One of the Girls (Friendzone #1)

by Robin Daniels

  “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

  “You always had a boyfriend. And you were way out of my league.”

  I scoffed. “Hardly. I have no idea why you’d think that.”

  Nick grabbed my cheeks and kissed me on the nose. “Besides the fact that your last boyfriend was Cole Anderson? How about because you’re beautiful and perfect.”

  I felt all gooey and mushy inside. “I could say the same about you,” I whispered. He kissed me again, and I was so content I wanted to stay like that forever.

  “Nicholas!” his mom yelled. “People need to clock out.”

  “Coming, coming.” He groaned and punched some buttons on the time clock. He shoved his feet into his shoes and took my hand. “Do you have all your stuff?” he asked, snatching his phone and wallet from the desk.

  “Yes. Why?” He seemed jumpy, and I was confused.

  “Because I’m pretty sure my mom is standing right outside, and we’ve been in here alone with the door locked. This is going to get awkward.” He gave me a toothy grin and winked. “Don’t worry. She won’t judge you, just me.”

  I tensed and he threw the door open, dragging me behind him as he rushed past his mother and a few other people waiting to get inside. Her mouth fell open and her eyebrows shot up, not in anger but in surprise. He didn’t make eye contact when he said, “Hi, Mom; bye, Mom. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got a way home.” We practically ran for the door.

  It wasn’t my preferred method of escape, but I didn’t have much choice. I felt rude not saying something, so I waved with my free hand. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Moody.”

  I think she was attempting a stern look, but she had to smash her lips together to keep from laughing. “Be home by dinner,” she called, then added, “And behave yourself!”

  Nick stopped running when we made it to the parking lot. He was all smiles, and it was contagious. I simply couldn’t be annoyed by our scandalous exit. “Your mom’s going to hate me now. She’ll think I’m trying to corrupt you.”

  He chuckled. “Not true. She’ll know it’s me doing the corrupting, and she’ll love you because I love you.” My heart swelled to the point I thought it’d burst from my chest. I knew he hadn’t meant that he loved me, loved me, but it was still nice to hear. I’d never had a guy tell me that before. “I hope you drove over, because I need a ride now.”

  I laughed and led him across the pavement. “Yes, I have my mom’s car.” I hit the unlock button, and even though I was driving, he walked to my door and opened it for me.

  Once we turned onto the main road, I asked, “Where am I taking you?”

  “Do you have plans right now?”

  “Noooo...”

  “Do you want some?” He playfully raised his eyebrows up and down.

  I giggled. “Sure, but I have to take the car home first. My mom needs it at noon.”

  “Go to my house. I’ll change really quick, then get my car and follow you back to your place.” Nick directed me to his home, which was very close to mine, close enough to walk between. “Be right back,” he said and bolted inside.

  I glanced at myself in the mirror. I had perma-grin, and I looked like a huge doofus. I stretched out my jaw and slapped my cheeks a couple times. After that, I applied a generous portion of watermelon lip gloss and fiddled with the radio while I waited. Nick came out a few minutes later in jeans, a gray Hurley T-shirt, and a blue pair of Vans. I doubted he surfed or skated, but it didn’t matter because he looked sexy.

  He followed me to my house, waiting outside while I returned Mom’s keys and told her I was leaving again. I rushed out the door and got in Nick’s car. The second my buckle clicked, he grabbed my hand. “Sorry,” he apologized, “but I missed you.”

  “Dork.” I chuckled. “We were separated for less than five minutes.”

  “Yes, but I miss you whenever you leave. I can’t help it, so get used to it.”

  I felt the perma-grin creeping back onto my face and struggled to subdue it. “Are you always going to be so cheesy?” I joked.

  “Probably.” He shrugged. “Where do you want to go?”

  “I don’t know. Did you have something in mind?”

  “Not really.” He looked at me and fluttered his eyelashes. “I don’t care where I am, as long as it’s with you.” He was obviously teasing me, yet somehow it still felt like the truth. I yanked my hand away from his and smacked him on the arm. He smirked.

  “Oh my gosh! Will you stop?”

  “No,” he replied, pulling away from the curb.

