“You’re welcome,” he answered easily enough. I flipped through the book to the chapter one study questions, then read the last one on the list. Chewing the second bite of the burger thoughtfully, I frowned. Aware of the quiet around me, I kept my focus on the page.
On the third read of the question, I blew out a breath. “It’s a trick question and a really badly worded one.” Shifting to slide a leg under me, I pushed my food to the side to set the book on the table, and then leaned half over so the book faced Bubba right side up.
“This line here…” I tapped it. “It’s an if/then true/false question. The problem is the variables aren’t the same and they are asking if the functions are the same—which they seem to be, but are they really?”
Bubba frowned. “They’re not because the variables aren’t.”
“Bingo. Everything looks the same, but that one variable—unless it turns out to be equal to the same thing, which we have no way of knowing, thus it has to be false.”
“I hate trick questions,” Bubba stated, with a shake of his head.
I chuckled and sank back onto my seat before I reclaimed the burger. “Well, all you have to remember is if even one variable is off, then it’s not going to work. Functions can be the same—x can mean 3 times a variable plus 3 and y can mean 3 times a variable plus 3, but the variable decides whether the function actually equals the same.”
“Got it.” Bubba nodded. While he always asked for math tutoring, and we’d been exchanging study time for the last few years, he was an excellent student. Once he grasped a concept, he never lost it.
No sneaky variables would get past him again.
“You two still getting together after school?” Jake asked.
“As far as I know, so you are relieved of Bubba driving duty.”
Bubba snorted and Archie snagged more of my fries. Jake nudged his other packet between us then exchanged a slice of pizza for Bubba’s abandoned Pop Tarts.
Archie mumbled his thanks before he poked me. “You’re coming to the senior launch party, right?”
“That the one you’re planning for Saturday after next?”
“Yes,” Archie said. “It’s going to be a blast. Edward and Muriel are going to be out of town, so it will be just us.”
He called his parents by their first names. So weird. I’d never get over that. Mom and I might have our issues, but if I called her by her first name, she’d probably slap me upside the head. I’d probably call the sperm donor by his name—if I knew it. Since I didn’t, he just got to be sperm donor.
“You guys can all stay over, so pack overnight bags. The pool will be prepped, I’m getting it catered, and we’ll have some booze but in moderate amounts.” That was another thing I’d give them—they at least didn’t drink to excess at the parties.
I wasn’t spending the night, no matter how nice the party.
“Jeremy will take care of any issues, because he promised to chaperone.” Jeremy, his honest to God butler, chaperoned all of his parties, which meant he signed off on drinking and debauchery as long as they limited it to the pool house and didn’t wreck anything.
Yeah, my mom would never go for that, so I never mentioned it. We were really good at keeping those uncomfortable topics to ourselves. “I’ll be there,” I committed again. Maybe I’d bring Mathieu with me. Archie’s parties were legendary, and it would be nice to have someone to actually hang out with for the evening. I’d have to see how dessert prep went.
“Cool, you’ll get the blue room in the pool house. The rest of us can split the other two bedrooms…”
“Archie, I’m not spending the night,” I corrected him, then finished my burger.
“C’mon, we haven’t done a sleepover in forever. The guys were there this summer, but you bailed.” He eyed me. “And don’t think I didn’t notice.”
“I don’t care,” I told him as nicely as I could. “I have to work on Sunday, so I’m not spending the night. I’ll be at the party. That’ll have to be enough.” I even raised my hand. “Scout’s honor.”
“It’s enough,” Bubba said before Archie could launch into anything else. “We just miss having you around.”
Yeah, I’d missed them, too. “We’re all going to get busy.” They might as well accept that now. “You guys have the team, and robots and stuff and I’ve got work and grades and college essays.”
“We know,” Jake said, with a sigh as he pushed his mostly empty tray to the side. “You’ve always been focused. But we’re not letting you just slip away on us. You need to have some fun, too.”
“I know how to have fun.” Though the argument sounded weak. “You’ll see.”
“Uh huh,” Archie said skeptically.
But at least they shifted topics to the football game, and I could tune that out. Even when Jake bumped me and reminded me I said I’d be at their first game, like they were going to let me forget.
When we all split up to head to our fifth period classes, I checked in at study hall before diverting to the library. I caught sight of Coop and Laura in the hallway as I opened the library door. They were holding hands.
So cute.
Coop jerked a little when he saw me, but I just shook my head. Like I hadn’t known about Laura? Did he forget they’d been making out this summer or something?
Whatever.
After I found a quiet table, I pulled out my morning homework to try and get that done. It saved my time to study at night. The notecard from Mathieu was tucked away neatly inside the inner pocket of my binder. Pulling it out, I read the recipe—he’d written it in French. The final two steps said chill for one hour then serve with a kiss and a smile.
It was…ludicrous and sweet all at once. At the very bottom was a phone number with a note that said for any questions, call. I entered it into my phone, after a quick glance around, then saved it to my contacts under the name Dessert Option.
