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No, what she needs is to forget about him. But who am I to tell her what to do? Yeah, she’s my best friend, but she’s free to have her own thoughts.
I swing my backpack over my shoulder. “I’d better get to class. See you later?”
She nods. I give her a smile and wave before leaving the classroom.
The rest of the day passes uneventfully. My friends, the guys, and I see each other in the hallway between classes, but we don’t have time to exchange words. And I know the girls are dying to discuss this secret admirer more, especially Lily. She gets her love for romance from Mom, who’s also obsessed with romance novels. I mean, I get it. I also enjoy reading the romance novels in book club, but I’m not a hopeless romantic like my mom and sister. Though I’m sure Lily would disagree. For some reason, she thinks I’m this romantic guy like Dad, even though I’ve never had a girlfriend. Never even been close to having a girlfriend. I may be on the basketball team, but I’m not popular, and I like it that way. The others on the team try to include me, but I just feel so out of place. I’m happy with my Junior Musketeers, my buddy Xavier, and our new addition, Aidan.
I head to the gym for basketball practice after school, along with my teammates. Coach is hard on us, only because we have the ability to go to state. Just like we did last year. Everyone is expecting great things from us.
Basketball has always been part of me, since I was little. I was always the tall kid and felt a little awkward about it, but Dad bought me a basketball hoop and I didn’t feel so awkward anymore. And Lily and our older sister Evie, a senior, are also obsessed with it. But my sisters don’t play on the girls’ team.
I’ve been on the team for years, and while I enjoy it, I’m not interested in a basketball career. Xavier, our captain, does though. That guy is crazy talented. And he’s the perfect boyfriend to my sister. Cares about her, protects her, treats her like she’s his queen. I’m glad those two are in love. I’m happy for them.
My thoughts once again travel to Chloe and that note. I know she wants to believe there’s this romantic guy behind the words, but how likely is that? Most guys our age don’t write such letters. Still, I can’t get her excited smile out of my head. It’d kill me to see her so disappointed if the guy doesn’t turn out to be who she imagined.
“You got a crush on that wall or something?” My teammate Darren chuckles as he elbows me in the ribs. “You’ve been staring at it.”
I tear my gaze away from the gym wall and focus on him and Brian standing before me. “Just have a lot on my mind.”
Brian smiles. “Like a girl?”
“No! Not a girl.” My face gets hot for some reason. It’s perfectly normal for a sixteen-year-old guy like me to be thinking about a girl. Though in this case, thinking about my best friend is probably not a good idea.
Brian and Darren grin at each other as if they know something I don’t. I make an excuse and walk away from them and spot Lily in the bleachers, blowing kisses at Xavier. He grins, catching her kiss in his palm and pressing it to his chest.
I’m not jealous. I’mnotjealous. I’m happy for them.
So why do I keep forcing myself to think those thoughts? I never felt this way before. Maybe it’s because we’re getting older and Lily and Ava have boyfriends now. And things will only be harder the older we get. I don’t even want to think about what will happen to the Junior Musketeers once we graduate next year.
Coach blows his whistle, calling for us to gather around so he can give us some instructions. As I listen to him, my eyes wander to the bleachers. Since our book club has been canceled today, I wonder if Chloe will come watch Xavier and me practice. But it doesn’t look like she’s coming.
Coach blows his whistle again and we start practice. I forget about Chloe and the note, and the future and focus on the game. We’re killing it. Even though she’s quiet, my twin telepathy can hear Lily cheering silently from the sidelines. A few other girls are whooping from the bleachers as well, and even though this isn’t a real game, it seems to pump my teammates with adrenaline.
I peer at the bleachers to check if maybe Chloe made it here after all, but there’s no one sitting next to Lily.
***
“Took you long enough,” Evie grumbles as Lily and I make our way to the parking lot, where our older sister stands beside her car. She pushes her dark hair out of her face impatiently. Since Lily and I don’t have our licenses yet, Evie goes home while I practice, then comes to pick us up. “I was about to go inside to see what happened to you.”
I point my thumb at my twin. “She couldn’t separate herself from Xavier,” I tease.
Lily rolls her eyes. “Just wait until you get a girlfriend, Liam, and you a boyfriend Evie. You’ll see what it’s like to be in love.” She sighs with a wide smile. “Ugh, I miss him already.”
Evie lifts a brow. “You do know he lives right next door to us and his window isacrossfrom yours, right?”
Lily makes a face. “Just wait until you fall in love, Evie,” she repeats as she gets in the car.
Evie snickers. “Like that’s going to happen. All I need is my art and I’m good.” She and I get in the car, too.
“There’s someone out there for you, big sis,” Lily insists. She’s about to say something else, but Evie holds up her hand.
“Please don’t go all Cupid Lily on me. I don’t have time for boyfriends. I need to focus on college. And anyway, it’s silly to meet someone now when we’ll go our separate ways after we graduate.”
Lily crosses her arms over her chest. “There’s long distance and—”
Evie grumbles. “I’m not talking about this right now.”
Lily shoots up. “Is there someone you like?”
