The Trouble with Dating Sue (Grover Beach Team #6) (24 page)

And all the happiness evaporated.

I AVOIDED MY brother as much as possible the entire week. Every time I saw him anywhere in the house, the urge to physically hurt him—like really,
really
hurt him—was hard to resist. It was far too soon to talk to him.

Every morning, he asked me if I wanted a ride to school, and each time I told him, “Fuck off.” One would think he was clever enough to get the hint at some point, but he was as persistent as a bee buzzing around a honey pot.

Wednesday evening, I was watching some crap on TV in the living room. And by crap, I mean the nerd show that I had somehow gotten addicted to. It was close to nine when Ethan showed up in the doorway, hands tucked in his pockets and lips puckered like he was contemplating what to say.

God,
no
! What was coming now?

Ethan cleared his throat. “Hey, look. I don’t know what happened last weekend, or whether it’s something that
I
did, or if it’s
Sue
that pissed you off, but…”

Deliberately, I moved my gaze away from him, back to the screen.

“Shit, Chris, what’s your damn problem?”

Teeth clamped together, I scowled at him again in the flickering light of the TV.

A sigh left him, and he rolled his eyes, throwing his hands in the air. “Yeah, yeah, I know.
Fuck off, Ethan
.” He spun on his heel and left the room, leaving me to my much-desired solitude.

As the week progressed, my mood didn’t exactly improve. One reason for that could’ve been because I reread every single text Susan and I exchanged each night before bed. Yep, all of them were still saved on my phone. Of course, that was pathetic, but thoughts of Sue just wouldn’t go away. Who could have foreseen that a shy nerd girl with a Harry Potter shirt would be my downfall one day? Definitely not me.

With my hunger on hiatus, coffee as thick as tar was all I had for breakfast on Friday morning. As I rose from the table and carried my mug to the sink, my pants slid lower on my hips. I reached to my back and tugged up the waist. Whoa, being depressed was starting to show. My favorite jeans, which usually fit perfectly, now hung loosely on me. Without a belt, the damn things wouldn’t stay in place. Had I really lost that much weight since last weekend? Then again, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d finished a full meal.

Because Ethan had soccer practice right after school, he didn’t offer me a ride for a change. Mom needed her car all day, so my only alternative was my bike. I secured it near the parking lot behind the school building and went inside with my head hanging low. By now, I knew exactly where to find Susan in the morning, and I really didn’t want to see her. Having to sit through lunch in the same room and not being able to walk over to her was hard enough. I didn’t need to bump into her at every corner of the hallway, too.

The sound of heels clacking alongside made me aware that a girl had fallen into step with me. I lifted my head and mumbled, “Hey, Becks,” then looked around her in search of my friend. “Where’s Tyler?” It was rare to find either of them roaming the halls alone between classes.

“Spilled juice on his shirt. He’s changing into his jersey.” She pointed her thumb over her shoulder to the restrooms behind us. I stopped, and she did, too. Her gaze rested on my face, her eyes wide and inquisitive. Her curiosity couldn’t be about Lauren; she already knew that I’d paid her friend a visit after school on Monday, and she certainly knew what we’d talked about, too. But when Becky started biting her lip, there was no doubt she was about to grill me about something else.

“What?” I tried to ease her into the conversation, but it came out as a grumble.

“I was wondering…” Rebecca began wryly. “You look quite miserable. Is everything okay with you?”

I studied her for a second. Had she noticed my weight loss, or were there actually worry lines on my face now? “I’m good,” I said a bit too harshly.

Immediately, she lowered her gaze and shoved her long, blond hair back over her shoulder. “Right. It’s none of my business.” Her voice loaded with regret, she flushed an embarrassed pink and tipped backward against the wall next to the restroom. I waited with her.

“Listen,” I said, bumping my shoulder against hers. “I didn’t mean to grunt at you. I just had a really tough week is all.”

Her eyes switched to mine. “We noticed.” Lifting my brows in response, I curled my lips, and Becky shrugged. “Tyler said I’m not supposed to talk to you about it, but Tyler’s not here, so… It’s about that girl from the soccer table, right?”

Tucking my hands into my pockets, I turned toward her and leaned one shoulder against the wall. “T-Rex told you not to talk to me?”

“Not about that, yeah. He thinks I’ve been pushing you enough with Lauren and should keep my nose out of your love life.” She grinned and rolled her eyes. “Like that would ever work.”

A laugh escaped me. After enduring her nonstop requests to go on a double date, I could see that was true. “Have any advice for me?” I asked, more to make conversation than for my benefit.

“Umm…” She pressed her lips together for a moment. “Actually, I’m not quite sure what to tell you, because I don’t know the whole situation. Tyler said you gave up chasing her before anything happened between you and…what’s her name?”

“Susan.”

“Right. He said that Susan wasn’t interested in you. But I don’t buy it.”

“You don’t believe she isn’t interested?”

“I don’t believe that nothing happened between the two of you.”

A hard lump clogged my throat. “What makes you think that?”

Becky shrugged one shoulder again and let her gaze skate from one student to the other as they passed us in a hurry to get to their first classes. Then she tilted her head to me. “The way she stares at you when you’re not looking.”

A sizzling shiver zoomed through me. “She does that?”

“Yep. A lot. At lunch.” A knowing smile on her lips verified her words. “But it’s not like she’s admiring you from a distance. There’s something in her eyes…more like wonder.” She paused to lick her lip and gave me a shrewd look. “I think you kissed her.”

I almost choked on the spit in my mouth. When the hell did she figure that out? And why hadn’t she told anyone? She could have saved a few people some good money. Then again, she had no proof. “You can’t know that.”

“You’re right. I didn’t…” Her grin spread wider. “Until now.”

Shocked, my jaw dropped. “What?”