  I giggled for the millionth time and felt dumb over how often I’d done that today. “Fine,” I conceded. “If you insist.”

  “I do.” He took my hand back. “On a serious note,” he started, not sounding serious at all, “I wanted to make sure you understand that you’re my girlfriend now.”

  I had no intention of arguing, but I couldn’t agree so easily. I narrowed my eyes. “What makes you think that?” I asked to mess with him.

  “It was implied when you let me kiss you.”

  My stomach fluttered. I didn’t think I could get any happier. In the span of an hour, I went from worrying Nick might hate me to being his girlfriend. This day had taken a crazy turn. “Ah, I see. There’s only one problem with that. I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend.”

  “You’re in luck,” he replied, taking his hand off the steering wheel to hold a finger in the air. “I happen to be very good at keeping secrets.”

  “Well, in that case, I guess I have no reason to decline. Now put your hand back on the wheel, before you crash us on our first date.” He laughed but obeyed. I wasn’t truly worried, because we were still in my neighborhood and going twenty-five miles an hour. Nick slowed to a stop at the sign on the corner, then checked the rearview mirror and popped the car into park.

  He turned to me, his expression somber. “Really, though, in all seriousness. Will you be my girlfriend?”

  For some reason, I felt shy and my tongue turned to sawdust. He was so stinking cute. I couldn’t speak, so I nodded yes. Nick unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over the console to kiss me. It’s like he couldn’t get enough. The kiss wasn’t urgent or needy, just simple and sweet. But in that kiss, I could feel how much he cared about me.

  A car honked behind us, and we bumped heads from the startle. “Guess this isn’t an ideal place to go parking.” Nick chuckled before looking both ways and pulling forward. He buckled up and hit me with a devious grin. “Don’t worry; I know plenty of better spots to make out.”

  “I’m sure you do,” I mumbled, staring out the window. I rolled it down and stuck my hand out, making waves as it cut through the air. “We won’t get too many more nice days like this. Maybe we should be outside.”

  “Good plan. Are you hungry?”

  I gave him a sideways glance and a crooked smile. “I can always eat.” We went through a drive-thru and ordered a couple sodas and a bag full of French fries. Then he drove me to a city park where we sat on the swings, passing the bag back and forth.

  “Okay, I’ve been waiting patiently, but it appears you’re going to make me ask. Why were you at the restaurant with Ross Grantham?” Nick made a disgusted face, scraping his tongue with his teeth like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

  I laughed. “Because he suckered me.” Nick raised his brow, signaling for me to elaborate. “Last night after the game, he came over while your fan club was mobbing you.” Nick grinned wide, showing off all his teeth. “He looked miserable, like upset for real. He told me his dog had died that morning and that he came to the game as a distraction. Then he asked if I wanted to go to dinner because he didn’t feel like being alone and all his friends are morons.”

  “He speaks the truth,” Nick interjected.

  I chuckled. “Anyway, I told him I had to go home on the bus, and he looked like he was going to cry. I felt like a jerk, so I offered to have breakfast with him.” I held up a finger. “But I made it very clear that I wasn
’t dating right now and that we were only going as friends.”

  Nick snickered. “And how’d that work out for you?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Let’s just say he didn’t seem nearly as busted up the next morning, and he was really satisfied when you walked by and saw us. You looked pretty upset.”

  “Huh.” He scratched his chin. “I was going for indifferent.”

  “Well, you missed. I thought you were going to punch him.”

  Nick stole the bag of fries back from me. “I wanted to punch him.”

  “Thanks for restraining yourself.” I took a sip of my Coke. “Now it’s your turn to tell me why you were out with your grandpa. I thought you guys weren’t speaking.” I finished off the last of the fries, chugged the rest of my drink, grabbed Nick’s empty cup, and ran to the trash can.

  Nick wrapped his arms around the swing chains and pushed off, rocking back and forth until he was at a moderate sway. “He apologized because he’s trying to butter me up.”

  I skipped back and leapt onto my swing, pumping until I matched Nick’s pace. “I knew it! He wants you to quit cheer and come back to football, doesn’t he?”

