Ryan laughs. “Brian is one of my best friends.”
“I like Brian a lot, but not in that way. We’re just friends. We like hanging out together.” Blythe smiles a smile that says she wants to be more than just friends with Ryan.
“I’m not sure Brian feels the same way and I can’t do that to him, either.”
“Just answer me; did you enjoy it?” I wish I could be that confident.
Ryan gets really quiet and looks down. When he glances back up, he smiles a smile that says yes.
“I thought so.” Blythe stands up on her toes and kisses Ryan on the cheek. I am so caught up in listening that I accidentally hit one of my books on the locker door and it makes a loud clanging noise. Crap!
Ryan and Blythe turn in my direction, startled. I try to look like I just got there.
“Oh, hey, guys.” I fumble a little, I wish I was better at this acting thing.
“Hey, Ash!” they both say as they quickly put space between themselves.
“I’ve gotta get to the field.” Ryan looks at his phone to check the time. “Ash, I’ll meet you after practice.”
“Bye, Ryan, let’s continue this conversation later,” Blythe says low, but still loud enough for me to hear then smiles the same I-want-you smile at him as he walks away. “Bye, Ash!” she calls back to me.
I feel a little bad for eavesdropping on their conversation, but it was so full of information. I think Ryan might really like her, but he’s too good of a guy to hurt Gretchen or Brian.
Since I have to wait for Ryan to go home, I figure it’s the perfect excuse to go watch football practice and, since Simon is in the school band, Sid is finally easy to convince to go to the field. Luckily, this time Sid is in on the Sour Lollipops performance so that makes life much easier. No more Shane theories. I get to the bleachers first, or so I think until I spot Sid down at the chain link fence that separates the field from the bleachers. Simon is on the other side of the fence talking to her and she is laughing as if he has said the funniest thing she's ever heard.
"Mr. Clark, would you like to join us?" A voice rings out loudly through an electronic bullhorn from the side field where the band is waiting to start practice. Both Sid and Simon jump and I can see Sid's face turn red from here. Simon quickly joins the rest of the band as I wave to Sid and she starts walking up the bleachers toward me.
When she finally makes it up the bleachers, she sits next to me and buries her face in her hands. "I'm so embarrassed."
"I can see that."
"Very funny. I guess Todd and Shane are still at pep rally practice?" she asks with her face still buried.
I look out at the field where the varsity football players are on the other side running drills with no Todd in sight. The cheerleaders are right in front of us, unfortunately. At that moment, the band starts playing so loudly, Sid and I have to shout over them. They are practicing for the halftime show at the district championship game against our biggest rivals.
"Isn't Simon so cute with his big trombone?" It’s not really a question she wants me to answer.
"You really like him, don’t you?"
"I do. I like that he's so honest. I was afraid when we got to school it would be a different Simon from the dance, but it wasn't. He is exactly the same. He even asked if he could hold my hand on the way to the field. Oh yeah, sorry, I didn't wait for you, Ash. Simon wanted me to walk over here with him and he was so cute and shy when he asked if he could hold my hand that I couldn't say no."
"It's okay. You didn't miss much. Walking over with Simon is a much better offer." I think of telling her about the Ryan, Blythe conversation I’ve overheard because I know Sid will die since it proves all the rumors are true. Yet I can’t do that to Ryan. I know he doesn’t want to talk about it, so I’m not going to make it any worse for him, even if it is Sid. At the end of the day, Ryan is my brother and, as much as he drives me crazy, he's always been there for me.
"Hey, what do you think of Rebecca?" Sid asks. It’s a completely unexpected question and I’m not sure how I should play this one; truthful or supportive?
"Why?" I ask, going with neither.
"Well, since her and Todd are official now I wanted to see what you thought of her."
"Um, I don't really know her that well." I try to think about my opinion of her a few weeks ago before it became clouded by my crush on Todd. "I think she's a little pushy and not the nicest person."