Sometimes the guys got nosy when my phone was out. Coop once took a hundred selfies with my phone, no joke. Jake used to steal the phone to send texts to the other guys with dirty jokes in them. It was always in good fun, and I usually laughed, but after finding out they’d pretty much taken out an ad to inform everyone I was untouchable, some of the fun worn off. No one was to ask me out, no one was to bother me, and no one was to call me.
Rachel had taken great delight last spring in dropping that little nugget on me. The spring dance was coming up at the time, and I’d kind of wanted to go. With all the class of a two-ton bomb, Rachel had said, “Good luck with that. The guys know you’re untouchable. No guy is going to risk it and ask you out, so go by yourself or don’t go at all.” Cheryl had at least looped her arm through mine while I tried to wrap my head around that. She’d added, “She’s not lying. I mean, I know she sounds like a bitch, but Archie and the guys? They made it clear. No one touches you; no one dates you. There was a guy last year who was gonna ask. I’m pretty sure he got a black eye and busted lip from Jake because he’d been looking at your ass when he said he was going to ask you out.”
Kent had been the only guy with a black eye right around then. Kind of cute and definitely funny—Kent and I had three classes together at the time. We’d actually started to hang out at lunch, then one day he started hanging out elsewhere, and that was that.
Rachel had shrugged. “Don’t believe us? Try asking out a guy. See what happens.”
Cheryl sighed and given me a spontaneous hug. Cheryl had always been a hugger. “It’s sweet, how they want to look after you.”
It was not sweet. They dated and frequently. I couldn’t count the number of girls I’d caught them making out with over the last couple of years, so why did they get to date and I didn’t? I didn’t need big brothers, because I’d been an only child my whole life. I wasn’t changing that now.
I hadn’t gone to the dance, and it turned out Rachel wasn’t wrong. Apparently everyone knew. The girls thought it was hilarious—well, some of them did. Not all of them found it funny. Some had
stopped talking to me too along the way, I just hadn’t noticed. I got that most of their girlfriends didn’t like me, but whatever. The more I thought about it, the more I resented the idea the guys thought they got to make those decisions for me.
So, no, if Mathieu didn’t get the damn memo, I wasn’t going to let the guys know. Nope.
Not. Happening.
By the time it was just Jake and me in independent study, I had my irritation under control. We even watched a couple of the history buff videos rather than read. We’d just finished one when the bell rang as a text popped up on my phone from Coop.
Got a ride. C u 2mrw.
Jake snorted. “Well, I guess it’s just you and Bubba then.”
“I guess so,” I said sliding into my backpack.
“Hey,” he said, tugging me back before I could reach the door. “Text me when you guys are done?”
I raised my eyebrows.
“So we can watch more history buffs.”
“I’ve got some other homework, too, so if I get it all done?”
“Sure, just—tell me when you get home. If you can watch cool, and if you can’t that’s fine. I’ll be around.”
Jake was being weird. “You okay?” We had headed out the classroom, but I stopped where the hall separated. I was parked behind the gym.
“I’m fine,” he said with a grin. “Remind Bubba we have practice after school tomorrow.”
“I’m pretty sure he knows his schedule,” I said with a laugh. “But I’ll tell him, if it’ll make you happy.”
“Sure,” Jake said. I gave him a little wave before pivoting and heading for the exit.
So. Weird.
Chapter Six
Audition
Without Coop along to drop off at the apartments, it took me only a few minutes to drive Bubba and me over to his place. I liked his house. It reminded me of those old sitcoms on Nick at Nite about families in the sixties. It was a two-floor sprawling house with big rooms and a huge yard. They had a swimming pool in the back that, while half the size of Archie’s, sported a decent diving board and enough room to do laps.
“I should have told you to bring a suit,” Bubba said as he let us in. I’d parked on the side of the driveway, so his parents could still get in the garage. His mom was a nurse, and she worked long hours. His dad was a counselor, though like Jake’s dad, he’d also been in the military. It was a pity Bubba was an only child, like me, because his parents were so grounded.
“Oh hey!” Sarah Rhys called as we came inside buying me time to not respond to the comment about a bathing suit. “There you are.” Tall, willowy and as golden haired as her son, Sarah hustled out to give Bubba a hug. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you before I had to leave. I’m picking up an overnight shift. We’ve got people out sick. Your dad has group tonight, so he’ll be late. There’s pizza money on the counter and leftovers in the fridge.” A smile warmed her face as she glanced at me. “Hi, Frankie.” Then I was pulled into the group hug as Bubba laughed and tried to extract both of us.
If Bubba was a golden retriever, his mom was, too. She loved everyone, and she had a way of giving the best hugs. Where my mom wasn’t emotionally available on a regular basis, Sarah had made me a part of the family the first time I’d come over. I’d missed her this past summer almost as much as I’d missed the guys.
“Thanks, Mom.” Rather than be embarrassed by her affectionate nature, Bubba just gave her a dazzling smile. “Hey, do we still have those guest bathing suits upstairs? I forgot to tell Frankie to bring one, and it’s miserable outside.”
Weren’t we doing homework and tutoring? I eyed Bubba, but he and his mom wore identical bright smiles. Sarah gave me the once over. “Pretty sure we do and the black or blue one pieces in the top drawer on the right should fit you fine. Don’t worry, they are all either new or laundered. And on that note…” She grabbed her keys. “Have fun, you two. Ian, don’t overwork Frankie’s brain. It’s only day two!”
