Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Carter

I hit my head against the cool side of the window when we go over a bump. My teeth clatter against one another as soon as the impact was made. We are on our way to the Jackson household. Haley is hungover and is trying to be revived. Danielle had no sleep, and neither did I, thanks to her.

The three of us were passed out in the back of the car, with the two boys up front. Both of their attention was focused ahead. Nick was driving with a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes and a snapback on his head. He opened the window slightly and I could feel the dry heat slapping against my skin. I was sitting directly behind him.

I think I was able to get three hours of sleep. Danielle was with that guy the entire night, and I could hear every bit of their “fun.” I can safely say I will never lay down with Danielle in her bed again. Ever. Nothing wrong with it or the guy, he was pretty good looking, but no way am I ever touching her bed.

I rub my head softly to comfort the sudden throbbing I’m feeling from hitting the window.

“Sorry,” Nick mumbles to me in the side mirror and I send him a quick smile to let him know that it’s no big deal. The car was silent, with the hum of the engine mixed with voices from the radio. The two girls were fast asleep, and TJ was listening to his music with one earpiece, his fingers strumming on the leather part of the car door to the beat.

The more we drove, the more nervous I got. I don’t know why, but I was. I had never met Nick and Haley’s parents before. My stomach feels heavy, and the anticipation of being in their home has me on edge. I wonder what their mom is like? Nick has told me things about her; she seems like a no-nonsense type of woman, and their dad seems really laid back from what TJ told me.

Passing by car after car, house after house as we drive closer to the house, I watch as people gather outside to chat to their neighbours while they were gardening, spraying water on plants for nourishment.

Time ticked by, and I feel the car slowing down as we reach a housing estate. Oh God, this is it!

Beautiful rows of white wooden houses line the street with gorgeous green grass surrounding the area. Two story houses are dotted about with flags hanging proudly. Then I see an Ole Miss flag hanging beside one house. I know that’s theirs. The porch has three seats outside and a small sofa, black wood against the clean and crisp white sofa. Double doors made of dark mahogany wood decorated with stained glass windows of roses in the centre of each door could be seen nearby, and a small window arch is above it.

Parking in the driveway, I see the door burst open and two people run out to greet us. Two little girls in princess outfits giggle as they run towards the car.

I shove Danielle and Haley awake and they groan at me, asking for five more minutes.

“We’re here, idiots,” Nick says over his shoulder and slips off his belt before reaching for the door, opening it as the two little girls run over to him. He smiles down and picks both of them up. The two of them rest in his arms they hug him. I feel myself melting at the sight. He’s even hotter when he has kids around him. I don’t know what it is, but when a gorgeous guy is playing and messing with kids, it makes them look irresistible.

I push my door open and fall out with Danielle, who yells at me for catching her off guard. I mumble a sheepish sorry back, feeling my cheeks heat up. I hear two giggles beside me I gaze over at the two little princesses. One of them is blonde and the other is a redhead. The blonde girl is playing with Nick’s snapback and hair. Seeing him smile at me, I gulp down at the sight. Keep it together, Carter.

“Ellie, I want you to meet someone. This is Carter, she lives with Haley in college. Carter, this is my sister Ellie and her friend Abbie. Say hi, guys.” They both wave and smile at me while Danielle crawls out of the car.

“Hi there! Happy birthday to you both!” I wave shyly back at them and they laugh while burying their faces into the crook of Nick’s neck. I see Ellie whisper something to Nick and he wears his handsome smile but it’s much wider with his sister. So cute. He nods and faces me while still smiling. It squeezes the breath out of my lungs because he looks so gorgeous when he smiles like that.

“And that’s Danielle.” He gestures his head down to the creature exhausted from her antics last night as well as this morning. They both giggle at her. She looks like she’s going to fall asleep crouched down like that.

“Ugh. Danielle, get it together!” Haley groans at the sight of her. She doesn’t look any better. At least I put some makeup on and made an effort to look presentable.

