Page 14 of The Beta Test

“Yeah, I know. I mean, he’s only nineteen, but he is technically on staff at school. It’s shady.”

“Do your parents know he’s here?”

“I doubt it.”

I sigh. This is such a Jenna thing to do, but… this can only end badly. She’s leaning into him, eyes tilted up like he’s the only person in the world, laughing at whatever he says. This guy is her new obsession and I know if I walk over there right now I’ll barely be a blip on her radar. Although we’ve been close friends since kindergarten, Jenna does tend to go somewhat MIA on her friends when she’s pursuing a guy. Even when Braden was still here and spending time with him was a daily possibility, Jenna always had a permanent spot on my calendar. The differences between us really come out in circumstances like this. So, I decide to take myself out of the competition.

“Alright. Let’s do this thing called ‘beer pong,’ birthday boy,” I say to Jake. Then add after a beat, “But with soda.”

Jake lets out a low chuckle and steers me away.

A deep breath. Large hands briefly massage my shoulders before I shrug them away. Jake’s voice whispers in my ear. “You got this, Aves. One more shot and Dan will be crying in shame over losing to you twice in a row.”

I look across the ping pong table at Dan’s freckled face. My eyes narrow, and he flinches—I swear he does. Is it awful how satisfying it is to put him in his place twice tonight? Dude deserves it for not recognizing me, and honestly, it’s kind of fun.

Plop.

The crowd erupts in cheers. Jake’s arms snake around me and he lifts me against him, twirling me around. We’ve been teammates for the last couple rounds of the game and we’ve dominated. Jake says it’s because we have a connection, I say it’s because we’re both competitive. Whatever the reason, I’m flying high and having fun for the first time in a couple weeks. Between my scheduling issues with Braden and the growing distance between Jenna and me, I’ve been feeling a little down. Not tonight!

Jake sets me down and he gazes into my eyes with a tender smile. One of his hands comes up to tuck a lock of my hair behind an ear. “Best birthday ever,” he says.

A blush creeps up my cheeks. Embarrassing! I’m truly starting to think it’s possible Jake may have a crush on me. Am I reading into things? He did tell me he wanted to marry me when he was five, but I wasn’t holding him to that after all these years. I certainly hope he’s forgotten about that.

Eager to put some distance between us, I step away and round the table to where Dan is standing. I may have crushed him mercilessly tonight, but I win with honor.

Dan’s busy laughing with his friends so I clear my throat and extend my hand. “Good game.”

A grin springs to life on Dan’s guileless face as he grabs my hand and gives it a hearty shake. His hand feels a bit clammy and I’m dying for the handshake to end, but it seems as endless as a day in art class. It goes on for so long that it begins to feel… uncomfortable, especially when Dan uses our joined hands to reel me closer. He leans towards me with triumph in his eyes. “Let’s go dance,” he says.

Is this guy for real?

“We spent all week together and you still didn’t recognize me. So that’s a ‘no’ for me, Dan. But I will see you in swim class on Monday.”

But he doesn’t take the hint, or maybe it’s that Dan has had a little too much to drink.

“I’m sorry, Emery. It’s the—” He gestures helplessly around his head.

“Swim cap,” I supply, ignoring the fact that he just used the wrong name.

“Yeah! Those things make you look like an alien. You have a banging body though.”

I try to pull my hand out of his sweaty grip, but these hockey players are proving to be a strong bunch. He continues to reel me in a bit closer, completely oblivious to my obvious disinterest. All week in swim class, I never got the vibe that Dan’s a bad guy. Perhaps this whole interaction can be chalked up to bad beverage choices.

“Come on, one little dance. You’re such a pretty thing—your hair is like a princess or something. You know, without the thing on your head.”

Ugh, gross. I’m just about to give him the lecture of the century when Jake steps up and claps Dan on the back.

“Alright, Dan, take the hint. I think she’s more into guys who know her name.”

Dan looks offended, but a laugh bubbles out of me. Leave it to Jake to diffuse a potentially awkward situation with humor. I shoot him a grateful smile before turning back to Dan.

He looks taken aback for a moment, but then his cheeks redden with a blush. “Yeah, fair.” Dan looks at me, looking contrite. “I’m sorry. We good?”

I nod, then Dan heads towards another room.

“Smooth,” Jake says, shaking his head.

“I think Dan’s having a rough night. Maybe.”