I stare into Emilia’s room and she looks just as frustrated as I do. She’s seated at her desk, facing me. Her hair is loose and she hasn’t changed out of her favorite pajamas in days now. She too was handed the books on her own required reading list, and she looks just as bored as I probably do. I grab a sheet of paper and write on it with large letters before pressing it to my window. It reads I’m bored.
I hold it up until she finally notices it. Emilia looks at it and grins. She gets up from her desk and comes back with a stack of paper in her hands. She writes out a message and holds it up to her window.
Me too. It’s your fault.
I grin wryly and grab another sheet of paper. I’ll never live this one down. The police getting involved is a first for us, and we’ve both had to listen to my mom’s endless berating. I know. Lesson learned. Should we play a game?
What lesson? Yes, sure, she holds up. I look away shyly. I know what she wants me to say. She’s stuck on the idea of me and Jennifer. I know she blames me for getting with that airhead and I know that she’s right. Me getting with Jennifer is exactly what got us into trouble, but part of me is hoping it’s more than that. Part of me is hoping she might be feeling just a little jealous.
For being promiscuous. Let’s play hangman.
Emilia laughs, her face transforming. She looks beautiful when she laughs and my heart feels a little funny.
Wow. You learned a new word. Impressive. I’ll start.
I roll my eyes. My grades are just as good as hers, and if things go to plan I’ll be able to get at least a partial academic scholarship, and if I’m really lucky a partial football scholarship on top of it. Woodstock is too small of a town to be able to get a full-ride football scholarship, though that won’t stop me from trying.
Emilia draws out the game and I guess the letters. It only takes me a couple of minutes to figure out what the words are and I blush fiercely. This freaking Minx. I regret telling her that I’m a virgin. I’m not sure that knowledge is safe in her little hands.
Virgin Mary, I write out, guessing the words correctly. I stick the paper to my window with force and Emilia starts laughing again.
There you go. Taught you an analogy, she replies. I glare at her and look away, my cheeks bright red.
I storm into my bathroom in an effort to hide from her. It’s the only place she can’t see from her bedroom. I should’ve just closed my curtains, but I don’t want her to know how flustered I feel. I’m annoyed and embarrassed while I undress. I shouldn’t have told her. She’ll never ever let me live this down. No one knows I’m still a virgin. There are plenty of rumors circulating about me and I’ve never bothered to correct them. They all just added to my notoriety. There are a bunch of girls that I’ve made out with at house parties that Asher and I have attended, and for some reason many of them claim to have slept with me when they definitely haven’t. I don’t know why they do it, and I don’t particularly care either, or at least I didn’t. Not until I realized that my Minx looks down on me for it.
I stand underneath the shower and lean back against the wall. My hands automatically wrap around my erection. Recently I’ve been getting hard just thinking about Emilia, and there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do about it. Even when I’m mad at her and she annoys me, she still makes me hard. She can’t ever find out because she’d freaking murder me if she realized. I’ve become a pro at hiding it from her. More often than not, I have my boner pressed up against my waistband to hide it. Lately I’m nearly always hard around her, though. It’s getting more and more difficult to hide just how attracted I am to her. I guess it’s a blessing that she’s so damn clueless. I’m pretty sure even Kate suspects how I feel, and she’s only slightly less obtuse.
I stroke myself and imagine it’s Emilia’s hands instead of mine. It only takes me a minute to come and I feel guilty immediately. She’d probably feel disgusted if she knew what I was doing. I shouldn’t be thinking of her like that, but I just can’t help myself. No matter how hard I try, my thoughts always go back to her.
I walk out of the shower with my towel wrapped around my hips. I spot some movement from Emilia’s window and peek into her room. She’s standing just out of view, but her bright red pajama sleeve is giving her away. She’s being a peeping tom, huh.
I think back to her choice of words during our game and scowl. I don’t bother getting dressed and lock my door before dropping onto my bed. From this angle, I can see her standing by her window clearly, but she seems convinced that she’s well hidden.
