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

“You’re lucky, Mr. Murphy, I think I’m going to stay today,” I bantered back and walked to my seat by the window. Shrugging out of my leather jacket, I made myself comfortable for watching yet another film on the dissection of a human brain, which laid free all the slimy stuff. It was one of the most disgusting things they showed in high schools but most of my classmates enjoyed the view. For me, it was easy to zone out and let the hour pass without registering much.

Carefully, so as not to be seen by koala Murphy, I threaded the cable of my headphones under my Dunkin’ Sharks jersey from bottom to top. At the collar, I fished them out and plugged them in my ears from behind my neck. The volume on a minimum, just loud enough so it tuned out the sound of the nasty documentary, I leaned back, scooted lower in my chair, and focused on the clock above the blackboard instead of the TV.

My music always on shuffle, I counted the minutes ticking away to my favorite song, “Take Me to Church.” When that song was over, a random band came on next. It took me a couple of seconds after the first few beats to recognize the group. The album was new on my iPod, only downloaded yesterday from a CD. Susan Miller’s CD, to be exact.

A smile crept to my lips at the memory of Sue standing in front of me in my room, checking me out from head to toe. I would bet my soul that she liked what she’d seen.

She was an awkward case. A geek sitting with the Bay Sharks. And then a girl like her in detention? I just couldn’t picture that. But Ryan wouldn’t lie about it, so what the heck was that last comment of his supposed to mean? Should I have any clue as to why Miss Snappy got in trouble? I didn’t think so, but suddenly it was all I could think about. She didn’t look like the typical troublemaker to me, and Ryan said she’d never had detention.

Kneading my bottom lip with my thumb and forefinger, I wondered which of the guys I could ask about it as I watched the minute hand on the clock move way too slowly. Ryan was busy for the rest of the day, and none of the soccer team had English with me next period. I could ask Ethan after school. He might know.

Suddenly a much better idea took hold, and my leg started bouncing impatiently under the table. Maybe it was time to break my clean record of detention-free days and find out for myself.

With the ringing of the bell, I shot up from my seat and out of Mr. Murphy’s class. I had a plan and only five minutes to put it into action.

Trevor North, Jake Olsen, Tyler, and Brady Baker, all guys from my basketball team, stood gathered by Jake’s locker. Coming here was a detour through half the building on the way to my next class, but I knew I’d find some of them here and needed them all for Operation Detention.

“Gentlemen, I need your help,” I told them, a little out of breath, shoving Jake aside and reaching into his open locker. Usually, he kept a basketball in there, and today was no different.

Jake raked a hand through his black hair before he put his ball cap back on. “What’s up?”

“I need detention, and you have to help me get there.” All four questioned my sanity with incredulous expressions, so I explained, “I want to meet a girl there.”

Tyler narrowed his eyes at me. “Lauren was put in detention?”

“No, it’s not about Lauren.” I started bouncing the ball on the floor. “Remember the girl from the other morning? The one who thought she had a date with me?”

He took the ball away from me and spun it on his finger, chuckling. “Right. The cute nerd. So now you actually
are
dating her?”

“Nah.” I rolled my eyes. “Turned out she’s friends with my brother. Confusion. Long story.” I waved a dismissive hand. “The thing is, Ryan said she’s in detention this afternoon, and I want to find out why.”

“Thought about asking her?” Trevor suggested, leaning his burly shoulder against the locker next to Jake’s.

“I will.” A smirk pulled at the edges of my mouth. “Why do you think I want detention?”

“But you could just ask her now or after school.”

“Sure, I could. But you haven’t seen that kitty in lion-mode yet. I don’t want to give her a chance to escape. An hour in the same classroom as her seems like just the time I need.”

T-Rex slapped my shoulder, barking with laughter. “That, I have to see, dude. Count me in.”

“What about Becks?” I reminded him. His girlfriend would wait for him after school just like every other day.

“I’ll text her later. Bros before hoes, you know it.”

When Jake slammed his locker shut and faced me with a wicked grin, it was settled—they all had my back. “Well then, let’s play some ball!” He stole the basketball from T-Rex, bounced it against the wall above his head, and then jogged down the corridor.

As I raced after him, a familiar excitement crept up my spine. I intercepted the ball, bounced it twice, and passed it back to T-Rex as we hollered above the crowd around us. Everything went exactly to plan, and we didn’t even last a minute.

A woman I didn’t know by name, but who looked much more like a nursery teacher with her petite figure than somebody dealing with teens, stopped us at the corner, slamming her small fists on her hips.

I grinned down at her reprimanding face. Detention was settled.

*

“Hey, Mr. E.,” I greeted my English teacher once again at the beginning of eighth period—after actual English—with the basketball still clasped under my arm. The classroom started filling with random students, all finding seats in corners, fishing out Game Boys or their phones to while away the next fifty minutes.

“Mr. Donovan? I was wondering when I’d finally be seeing you in detention again.” He snickered, putting his newspaper down. “Mr. Moss, Olson, North, and Baker, no surprise to find you here either.”

The guys saluted Mr. Ellenburgh as we sauntered to the window side of the room and huddled in a group of chairs that we moved together. There were only three girls here so far, and none of them was Susan Miller.

“So which of these chicks you want to talk to?” Jake asked in a low voice, sweeping the classroom with a glance. I shook my head at Jake, keeping a close watch on the door. Randy McDowell from my history class entered next and, after him, one particular girl with glasses.

“Here we go,” I drawled with a grin. In response, my friends all turned to look at who had arrived.

“Geek squad,” Brady and Jake deadpanned at once.

“Funnily enough, soccer table,” I informed them, even though I had yet to find out why. That, however, among other questions, was the reason I’d come here, right? “Apparently, she has a crush on Ethan.”

