by Kira Blakely
I was surprised. Did he really just say he approved of my idea?
“Daddy, you’re kidding, right? Surely, you’re not seriously considering her idea?” Ariana asked.
My father looked calmly at her. “Why not? It’s not like you had any other suggestions,” he said softly, and Ariana looked like she had just been slapped.
We finished the dinner in absolute silence. I hastily made my exit from the room as soon as I could, but I felt someone grab my arm and pull me to the side. I turned to see Ariana, red-faced and breathing heavily in anger.
“What was that stunt you pulled back there? Are you trying to mess with me, huh? Do you think you’re so much better than me?” she snarled.
I scoffed in disbelief and wrenched my arm away from her grasp. “Excuse me, Ariana, but between us, you’re the one who’s competing with me, not the other way around. Besides, why are you so infuriated? Is it because you realized that I’m actually better than you at something?”
Her jaw clenched as I spoke, and I knew I’d finally hit a nerve.
“Listen, Ariana. I’m not competing with you, so if you don’t mind, can you stop trying to prove that you’re better? You’re only showing me just how pathetic you are,” I said.
I turned and walked away from her, feeling both exhausted yet grimly satisfied that I’d finally told her off. Despite that, I still felt slightly disappointed because what I had done would surely drive another wedge between us, but what was done was done.
I just had to wait and see what would happen.
Chapter Ten
Charlie
Something strange just happened. I think my sister was abducted by aliens and replaced with this malfunctioning carbon copy. That’s the only explanation as to why her treatment and attitude toward me had just done a complete one-eighty.
“You want me to do what with you?” I asked, still in disbelief that she’d approached me first and without her arsenal of insults at the ready.
“I’d like to invite you to come with me and my friends. We’re going shopping,” she said.
I blinked rapidly, still not taking her word for it. “What’s the catch?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’m hurt, Charlie. Can’t I ask my older sister for a girl’s night out? Come on, it’ll be fun!” she said, smiling brightly.
I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to see her game, but in the end I shrugged and accepted her invitation. Maybe she was being like this because she finally realized that we shouldn’t be treating each other as adversaries. I thought that this could be a good time for us to bond and get to know each other.
She introduced me to her friends and told me that we were going to shop for dresses to wear to my introduction party. Though I wasn’t really excited about the plan, I went along with it. I mean, I didn’t have anything to wear, so it would be nice to get some input from Ariana and her friends.
We arrived at a small boutique that was exclusively for members, and we were the only ones inside that day because, apparently, you had to make an appointment first. They had a quaint little room where you could sit, eat cake, and drink wine. There was also a round, circular stand where you stood so they could take measurements and stuff. Ariana’s friends went to sit on the couches, and I was about to follow suit when Ariana stopped me.
“Actually, my mother already chose a few dresses for both of us, so why don’t you try them on for size?” Ariana suggested.
“Hmm, I don’t mind, but are you sure you don’t want to go first?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “I’m all right. It’s not a big deal for me. Besides, a couple of those gowns needed to be refitted for you, and I’m sure it’s going to take a while. Now go, shoo!” she said, pushing me toward the fitting rooms.
The attendant showed me the half-made gowns that I had to choose from. I smiled and took one of them, humming. The attendant left me to change, and I looked around, not finding her anywhere. I decided to go back to the room so I could show Ariana the gown when I heard her and her friends laughing. I suddenly felt apprehensive and strained my ears to listen to their conversation.
“Now, now, Ari. Your goody two-shoes act is getting old. You’re really not planning on getting along with that girl, are you?” one of her friends asked.
“Of course, not!” Ariana declared, and I felt a sharp sting in my heart at her reply. “I’ve been the princess in our family for so long. I’m not about to share my title with some commoner,” she said haughtily, making her friends laugh.
“Too true. I mean, did you see how muddy her shoes were?” one of them said.
“And what is up with the tomboy get-up? Please… she looks like a delivery boy,” said the other.
“She can try all she wants to fit into our family, but a maid’s daughter will always be a maid’s daughter,” Ariana said darkly. “Someone like her will never fit in with people like us. She should go back to the outside world, where she belongs.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t continue to listen to all the hurtful things she thought about me. I didn’t want to go back there. I just wanted out. I wanted to leave, so I turned around and ran out of there.
***
Sean
I still couldn’t get over what had happened last night. I never got to play, and when the game was over, none of my teammates wanted to talk to me. Parker was the only one who even remotely acknowledged my existence, but the only thing he did was look at me like he wanted to give me a gruesome death. Even Evan was awkward when I approached him.
“Don’t tell me you’re pissed off at me, too,” I said, and he scratched the back of his head, unable to look me in the eye.
“Well, I’m not part of the team, so I can’t exactly get mad. But you were out of line with what you said during the interview,” he replied.
“I don’t believe this! I was just telling the truth!”
“Sure, you’re scoring all the touchdowns. But all of that wouldn’t have been possible if Parker hadn’t thrown it your way perfectly, or if Daniels and Joe didn’t watch your back and block every player chasing after you,” Evan explained.