My head snaps up to see a beautiful woman with blonde hair staring at me. She’s standing at the bonnet of the car, looking curiously at me. I suddenly feel like I’m under scrutiny. I swallow nothing down and look at her while she stares long and hard at me. She’s wearing jeans and a white blouse with frills around the neckline. She’s a slim woman with warmth written on every inch of her face. A nice tan is also on her face.

“You must be Carter.” Her head snaps up to my eyes and then quickly darts it over to her son cradling the two girls. I nod, agreeing that I am, indeed, Carter.

“Uh . . . Yeah, that’s me. You must be Mrs. Jackson. Nick and Haley look a lot like you.” I feel my cheeks become sore. I’m smiling so hard as I respond so timidly back to her. Nick and Haley look so much like her. Nick has the same shade of eyes as her; bright green and mesmerising.

“Oh, please, call me Lynn. It’s great to finally meet you. Nick talks so highly of you—”

“Mom!” Nick steps in to quiet her down. I snort and press my lips to stop myself from laughing at her. “She’s kidding.” He points to her with his cheeks going redder by the second. I nod, assuring him that he’s right. She winks at me and walks over to hug me. I let her and smile over at Nick, who is staring with one brow raised. Does she not do this with everyone? I think to myself.

Then she greets Danielle the same way while I stare at the ground like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. Why am I so awkward?

After a moment of hugging people and laughing, we all head towards the house and bring our stuff in. As soon as we step inside, there are kids everywhere squealing with excitement. Some were in princess costumes and others were covered in brown stuff. My guess is that they were playing in the dirt, mainly the boys. There were balloons everywhere you could look, all in a range of colors.

“Hi, honey!” A middle aged man steps around the kids playing at the door. He heads straight for Haley as she slides off her glasses. She hugs him as he kisses her head.

“Hey, dad! You got food? I’m starving!” She sidesteps around him and heads toward the kitchen. We all follow behind her after we were introduced to her dad. He’s a really nice man, really bubbly and energetic. Walking into the kitchen after putting our bags under the stairs, I’m met with loads of moms and girls at our age; stunning girls too.

What the hell? I thought this was a kids party?

“Hi, Nick!” Loads of the girls greet him curtly, but he was too busy messing with Ellie to notice how much they filled the room. His head snaps up in shock at the attention and looks around at them. He stands up to his full height and starts looking around. Meeting his mom’s smirk, he shakes his head and walks past them to go outside. TJ starts to laugh and follows him.

I’m so lost right now.

Did he get with all of them?

***

Nick

Now I know what she’s up to. She brought all the sisters of Ellie’s friends that were in my year or below in high school to see how I act around them. My mom is sly—very, very sly.

I’m so annoyed by her.

I’m out back with TJ, who keeps laughing every time one of them walks by me. They all try to greet me and start up a conversation about how much they miss me, that they haven’t seen me around, or that they watch my games on TV. I can’t help but roll my eyes once they walk away. I know for a fact they don’t watch my games.

We’re both sitting on the patio waiting for the cake to be brought out. We’ve been sitting out here for a while, and I’m running low on water. It’s getting warm out here so I want a cool one. I stand up to my feet and ask TJ if he wants one. I see Haley saunter over to chill with him and walk by her, asking her if she wants one.

“No I’m good. I just need fresh air, and lots of it.” I laugh at the face she’s making. She looks like she’s in pain, probably because she’s hungover. Dear Lord, was she a mess last night. I walk by some of the older sisters I went to school with and politely smile. I don’t want to be rude, but I’m so over these girls.

I look around the kitchen to see if I can find Carter. I haven’t seen her since I walked out. I actually walked back in to talk to her. But my mom’s knowing face has stopped me; many times, in fact. She’s trying to prove her point to get me to admit that I like Carter. I do, I made out with her last night. I just don’t want to make a big fuss about it. Which she will do.

