Friendzoned

by Power, P. S.

  "Mitch does the game announcements for the home events. I'll strategically seat us so that he can't help but notice his hot friend, Becky, sitting with Kyle. Zack, we need to hold hands and make it really clear that this is the most special Valentine's Day ever. I have some props in the back for that. Mitch has taken it into his head to like me, not seeing that Becky is clearly the better choice. The idea is to make her look valuable, and me very taken. Then, after the game, we're all going out to King's Burgers, which is a local place. Not really nice enough for a date, but Gary, another friend of ours, has made a point of getting everyone, including the announcer and the sound crew, to head out there after every game so far this season. That's where Zack and I will leave for a while, so that you two can be 'alone' and really turn the heat up. Tonight the plan is for Mitch to notice it. Pull out the stops, Kyle. Or at least half of them. King's is a family place after all."

  Her voice was still being fake old, but the words made sense, so Becky nodded a bit, moving back from Kyle, if not enough really. She could still smell him. Like a fine musk and aftershave, but nothing all that strong. It was nice and meant that, fake date or not, he'd actually cared enough to make it seem real.

  In the front, his voice low, Zack said something, but she was momentarily distracted by Kyle, who touched her arm again. Leaning in, he laughed, which was a very low chuckle, meant only for her.

  "Ah, the lovebirds. We need to do that too, don't you think? If we want this guy to be jealous and not just think I'm your cousin from out of state."

  It was a point, and a good enough excuse to have his attention, so Becky wasn't going to fight against the idea too hard. Really... If it wasn't for the whole Mitch thing, this situation would be really nice.

  After Keeley parked, nearer the building than she normally would have, since almost no one was there, the event being held in the gym, Kyle helped her out of the car, as Keeley jogged around to the back of it, getting her some flowers.

  "Props. I got my mom to make them for us. It will make it clear that these guys aren't just for decoration. Mine are nicer, since, you get the idea, Zack actually has a job." She wasn't catty about it, and the difference wasn't that great. Hers had an array of flowers, with a single red rose in the center. That got Kyle to lean in, taking her hand as they slowly walked into the building.

  Keeley and Zack were doing about the same, but the girl was a little clingy with him. Her hands didn't stray anywhere too naughty, but it was clear that she was barely keeping herself from ripping his clothes off. That was probably what she needed to do as well, with her own date. It was a bit hard though, since she didn't want to lead him on, promising anything that she wasn't going to deliver later.

  Even if she wanted to.

  That wasn't a big problem, since Kyle was wonderful, treating her like she was the only thing that existed practically. It had to show, even as they stood in the very short line to get their tickets. It was Maria who took their money, her face in a flat smile, until she saw her and Kyle together.

  "Uh... Hi! Becky! I didn't know you were coming. You look..." She didn't say anything, but Keeley leaned in after Zack passed the money over for all of them.

  "Maria! We should get together soon, just you and I. Go and do something fun?"

  "Sure..." She seemed in a slight bit of shock, but passed the tickets along without comment. They ended up almost directly behind where Mitch and Cory sat, which would make it harder for him to pick up on who was there, she thought. It was apparently all part of the plan.

  Keeley nodded at his back, then she looked at the flowers they each held.

  "It's a bit obvious, but I doubt that Mitch will pick up on it that clearly. He's a bright boy, but not the kind to think of anyone as trying to trick him like this."

  Becky could see that. It was still like something out of a sit-com. That or a romantic comedy. She was there, trying her hardest to get Mitch, the oblivious boy, to notice her, while right next to her was Kyle, and next to him, Cory, both of whom, if not for that pesky bit of a crush she had, would have been better options. They were both willing to see her as a person, for one thing.

  Kyle kept proving that at the moment too, gazing at her in a way that went beyond flirtation. He looked adoring, really. It was flattering, and a bit scary. She could really see herself doing something foolish with him, if given half a chance.

  Zack half stood and waved, his face going into a big smile.

