by Dean, Ali
We’ve only been gone a minute when we hear Taylor’s angry voice. “What the hell, Griff?”
Naomi and I exchange frowns and head back to the kitchen, where Taylor’s out of his seat and Summer’s usual smile is replaced with concern.
“You met her on Sunday? And you didn’t tell me? That’s fucked up. Why were you keeping it a secret?”
“I wasn’t keeping it a secret. I just didn’t get around to telling you. I’m telling you now.”
“Uh no, your sister brought her up. Not you.”
“Met who?” I ask.
Taylor spins around and his pissed off look lands on me. “Is that why you punched me? Because you knew she was Griffin’s new girl?”
I freeze before I reach the kitchen and Naomi bumps into me before stepping around to stand by Summer. There are suddenly way too many people in this apartment. I hardly recognize my voice when I ask, “What are you talking about?”
“Jordan Slattery. The skateboarder in the video. The one I was talking to in the quad on Tuesday before you came over and bulldozed me.”
My eyes snap to Griffin. He puts his hands up in surrender and shrugs, but I don’t miss the guilt flashing in his eyes.
“No. I didn’t know Jordan was Griffin’s new girl.” My voice is cold as ice, and Griffin cringes when I continue glaring at him.
“Relax Beck, she’s not my girl.” Of course he would say that, he’s never called anyone his girl in his life. If he tells me they just hooked up, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep myself from throwing him against the wall. Does he know she’s only seventeen? I can’t even lie to myself that that’s the only reason I’d fight my best friend over a girl I hardly know.
Summer steps forward then, blocking my direct line to her brother. She puts a hand up in each direction. “All right boys, settle down. We get it, Jordan’s a super cool chick, and rides a skateboard like a pro but doesn’t even give a shit.”
“Language, Summer,” Griff mutters.
Summer rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to continue when I interrupt. “So you met her too?”
The ice in my voice is gone now. It’s moved to my bloodstream. Griff introduced Jordan to his sister? He’s never introduced a chick to his family. What the fuck is going on?
“We both met her!” Naomi exclaims. “She was at the park this morning with Griff. She gave us her number and everything, Beck. I’m so stoked to skate with her again.”
I stare at my sister, who is acting oblivious to the tension in the room but I know damn well she’s only trying to defuse it. I can’t believe this, I’m now jealous of my own sister. My chest squeezes painfully, and I can’t decide who to direct my anger toward. Jordan met Griffin on Sunday, the same day she met me. If he went skateboarding with her and introduced her to our sisters, she’s already different to Griff than any other girl. Is he under the same spell I am? What is Jordan playing at? Is she trying to infiltrate my life or does this have nothing to do with me at all?
“Look,” Griffin starts. He’s refusing to make eye contact with me, directing his words at Taylor. “She was with her friends at The Mecca getting brunch and I recognized her from your video. You’d just shown it to me that morning and asked if I knew her. I thought I’d go over and say hi.”
Taylor throws an arm out my way. “You going to punch him in the face too?”
I can only respond by moving my glare in Taylor’s direction.
Griff continues, “That’s why I didn’t say anything the other night when you said why you punched Taylor.” If he’s trying to be funny, I’m not laughing.
“I got her number, and invited her to skate with me.” Griff’s still talking, adding, “It’s no big deal. I’ve been trying to get to know some women skateboarders who aren’t already tied up with sponsors. I don’t have the capital to entice the top skaters, you know that. She seemed like a great opportunity.”
My stomach roils. A great opportunity?
Summer calls him out. “Really, Griff?” she deadpans, and he has the decency to cringe.
“All right, fine, she’s hot too. That was the main reason I wanted to hang with her. But once I realized how young she was, I backed off on that.”
Naomi’s the one to call him out now. “Uh no, you backed off once we met her at the skatepark earlier and we called you out on how young she was.”
Summer’s smiling again now when she adds, “And then we cockblocked him and asked for a ride.”
