Friend Zone

by Camilla Isley

  “I’m good, thanks,” Alice said, trying and failing to push him away. He had her in a viselike grip and wouldn’t let go.

  “Come on,” Mr. Bad-breath said, sending another wave of foul stench her way. “I’m taking you home.” He started dragging her down the road.

  Jack’s deadly-cold voice came from behind them. “She said she’s fine.”

  Mr. Bad-breath stopped. “What’s your problem, dude?” He turned toward Jack. “Is she your girlfriend?”

  “No, she’s not,” Jack replied, his voice low.

  At the look of controlled fury on Jack’s face, the guy tried to justify himself. “I was only offering her space under my umbrella.”

  “She already has an umbrella,” Jack said.

  “I don’t see any umbrella,” the guy protested.

  Jack wrenched Alice free. “I’m her fucking umbrella,” he growled, shoving Mr. Bad-breath away. A look of furious determination darkened his eyes.

  “Whatever, dude.” Mr. Bad-breath walked away from a fight he was certain to lose given the resolve in Jack’s eyes, leaving them both standing in the rain.

  Alice’s hair and clothes were getting soaked, but she didn’t care. She lifted her gaze to Jack. “That was very Rihanna of you,” she said to smooth the tension.

  Jack’s jaw relaxed, and he flashed her half a smile. Neither of them moved; they just stood there in the pouring rain, staring into each other’s eyes. The way he was looking at her made Alice’s pulse speed up. He moved a step closer. Oh, gosh, was he going to kiss her?

  “Jack!” his girlfriend called. “What are you doing in the rain?” Whatever-her-name-was came and stood next to him, placing him under the shelter of her own umbrella.

  Alice was the only one left standing in the rain, her hair and clothing drenched. And her role in the scene shifted from movie-romantic to incredibly pathetic in an instant.

  “I guess I’ll get going,” Alice said. “I’m only a block away.” More like four or five.

  She spun around, not waiting for a reply, although she did manage to catch the death stare whatever-her-name-was flashed her. Then she hurried off into the rain, not daring to look back and catch Jack’s eye.

  ***

  Alice thanked Jack for the bunny-themed gift and managed to nod her way through the rest of the conversation in the time it took them to finish their hot chocolates.

  When a solid, minute-long silence lingered between them, she said, “We should get going.”

  “Well,” Jack said, getting up to leave. “Seeya after Christmas.” He grabbed his bag from the floor.

  Alice got up as well. “Mmm, about that.” She wasn’t sure why telling Jack she was going to Hawaii was making her so nervous. But she couldn’t put it off any longer. “We might see each other sooner than that.”

  “I’m flying to Hawaii tomorrow, Ice. No chance.”

  “I know. But when I told Peter I was alone for Christmas, he invited me to Hawaii.” She smiled half-heartedly. “So Haley and I are going.”

  Jack’s face fell, sending a chill up both of her arms.

  “Don’t be too excited,” Alice said.

  “It’s not… I mean,” he stuttered, eyes wide with surprise. “You’re coming to Hawaii?”

  “I am.”

  “That’s great.”

  His creased forehead and tight-lipped smirk sent a completely different message from “great.”

  “I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow,” Alice added, annoyed, but trying not to show it. “We’re on the same flight.”

  “Of course.”

  Now Jack looked as if he was standing on hot coals. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and seemed eager to get away from her as quickly as possible.

  “Well, I’ll catch you tomorrow then.” Jack took two steps backward. “Gotta go. Bye.” He turned on his heel and was gone before Alice had a chance to add anything.

  Outside, it had started snowing. Fat, feathery flakes were spiraling down, coating the streets in white frost. Alice shook her head and opened her new umbrella to walk home.

  Seventeen

  Haley

  The Uber driver dropped Haley and Alice off at Logan International Airport super early the next morning. Haley fidgeted all the way through the airline check in and airport security checks. Since they were leaving so early, they had skipped breakfast at home. And Haley was starving. When they finally stopped at a Starbucks near their gate to grab a quick bite, her stomach was already grumbling in protest.