I see my mom bustling around the kitchen. She’s multitasking, tickling the little girls who are playing together while the little guys are running around and causing havoc. Seeing Carter’s not here I sigh and look around once more just to double check. My mom is too preoccupied. I back away slowly to see if she’s in the living room but she’s not there either.

“Where are you?” I whisper to myself as my mom catches me. I walk over to the refrigerator to fetch some water. I grab a bottle and throw it in the air, catching it with ease. I can still feel her eyes on me. I walk over to her and see the cake she made as well as the flowers I sent her.

“You can’t hide it from me, Nick. I know. I’m your mother,” she teases me. She taps my nose with her index finger like she used to do when I was younger. I know what she’s talking about but I act dumb and shrug my shoulders.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mom?” I sip on my water as I look around the room. The sisters followed me inside, and I stifle an eye roll at how obvious they are. “Why are they invited?” Nudging my head over to the girls who are clearly blushing over me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey?” She uses my words against me. Now I can’t hold back the eye roll. I walk around her and kiss her cheek, practically hearing the girls sigh. Their swoons leave their lips and their panties need to be picked up off the damn floor.

“Stop it, Mom,” I whisper to her and walk out of the kitchen. I walk around to the front of the house, through the hallway of family portraits we took throughout the years, and hear a small giggle. I stop instantly, thinking nobody should be around here; then I hear it again but it was a different in tone. I walk towards the hallway trying to figure out where it came from. I listen carefully so I can hear it again. A few moments tick by and when I do hear it, I know exactly where it came from.

Ellie’s room.

Giggle after giggle, I hear a loud laugh and I know who is there with her: the missing girl I’ve wanted to see for the past hour.

I push the door open and see Ellie and Abbie sitting while Carter is acting out one of their story books, her hair floating around and swishing through the hair down her back.

“ . . . she can only be woken up by a kiss. A kiss from her true love.” Her voice was so soft, and I see Ellie staring hopefully at this girl. Ellie has always been very selective with people. If she likes you, she’ll like you for life, so I find it unsurprising she’s taken a liking to Carter. Hell, I’m a little jealous at how much attention my sister is receiving right now.

“Nick! Come here.” Ellie beckons to me so she could whisper something to me. I see Carter’s head whip around to me so fast she fell over, and I laugh at her along with the others. I walk over and help her up only to see her cheeks flare up. I sit behind both of the girls and smile at Carter, who is sitting cross legged opposite to me. She clears her throat and looks down at the illustrated pages of the old book to try pick up where she left off.

“Okay . . . Sooo . . . when the curse was set, she fell into a deep sleep for days and days, lying on the bed and waiting for her prince to kiss and wake her. But, they had to search far and wide to find him.” Just listening to her voice could send you into a deep sleep. Not because it’s boring, but because it’s melodic—almost soothing.

“Did they find him?” Ellie asks her as she leans forward on her tiny hands, waiting for the answer. There’s so much excitement in her eyes. I chuckle lightly as I look at my little sister. She seems to be mesmerized by Carter, something that she can do too well.

Carter winks at her. “The king went for many years in search of true loves kiss. Prince after prince, he was slowly losing faith in his daughter waking up.” Hearing a gasp from both little girls, I smile down at Ellie who is looking up at me with beady eyes. I pat her head softly with a smile, letting her know it’s alright. But I’m really trying not to burst out laughing. I lick my lips as I look back to the storyteller who looks stunning today. Truly striking.

“Then, the day came where one prince stepped into the castle,” Carter says in a wishful tone. I could listen to her all day no matter what she’s saying. I stare at her in her white top and ripped black jeans. Her hair is still wavy from last night. She looks fresh, but she told me Danielle had kept her up for most of the night. I kept staring at her when she fell asleep in the car with the rest of the girls. She looked so angelic, so peaceful, and I wanted to wrap myself around her and fall asleep with her. I nearly crashed a few times because I was staring so hard at her, lost in her beauty.