“Unbelievable,” Taylor mutters, shaking his head. I’m still too frozen to talk.
“Look man,” Griffin says, “I should’ve mentioned I met the girl in the video, but I didn’t want to make it a big thing. Once I met her I realized she wasn’t all that thrilled you posted it, so I didn’t want to bring it up.”
“You all act like I’m the bad guy here,” Taylor says, but looks directly at me. “Meanwhile Griffin here is calling this girl a ‘good business opportunity’ while also trying to get in her pants. Why am I the one who got punched, huh?”
He has a point. He really does. But I’m too frozen to say or do anything. I can’t tell what’s happening here with Griff. Is he only saying this shit about being platonic for the sake of his business in order to get Taylor to back off?
“How young is she, anyway?” Taylor asks, when none us respond.
“She’ll be eighteen on Saturday,” Griffin answers quickly. And that’s when I have my answer. He might be telling himself he’s friend-zoned her for the sake of a business opportunity or whatever bullshit, but he’s lying to himself. Or us.
Chapter Fifteen
Jordan
“You seriously straight up told him that?” Zora asks, all skepticism.
“I’m proud of her. That takes some real guts,” Lucy declares.
“I still don’t get why he didn’t just go for it right then and there,” Ellie complains.
“I told you, his sister and her friend were waiting for us in the car. They could see us.”
“Don’t forget they were in a skatepark and Griffin Perry is a famous skateboarder,” Lucy adds.
Ellie sighs, defeated. “He better show tonight,” she grumbles.
After I told Griffin I kind of sort of needed him to kiss me, just once, he asked how old I was. Once he found out I’d be eighteen today, he told me to text him when and where to be. “Have you texted him yet?” Lucy asks.
“No,” I groan and bury my face in my hands. It all sounds so juvenile and silly now. Lucy pries my hands away from my face. “I can’t decide if I’m proud of myself for doing something so outrageous or absolutely horrified. It was stupid.”
Ellie hands me a plastic cup. “You need to drink this. Then you’ll see your request wasn’t outrageous at all. It was perfectly reasonable.”
“Perfectly,” Lucy echoes.
“Now, should we text him for you or do you want to do it?” Ellie asks.
I whip out my phone and hand the untouched cup back to her. “I’ll do it.”
Huffing out a breath, I force myself to tap out the words, telling him which frat party we’re going to.
Zora pats me on the back. “There, it’s done. Now I’ll be honest with you, I think the odds of Griffin Perry showing at a college frat party are low. But he might text you back to meet you at his place.”
My eyes widen. This is all wrong. I know it. But I’ve already set the wheels in motion. My phone beeps and I read the text out loud.
“I’ll be there with your birthday present.”
Ellie falls back on the bed dramatically. My heart races, and it’s not because he’s actually following through. It’s because my mind instantly flashed to Beck when I read birthday present. Which is even more ridiculous an idea than the one I’ve already set in motion. Of course Griffin wouldn’t bring Beck as a birthday present. He doesn’t even know we’ve met, and Beck made it clear any chemistry between us wasn’t going anywhere.
The girls finish their drinks while doing makeup in our room. Zora app
roves of my outfit, which is even more surprising than Griffin texting me back. I’m wearing the same ripped jeans I wear just about every other day, my usual skateboarding sneakers, and a strappy tank top. The top’s the only thing different from my usual sports bras and tee shirts, and since I can’t wear a bra with it, I hoped it might pass as sexy enough for my first college frat party.
I also didn’t put all that much thought into it because I didn’t have a whole lot of options to work with and figured Zora would change me anyway. But she nodded in approval when she saw me. “Whatever Griffin saw he liked, so stick with that.”
“So, change back into a tee shirt and sports bra?”
“Oh no, keep the top. That’s hot.”
No one seems to mind I’m the only one not drinking, and when we cheers before going out, we do it with the cupcakes Ellie and Zora brought over for our birthdays.