  "Hally!"

  The cheerleaders down on the floor all turned around, and several waved to them, Hally seemed happy enough to see them, but her face fell just a bit, as she noticed that Zack was sitting as close as he was to Keeley. Almost right on top of her. Then she turned away, a bit stiffly. The others didn't, looking at Kyle, and, she realized, her.

  Zack's voice changed a bit, going lower and sounding slightly sexy.

  "Are you and Hally doing it? Because if so, I totally want in on the three-way action there." He didn't seem to be teasing either, which got Becky to feel a bit embarrassed for Keeley. After all, her boyfriend was a perv.

  She just giggled a bit and shrugged.

  "It's not exclusive, but not known here yet either." Keeley looked around, but didn't act like it was a big deal that the guy she was with was suggesting kinky sex with her friends.

  Leaning in Kyle cleared his throat.

  "I promise not to suggest anything involving more than three people on the first date. It's all part of my quality assurance program." He sounded charming and his arm bumped her side gently.

  "But up to three is still something that might come up?"

  "Yep. After all, I don't want you to feel too hemmed in. You seem like the kind of person that appreciates adventure, so I'd better stay ready to adapt, right?"

  Becky didn't know what to say. After all, was she that kind of girl? The kind that was willing to try out new things? Or was she just into being safe all the time? It was probably the second one, but the idea was oddly... interesting. Not having a real threesome, but being thought of as the kind of person that might be willing to entertain the idea.

  Like she might be a tiny bit wild, deep inside.

  It was almost exactly then when Cory turned and looked at them. His face fell a bit, when he saw her with Kyle, but he just shook his head, an almost imperceptible thing, and nudged Mitch, who was wearing one of his trademarked too loud Hawaiian shirts. When he turned around, his eyes found Keeley first, drinking in the scene. Zack came next and his face went still, but when he looked at her and Kyle, there was a harsher look. Almost like disgust. That couldn't be right though, could it? She looked nice. She was pretty sure of it.

  Kyle smiled and leaned in, kissing her cheek a little. Then he whispered, making it look like they were doing something else.

  "Bingo. One jealous 'friend' coming up. He looks miserable. You can hear it in his voice." That was coming at them from over the loud speakers, and she really couldn't tell that at all.

  When he got a break and looked again, Keeley let her right hand come out, touching Becky's leg, near the knee. She wasn't looking, so it probably had been meant for Kyle, who was actually closer to her.

  "Showtime, Kyle."

  That was all she needed to say, it seemed like to Becky. The guy played his role really well, touching her gently, but in ways that would look far more intimate than they really were, since he kept pulling away just as Mitch turned to look at them. True, Keeley got a lot of that attention, but Kyle kept drawing him back in. Cory, for his part, didn't turn around again at all. She was probably being mean to him, she realized, if he actually liked her, like everyone had said. Including him.

  After all, how would she have felt if Mitch had been the one sitting there and say, Darla, or Eve was all over him? Jealous came to mind, but it was a lot worse, since this was all fake. It meant that the guy was being hit with it all by accident. An innocent bystander to the whole thing. Mitch still didn't seem more than a bit upset either. He wasn't paying that much at
tention to her. He probably just couldn't, not with Keeley sitting right there, distracting him.

  For a moment, just a bare hint of time, she felt mad about it all. Not at Keeley, or even Mitch, though he was clearly not treating her seriously enough and never had. No... At herself. She was letting him do this to her. It wasn't right, but it also wasn't his fault, was it? She should have started the whole thing by marching up and asking him out, three years before. If he said no, then she'd already be free of him. Instead she kept drawing it out, even while everyone around her told her that it was kind of dumb of her. Oh, they were nicer than that about it, but it was the truth.

  That anger let her slip her hand into Kyle's after a bit. Not because she wanted to show Mitch, just because she wanted to. Then she nestled into him a bit. Okay, that was overdone, considering it was their first date, but he didn't pull back or anything, putting his rather nice arm around her shoulders instead.