I zoned out completely watching her lips move as she spoke. The urge to lean over and kiss her was strong—stronger than ever, since we made out a few times last night. I’ve missed those lips, and it hasn’t been a full day.

“ . . . leaned over her sleeping body and placed his lips on hers. A kiss that was so soft and longing—”

“Did she wake up?” Abbie asks, clapping her hands widely, and I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. Both little girls turned around to glare and me, and I shoot my hands up in defense. Then I hear her laugh. My eyes immediately drift to her contagious laughter,and my heart can’t take it. It’s beating so fast, I feel like is going to come out of my chest.

What the fuck?

Once she’s finished, she looks at me and then continues to read the book. “Not only did he feel something between them, she started to wake up from her deep slumber—”

“YAYY!” Both of them stood up and hugged each other, smiling and giggling. Carter just watched them, but I kept watching her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone standing in the doorway. I see a blonde woman stare at me with a knowing grin. I groan at how my mom is interrupting us.

What is with her trying to prove a point? She’s never been this determined before. Why can’t she drop this? She’s beginning to actually make me angry. I push myself up off the floor and ignore the stares. She wants to play that game, I can play it back. She smiles as I move past her. I roll my eyes, walking back outside to everyone.

I sigh in frustration. Why can’t I have a few moments alone with her?

***

Carter

Ignored. That’s how I feel right now. Nick’s been ignoring me all day. I feel so annoyed. Why is he ignoring me? Every time I try to make conversation with him, he gives me one word answers.

What did I do?

One minute, he was fine when I was reading a story to Ellie and Abbie. The next, he’s storming out of the room. I don’t know what I said. I was just reading, following the lines of the book. I’m sure he’s read this story to Ellie before. Whatever it was, it wasn’t my fault.

Right now, I’m standing in the kitchen with Danielle and Haley, helping Lynn with the cleaning. Lynn is running back and forth between the door and the kitchen because people are picking up their kids one by one.

I’m stacking the paper plates from the people outside on the patio to bring into the kitchen. As I walk by Nick and TJ, I don’t say anything. I don’t even look at him.

I suddenly stop, realizing a possibility. Is he regretting kissing me? Or was I just another conquest for him? Is that what’s going on here?

I throw the paper into the black garbage bag and go back outside to collect more, angrily grabbing any piece of paper I can see so I can recycle it.

I’m still ignoring him. If he wants to be like that, fine. Be like that. This is how it works?

This is how it works!

Once I’m finished, Haley and Danielle decide we could put on a movie and order some food in since we didn’t eat much. We were helping Lynn look after the kids and feed them first.

“Ugh, did you see that little kid Drake? He was so fucking cute! I just wanted to pick him and put him in my pocket to take him home with me!” Danielle gushes over the little boy who kept following her around all day and holding her hand. He was so adorable with her. I think he had a small crush on her.

“I’m pretty sure that’s called kidnapping, Danielle,” I tease her as the three of us rummage through the movie options on the TV.

“Pfft. Whatever! I want my kid to be as cute as he was! . . . But any way . . . how about ‘Bridesmaids’?” Danielle points to the screen with the remote control.

“Fuck no! I’ve seen that too many times thanks to Jackson over there!” TJ points at Haley, who grins at him. She winks because Nick isn’t in the room. She and TJ have been flirting like crazy the entire day. It’s cute when you watch, but they’re so cautious in case Nick is near.

“Oh, you love it. Don’t lie, TJ.” She waves him off as Danielle flicks through the options again to try find a different one. We hear him snort, and Haley sticks her tongue out at him as he walks over, sitting on her. He messes with her by not fully putting his body weight on her. Her arms flail around as she tries to get him off. She’s giggling uncontrollably underneath him. Danielle and I smirk at each other at the two of them being so flirtatious.