We head outside, and I pretend like my stomach isn’t in knots. Lucy throws an arm around me as we walk down the sidewalk. “Relax, Jordan. This is going to be fun. It’ll be an awesome night.”
“I feel naked without my skateboard,” I admit. The girls have long boards they ride around campus, but their foot attire didn’t allow us to ride them tonight. Plus, they didn’t want to have to hold onto them at the party.
“I know. You would have held it to your chest like a shield, warding off all advances.”
“What? I’m not that bad,” I protest.
“You’re not. But guys in college are lazy. There are plenty of willing girls who don’t require much effort. Most guys won’t want to work for it.”
Zora leans forward from behind us and sing-songs, “At least not the younger ones.”
The sidewalk gets more crowded as we get closer to the party. This is the part of campus where the upperclassmen live. It’s not dorm living, but it’s still college housing. The girls explained to me that the houses here are for people who want to party at the frats and sororities, but don’t want to be in one. When I’d asked if there were people who just wanted cheap housing closer to campus they laughed. Apparently, you only live this close to frat row if you want to be part of that scene.
When we turn onto frat row, my steps falter. The entire street is filled with people. There’s no way Griffin’s going to find me, and that shouldn’t make the knot in my stomach loosen, but it does. I mean, where would we even have that kiss anyway?
“Looks like the party is happening outside,” Ellie muses, moving up beside me as I come to a stop. We stand there taking it in.
“Was it like this last Saturday?” I ask.
“Not quite,” Lucy says. Her gaze shifts to the white house on the other side of the street when we hear the sound of high-pitched laughter. A group of girls walks down the front steps. They don’t look like they’re going to the street party on frat row. No, they look ready for a runway. There are about eight of them, and each one has a nearly-identical look: long wavy hair in various shades of blonde, stiletto heels that I’ve only seen people wear to prom back home, and minidresses. My jaw drops as they get closer. Every single one is thin with big boobs. There’s a little bit of height differentiation, but other than that, they look like they’re straight out of a beauty magazine. The coordination is startling.
A cloud of perfume follows them. I can’t seem to peel my eyes away, and one catches me staring. She takes in our group, then brightens.
“Eleanor!” she calls out, waving.
Ellie chirps weakly, “Hey, Felicity.”
So this is the notorious Felicity, Ellie’s roommate.
“We’re like sitting ducks,” Zora grumbles. The rest of Felicity’s group turn their heads in unison and I suck in a breath. They’re like robots. It’s freaking me out a little. When they switch direction from their side of the sidewalk to cross the street, I grab Lucy’s hand. “How do they do that?” I whisper-hiss.
“Do what?”
“Move in unison? It’s like they’re telepathic or something.”
Lucy giggles but doesn’t have a chance to respond before the group is standing in front of us. I feel like I’m watching a runway show, with the way they position themselves in a line and pose in casual stances. It’s almost as if they practiced beforehand.
“I’m so happy I ran into you! Were you looking for Sig Kap?”
Ellie shakes her head. “Oh, no, we were headed to the party.”
“This works perfectly though. I can give you a tour. The Sig Kap house is right here.” She gestures to the white building on the other side of the street. It’s freshly painted, with boxes of flowers along the rail of the front porch.
Ellie purses her lips. “Thanks Felicity, but I’m really not interested in joining a sorority.”
Felicity doesn’t show any reaction, but her eyes do move to the rest of us, settling on me. “You must be Jordan,” she says with a bright smile, and I nearly take a step back at the force of it. Wow, her teeth are so white I think they sparkle with the street lamp.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised she knows who I am, since I know about her. I’m about to respond, when I notice the attention of the runway models in front of me shift. They’re looking in the direction we came from, and while the casual stances remain intact, I sense restlessness.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I answer, but Felicity isn’t looking at me now either.
I glance at my friends, assuming we’re going to take our chance to bolt. All three of them are turned now, facing away from the crowded street and looking back down the sidewalk along with the sorority girls. Zora’s jaw drops and I follow her gaze.
