I was. I wasn’t some sweetheart like Avery, and I definitely wasn’t shy and soft-spoken like Charlotte. When I looked around me, I didn’t see the world through rose-colored glasses. I’d figured out that love and romance were just a fantasy the day my dad walked out.
Unlike most of my friends, I was a realist. I had to be because I was also a journalist. I saw what was, not what I wanted it to be.
And what I saw before me right now?
A human Ken doll.
“Oh shoot.” Avery scowled down into the contents of her giant bag that she claimed was a purse. “I forgot my lipstick.” She gave Alex the wide-eyed look that no one could ever resist, least of all a guy. “Do you mind waiting for one second?”
“I’m in no rush,” he said.
To my horror, Alex sank onto the couch beside me. He did that guy thing where he somehow managed to take up way more space than necessary as he sprawled out with his legs spread wide. He threw one arm out over the back of the couch, not quite touching me but coming so close I jerked away.
“Ugh,” I swatted his arm away so it fell between us. “Not so close, Luven. Not every girl wants you hanging all over her.”
“Really?” His grin was wolfish as he leaned in toward me. “That’s not the impression I’ve gotten from every other girl in our class.”
“Ew. You are such a sleaze.”
He snickered as he pulled back. “And you love me for it.”
“I think the word you were looking for was loathe,” I said in my most obnoxious know-it-all voice. I leaned in like he’d done and overenunciated. “I loathe you for it.” I gave him a wry smile. “Loathe, not love. See the difference? I know it’s hard for you to grasp new vocabulary, what with your monosyllabic answers in class.”
“We have one class together, and it’s phys ed,” he pointed out with a laugh. “What exactly do you expect me to say?”
I rolled my eyes. “We’ve had other classes together over the years.” Not that he would remember. “Trust me.” I narrowed my eyes as I met his gaze. “I am well aware of your intellectual shortcomings.”
“Just like I’m aware of your social shortcomings,” he said with a grin that made my jaw clench. “Tell me, Max, did you not want to go to this party tonight, or are you just scared because you’ve never been to one before?”
I narrowed my eyes and mimicked his tone. “Tell me, Alex, did you want to go to this party tonight, or are you just scared to spend time alone with yourself?”
He tipped his head back with a laugh. “You think alone time is something to brag about?”
I shrugged, hating the way his laughter made my heart race. He got under my skin with a look, and he made my temperature rise with every word. I didn’t typically have a terrible temper, but being around this guy was like throwing oil on a fire I didn’t even know I had burning inside me.
“I don’t think being alone is bragworthy,” I said as evenly as I could. “But it’s telling if you can’t stand being alone with yourself.”
“Oh yeah? And what does that tell you?” His tone dripped with condescension. “That I’m popular?”
“It says to me that even you are sick of yourself.” My lips curved up in a sneer that I couldn’t hide. “My bet is you can’t even look yourself in the eye in the mirror because you know as well as I do that you’re a selfish, shallow jerk.”
Something flared in his eyes. It was there and gone in a heartbeat, but I took satisfaction at the direct hit.
Finally. Something I’d said had gotten through that thick, gigantic ego of his.
“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” His tone was light, teasing. For a second, between the look in his eyes and his comment, I almost felt a flicker of guilt.
Almost.
“After all…” He reached for a Twizzler in the bag between us. “It’s not my fault that some of us have lives.” He gave his head a shake as he snagged a piece of red licorice and waved it in front of me like a matador with a red cape. “Some of us have friends, love lives... We’re not all lonely losers with nothing better to do than study.”
I glared, reaching for the Twizzler and grabbing one end while he held onto the other. “I don’t just study,” I snapped. Although, that was so not the point. What did I care if he thought I was a loser? “I’m on the paper and—”
“Oh yeah, the paper.” He pretended to yawn loudly, but his grip on the Twizzler was strong. “Whatever would we do without your fascinating newspaper.”
A long, tense silence stretched as I glared at him and he smirked at me, a Twizzler caught between us in a tug-of-war stalemate.
“Let go of the Twizzler,” I said through clenched teeth.
He arched his brows. “Haven’t you ever heard of sharing?”
“Haven’t you ever heard of asking?” I snapped back.
Avery strode into the room with refreshed lipstick and a grin. “You know you two could just share, right? You could each take a side and Lady and the Tramp it.”
We both let go at once and the candy fell onto the couch between us.