“Okay . . . Then how abouuuttt . . . Oh my God! Can we pleaaassseee!” Danielle whines when she sees “She’s the Man” on the screen. TJ rolls his eyes while he buries his head into Haley’s neck and she screams of laughter. “I’ll take that as a yes!” The movie was chosen. A good movie at that.

Both the lovebirds on the couch were whispering things to each other, making the other giggle lowly. But footsteps were heard, and TJ stood up instantly to walk over to a sofa. Haley jumped next to him while Danielle and I sat on a different couch. We pulled the blanket up over our legs while Nick set down the pizza that was ordered. We all took slices to fill our plates for round one. Nick slides into the seat next to me and I sigh, thinking how nice it feels to have next to me. But I’m annoyed because he’s been ignoring me practically all day.

I bite into my pizza and feel him shuffle beside me, inching his body closer to mine. We’re watching the movie in silence, the odd laugh from someone as we watch Amanda Bynes transform into a guy and act like she is one.

But the main reason as to why we’re watching this movie is a very good one.

Channing Tatum.

Cue the global panty drop.

When he comes on the screen in his football uniform, Danielle looks over to me and quirks her brows in a suggestive manner. I try not to laugh at her, but she wiggles them. I know what she’s thinking. I dab a napkin on my mouth, wiping the remaining tomato sauce on my face but also to try to keep the food inside my mouth.

About an hour into the movie, my phone vibrates on my lap under the blankets. I looked down to see what it was. A text from a number I don’t recognise.

Unknown: Hey Carter, it’s Ryan! I was going to message you earlier but TJ told me you’re at a party. I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me sometime? I would really like a chance to go out with you. You seem like a cool girl, let me know ’’xx

I freeze after reading the message. I reread it again to make sure I read it correctly. This guy is very persistent. I stare at the screen for what feels like forever. Every time it goes black, I turn it back on, not knowing what to do. I’ve only been on a handful of dates, although they were nice at the time. I ended up in tears because of what the intention was. I don’t know if I’m ready for another one.

I sigh and stare up at the larger screen in front of me.

What do I do? How do I reply to that? I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t think I want to date. I don’t know what I want.

What if I annoy Nick?

Why am I thinking about him?

He ignored you the entire day, Carter. I feel like another conquest for him. He’s probably moved on with one of those girls today. Why can’t I move on?

But a date?

Maybe if it was just us hanging out? I’ve just mentally blocked the word date. I don’t like it. It brings bad vibes to me.

“Carter?” Danielle snaps her finger in my face and I whip my eyes around to see all eyes on me.

“Huh?” I ask, embarrassed. I must have zoned out for the rest of the movie.

“You alright? You look a little pale?” I nod to say yes, although I’m feeling really uneasy. It could be the nerves trying to answer back what’s on my phone. Yeah, that’s probably it.

“Yeah. I’m fine, I don’t think the pizza is agreeing with me, that’s all. I’m good.” I smile back at her, but her quirk of the eyebrow shows she’s not buying it.

“Bullshit! What’s wrong?” Danielle asks and Haley stands up from the sofa to get a better look at me. I sigh loudly and give her my phone. Haley runs beside her to look for herself.

“Ryan asked you out?” Danielle asks as she looks at my screen.

“He what?!” I wince after hearing Nick’s voice for the first time since the car today. He sounds annoyed. Very annoyed. Why? He’s probably banged another girl, why can’t I have a guy ask me out? “You’re not going out with him,” he declares, and that really annoyed me.

He can’t do that. He doesn’t get to do that. He doesn’t get to ignore me, allowing those girls flirt with him all day, and then when someone asks me out he answers for me. No, he’s in the wrong. That’s not fair.

“Actually, I am.” I grab the phone from Danielle and type my reply to say I would like to meet up sometime and do something fun. I make sure not to call it a date.