  It helped her to feel a bit calmer at least.

  The game was boring, but their team won, and the girls on the floor all cheered wildly, actually using pompoms. They were in the school colors and made little sounds when they jumped and kicked. Quince had done really well, and Gary had managed to make a lot of baskets too. In the fourth quarter they didn't score much at all, those two actually being removed from the game for some reason. That was probably so the other team wouldn't go home and slit their wrists. After all, they weren't just being beaten, it was bad enough that some of them looked close to tears. It was against Wilson High too, their rivals, which meant that it had to hurt a lot more than if it had been some other school doing it to them.

  Kyle kept being attentive, and a little bit more daring as they were leaving, his hand actually lingering on her behind, not a full on groping, just like he'd missed her hip a little, but she didn't think it was on accident. That was mainly because, when she turned into him a bit, he whispered to her.

  "Mitch is right behind us. Try not to jump." Then his hand slid down, slowly and with clear intent, giving her just enough of a squeeze that she felt the blood running to her head. Then he let go, looking into the glass windows, seeing the reflections there. "And he's gone. What's next?"

  Becky held his hand. Not the one he'd grabbed her with, but the one that went around her shoulder. It was a bit unbalanced, but they managed all right.

  "King's Burgers. It's not that nice, but the food is cheap and actually pretty good."

  Kyle nodded.

  "And where the team will be. Right. I remember. You were managing to distract me pretty well there. I blame it all on you being so unfairly cute. I normally remember the plans, I swear." The smile he gave her was charming again, his blue eyes sparkling as he looked into hers.

  The trip didn't take long, and Kyle was just attentive, but not overly friendly in the car. It was nice to have a breather, since, Becky had to admit, she was getting a little turned on by what he was doing. More than a bit. Enough that, given everything, she felt a bit panicked. Keeley had worked far too hard for her to change the plan now, hadn't she? Even Zack and Kyle had.

  It was hard though, keeping her mind on her real goal. Especially since she was sort of starting to get what everyone else had meant. Mitch... He was nice and she did love him, but how much of him being that great had to do with how she felt, rather than what he actually was? They didn't have that much in common really. He liked D&D, and sci-fi show marathons. She was more interested in romances, and books. He was going to be an engineer, and she was going to be an actress, or at least a drama teacher.

  It didn't make a lot of sense, when she really thought about it. If only her heart would pay attention to that idea too. It would make things a whole lot simpler.

  Keeley had decided that they needed more props for King's, and actually had decorations in the back of her little car, ready to go. Balloons in the shape of shining red hearts, and more flowers. It was, as she pointed out again, way over done for a real date.

  "Mitch is a boy though, so we can't afford to be too subtle, or he might miss the real point. You and Kyle should turn up the heat a bit. Nothing too friendly, since we don't want to get kicked out. Kyle, can you make it look like you're doing something naughty under the table, without letting the workers here see?"

  "Um... not really. The angles are wrong. Here though..." What he did involved trading places with her, so that his body would block most of what was done, Zack was on the outside of the table as well, and when the team got there, clearly car pooling, Mitch and Cory walked in with them.

  That part was thanks to Gary, she knew. He'd been including the boys for the entire season and no one had even questioned it at all. They probably thought that he was trying to get one of them into bed himself. Which one, Becky didn't know. It was an interesting enough idea, made more so by what Kyle was doing with her leg, about then.

  She had to think through it all to understand what was really happening. He was, using very short strokes, petting the top of her leg with his hand, and stopping whenever anyone looked too hard. From the position of the rest of the place, which only had the sports team in it, the move looked like he was...

  Using his hand to get her off, right there in public. It was a bit too much, she decided, and was going to pull his hand away rather firmly, when Mitch scowled at her and got up, leaving. That meant Cory had to chase after him, since he always rode with him.