I didn’t have a comeback for that, and he sighed and patted me on the shoulder.
“You’re not alone in this, Sean. You’re on a team. It’s about time you played alongside them.”
I had been thinking about what he’d said since then, and I couldn’t take the silence of my apartment, so I went out for a drive. I didn’t have anywhere I wanted to go, but driving with no destination usually calmed me down.
I turned a corner, and my brows furrowed as I spotted something weird on the sidewalk.
A girl wearing a poufy-as-fuck gown walked miserably down the sidewalk. I got curious, so I drove closer and slowed my truck down. My eyebrows shot way up as I realized who it was. I rolled my windows down and called out.
“Hey, Charlie!”
She looked up at me, so startled and cute that I couldn’t help but grin. She blinked twice and tilted her head, looking confused.
“Sean?” she asked, like she couldn’t believe it was actually me in front of her. I chuckled at her reaction.
“Who else? What are you doing dressed up like that?” I asked.
Her eyes widened and she looked down, almost like she didn’t realize what she was wearing, and I immediately felt bothered. What could have happened to her to make her forget something like that?
“Get in,” I couldn’t help myself from saying. I could hear my inner monologue going, ‘Oh really, genius? And then what? Where exactly are you gonna go?’ and I gritted my teeth.
I’ll take her anywhere she wants, as long as she feels better afterward.
“Why would I do that?” she asked, looking at me apprehensively. Jesus, what did she think I was, a serial killer?
“Look, I can’t help it, all right? You’re walking down an empty street, wearing a big ass gown, looking like you’re about to cry. You can’t expect me to leave you alone after that, can you?”
I asked her.
She clenched her jaw and picked up her skirt to continue walking. I gritted my teeth and stepped on the gas, keeping pace with her.
“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself,” she said.
I shook my head. “No can do, babe. I’m a fucking gentleman. I can’t abandon a beautiful woman walking all alone and looking like she’s about to cry,” I said.
She crinkled her nose as she looked at me with a ridiculous expression, like she was half-annoyed and half-skeptical. “I told you, I’m fine. What? You’re going to trail after me like this the whole way?”
“If that’s what it takes,” I admitted, and she laughed in disbelief. I peeked at the sky and noticed that the clouds were getting heavy and gray. Knowing she wasn’t going to budge like this, I tried a different approach. “Look, Charlie. It looks like it’s gonna rain. Your dress looks like it’s expensive. You don’t want to damage that, do you?”
Her face paled as she thought about what I said.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing and continued, “I highly doubt you’ll be able to just stick that in the washing machine if it gets caked with mud. Are you sure you don’t want to get inside?”
She bit her lip and gave up, trudging toward the passenger side of my truck and getting inside.
“Now, was that so hard?” I asked.
“Shut up and drive,” she snapped. I chuckled but did as I was told.
We spent a few minutes in silence, and I sneaked glances at her from time to time, catching her staring off into space. Something was really bothering her, and I couldn’t resist.
“Charlie, what happened to you?” I asked softly. She didn’t say anything as she turned her head and stared at me. I was starting to think that she wasn’t going to tell me anything when she finally spoke.
“Have you ever worked so hard to fit in somewhere? And when you were starting to think that everything was going well, you realize that it isn’t?”
I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, she didn’t wait for me to answer and continued.
“I’ve been trying to belong in a world I wasn’t allowed to be in until recently. At first, I was just repaying the favor asked of me, but over time I think I missed being a part of a family so much since my mother died that I was willing to change everything about myself so they’d take me in.” She sighed and looked down at her hands as she fiddled with a stray thread from her skirt.
“That’s bullshit,” I said, and she looked at me in surprise. “You shouldn’t try to change yourself just so other people approve of you, especially if it’s family. Families stick together no matter what, even if you’re the worst human being on the planet. That’s just how it works!”
I looked at her for a moment before focusing on the road again. She was looking at me like I was a whole other person, and for the life of me, I felt myself blushing. What the fuck am I, a little girl? I shook my head and continued my tirade.
“If they can’t love you for who you really are, then you shouldn’t stick around with them. It’s their loss if they can’t see how great you are,” I said.
There were a few minutes of silence between us again, and then I heard her snort. I looked at her in disbelief, and her shoulders shook as she covered her mouth with her hands, trying to control herself from laughing out loud.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “What the fuck is so funny?” I asked, annoyed.
I can’t believe the first time I ever dish out advice to a girl, she fucking laughs at me. What the hell? That was some grade-A shit I gave out, not a punch line!
“Jesus, see if I tell you anything again,” I grumbled.
“No, no. I’m sorry,” she said, but saying that while wiping a tear from her eye as she continued to laugh didn’t sound like a sincere apology. “It’s just that…” she said, trailing off.
“Just what?” I grunted.
“I just didn’t expect those words to come from you,” she admitted.