Two tall guys are strolling down the sidewalk. They step under a street lamp and all the air swooshes out of my lungs. Looks like I’m getting my birthday wish after all.
Chapter Sixteen
Jordan
Beck and Griffin seem to notice all of us staring at them and they zero in on our group. Their strides don’t falter, and it’s then I’m reminded who they are. Nearly a dozen college women gawking and it doesn’t cause the slightest reaction. What was I thinking? My breathing becomes shallow as they get closer and I try to step behind Zora and Ellie. I need to fade into the shadows. The reality of what I’ve been doing is suddenly all too clear. I feel it like a punch in the gut, leaving me dizzy. I am so in over my head.
My eyes are on Beck as they get closer. I pull Lucy with me as I move off the sidewalk to make room for them to pass. Beck’s looking in our general direction, but his eyes glaze over before he takes in the party roaring a little farther down the street.
Zora and Ellie don’t move from the sidewalk, and Beck starts to step to the side around them, but Griffin stops. “Hey, I know you. You’re Jordan’s friends.” His head moves around them and I’m spotted.
Everyone’s staring at me now, but it’s Beck’s eyes I feel the hardest. I try to hide my discomfort, releasing my hand from Lucy’s for a dorky wave.
“Happy birthday,” Griff tells me with a big grin.
My throat tightens up but I manage to get out a, “Thanks.” I’m preparing for extreme awkwardness as I desperately try and fail not to look at Beck. But I’m saved, it seems, by Felicity and her group. The transition isn’t quite as fluid as when they approached us, but I watch as the group reconfigures themselves in a semi-circle around Beck and Griffin, blocking me and Lucy out. Zora and Ellie are too close and they somehow get swept up in the swarm.
I catch a breath of air when I lose eye contact with the guys. Lucy pats my shoulder. “Relax, he came here for you. And he’s got Beckett Steele with him. That will get some of the attention off him.”
I shake my head. “This was such a bad idea. I’m going to tell him I changed my mind.”
Lucy puts her hands on my shoulders, forcing me to face her. “Jordan, you aren’t the kind of girl to be intimidated by a few pretty sorority girls. Don’t change your mind because of them.”
I swallow and look into her eyes. She’s trying to be a friend. And I’m not letting her. �
��It’s not the sorority girls I’m intimidated by.”
Her brows furrow. “But you made it sound like things were easy with Griffin. Like you were even going to be friends with him and this kiss was just for fun, for practice.”
“That was all true. I’m not intimidated about the idea of kissing Griffin.” I do want the practice. If I can get it with a skateboarding icon who’s been upfront about how things are between us, it doesn’t get much better than that. Except for one itty bitty detail. “I didn’t mention that –”
“So, it’s your birthday. Happy birthday, Jordan.” Beck is suddenly there. Right here, beside me. Lucy’s arms drop from my shoulders.
“Beckett, this is my roommate Lucy, it’s her birthday too.”
Lucy puts her hand out and she explains she’s a year older than me as they shake. Felicity and her group float by us, waving goodbye with bigger and more genuine smiles than when they arrived. Griffin comes up between me and Beck and puts his arms around me in a hug. It’s a friend hug, I decide. Friends can hug like this.
“How’d you get them to leave so fast?” I nod toward the sorority girls, desperate to get the attention off of me.
“Oh, I got their numbers and said we’d call them later after we caught up with our friends.”
Zora groans behind us. “And now they think we’re friends with Beckett Steele and Griffin Perry. We’re never going to shake her loose now.” She glances at Ellie and shoots an annoyed glace at the guys.
“But we are friends,” Griffin returns. “Or, me and Jordan are,” he says, throwing an arm over my shoulder. “You haven’t met Beck.”
He starts to introduce everyone, getting reminders on my friends’ names, but when he gets to Lucy, she interrupts him. “I just met Beck, and I think Jordan and Beck are already friends.” My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. Lucy tilts her head as she looks at me, silently telling me it’s my turn to explain.