“And that pisses you off why?” Tyler chuckled and poked his elbow into my ribs.

I glanced at him sideways. “Not pissed at all.”

“Yeah, right. Our friendship is older than dirt, dude, and I know that frown. What did she do to stomp on your ego?”

I did frown now, deliberately. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you having always been a sore loser. If she prefers your identical twin over you, you must have done something to fall right through her cracks. What was it?”

Yeah, what was it indeed? Sue was still talking to Mr. Ellenburgh in a hushed voice, and she seemed to be really friendly with my English teacher. She was also nice to a lot of other guys I knew. So why did I, of all people, bring out this kitten’s claws? “Actually, I have no idea.” She could hardly hold our first encounter against me. That was just an unfortunate moment.

Susan scurried to an empty seat in the back of the room as if it was her personal walk of shame. Her chin was dipped so low, she wouldn’t notice a street lamp in front of her, let alone any of the students in this classroom, me included.

Quietly enough to not draw anybody’s attention, she took a couple of books from her schoolbag and started doing homework. Her ponytail fell over her right shoulder, and she kept tossing it backward every so often. Sometimes she chewed on the end of her pen, but not once in all that time did she look up or around the classroom.

The guys had to feel the unsociable vibe radiating off her, because no one goaded me to walk over and talk to her. Yet, if I waited any longer, detention would be over without me being any wiser. With the basketball under my arm, I finally rose from the chair and sauntered over. She didn’t notice me coming. What a
huge
surprise.

If I said something now, I’d probably make her jump in her seat. Instead, I put the ball down on her desk and gave it a gentle push so it rolled over her math book. Mystified, Sue watched the ball roll until it dropped over the edge and bounced on the floor. That was the moment she got a real start. Her tiny squeak was so out of place…but kind of sweet.

While she bent down to pick up the ball, I stepped in front of her, greeting her with a smile as she straightened again. “Hey, Sue. Never seen a basketball?” I reached for Jake’s ball in her hands and let it spin on my finger. A quick glance at the back confirmed, yep, the guys were avidly observing each of my movements. Nosy suckers.

Sue followed my gaze and was rewarded with a bright grin from T-Rex and the rest. “My name is
Susan
,” she snarled at me when she turned back.

Ah, Miss Finicky today, was she? I chuckled. “I’m wondering…does my brother know that his girlfriend is in detention?”

“If you tell him, I’m going to shoot you,” she fired back at me, as if I’d hit a nerve—which, on second thought, I probably had. In a slightly lower voice that was no less annoyed, she added, “And I’m not his girlfriend.”

“Yeah. I know that.” The non-kiss yesterday was evidence enough. Sue gaped at me for a tense moment and then turned her attention to the math stuff in front of her, deliberately ignoring me. Maybe that was what Tyler had meant about her stomping on my ego because, frankly, it annoyed me like hell. Girls didn’t normally brush me off, and I didn't have to do much to get their attention either.

But with Sue, it was like crashing into a brick wall. Over and over…

From the corner of my eye, I saw the guys snickering, so I glared at them before lowering myself into the chair next to Sue. I’d come here for some answers, and she wasn’t going to get rid of me until she provided them. Stacking my feet on the table, I balanced the chair on two legs and spun the ball on my finger. “So, what got you in here?”

After a long moment, in which she said nothing at all, she put down her pen and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You, in fact.”

“Me?” I caught the spinning ball, staring at her in surprise. “Wow.” So Hunter wasn’t kidding. If I got her in here, I should know why. Only problem was, I had no clue. “How?”

“My history teacher saw me flipping you off this morning.”

I cracked up. So it really was
not
me who landed her in detention. She just had to be careful about her indecent gestures in public. But I feigned a hurt look anyway. “Yeah, that was actually rude.” I wiggled my finger in her face. “We really need to work on your manners if you’re going to keep going out with my brother. Speaking of which…” I resumed spinning the ball and looked innocently at her from under my lashes. “Are you two going to meet up again today?”

“Why are you so interested in your brother’s privacy?” Sue whined. “You should stop poking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Especially when it’s also concerning
my
privacy.” She arched her eyebrows. “Because I’m not going to tell you shit.”

“Ah, such a cute mouth and such bad words,” I teased her. “Now I get why you’ve been put in detention, Miss Miller. Must be a soccer thing with the language, eh?”

Sue frowned at me as if she had no freaking clue what I was talking about. I shrugged and went on, “It was a surprise to see you sitting with the Bay Sharks at lunch today. I assumed you’d be with the geek squad.”

She cut me a sharp glare. “Why would you think that?” Quickly enough, her face lit with understanding. “Oh, no, let me guess. The glasses, right? You really think because I’m wearing them I’m a nerd?”

“Hmmm. That was the idea, yes.” And the ponytail, and the Harry Potter shirt, and the modest clothes, and… Hey, hadn’t Ryan even called her
book lover
today?

“And Ethan didn’t tell you that I was”—she interrupted herself with a sweet eye-roll—“
am
on the soccer team?”

Whoa. She was?
Sexy, Miss Miller.
I was impressed. Just envisioning her in a soccer jersey… Hmm, that thought had a lot more potential than imagining her with the volcano-builders. Now why hadn’t Ethan told me this?

Remembering how he was maintaining a low profile lately and how much it annoyed me to be left guessing, I murmured, “Ethan doesn’t say much these days.”

Sue leaned back in her chair, frustration etched on her face. “For good reason. It’s none of your business.”

“Maybe.”
Probably
. “But now I’m curious. Why does he suddenly go to soccer practice?” Was it because of her?

“If you must know, he’s taking my place for a while because I hurt my knee.”

“Is that so?” Chewing on my bottom lip, I contemplated this new bit of information. Eyes still focused on hers, my mind strayed, and I wondered which knee it was.