“Hey, I may be a jock, but I’ve got a well-oiled brain, you know,” I cried, and she smiled wider.
“I know, I’m sorry again for laughing.” Her smile shrunk into a little grin as she stared off into nothing. “But thank you. What you said made a lot of sense.”
I scoffed once more. “Of course, I do,” I said confidently.
She shook her head at me. “Arrogant, are we? Tsk-tsk,” she tutted. “No wonder your teammates hate you.”
I winced. “You… you saw that?”
“Of course, I did. I’ve been following the Giants ever since Parker got drafted,” she revealed, and my heart sank. She’s watching because of Parker?
“You like Parker?” I asked. I trapped myself with that question, like I intentionally sliced myself in half. A part of me wanted to know if she liked him that way and if I had a chance or not. And then there was a part of me that didn’t want to know – the part that wanted to believe that I had a chance, regardless.
She nodded, and I closed my eyes as I felt my chest start to ache. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, so, of course, I like him. He’s the greatest friend I’ve ever had.”
My eyes snapped open at her answer, and the pain in my chest suddenly vanished, replaced with the lightest feeling I’ve ever experienced. I was so… relieved. Parker was in the friend zone. Thank you, God.
“But back to the topic, you should really work on taking your ego down a notch, Sean,” she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, completely baffled, and she sighed. “You’re never going to get along with your team if you don’t change how you treat them. Not everything is about you.”
I chuckled as I considered the things she said, and she looked offended.
“I just find it funny how we both ended up giving each other advice, and the advice we gave is the opposite of the other,” I said, and she tilted her head as she thought about it as well. “I’m telling you not to change, and you’re telling me I have to. Isn’t it hilarious?” I asked, and she giggled, the sound playing on repeat in my ears.
“Yeah. I guess it takes another person to act as your reflection to realize what you should’ve been doing all along, huh?” she said.
We smiled at each other before quickly looking away in embarrassment. The sun was starting to set, and I coughed to cover up the sound of my stomach grumbling.
“So, Charlie. Can you give me your address now so I can take you home? Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is the third time we’ve passed this street, and I really don’t want to circle this block again,” I joked, and she laughed.
“Fine. I’ll show you where to go,” she said, and I smiled.
I realized this was the third time we’d spoken to each other, but the first where we’d had a normal conversation. Actually, it was the first time I’d ever talked to a girl just for the sake of talking to her.
Chapter Eleven
Charlie
Sean took me all the way to the mansion, and I never expected to feel so close to someone that quickly. The whole ride had zero awkwardness, and Sean was so carefree and so easy to talk to that it wasn’t hard at all to be myself.
I got the feeling that he was trying to distract me from my problem, and for that I was grateful, because I knew he was going through something as well, and yet here he was, trying to cheer me up.
It made me feel warm inside, and I hoped that my heart wasn’t beating as loud as I thought it was, lest he hear it. I felt that my long-time crush for him was growing into something much deeper and more meaningful now that I was finally getting to know him personally.
I’d lied to him about only watching football because of Parker. Sure, it may have started that way, but ever since I saw him play, I’d been following both of their careers like a hawk.
Parker was the reason I started, but it was Sean who became my reason to stay.
We reached the gate, and I felt disappointed that this little bubble that we’d put ourselves into was nearing its end. He stopped
the car but didn’t do anything else, and a bit of hope burst inside me that maybe he didn’t want this moment to end either. But alas…
I sighed and smiled sadly at him, and he stared at me.
“Thanks for this,” I said, waving my hand around.
He nodded, unbuckled his seat belt, and got out of the truck. I watched him jog to the other side and open the door for me. He held out his hand, and I smiled and took it, taking a step out of his truck.
My clumsy personality decided to make its appearance as I stepped on the ground wrong, resulting in the stiletto of my shoe snapping off and me losing my balance. I closed my eyes as I waited for my face to make its impact on the ground, but instead his two strong hands grabbed me by my arms and stopped my descent. I placed my hands on his chest to support me as he held me upright, removing his hands from my arms and placing them on my hips.
I raised my head so I could thank him properly, and I was shocked that we were so close to each other. His hold on me tightened as we continued to stare into each other’s eyes, and slowly, he lowered his face, his lips getting closer and closer to mine. I closed my eyes, feeling my heart beat loudly, and I clung tighter to his shirt, rising on the tips of my toes.
I yelped as I was yanked backward and out of Sean’s arms. I spun around and hit someone’s chest, and my eyes widened as I stared at Parker’s grim face.
“Parker, what?” I stuttered.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes glaring at Sean suspiciously. I turned to look at Sean, who had one eyebrow raised as he stared back at Parker.
“Parker, calm down. Sean just took me home,” I answered, pushing against him lightly. He tightened his arm around me for a moment before letting me go, not taking his eyes off Sean.
I looked back and forth between them, waiting for them to end this testosterone-filled, pseudo-staring contest to prove which one was the alpha male before sighing at the ridiculousness. I shook my head.