“What?” he asks, sounding a little hurt, and my eyes reach his as they’re standing over me. I see it in his eyes. Hurt, then he masks it with anger. “Your choice. Have fun on your date. He’s a piece of shit.” He walks off, leaving everyone stunned in silence while the credits roll. I watch the door snap back until it clicks.

“What’s up his ass?” Haley mutters but slides back onto the sofa with TJ. I look to Danielle for help. Do I go after him? Or do I leave him? Why is he so against Ryan? I flump back against the sofa, not feeling good at all now.

Ryan: Perfect! I’ll pick you up tomorrow at your dorm? Let’s say 7pm? xx

Me: Sure, see you then!

Guilt sets in. Did I do the right thing? I thought he was over what happened between us last night. That’s why he ignored me for the entire day. No, that has to be the reason. He got to me and now he’s moving on to his next conquest. I thought it was different between us. Clearly, I was too naive. Why would I be the girl to change him?

“There’s a party tomorrow in one of the guys’ house, you guys game?” TJ asks, reading the message on his phone.

Haley yells, “Hell yeah, we’re game!” She hoots for added effect.

“I have a date tomorrow,” I whisper lowly. Why did he react so badly if he’s done with me? I can’t get his face out of my head. Did I make a rash decision?

“Ryan’s going, he’ll probably take you with him.” I catch TJ’s eyes and see some sadness in them. Does he know something I don’t? What was that look for? I nod back, trying to get the awkward attention off me.

Later that night, we’re all in bed and the three of us are cuddled up to each other. It’s a cold night. Well, it is for me. The others don’t think it’s too bad. I’m in a large hoody trying to keep myself warm. Usually at nighttime, I can’t keep myself warm. I don’t know what it is about me. Both girls are glued to their phones, giggling every so often.

“Ugh! Look at what Maya is wearing here.” Danielle shows me and Haley her phone. She’s in a short red dress—a very short red dress. My heart sinks seeing who liked it. Nick. People are tagging him in the comments and I feel so upset.

Those rumors were right. He does always go back to her. I should’ve known better. They’re more suited to each other anyway. She’s stunning while I’m so plain. She has tons of friends while I only have a handful. She immediately gets attention when entering a room while I fade into the background. We’re so different. Why did he even bother last night.

I feel the tears prick in my eyes. I refuse to cry over him. I refuse to do that. They deserve each other.

“Ugh. She’s so annoying. Yeah, she’s hot, but she’s so annoying!” Haley rolls her eyes at the picture. “My brother, of course, liked it . . . What an idiot. He always goes back to her.” Her eyes focus back on her phone and I feel a shiver up my spine. I’m pretty much trying to stop my body from vibrating. I pull another blanket up my body to keep some warmth in me, any warmth.

“Are you alright, Carter?” Danielle stares down at me and I smile back up at her dimly lit face. “You’re shaking and you have about five layers of clothes on your body.” She puts down her phone and rubs my upper arm for friction and heat but it’s no use.

“I can get you a hot-water bottle?” Haley asks and I rapidly nod. I love hot-water bottles in bed. They feel so good. She smiles at us. “Then I can talk to TJ.” She winks and slips out of the bed. We hear her feet patter along the wood in the room. She swings the door open and walks down the stairs to get me my warmth in a bottle.

Moments later, we hear another set of footsteps coming down the hallway and we both smile because we know who it is. TJ stands in the doorway smiling at us. “Kitchen,” we whisper to him.

He winks at us as he leaves, but then he comes back. “Are you alright, Carter?” He checks up on me. It’s sweet, unlike his best friend. I nod and smile to assure him not to worry about me and spend time with Haley downstairs. He taps the wooden frame before leaving shirtless with his sweatpants hanging off his hips.

Safe to say, Haley’s going to die when she sees him.

We lay in bed, waiting for a squeal from her. Once we hear it, we both chuckle and simultaneously say, “Knew it.” Which makes us both laugh even more. After a few moments of just staring at the door and ceiling, Danielle is the first to speak, ending the silence.