“See ya ‘round, Maxine,” he said as he came to his feet. Somehow he made my name sound like a synonym for ‘loser.’
“Have fun with your girl of the hour,” I called after him, not bothering to lower m
y voice as I added, “Poor girl.”
Everyone knew that Alex didn’t seriously date. He was a flirt and a player, through and through. The guy loved himself too much to truly love anyone. And if he ever did decide to get serious with someone?
I scoffed at the thought as I heard the door close behind them.
Well, I pitied the girl who fell for his charm.
Two
Alex
I should have been having fun.
I wished I was having fun.
I let out a long exhale as the incessant hammering in my skull picked up the tempo.
I was so not having fun.
The music from upstairs was still deafening in the basement where I was hanging out with some of my boys from the basketball team and a few of the cheerleaders who were always hanging around. I rested my elbow on the armrest of the sofa and surreptitiously rubbed my temple.
Surreptitiously. Now that was definitely not a monosyllabic word. Take that, Maxine.
But Max wasn’t here to be suitably impressed with my inner monologue and its extensive vocabulary. Nope. She was sitting at Avery’s home. Alone.
And I freakin’ hated the fact that I was jealous. What was I even doing here? I’d had a low-grade headache all day, and I was freakin’ exhausted after a week of nonstop school, practice, homework….eat, sleep, repeat. So why wasn’t I home, resting in silence?
It’s telling if you can’t stand being alone with yourself.
Freakin’ Max. She had a way of getting in my head these days. If she were a player on an opposing team, quite frankly—I’d be scared of her. She’d psych me out and ruin my game.
As it was…
I glanced over at the cheerleader at my side who I couldn’t quite bring myself to flirt with even though I knew for a fact she was newly single.
Have fun with your girl of the hour. Poor girl.
Crap. Max had totally ruined my game. Just not my basketball game.
Madison was sitting close to me, leaning in just a little too far as my buddy Liam finished up a lame story about his trip to visit the college he’d be going to in the fall.
“What about you, Alex?” she asked, her pretty features lit with interest as she turned toward me. “Do you know where you’re going in the fall?”
Her light-blonde hair fell perfectly around her shoulders. Her picture-perfect features were poised as if ready to smile at whatever I was about to say.
A few responses ran through my mind. All cocky, all true. I had my pick of schools. More than one full-ride scholarship had been offered, and Max would be shocked to know that my grades were decent.
A muscle in my jaw ticked at the thought of Max.
Not that I was about to tell her about my grades. I had nothing to prove. Not to her, at least.
Madison’s brows hitched up higher, her pretty blue eyes widening in expectation.
Right. She’d asked me a question. I ran a hand through my hair and shifted away from her. “I’m not sure yet.”
Her answering smile was sweet. “You still have time.”
I nodded. “What about you?”
Her enthusiasm was alarming as she answered. Before I knew it, I was being regaled by stories of her parents’ alma mater and how they’d first met.
Spare me. I rubbed at my temples. No, really. Somebody save me.
Madison was a nice girl and all, but I wasn’t interested. Truth be told, I hadn’t been interested in any of the girls I usually hung out with.
I blamed Cristian.
Was it fair to my brother to blame him for my inexplicable disinterest in girls lately? Maybe not. But ever since he and Avery had gotten together and we started making attempts to be more like real brothers, everything had been...different.
I mean, it was still just me and my dad in that big house most of the time. Nothing new there. And my day-to-day life was still a mix of basketball practice, games, and parties when I wasn’t in school. So really, nothing new.
Nothing had changed.
So why did it feel like everything had changed? If anyone asked me what or how or why, I couldn’t answer. It was just…
I wasn’t content anymore. I wasn’t...satisfied.
You can’t look yourself in the eye in the mirror.
“...crazy, right?” Madison said.
I swallowed hard and realized that Madison had stopped talking. I found myself echoing the last word she’d said. “Yeah...crazy.”
Her lips quirked and her brows drew together for a split second before amusement spread across her features. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”
“What?” I shifted so I was sitting upright on the couch. “No, I—of course I—”
“Relax,” she said with a laugh. “It’s fine. I totally get it.”
I blinked. “You do?”
She shouldn’t. I mean, what kind of jerk ignores the sweet, gorgeous girl sitting beside him?
You know as well as I do that you’re a selfish, shallow jerk.