Very well. Let’s show her that I’m not a complete freaking virgin. I close my eyes, running a hand over my chest and down my body. I tug my towel loose but keep it in place. I’m hard again, but I’m nervous. I don’t know what she’ll think of me if I do this. I don’t know how far to take this.
I slip my hand underneath the towel and take a quick subtle peek at Emilia. She’s still standing by the window and she’s watching me with open lips. I smile to myself and tug a little more of my towel away. I palm myself and pump my fist up and down slowly. Knowing that she’s watching me makes it all so much hotter. I just came in the shower, but I know I won’t last long this time either.
Emilia moves closer, as though she wants to see better, not realizing that she’s now in full view. I grin and tug the towel away entirely, giving her a show. I increase the pace and throw my arm over my face as I come, hiding my expression from her. My entire body jerks and I make a mess of my stomach. I wipe it away quickly, scared that it might disgust Emilia. I take a quick peek to find her standing in front of her window, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dark. I stand up and she snaps out of it, hiding herself in a rush. My little Minx enjoyed that show, it seems. I guess this week of suspension won’t be so boring after all.
Chapter 10
Carter
I walk into the gym where the girls are practicing and check my watch. They should be finishing practice in about ten minutes. Perfect timing. My eyes find Emilia’s immediately and her cheeks redden slightly when she spots me. I bite back a grin as I pull my sweaty t-shirt over my head and let it fall to the floor as I walk to the stands to take a seat. Emilia’s eyes are on me the entire way, and I chuckle when she does some sort of twist and stumbles because she’s too focused on me. She blushes and forces her eyes back to her captain, but she doesn’t last long before she’s looking my way again. I put my arms behind my head, flexing my muscles purposely.
Ever since we were suspended and Emilia watched me jack off, things have been different between us. She doesn’t know that I know she saw, and she definitely doesn’t know that I did it on purpose, but the way she acts around me is different now. She blushes when I’m too close to her and her eyes linger on my body in a way they never used to before. I found that I enjoy seeing her flustered far more than I enjoy seeing her pissed off. Since Mom would kill me if I dared pull a prank so soon after the whole fake weed debacle, I’ve been messing with Emilia in a different way instead.
I’ve been keeping my curtains open and I’ve been walking out of the shower with nothing but my towel on almost every day. And every single day, Emilia stands by her window, where she thinks I can’t see her. The way she looks at me when she does that makes me wonder if she might feel the same way I do. If nothing else, she must find me at least attractive enough to drop whatever she’s doing and watch me instead. I doubt I’m grossing her out — she’d just have closed her curtains if so.
I haven’t treated her to another show yet, but I’m planning on it. I love watching her flushed cheeks and her glowing eyes. I love imagining that she’s just a little bit turned on because of me. Emilia and Kate’s practice wraps up, and they both run up to me. Emilia looks really fucking hot in her cheering outfit. I’ve never had a thing for cheerleaders, but I can see the appeal now that Emilia is one. I can’t wait to have her with me at the next game. I can’t wait to make her proud on the field, knowing she’s right there watching me and cheering for me.
&n
bsp; The girls walk up to me and I wrap my arms around both of them. Kate pulls away immediately, her face scrunching up in disgust, but Emilia lingers in my arms. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me. She leans into me and drops her head to my shoulder. I can’t resist and lean in to brush my lips over her ear, giving her the softest kiss, if you can call it that at all. She sighs happily and blushes just slightly, but it’s enough for me to realize she’s affected by me.
“Ugh,” Kate says. “You’re so gross, Carter. Why didn’t you shower after practice? Disgusting,” she snaps. She brushes her arms with her hands as though she can clean off my sweat that way and I chuckle. Emilia pulls away from me too, but she does so reluctantly.
“You’re one to talk,” I tell Kate. “You never shower after cheering practice, and you always reek too. Pot and kettle and all that shit.”