  As Haley sipped her grande caffè mocha, a tall guy shuffling through the Hudson News shop across the hall caught her attention. He had his back turned so she couldn’t see his face, only his clothes. He was wearing sweatpants and a puffy sports jacket with a hoody pulled over his head.

  “Hello?” Alice asked next to her. “Are you listening?”

  “No, sorry, I was distracted by the hottie over there.”

  “Which one?”

  “The one in the puffy blue jacket?”

  “How can you say he’s hot? I can only see his back.”

  “It’s a hot back. I wish he’d turn around.” She stared at his shoulders, whispering, “Turn, turn…”

  Both Haley and Alice followed the mysterious guy’s progress around the shop, but he walked away without once turning his face toward them.

  “Aw, pity,” Haley said. “Now we’ll never know.”

  Alice rolled her eyes. “I think I’ll live.”

  “That’s because you already have a hot boyfriend. We single gals, on the other hand…”

  “Need to ogle strangers in airports?” Alice offered.

  “Pretty much.” Haley laughed.

  “So you’re definitely over your masked stranger?”

  Haley’s heart gave a wistful pulse. Last summer she’d gone to a Venetian Masquerade Ball and danced with a masked stranger only to lose him halfway through the night and never see him again. She’d been a bit obsessed ever since. She’d never even seen his face, making the search that much harder. But her mask had been a simple rhinestones application around her eyes that left her face practically bare, so she’d hoped that if she couldn’t find him, he would somehow find her. But that had been months ago, and she’d lost faith.

  “Not much of a choice,” Haley said, “I have to use the restroom. Wait for me here?”

  Haley left without waiting for a reply. She searched the ceiling for the restrooms signs and followed them to the Ladies’ Room. As she pushed open the door, it banged into someone.

  “Oh, sorry,” she apologized.

  An older woman scowled at her. Haley poked her head inside and saw the room was packed with people waiting in line. There were only four stalls, and one of them was out of order. It’d take her forever to wait for her turn. Why are women’s restrooms always so busy? The thought gave her an idea. She backtracked from the Ladies’ Room and decided to scout out the situation in the Men’s Room.

  Haley stopped in front of the Men’s Room door. She checked behind her shoulders. All clear. It was empty inside, and all the stall doors were open. Go figure. Haley snuck into the room and went about her business as quickly as possible, rushing outside as soon as she was finished.

  Just when she thought she’d made it undetected, Haley bumped into someone on her way out. She found her gaze level with a puffy blue jacket. The guy from the news shop. Haley had to bend her neck backward to see his face: green eyes, chiseled features, and a cute smile. He was so tall and so hot. Recognition gnawed at her. Where had she seen him before?

  The hot guy stepped back. “Pardon me,” he said, double-checking that he had the right restroom. “Isn’t this the Men’s Room?”

  “Yeah, sorry,” Haley apologized, embarrassed. “There was a super long line for the Ladies’ Room, and here was empty, so…” Haley kept looking at his gorgeous face, trying to place it. “I’m sorry, have we met before?” And now she’d just used the oldest
pickup line in the book. Great.

  “I think I’d remember meeting you.” His lips curled upwards in an amused smile. He kept his eyes trained on hers, making her blush. “We could’ve crossed paths on campus.” He jerked his chin toward her Harvard sweatshirt. “I go to Harvard too.”

  “Going home for Christmas?”

  “No, actually. I’m on the basketball team and we’re going to Hawaii to play.”

  That was it! She’d seen him at a game.

  “Really?” Haley couldn’t believe her luck. “Me too.”

  He arched his eyebrows. “You play basketball for the Crimson?”

  “No.” Haley laughed awkwardly. “What I meant was that my best friend is dating your captain, and he’s invited her along, so we’re going to Hawaii with the team, sort of.”

  His smile widened. “Small world.”

  Haley tilted her head to the side. “So it seems.”

  “It was nice meeting you…?”

  “Haley Thomas.”

  “Scott Williams.”