I clenched my hand into a fist. Even now, when they were a quiet echo in the back of my mind, the words stung. They hit me just as hard as they had when Max had spoken them hours earlier. My lungs emptied of air like I’d been punched in the gut.
Madison tucked some hair behind her ear. “You must have a lot on your mind with the big game next week.”
It took me a full second to remember what game she was talking about.
“Oh, yeah. I, uh, I definitely do.”
One of her friends interrupted, and I sighed with relief at being let off the hook. “Hey, Madison,” her friend Courtney called out. “You know if they ever found someone to partner with you as a chaperone for the fundraiser?”
Madison’s face lit up again. “No, are you interested?” She was looking to Liam with that bright look of hope. Expectation, even.
No one ever looked at me like that. No one ever looked at me to help them. They looked at me like I was some prince on his throne who expected to be waited on.
The thought made me cringe, and not just because I wasn’t one for a lot of introspection or self-analysis. It made me cringe because that description fit someone I knew to a tee.
My father.
I sucked in a deep breath as Madison and our friends started talking about the next big fundraiser. Every year, the cheerleaders and basketball team put together these lame drives and bake sales.
I’d never actually participated. It was for the underlings on the team, not the star player.
The thought made me shift uncomfortably. Between this headache and the music and my brain’s insistence on replaying every word that had passed between me and that harpy Max, I hadn’t been able to enjoy a second of this party.
Who did she think she was?
For the millionth time tonight, that was what I kept thinking. Who did Max think she was to call me out like that. Sure, I was starting to get used to her mockery—and I wasn’t above giving it back to her. But tonight felt different.
Every other time we sparred, I’d walked away feeling…
Well, not good. Invigorated, maybe?
Alive, definitely.
I wasn’t used to being challenged like that. I mean, I hated the girl. She was way too smug, too superior, too much of a know-it-all. But I couldn’t deny that having to come up with comebacks and stand my ground was a little exciting.
She was exciting.
I shook off the thought. Not like that, obviously. The girl gave frumpy new meaning. I didn’t believe a girl had to wear makeup and tight skirts to be hot, but Max didn’t even pretend to try. In fact, it was like she was trying not to be attractive.
The thought stuck with me even after the sound of my name had me leaning forward to join in the conversation. “What about me?”
Liam was shaking his head with a dismissive laugh. “Nothing, man. Courtney here just suggested that you be the volunteer for our team.”
All my buddies from the team cracked up at that.
I smiled
too, but a slithering sensation in my gut made my grin feel sickly and my palms clammy.
“You think I can’t do it?” I asked. I was joking around, and they all knew it.
Courtney laughed the hardest of them all. Like Madison, she was pretty. But unlike Madison, she wasn’t exactly a sweetheart. Her tone held a note of bitterness when she said, “We all know you can. But you won’t.”
This set my friends chuckling again, no doubt waiting for me to make a joke about how it was good to be king. That always got a laugh.
But with Max’s words still ringing in my ears, I couldn’t get the joke out. Instead, I found myself saying, “I’ll do it.”
Everyone stared at me, ready to start laughing again. When I didn’t say ‘psych!’ and returned their stares evenly, their expectant amusement turned to confusion.
“Wait, really?” Courtney’s nose scrunched up in disbelief. Not surprisingly. Courtney and I had dated—very briefly, but long enough for her to know what I was about.
And I wasn’t about volunteer work.
I shrugged. “Why not?”
They all exchanged looks.
I held back a sigh of irritation. Okay, fine, so I wasn’t much of a team player off the court. That didn’t mean they had to stare at me like I was an alien. “What do you need me to do?”
Madison spoke up. “Well, um, it’s the middle school fundraiser for the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams and the cheerleading squad.”
“Uh huh.” My foot was bouncing with impatience as I listened to her spell out how they needed a chaperone for the boys. A group of parents would be there until late in the evening, and another group would arrive at the crack of dawn, but the worst shift in the middle of the night fell to whatever high school seniors in the athletic department were dumb enough to volunteer.
And that moron?
It was me.
I scratched at the back of my neck as Madison’s voice rose with animated excitement about how much she’d loved this sleepover as a kid.
Apparently it was an annual thing, but I wouldn’t know since I’d transferred in freshman year.
Madison clasped her hands together in her lap like she could barely stand the excitement. “So, you’ll do it? You’ll chaperone the sleepover with me?”
Sleepover with the Enemy (How to Catch a Crush Book 5) Page 2