Emilia rolls her eyes and walks towards the locker room. Unlike Kate and I, Emilia always showers. Pretty sure it’s because she’s just a clean freak and hates messiness and dirt. She doesn’t even smell, but I guess it makes her feel better, and it’s not like she takes very long anyway. Kate jumps up to follow Emilia into the locker room and I sit back down. Mom used to pick Kate up while I’d drive myself and Emilia home, but now that Emilia has joined the cheering squad I suddenly find myself much more interested in staying late to get some extra practice in.
I grab my phone and start scrolling through my social media feed as I wait for the girls. Emilia is usually quick, but Kate loves hanging back and chatting with the vipers she’s calling her new friends. I don’t like a single girl on the cheering squad, other than Emilia and Kate. I’m pretty sure Emilia doesn’t like them either. She’s just doing this for Kate.
I’m worried about Kate. She’s has never really had friends other than Emilia. Until recently she was quite introverted and she’d only really come alive around Emilia and me. I’m happy to see her becoming so outgoing all of a sudden, but I’m also worried about what brought it on and about the girls she’s surrounding herself with. I know I can’t say anything to her, though. If I so much as mention to her that they might have wrong intentions in approaching her, she’ll just snap at me and tell me I’m making things about me. And maybe I am. Maybe I’m wrong. God, I hope I am.
Some of the girls walk out of the locker room and make a beeline for me. I’m not sure what they did in there, because they’re still in their cheering outfits. I recognize them as the two girls Kate has been hanging out with most: Gabby and Layla, I believe.
“Hey Carter,” Gabby says. She walks right up to me and gets into my space. She puts her hand on my arm and I grit my teeth. “Hi,” Layla murmurs. She’s far more demure and seems like she might actually be a half decent person. I’m not sure why she lets Gabby drag her around.
“It’s so nice of you to wait for your sister every day. My brother would never do that for me. You’re so nice to Kate,” Gabby says. “You really are a good brother. I’m kinda jealous.”
She giggles, but I fail to see what’s so funny. “Actually, do you think Layla and I could come with? We were thinking of hanging out with Kate anyway. It’s not healthy for her to spend all her time with Emilia. She needs some new friends, don’t you think?”
I’m holding onto my patience by a thread. Who the hell does this girl think she is? Is her brain malfunctioning or something?
“If you agreed to hang out with Kate, then I’m sure you can arrange your own ride,” I say, not playing along. Her expression falls, and it’s obvious that she’s not very used to people not giving into her right away.
“Oh, uh… well, we’re going to your house anyway. Surely it doesn’t really matter if we tag along?”
She’s not wrong, and usually I wouldn’t have cared, but something about this girl just irritates me. I shrug. “I don’t have enough space in my car,” I lie. The five of us would fit just fine.
“Oh, well I guess we’ll just see you at your house later then,” Gabby says, her voice high pitched. Her good girl persona cracks just a little and she grits her teeth, revealing her annoyance at not getting her way. I smile to myself and shake my head.
“No, you won’t. I have plans. I won’t be home later.” I’m lying, but she doesn’t need to know that. I absolutely don’t want to hang out with her, at all. I don’t even want her in my house. I have a feeling she’s one of those weirdos that would sneak into my room. The only girl that I’ll ever allow that type of batshit behavior from is Emilia. No one else.
“Oh well… I guess we can come over tomorrow instead,” she says, startled. I frown at her and look at her through narrowed eyes.
“What does it matter if I’m there or not? You’re hanging out with my sister, right? Not with me. It doesn’t matter if you come over tomorrow or the day after. You won’t be spending any time with me.”
I try to be as clear as I can be. This is exactly what I was worried about. I vaguely recall Gabby trying to hit on me before she became friends with Kate and I have this sinking feeling she’s befriended Kate to up her chances. She seems to have it in her mind that she and I should be together. The quarterback and the cheerleader. I’m not sure which teenage movie is playing in her head, but I’m not interested in playing along. Girls have been approaching Kate for years just to get to me when they don’t even know me, and I’m sick and tired of it. I’m tired of Kate getting hurt because of yet another fake friend. I know how this ends.