  He looked at her expectantly, and Haley realized she was still blocking his path to the Men’s Room. They both moved at the same time, bumping into each other again. They did a little dance of moving in the same direction twice before Scott stopped and allowed Haley to move past him. She started toward the café, but couldn’t help turning back. Scott was holding the door open, watching her go.

  Haley smiled and ran off, eager to tell Alice the news.

  Eighteen

  Alice

  Alice’s heart jolted in fear as Haley pounced on her from behind.

  “Guess what?” Haley asked, with a smile so big it shined like a lighthouse beacon.

  “What?”

  “I bumped into Mr. Hot-Back in the restrooms. Alice, he’s so gorgeous I could barely stand to look at him without melting. And it gets better.” Haley paused for effect. “He’s a player for the Crimson; we’ll be in Hawaii together for the next week.” Haley gave a high-pitched giggle, making Alice flinch. “How unbelievable is that? I mean, it must’ve been destiny or something, right?”

  An ominous feeling of dread wrapped itself around Alice’s stomach. “What was his name?” she asked in a flat voice.

  “Scott.”

  Alice’s face fell. Why of the twenty guys—okay, eighteen minus Jack and Peter—on the team did Haley have to like the same one Madison liked?

  Haley’s bright smile faltered. “Please stop. You’re overwhelming me with your enthusiasm,” she complained. “Something bad I should know about this guy?”

  Alice considered breaking her promise to Madison. Instead, she resigned herself to being a passive spectator to this Haley-Scott disaster in the making. “No, not at all,” she said. “I know nothing about him, and neither do you.”

  “I don’t need to know anything besides the fact that he’s the most epically gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen.”

  Alice shrugged. “What if he’s a d-bag?”

  “Why do you have to be so negative?” Haley glared at her. “What’s the matter with you?”

  Alice was saved answering by Peter grabbing her from behind and kissing her neck.

  “Yo. Here’s my beautiful lady,” he said.

  Alice turned to say hello and instinctively tried to peek over his shoulder to see if he was with Jack. There was a group of basketball players standing nearby, but Jack wasn’t with them.

  “Yo, everyone,” Peter continued loudly. “Meet my better half.”

  Better half? That was cheesy, coming from Peter. Alice wondered what had gotten into him.

  Alice shook hands with the team members she didn’t know and introduced Haley. Almost everyone looked at her friend as if she were a bowl of ice cream and they were a spoon. After all, Haley was the only single Crimson groupie. Alice hoped someone could still distract her from Scott.

  “Scott, my man!” Peter shouted. “Over here.”

  Scott and Peter did that thing of clasping hands and bumping chests before Peter introduced Alice.

  “Scott Williams, meet Alice Brown. Alice, meet Scott.”

  Alice finally understood what the Scott fuss was about. Up close, he was definitely a looker, with his dark blond hair and green eyes. Harvard might not have the fanciest basketball pavilion, but they definitely had the best-looking NCAA team.

  “And this is her roommate, Haley Thomas,” Peter said to Scott.

  Scott flashed Haley an amused grin. “I believe we’ve met.”

  Haley blushed, astonishing Alice. Her friend never blushed. Haley and Scott immediately started talking, unaware of anything else around them. Alice was worried; both her friends liked the same guy, and it looked like one of them was going to get him. How would Madison react when they came back and told her? She would say nothing and suffer in silence, Alice suspected. Please let Madison’s crush on Scott not be serious, she thought.

  An announcement played in the background.

  “Yo, guys,” Peter said. “This is our flight. Let’s go before the coach comes looking for us.”

  Peter put an arm around Alice’s shoulders and steered her toward the gate.

  “So, what is the policy with your coach?” she asked. “Am I allowed to be here? I mean, is it normal to invite people along?”

  “Sure. I’d say about half the guys will have their families there.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  As they reached their gate and joined the boarding queue, Alice started scanning the crowds again for any sign of Jack. She couldn’t spot him anywhere, which freaked her out. He had to be coming, so where the hell was he?

  Her question found an answer as they boarded. Jack was settled in a window seat all the way to the back. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his head tilted to the side, and he was wearing a sleeping mask. A sleeping mask?