  “You must have ESP.”

  “The writing was on the wall after last night. What did you say?”

  Nick kicked harder, sending him higher. “I told him I’d think about it.”

  “And have you?” I was torn over the idea. I didn’t want him to leave the cheer team, but I didn’t want the football team to suffer, either.

  “Not really. What do you think I should do?”

  “Honestly, if you’d asked me yesterday, I’d have told you to say no. But that’s because I’m selfish and didn’t want to lose you. Now that you’re obsessed with me and I know I’ll still see you a lot, I’m less adverse to the idea.”

  He gasped. “Obsessed with you? I’m not obsessed. Infatuated maybe, but not obsessed.”

  “Mm-hm.”

  Nick jumped off his swing from at least five feet up. He walked back and pulled mine to a stop. “I have a confession.”

  “Oh yeah?” I asked.

  He made me stand, then took my spot, pulled me onto his lap, and pushed off again. It was an uncomfortable and impractical way to swing, but I loved every second of it. “I only tried out for the cheer teem so I could get to know you.”

  Putting my foot down, I dragged it through the wood chips, bringing us to a halt. I turned in his lap until I was mostly facing him. “Did you really?” I asked. He let go of the chain to draw an X over his heart. I frowned. “Now I feel bad.”

  “Why?” He laughed and poked at my lip, pushing it back up. “Don’t feel bad. I ended up really liking cheer. Also, if I hadn’t done it, we wouldn’t be where we are now. I’ve got no regrets. Promise.”

  “So, you don’t miss football at all?”

  His face scrunched up. “I didn’t before last night. I’ll admit, the adrenaline of being on the field and leading a team to victory is very alluring. It’ll be hard to turn the old man down.”

  I hopped off his lap. “Then don’t.”

  “But I have to. I don’t want to stop cheering, and I can’t do both, so I choose cheer.”

  I grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. “Nick, your grandpa is at your mercy right now. You’re in a position of power over him. Use that leverage to your advantage. Stacie and I will be flexible if you can work it out to do both. Remember, you’re in control. It’s your way or the highway. Don’t give in to him, and he’ll have to do whatever you want.”

  Nick reared back. “Who are you, and what have you done with my new girlfriend?”

  “Bad idea?”

  “No, great idea. Just a little more cutthroat than I’d expect from you. Prim and proper Mia Ashlock has gone power hungry and domineering.”

  “Oh, brother.” I chuckled, shoving him in the chest.

  “What’s up with the burst of determination?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess being around you makes me feel more confident.”

  “Confidence looks good on you.” Nick smiled seductively. He took my hands again and tugged me closer.

  “Stop,” I replied, not meaning it.

  “No, seriously. It’s really hot.” Nick stretched his arms out and yanked on my belt loops. He hauled me against him and brought his mouth to mine. “I’m kind of turned on right now,” he mumbled against my lips.

  “I’ll try to stop being so confident,” I teased.

  The sliding door of a minivan slammed open and three rowdy boys jumped out, tearing at breakneck speed for the swings. When the oldest one almost bowled me over, I started to scold him, but the words stuck on my tongue. “Crap! Those are Cassidy’s brothers. Hide!”

  In a panic, I looked for the closest spot to conceal myself, which happened to be the covered slide. I sprinted to the bottom and climbed up the tube. Nick followed, shoving me higher to get his legs in all the way.

  “Why are we hiding?” he whispered. We braced ourselves against the sides to prevent slipping down.

  I held up my finger to shush him. “Because I don’t know if Cass is with them,” I answered. He shook his head and gave me a look that said, So what? I gritted my teeth in silent frustration and lowered my voice until it was barely audible. “We’ll be in trouble if they find us together. Heaven forbid they see us smooching.”

  Nick smiled wickedly. I don’t know if it was the thought of getting caught or the thought of kissing me. Or the thought of Cassidy catching us while kissing. Any scenario was bad. We’d have to be more careful with our public displays of affection. It dawned on me that any number of people could have seen us in a lip-lock just now. That hadn’t been very smart.

  “Hey! I called the swing!” an angry voice yelled.

  “Too bad. I got here first,” came the taunting reply.