Sid looks at me surprised "Yeah?" She clearly wants me to elaborate. "She's pretty tight with Gretchen, right?"
"Yes and I’m not sure who's worse."
Sid laughs. "Stop it. You are so bad!"
It makes it even worse that Todd and RTS are walking onto the field holding hands at this very moment. I guess rehearsals are over. Now Gretch and RTS are right in our line of sight. RTS is sort of pretty, I guess, in an overbearing obnoxious kind of way. She has mousy brown hair and light brown eyes – they are almost the exact same color as her hair. She’s also really petite so she always goes the highest when they toss the girls up and she is always the top of the pyramid. Watching them practice their basket tosses and pyramids is perfect inspiration for my dislike.
"Do you think Todd really likes her?" I find myself hoping maybe Sid has more insider scoop.
"I'm not sure. He's so hard to read. I know they’re good friends and have been spending more time together with the whole Sour Lollipops thing."
"She just doesn't seem like his type. You know, the whole superficial cheerleader thing. I mean, from what I've seen, she seems to always push herself on him." I’m kind of getting carried away and I hope the fact that I care more than I’m letting on isn’t super obvious.
Sid makes a sound like she is seriously considering it. She is so caught up in her own bliss, I think she is oblivious to my infatuation with her brother and how he feels about RTS. "Yeah, she's never really been nice...”
We both look over at RTS and Gretch; they are giggling and pointing in the direction of the football players across the field. RTS waves to Todd and he smiles and waves back. It’s like a dagger through my heart.
"She seems happy," Sid says.
"Yeah, who wouldn't be?" I don’t realize what I’ve said until I look over and see Sid's questioning glare. "Um, I just mean, Todd is such a good guy." I try to cover my mega slip, though I’m not sure that it’s worked.
Just then, the football players take a water break and they all come running up to the sidelines where the water bottles are lined up by the fence right next to the cheerleaders. I'm not sure which one the guys are more excited to see. They are all really sweaty and Ryan's hair looks like he just got out of the shower. He comes up to Gretchen, grabs her hand and kisses the back of her neck from behind while Todd comes up to RTS, but thankfully, he is a lot less public with his affection. Brian is surrounded by at least four different cheerleaders, so I guess the rumors haven’t damaged his social status. Basically the girls are all grateful Brian and Blythe haven’t become an official couple.
As we sit there watching the water break drama, Shane comes up the bleachers toward us. "Shane!" we both shout together.
"How was rehearsal?" I ask, Shane knows what I really want to know, though.
"Good." From behind Sid, he mouths, "I'll tell you later.”
"Who are we watching today?" Shane questions, half joking.
I smile at him as if to say, you’re a jerk. "Well, Sid came for Simon and his big trombone." Shane starts laughing.
"Very funny, you two. Jealously will get you nowhere." Sid tries to hold back her laugh; she still knows a good joke when she hears one.
"Look who's joining the party," Shane says, gesturing over toward the field where Blythe is walking up to the fence.
"This just got a whole lot better." Sid sits up a little straighter.
Brian goes over to the fence to talk to her, which makes me instantly wish we were close enough to hear what they’re saying. Guess we'll just have to go with body language, and
from reading theirs, it looks like there is some definite tension.
"So glad I made it over here in time to see this!" Shane says. “Or you two would be lost.” Shane is right, he's always the one to play translator because he's a pretty good lip reader. "Okay, I think Blythe just said she’s sorry for all the crazy rumors today. Oh, it looks like she's asking if they can talk after practice." Brian grabs her hand.
"Guess that's a yes," Sid interjects.
Then Brian leans over the fence and whispers something in her ear.
"Brian is going in for the big move to make his fan club jealous." Shane gestures toward the group of cheerleaders Brian had just been talking to who all share the same scowl on their faces.
"Hey, guys, check out Gretchen," I say, noticing she looks like she is about to attack Blythe. "She really doesn't try to hide her true feelings."
"Wow, if looks could kill," Shane agrees.