  How could he already be on the plane, let alone asleep? Even if he’d been the first in line, he must’ve boarded the plane… what? Five, ten minutes ago, tops? And he knew she’d be there. So why wear the mask before they’d even said hello?

  With a sinking feeling, Alice realized that Jack wearing the mask and pretending to be asleep had to be a twisted way of avoiding her. The “why” of it remained a mystery.

  Was he mad at her for coming? That must be it. When she told him she was coming to Hawaii, he’d basically fled. But why? Why was it so annoying to have her here? Was it a turf invasion? A mixing of groups he didn’t want to be mixed? Was he still worried about her dating Peter? He hadn’t said a word about it in two months.

  Well, fine then. If he wanted to ignore her the entire trip, he could suit himself. She ignored the gut-twisting spasm of annoyance in her stomach and took her seat next to Peter.

  Nineteen

  Jack

  Under the sleeping mask, Jack squeezed his eyes shut until they hurt. He knew his little act wouldn’t accomplish much, but he couldn’t face Alice and Peter on their romantic trip. The idea made his stomach cramp. To avoid them completely was impossible, but Jack was determined to keep the interactions to a strict minimum. The break he’d so coveted had transformed into his worst nightmare. And a night tossing in bed dreading the next day had not helped him come to terms with the situation.

  From his corner at the back of the plane, Jack listened as Peter let out his usual repertoire of “yo, oooh, my man” as he greeted everybody else. He listened as his captain introduced Alice to the players who didn’t know her yet. A bitter tang spread under his tongue. Even the right of introducing Alice to the team had been stolen from him. He should be the one at her side making introductions, not Peter. Still brooding, Jack eavesdropped as Peter maneuvered people around so that he could sit next to Alice. How sweet. He wanted to throw up.

  Jack kept his eyes shut under the mask and tried not to tense his jaw and mouth. Torture; it was a slow torture to lie still in his seat pretending to be asleep. He was so on edge real sleep was out of the question, even after take-of
f when the plane quieted down. To be wide-awake, unable to move, and with nothing to do was mentally exhausting. He couldn’t check the time on his phone, so he tried to judge by what was happening around him.

  The take-off happened on time, which he learned from the captain’s announcement. Six-thirty. After a while, there was the usual ping of the seatbelt sign being switched off. Seven? Only half an hour had passed, and to Jack, it seemed like an eternity. More time passed, and Jack found himself counting the seconds. When would it be safe to stop pretending he was asleep? After they served breakfast and cleared out? Yeah, that was probably his best bet.

  Breakfast finally arrived. Jack heard Matt, who was sitting next to him, open a plastic bag. As Matt chewed on his snack, Jack marveled at how loud he sounded. So it was true that when deprived of one sense the others intensified. Eons later, when the flight attendants came back to take the trays away, Jack was itching to take his mask off. Yet, breakfast seemed to have stirred a lot of movement in the cabin. Many people were coming and going in the small aisle between the rows of seats. It was a mass pilgrimage to the restrooms.

  At one point, Jack could’ve sworn he heard Alice’s voice somewhere to his right hiss, “Sleeping Beauty.” Or maybe he’d just spent too much time inside his own head. Wasn’t hearing voices the first sign of going mad?

  When he couldn’t take it any longer, Jack removed his mask and opened his eyes. Phew, he was safe, no one was looking his way or moving around. All passengers seemed engaged with a movie, a book, or they were genuinely asleep. He peeked at the clock. Nine-thirty. Three hours gone, a gazillion more to go. But so far, his avoid-them-at-all-costs plan had been a success.

  A short-lived one. Once the plane landed at LAX, where they had to catch a connecting flight, there was no way Jack could avoid talking to Alice. He waited for the plane to empty, postponing the inevitable as long as possible, before he walked out.

  For an instant, Jack thought everybody was gone, and he’d be Alice-and-Peter free for a little longer.

  Until a hand smacked his right shoulder. “Yo, my man. What’s up?” Peter asked. “Where have you been, Sullivan?”