Gabby’s expression falls. “What?” she says. “You don’t want to hang out with us? Why?”
I cross my arms and stare at her. “Why the hell would I? You’re my sister’s friend. Not mine.”
She blinks at me comically, as though I’ve just said something absurd. “But you hang out with Emilia all the time. I’ve seen you two hang out together even when Kate isn’t there. When Kate is sick you still drive Emilia to school. She’s your sister’s friend too.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. “Make no mistake,” I tell her, my voice low. “Emilia is indeed Kate’s friend, but she’s also very much mine.”
Gabby swallows hard and looks away, frustrated and angry. She shoots me a look that tells me she isn’t going to give up easily, and I pull a hand through my hair. I can’t believe I have to put up with this shit.
Chapter 11
Emilia
“God, I’m so excited,” Kate whispers. She’s practically squealing. I want to be excited for her, but instead I’m just left feeling kind of sad. “Can you believe Gabby wants to hang out with me again? She’s like, the most popular girl in school and she keeps wanting to hang out with me.”
I nod absentmindedly as I pull on my jeans. All she’s been talking about ever since she joined the cheering squad is Gabby. Gabby could simply smile at her and Kate would act like Gabby just extended her the greatest kindness. It’s weird and I don’t like it. I don’t like Gabby either. I don’t like the way she always acts like I’m not there. Would it really kill her to treat me a little bit nicely? I also don’t like the way Kate changes around her. Am I just being jealous? Am I being possessive because I’ve always been Kate’s best friend, and now I suddenly come second? I’m not really sure.
“She invited me to go to the shopping center tomorrow. I really can’t wait. What should I even wear?” she murmurs, lost in thought. I frown.
“Tomorrow? But tomorrow is marathon day,” I whisper. Kate and I catch up on all our shows in one go every Wednesday evening, because that’s when the new episode our favorite show used to air. It’s been a tradition for years, and even when we’re sick we never miss it. It’s our little mid-week break. Helen allows it in return for us not watching too much TV on other weekdays. One time I was so sick that Carter had to carry me into their house, blankets and all, just so I wouldn’t miss marathon day.
Kate pauses and looks at me, her brows scrunched up in anger. “Seriously, Emilia? We can always catch up on our shows the day after. Or, you know, just watch without me. I don’t care.”
<
br /> I bite down on my lip and look away. She doesn’t care? That’s new. Last year I watched one episode without her because she was grounded and she didn’t speak to me for weeks. Yet now she suddenly doesn’t care?
“Uh, okay,” I murmur. “I’ll do that, I guess.”
Kate nods and waves it off like it’s nothing. She continues to gush about Gabby while I finish dressing. Not once does she consider inviting me along. I’d rather eat my left arm than voluntarily spend time with Gabby, but it would’ve been nice if Kate at least asked. I’m surprised she’s in the locker room with me at all. After all, Gabby isn’t in here. I have zero doubt that she’s hanging around Carter the way she always does. Is that why he’s been coming to watch us practice? Because he enjoys her attention? My heart drops at the thought of it.
In the first few weeks after Kate joined the cheering squad we’d always just wait by the car or he’d drive us home and get Helen to pick Kate up later. Yet now he’s suddenly always at our cheering practice and I can’t help but wonder if Gabby has something to do with it. Both Kate and Carter seem so taken with her. What am I missing? Why am I the only one that doesn’t like her? Maybe I really am just jealous.
Kate is practically skipping when we walk out of the locker room. Usually it pisses her off when her friends hang around Carter, but I guess this time it’s different because she smiles when she sees Gabby and Carter together. It’s almost like this time she’s counting on Carter to bring her closer to Gabby. She runs up to them and I’m left behind by myself. I walk towards them slowly, wishing I could just walk home instead. I feel left out and I’m tired of feeling this way. It wasn’t so bad when she first joined the cheering squad, but lately it’s getting worse. I’m always the odd one out, the clumsy one, the unpopular one. It’s bad enough that I feel unwanted in my own home, but now I’m starting to feel unwanted around Kate too.
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