Brian lingers a little longer than he needs to by Blythe’s ear, and it looks like it is all for show. Let's give them all something to talk about Brian says; we don’t need a lip reader for that one.
Blythe climbs up on the fence and kisses him; not just a quick I'll-see-you-later kiss, but a full on kiss that says he is mine to whoever is watching.
"Well, no explanation is needed for that one," Shane says ending his play-by-play.
I wonder what she is doing. I really like Blythe, but I don't like people playing my brother and his friends against each other. I look over at Ryan who is still holding hands with Gretchen, but he is definitely interested in what is happening over at the fence with Blythe and Brian. Who wouldn’t be when she just made it clear at The Quad that she isn’t really interested in Brian and she was pushing herself on Ryan. Is she trying to make Ryan jealous? That's really the only logical explanation after over-hearing their last conversation and I’m sure Ryan is thinking the same thing.
"Where do you think they'll have their talk? I would love to hear what they say," I ask Shane and Sid.
"Looks like someone else is interested, too," Shane says, referring to Gretchen. I look over and realize pretty much everyone is staring. Guess Shane is right, we aren't the only ones.
A loud whistle cuts through the air and Coach yells at Brian. "Johnson, get your head back in the game. That's ten laps for everyone. Let's go. Start running, NOW!" The entire team starts shouting at Brian and moaning to their coach as they all go into slow jog mode to start their first lap around the field. Todd playfully pushes Brian’s head down as he passes them to start his laps.
"Guess that backfired," I say, kind of happy to see their conversation interrupted. Blythe is making enemies all over the place. She seems to really love causing problems and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I also have to come to terms with the fact that we aren’t going to get to hear Blythe and Brian's conversation and I know exactly how I feel about that, I hate it!
Watching Todd during the rest of practice definitely helps brighten my mood, though. He really looks amazing in his jersey, pads and tight football pants. His hair falls perfectly whether he is kicking, running or just standing there, smiling his flawlessly crooked smile. Something about the perspiration makes his blue eyes glisten even more. Poor Sid, she must hate that Todd has the most beautiful blue eyes and she has brown. Well, I'm right there with her in the brown eyes department, but at least Ryan has brown, too. That makes it a little easier to swallow since he has everything else.
The one thing I notice at practice—other than Todd—is Brian and Ryan seem a little off. They are usually so in sync, but they both seem like they are distracted, almost angry. They always fight, but usually when they play all is forgotten as soon as they hit the field. I guess I've watched them play together for so long that I notice right away when something is off, but no one else seems to notice.
That night after practice, Brian calls and asks Ryan if he can come over. Things just got a whole lot brighter with that news because maybe I will get to hear Brian's side of the Blythe, Brian conversation after all. One thing Ryan doesn’t know is that I can hear pretty much everything he says in his room thanks to the placement of the air vent. Although, I've also made a mental note that Ryan can probably hear me, too.
When Brian gets to the house, he helps himself to a drink from the fridge and then talks about school and the big game with my parents for a bit. Brian is the best schmoozer when it comes to my parents; they love him. Our parents have been great friends for years. They spent pretty much every weekend together at sports events when Ryan was younger. So, it’s more like Brian is family and not a guest at this point. After he finishes talking with them, they both head up to Ryan's room. This is completely normal so my parents are oblivious that anything is wrong, but I know better. I saw them at practice today.
"I'm gonna go do my homework in my room." I’ve waited a few minutes to follow them so it’s not completely obvious and I know this is an excuse my parents can’t possibly argue with. On my way upstairs, I can barely contain my excitement to hear what Brian has to say, when my phone buzzes with a text from Shane.
Can u talk?
Not now will text u later
I really want to hear if Shane has any new information on the Todd, RTS situation, but now is not the time. I don’t want to miss anything. I make it to my room and close the door because:
1.) I've learned the acoustics in Ryan's room work better with my door closed.
2.) Just in case they come out of Ryan’s room I don’t want to seem too obvious.