“Chris!” Fisting her hands in frustration, she cut an exasperated glance to the ceiling. “I don’t have to work for the FBI to know a little about body language.”

I let out a breath but didn’t exactly know what to say to that.

“What I don’t get,” she added, “is why you gave up so easily when you’re so obviously in love with her.”

Folding my arms over my chest, I stared at Becks for a long moment. Finally, a sigh escaped me, and I told her why. “She’s with Ethan now.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Your brother?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“No, what?”

“No, she’s not.”

“With my brother?”

“Yes.”

“Yes…what,
no
? Becky, I lost you.”

While I scrunched my face, Becks erupted in a fit of giggles. She brushed her hand down my upper arm and explained, “Susan is single. She’s not with Ethan. They’re just friends.”

“And you know that how?”

“She’s not acting like they’re together,” she informed me, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. “They have fun. But they never touch like couples do. Believe me, she’s not interested in your brother.”

“But she slept with him. How does that fit into your brilliant body language analytics, Miss Evers?”

“She did?”

“Yes,” I growled.

“Wow, that’s tough.” Her voice lowered dramatically, her next words merely a stunned breath as her eyes narrowed in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Chris.”

Tyler came out of the restroom at that moment, wearing his white, sleeveless Dunkin’ Sharks jersey. He slung an arm around his girlfriend and greeted me with a cheerful, “Morning, dude.”

I said “hi” but, at the same time, cut Becks a warning look to make sure our confidential conversation was now over. She pressed her lips together, breathing deeply through her nose.

During first period, all I could think of was Becky’s statement that Ethan and Sue weren’t a couple. She was right—they didn’t touch. At least not when I peered over at them during lunch breaks. So how did they land in bed together after she kissed me? Was she trying to prove something to me? That our kiss meant nothing at all?

On the other hand, Becks had said something else this morning that badgered me all through history, trig, and gym. Sue apparently stared at me when I wasn’t looking her way; the same thing I did with her. She wouldn’t do that if she was completely uninterested, would she? So what weird game was she playing? What did she want?

Because I knew exactly what I wanted.

Her
.

And yet, her betrayal still stung. It was as if I’d only just watched them come out of Ethan’s room this morning instead of a week ago. She had no idea what kind of hell she’d put me through.

It was that exact thought that was racing through me when I saw her rounding the corner between third and fourth periods. Her honey-colored ponytail hung drearily over her right shoulder, like she’d forgotten to pump it up with her magical spray of cheerfulness. Wearing tight white jeans and a soft pink sweatshirt—the same one she wore when I’d found her at the entrance to the soccer field last week—she looked like a lost unicorn, completely in the wrong place. Her gaze pasted to the floor in front of her, she didn’t notice much of what was going on around her. My entire body started to quiver with longing at the mere sight of her. But also with anger.

She needed to know—feel exactly what I felt. If Becky was right and Sue still had feelings for me—which I could hardly believe after she slept with my brother—then I knew a surefire way of finding out.

In a rush of determination, I reached for Becky’s hand and shot Tyler a stern glance. “Can I borrow your girl for a moment?” Startled, he nodded, and I pulled Rebecca away from our group by the wall before he could change his mind.

Becky stumbled along with me. “Chris! What—”

“Shush! I’ll explain everything later. Now, just come with me and don’t freak out, okay? Please.” As I laced my fingers through hers, she gaped at me with huge eyes but caved at my pleading look and walked with me.

The next moment, we blocked Susan Miller’s way in the hall. She knocked straight into my chest. A loud “oof” burst from her lungs as she bounced back.

“Whoops,” I said in a sickly innocent voice and waited for her to look up at me. When she did, I could almost feel the shiver of shock racing through her as her eyes widened. Didn’t expect to run into me, did she?

Quickly regaining her composure, she cleared her throat. “Hi.” I didn’t return the greeting but gave her a hard glare. “Sorry,” she added then and dropped her eyes, breaking free from our locked gazes.

Her chest quivered with a sharp intake of air. I knew exactly what she was staring at now. My fingers intertwined with Rebecca’s. I squeezed her hand a little harder to give Sue the right signals.
Yep, baby, I found another girl. You’re not the only one who can play this game.

I sneered inwardly, but the next instant, Susan lifted her gaze back to my face, and my chest tightened at the hurt in her eyes. Her throat moved. That she was shocked beyond words said a lot. Her face had paled. Dammit, was that too much?

Suddenly, I was aching for the two of us. But I couldn’t show her that. Not here. Not now. Not after she’d turned her back on me and run to my brother.

“Anything wrong?” I snapped with more hostility in my tone than I actually meant. Rebecca’s burning gaze bored a hole into the side of my head, but she played her part well and kept silent.

Reluctantly, Susan shook her head. Her beautiful green eyes misted under the thatch of too-long bangs, and her mouth dropped slightly open in horror. More than anything, I wanted to let go of Becks, clear up the situation, and pull Sue into my arms. But I didn’t. Instead, I waited for her to step aside, then walked past her, dragging a baffled Becky along with me.

My plan had worked. I could be proud of myself.

“Are you completely insane?” Becky hissed under her breath as we rounded the corner and the show officially ended. She jerked her hand out of mine, cut in front of me, and smacked me hard on the chest. “What the hell, Chris?”

“I…er…” Rubbing the sore spot on my sternum, I stumbled for an explanation. Words completely evaded me while trapped in her mad glare.

“You used me to hurt this girl! You’re such a dipshit!” Her eyes were sharp and narrow as a viper’s. It wouldn’t surprise me if her saliva turned poisonous this minute. I took a wary step back. Didn’t she see the brilliance of my plan?

Pointing her manicured nail at my face, she hissed, “You’re going to apologize to this poor girl right now, or I’ll never speak to you again!”