  “Matt, get off,” Cassidy instructed, plainly annoyed. “The munchkin called it.”

  I smashed my lips together, and my eyes went wide. Nick snickered silently. “Good job, Einstein,” he whispered. “Now we’re trapped.” I gave him a warning glare. His lips didn’t move, but the crinkling around his eyes told me he was highly amused.

  Nick was right, though. The second one of them tried to come down the slide, we’d be busted. It would have been better to act cool and pretend we were practicing or something. This wasn’t my best thought out plan. Fortunately, we got a break about thirty seconds later.

  “Oh, yuck,” Cass complained. “I need to wash my hands. Nobody move till I get back.”

  The door to the ladies’ room creaked loudly and banged shut. “Run!” I ordered, kicking Nick down the slide. He shot out the bottom and I followed close behind, hiding my face with my hair. I wasn’t sure if Cassidy’s brothers would recognize me.

  “What the?” the oldest boy yelped. He’d been walking past the slide when we emerged.

  We sprinted to Nick’s car, which thankfully was on the street and not in the lot. Though, it wasn’t as far from the playground as I’d have liked. We’d be easily identifiable from this short of a distance.

  Cassidy walked back out of the bathroom as Nick rounded the driver’s side. I was about ten feet behind him. “What’s wrong?” I heard Cass ask her brother.

  I stupidly looked over my shoulder and saw him point in our direction. “Some weirdo big kids were hiding in the slide.” I didn’t have time to get in the car, so I dove behind the driver’s side next to Nick, panting to catch my breath.

  “Is she looking?” I asked him. He wasn’t nearly as winded as I was. I probably needed to do more conditioning.

  He peeked over the door. “I can’t tell. My windows are too tinted. Let’s wait a minute, and you can climb in from my side.”

  “Okay,” I agreed, still breathing heavily. Nick stared at me like I’d gone bananas. “What?” I asked.

  “That whole sequence of events was pretty dramatic. Remind me why we can’t let people know we’re going out?”

  I huffed. “Be
cause Stacie and Cass made that stupid rule that I can’t date until football season’s over.”

  “Here’s an idea.” He arched one eyebrow. “Tell them to bugger off.”

  “I can’t,” I whined.

  “Why?” He obviously didn’t think this was as big a deal as I did.

  “Because they won’t understand. Stacie thinks I’m a pushover with no spine. If I tell her we got together, it’ll prove I’m weak. She’ll be mad that I gave in and probably make me break up with you. Even though I didn’t say yes out of guilt or obligation this time. And I actually like you a lot—”

  Nick put his hand over my mouth to stop my freak-out. “Okay, three things here. A), I’m glad you don’t feel like you had to say yes to me. B), Stacie can’t make you break up with me.” He paused to give me a pointed stare. “And C), I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit.” Nick frowned.

  I snorted. “You don’t know Stacie.”

  “Maybe not. But I do know that if you keep us a secret for the next eight weeks, you’re not being any braver than if you told her the truth.” I scowled. He had a point, but I didn’t want to admit it. Nick watched my reaction and squeezed my fingers. “Where’s the fearless girl from earlier?”

  “Cowering with her tail between her legs,” I quipped.

  He shook his head and chuckled. “Fine, I promise I won’t say anything. You can decide when we go public.”

  “Thank you.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “However,” he continued, “let it be known that I greatly oppose the clandestine relationship idea. If I can’t kiss you and hold your hand and tell all the guys that hit on you to back off for two whole months, I’m going to go crazy.”

  “We can still kiss and hold hands and all that good stuff. Just not at school. And I don’t think anyone will stop you from telling guys to back off.” I grinned, trying to lighten his suddenly grumpy mood. “You earned that right when you joined the cheer sisterhood.”

  “Har-har. Super funny.” Nick oozed sarcasm, but the corners of his mouth twitched up. “This will majorly cut back on our time as a couple.” He gave me puppy dog eyes. When I didn’t crack, he nuzzled my neck, trying one last time to reason with me. “We might have to go for days or even weeks at a time without any of this.” My eyes rolled back in my head, and I sighed.