Then she was out the door, leaving us alone.
“What exactly does your mom think you’re going to do to my brain?”
Bubba laughed and reached for my backpack. “She thinks you study too much. Probably because she hasn’t seen you either, and you know she worries.”
Yeah, but why would she worry about me? Bubba had my backpack in hand. “I thought we were going to study.”
He carried them over and set them on the kitchen table before going to the fridge and pulling out a couple of sodas. “We are…definitely going over the calculus and then…I have a big favor to ask. But… it’s just you and me. We have time. See the pool out there? You didn’t swim when you came over for the party.”
I sighed.
“Bubba…”
“Frankie,” he said, setting the sodas down and facing me. Sometimes I forgot just how tall the guys were until we were face to face. He was well over six feet, all of them were, but Bubba and Jake were the tallest. Since I was 5’6, they towered over me. Tipping my head back, I raised my brows. “Look, I don’t know what all went on with you this summer. Or why you needed time away from us… If you want to tell me, I’m here. But I missed you. There’s no one else here to bug us. We can throw on suits, get in the water and just cool off.”
Despite the smile and cajoling tone, there was a real need underscoring it all. Irksome as the boys could be, we’d all been friends for a long time. I never really set out to be in their back pockets. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out how it happened. I’d have said at one point they’d become my best friends… before.
Right now, my friend needed me, so I set aside the rest of it and made a face. “Fine, but if you dunk me, I’m going to consider kneeing you in the nuts as fair retribution.”
His smile was the sun breaking out of the clouds. “Sweet. The swimming part,” he amended. “Not the nuts.”
I laughed. “I didn’t think you’d be excited about that.” I let him herd me up the stairs before we split up, me heading into the guest room and him heading toward his. The suits were right where his mom said they’d be. The blue one was brand-new, like it still had the tags on it and there was the plastic in all the right places. A razorback, the suit fit me snuggly and thankfully didn’t cut so high I had to worry about wedgies.
Been there. Done that. Hated it.
I folded my clothes and left them on the foot of the bed, then slid my socks in my shoes. I debated leaving my hair in the ponytail but took a minute to braid it. Sometimes the elastic came loose and then I had a face full of hair. I’d considered cutting it a few times, because frankly the hair was a pain in the ass, but it also grew super slow, so no cutting until I was ready for it to be short forever.
The air conditioning seemed even colder after I’d swapped out clothes for the suit. There were swim towels in a cabinet by the backdoor to the pool. Bubba’s bedroom door was open, so I headed downstairs. The patio door had been left open, like an invitation, and our sodas were on the table under the big umbrella. Bubba’s parents had transplanted a couple of big palm trees to add to their landscaping. Between those, the colorful furniture, and the pool, it was a little tropical paradise. They even had a soaking pool with a fountain in it that helped cycle the water through.
The scent of chlorine teased me as I padded over the hot stones. Bubba raised his head out of the water. Dressed in trunks and nothing else, he looked like he belonged in one of those commercials about how to cool off in the hot summer. Tanned, densely muscled, and built solid, he had a mouth-watering physique that I made a point of not ogling.
I’d had enough guys staring at my tits after they made an early appearance in third grade. In fact, Jake and I cemented our friendship the day he beat up Trevor Markham for deciding to squeeze one of my boobs. The odd, fleeting memory made me smile, and I shook my head. Jake had always been like that. He could pick on me, no one else could. So I guess his giving Kent a black eye had some precedence.
Besides, it wasn’t Bubba’s looks that made me appreciate hi
m. It was his bright smiles and puppy dog eyes.
The guy in question released a whistle. “Damn, you make ordinary look good, Frankie.”
Ordinary? I glanced down at the suit before picking up my soda and taking a sip. “It’s a suit, Bubba.”
“You could have gone for one of the bikinis.” He gave me a playful leer and wagged his eyebrows. The look totally didn’t work for him, and I snickered.
“Yeah, because I’m known to wear bikinis so often.” Not that I didn’t own one, but I’d never worn it.
“Huh,” he grunted, swimming over to the side and pointing to his soda. “Do you mind?”
I carried his over and took another sip of mine before sitting down on the warm paving stone and putting my legs in the water. The pool was nice; the water cooler than the air but not cold. It felt pretty good. I’d left my sunglasses inside like a dork, so I just closed my eyes, lifting my face to the sun, and leaned back, hands against the pavement. I couldn’t do this for long, I’d burn.
“Okay,” I admitted, eyes still closed. “This was a good idea.”
“You’re not actually in the pool yet,” Bubba pointed out.
“I will,” I said, waving a hand him like shoo. “But this is just nice.” Not running, not studying, not working or worrying, just sitting with the sun on my face, the warm breeze chasing away some of the sweat and the cooler water lapping at my legs.
With a laugh, he pushed away. The splashes told me he was swimming. He used to swim every day. He had weight equipment in the garage. He and Jake would run together, or had, wasn’t sure if they still did. Bubba was one of the most physically active people I knew.
Rules and Roses: Untouchable Book One Page 7