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“There she goes with that something again,” Reece tells Ryder. “I feel like it might be code for something dirty, and she just doesn’t want to say it.”
“What’s dirtier than hooking up?” I point out.
They trade a look then bust up laughing.
“Okay, I’m leaving,” I say, ducking out from under Reece’s arm. “You guys are in one of your moods.”
I start to stalk off, but Reece quickly captures the back of my shirt. Or, well, I think it’s Reece until I glance over my shoulder and see Ryder has a hold of me.
“Relax, Al,” he says in that tone he uses on girls to get them all flustered. “We’re just messing with you.”
I point a finger at him. “Don’t you dare use that voice on me.”
“Okay.” He presses his lips together, I think to conceal a smile.
I resist an eye roll but drop the subject. Despite their annoyingness, they are my best friends. And since they’re guys, I might be able to use that to my benefit. Like, say to get Porter to go out with me. Not that I don’t think I can’t ask him out on my own. I’m not shy or anything. I just …
Okay, the truth is that even though my three best friends are all guys, I have no experience with guys when it comes to dating them. I haven’t ever gone out on a date. I haven’t had a guy flirt with me. To be honest, guys rarely pay attention to me, and I kind of hate it. Not that I’m guy crazy. I’d just like one of them to look at me sometimes.
Okay, maybe I just don’t want a guy to look at me. I want Porter to.
I shift my weight, feeling a bit twitchy as I say, “All jokes and teasing aside, can you really”—I lower my voice and lean toward them—“help me get a date with Porter?”
Ryder’s brows rise toward his hairline. “You want to go on a date with Porter Fellingford?”
I feel kind of dumb now for thinking I have a chance with Porter when Ryder clearly doesn’t think so. But I’m not about to show that.
“Why are you acting like that’s so impossible?” I snap. “I know he’s a little out of my league, but we have stuff in common.”
Ryder stares at me with that intense expression that I don’t usually think looks stupid, but I do right now. “You think he’s a little out of your league?”
I’m unsure why he’s acting this way. Typically, he’s nice to me. Maybe he’s having a bad day. Perhaps his father yelled at him this morning. I’d feel bad for him and try to cheer him up, but he’s being mean.
“Whatever. I’m going to class. Don’t follow me.” I spin around to leave, but he snatches the back of my shirt again.
I’m one step away from pushing him, but before the words can leave my lips, he reaches up and brushes a strand of hair out of my face. He does that when he’s trying to calm me down. Even now, it does settle me down a bit. I blame it on the fact that I rarely get touched except for times like these or when Reece hugs me, drapes his arm around my shoulder, and sometimes braids my hair. Blaise also gives me little affectionate touches, like when he traces patterns on my arms or gives me back massages on occasion.
“Don’t try to charm me over with your little hair touches,” I warn, giving Ryder a dirty look.
He sighs but lowers his hand. “Will you just hear me out for a second, please? You’re completely misunderstanding what I’m saying.”
I pause then gesture for him to continue. But instead of continuing, he grabs my hand and tows me into one of the many brick alcoves that line the school hallway. Reece trails at our heels, looping his finger through the back of the belt loop on my shorts.
Once we’re tucked away in the alcove, away from where people can overhear us—which I’m assuming is Ryder’s point of dragging me back here—Ryder releases my hand, but Reece keeps a hold of my belt loop.
Ryder doesn’t say anything at first; he just stares at me. Then he finally says, shifting his weight, “Look, I don’t think you should go out with Porter.” I open my mouth to protest, but he talks over me. “And not because I think he’s out of your league. I thinkyou’reout ofhisleague.”
I give him a slow, unimpressed blink. “Um … No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” he stresses. “And honestly, I don’t think you should date anyone.”
My lips twitch in annoyance. “You know, you’re really getting on my nerves this morning, so I think we should part ways for now, and when you’ve worked through whatever’s making you treat me like shit, you can come find me—to apologize.” I start to step to the side, and neither of them stops me, but Reece says something that makes me pause.
“He’s not trying to be mean, Al. He’s trying to protect you.”
I twist around to face them, curiosity sparkling inside me. “Protect me from what?”
They trade a look, and I straighten as I realize something.