Luckily the vent is right above my bed, so I simply lie on my bed and wait. They are talking low, but I can pretty much make out everything and from the sounds of it I haven’t missed much of their conversation, thankfully.
"We were off in practice today," Brian says. The game is always the most important thing to him. He has a few scouts already interested and some colleges are coming to the district championship game to see him play in person.
"I know. Today was a rough day." Ryan has just as much riding on this game. A lot of schools are approaching him, too, and some are even approaching them both as a package deal.
"Blythe is cool and all, but let's not let her blow this for us," Brian says.
"It's not her. It's a combination of everything; the rumors, Gretchen, the big game… everything," Ryan responds.
"Come on, you’re unshakable, what’s going on?" Brian questions.
"Do you like Blythe?" Ryan shoots back at Brian, not really answering his question. He isn’t beating around the bush.
"I don't know. She's interesting. Different than the rest of the girls here."
"That's what I thought," Ryan sounds disappointed. "Well, just know there is nothing between us. She's cool, but I'm with Gretchen."
"Who kissed who at Olives?" Brian asks.
There is silence. Did he say something and I can’t hear it? I stand up on my bed to get closer to the vent.
"I need to know who started it," Brian says after a long pause. Okay, at least I know Ryan just isn't responding. "It was her, wasn't it?" Brian is getting angrier as he pieces together that Ryan's silence is as good as a yes.
"There is nothing between us," Ryan repeats.
"I knew it, she kissed you and you pushed her away." I don’t even need the vent to hear that one because Brian is shouting now.
"Keep your voice down," Ryan urges; he doesn’t want to alert my parents there could be a potential problem upstairs. "It’s true. She kissed me at Olives; we were talking and it came out of nowhere. It was a mistake and she knows that," Ryan says, trying to justify.
"Did she say anything else?" Brian questions, interested.
There is silence and then Ryan finally answers, "No. Did you talk to her? What did she say to you?"
"Same. She said it was a mistake. She wants me to give her another chance to prove it was a mistake." Bam. There it is, Ryan knows it and so do I because I overheard their conversation today. Blythe is lying to someone, but who? My guess is Brian, si
nce Ryan made it clear he isn’t interested. "I don't know. I mean, I like making out with her." I can hear the shrug in Brian’s voice.
"She is a good kisser," Ryan says, laughing. "What? Too soon?"
"Not funny," Brian says, still sounding serious.
"Wow, you like her, don't you?" Ryan asks in all seriousness.
"I think I do. I like that she's a challenge." What's with these boys; they can never seem to give you a straight answer. "But either way, let's not let this get in the way of the big game next week."
"I can't believe the season is almost over," Ryan says.
"And then we're seniors, baby!" Brian shouts. "Alright, I better get home. We're good?"
"Yeah, we’re good. See you tomorrow," Ryan says. I hear his door open and Brian walking down the stairs.
Not long after, I hear a loud buzzing noise. Shane! I almost forgot. I grab my phone and there are three more texts from him.
Ash can u talk now?
Now?
ASHLEY?????!
Wow, he must have good info.
Sorry Shane! I'm back.
Within seconds Shane types back. It's about time!
Sorry! What's up?
Todd news. Couldn't tell u at practice
What?
Todd asked me how long we've been dating
Huh?
Me and you. Todd asked me: how long have u and Ashley been dating?
WHAT?@#*@+#
He saw us kissing at the dance and he thinks we're dating
I scream and drop the phone. Who else saw us? Todd thinks I'm dating Shane????
Ashley? Get up off the floor.
LOL sorry dropped the phone. I'm calling u.
I cannot believe this is happening! Todd is with RTS and now he thinks I'm with Shane! Shane! He doesn't even like girls. It rings twice and I’m beginning to wonder why it’s taking him so long to pick up when, at last, he does.
"Finally!"
"Sorry, I couldn't find the phone. Why didn't you call my cell? And why are you calling me from your house phone?"
Accidental Crush Page 10