  That got Kyle to make a face and sigh, which let his hand actually fall into her lap, if only a little. He pulled it away then, smiling, as if he didn't get what had just happened.

  "Too much? It looks like we lost him."

  The girl across from him shook her head.

  "I doubt it. The real trick now will be seeing if he calls up to question you on it Becky. If he does, then you'll need to handle it right. We can talk about it later. For now, the food is coming." It was too, and it all seemed good, except that she didn't do more than pick at it. That was just so that no one would think she was hungry, even as she sat there starving. All for Mitch, so that he'd like her.

  It was so stupid that she ate half the burger, out of spite. Then she stopped herself, since, really, losing weight and keeping it off might help with her career. It might not too, but if she didn't try and put the work in, then she'd never know, would she?

  On the way back home, Kyle held her hand, but on the seat, which gave the whole thing a cute and almost shy air to it. The act was over however, and she nearly said so. Really, it was nice. Here he was, actually being with her, not staring at their driver or suggesting that, as a seventh level mage, she might want to diversify into a ranged weapon using class for the next campaign. It was almost like the boy was attracted to her or something.

  Zack sat up suddenly, in the front seat, and started talking his voice a bit annoyed sounding. With her, if she had the right idea.

  "You know Becky... If that Mitch guy can't see how wonderful you are, maybe you should move on? Half those guys were checking you out in there, while they were sitting next to Cheerleaders, so I don't think it would be that hard for you to find someone." There was a click of teeth, as if he was biting off whatever it was that he wanted to say next. It was like he was actually struggling not to keep talking, making little gasping sounds that seemed frustrated. Highly so.

  Since he'd openly suggested a three-way with Hally and Keeley earlier, she didn't think that she really wanted to know what he had to say about the rest of the night, did she? It would probably involve lube of some kind.

  Still, he had a point.

  "I know. You're right, but I just wish... I'm stuck, I guess. When we first met I was a bit heavier, and I kind of thought no one would want me, so I tried to be his friend, figuring that if I was near him long enough, I could get love to grow. Then Keeley comes along this year, and she went from hot nerd to even hotter trendy girl, still with straight A's... and I can't compete, can I? I should just look someplace else, but he's all I think about." Almost all. There was definitely a bit of though
t moving towards the boy next to her, if she were going to be fair about it.

  Zack made a sound that was almost sad.

  "I bet Kyle could get you to forget him if you want. Or heck, you could just go and offer to blow the guy. If he isn't a player or anything like that, I bet that would make him like you a lot more. It would me, and I'm betting that I'm not that different from most men on that score."

  It wasn't said in a way that seemed like he was suggesting anything really happen between them, but Becky felt like trying to jump out the side door to get away. It could work, if Keeley would just slow down a bit at a light. So far she'd been hitting them all perfectly.

  The man, it seems, wasn't finished, but his tone did change a bit at least, which was a relief.

  "Not that you really should do that. But there are ways to get his attention. You aren't a guy after all, and this friend zone stuff only holds as long as the girl isn't willing to take it to the next level. I say you use what you all did here tonight, and give him one more chance. Ask him out and flat out tell him he's getting lucky at the end. If he says no, then you have your answer. It will mean that you need to move on, even if it sucks. Of course, if he says yes, you have to do it... So, it depends on how ready you are. If you don't want to have sex with him, then it probably isn't love, right?"

  There was a grunt after a bit from the front seat, on the driver's side. It didn't sound completely comfortable with the direction that the conversation was taking. It wasn't that Keeley was a prude, Becky knew that for a fact, so it was probably her own jealousy, since even to her it sounded a bit like Zack was interested in doing something more than chatting with Becky at the moment.

  Maybe she was wrong on that? Becky wasn't going to claim to be an expert on the idea after all. Who knew what men thought about?

  Keeley spoke, her words a bit subdued, like she was thinking about something.

  "True enough. Think on that, but let's finish my plan first. Kyle, you can switch schools and come to Raintree for a half year, right?"