“So . . . this date?” I groan at the word. I truly hate it. It makes my stomach queasy. “I thought you didn’t like Ryan?” she questions me.

“I don’t . . . Well, I do, just not really like that? He’s nice but . . .” I wave my head around, trying to figure out how to say I’m not interested in anyone as nice as possible.

“You like someone else . . .” she tries to finish the sentence. I shake my head, but I know it’s no use. We’ve only known each other a short period of time, but she already knows when I’m not telling the truth. “Come on, what happened? Why did you say yes?” She pokes her finger in my ribs making me laugh a little.

“Nothing—”

“Don’t nothing me, Carter! Come on, I’m not going to tell anyone. Pinky swear.” She pulls out her pinky finger and I hook mine around it. She can’t take it back now. It’s set.

“Okay . . . So last night, Nick and I kissed—”

“What?” she exclaims. “Are you fucking serious! And you’re only telling me NOW?” She hisses lowly at me.

“I know, I know. I couldn’t exactly tell you last night or this morning could I?! You were . . . busy.” I see a red tint decorate her cheeks. “Plus, Haley was around, and I don’t need her to know yet. By the way, I’m not friends with her to get to him!” I defend myself before shit can hit the fan. Danielle nods, knowing that I’m telling the truth. “So, we made out like three times last night..”

“Oh, you lucky bitch! Was he good?” She swoons and squeezes my arm tightly.

I nod before I begin again, “He’s really sweet. I didn’t want to stop. He walked me home and we kissed twice. We kissed on the roof of the sorority house before Maya and Haley kicked off—”

“That’s where you two were! I was wondering why you two walked in together!” I blush at the memory. I felt like I was on cloud nine then.

“But he’s been ignoring me all day. So I assumed he’s done with me and wants a different girl. That’s why I said yes to Ryan. It kind of just slipped out, you know? Once it was out, I couldn’t take it back. And the next thing I knew, I was replying to him. I don’t know what I was thinking. He’s a nice guy, but I don’t want him to want to date me because of who I am, you know?” She nods down at me. She sighs as she thinks about the mess I’m in. It might not be much trouble to other people, but it is to me.

“I have noticed he’s been avoiding you today . . . I’ve been trying to figure out why.” She wonders

“See! It’s not just me!” I whine covering my face. “I think he’s regretting it so he’s choosing to act like it didn’t happen and he’s moving on to another girl. I’m so stupid!” I mutter into my hands. Danielle rests her head on my shoulder, comforting me and wrapping an arm around my waist so we’re cuddled up to each other.

“You’re not stupid, Carter. He’s a guy. This is what they do, unfortunately. I’m sorry this keeps happening to you. You deserve better.” She sighs loudly. I can feel it on my hands still covering my face. “Maybe you should give Ryan a shot? It might not be as bad as you think.” I think about what she said for a moment longer than I should.

“I’ve said yes, so I kind of have to now . . .” I tell her, sounding defeated. What have I gotten myself into?

“It’s good to get out there and try different things. I think you should, I mean, it clearly pissed Nick off earlier. I don’t know why if he’s been ignoring you all day, but maybe he needs his ego checked?” She giggles, trying to lighten the situation. But I don’t want to do that to either guys. I don’t want to hurt either of them to get under someone’s skin. It’s not right. But I’ve made my bed, now it’s time to lie in it. I’ve said yes to this “date” and now I will go.

I nod, ending the conversation as two people make their way back up the stairs to us. We see both of them acting all cutesy as they’re blushing at each other. TJ has yet to take her out, but he’s finding it hard because of football and Nick. He’s trying to put a plan together to distract Nick so he doesn’t find out. Haley is getting impatient as time ticks on, but he assures her it will happen and he hasn’t forgotten.

“ ’Night girls.” He waves in at us and kisses Haley on the forehead. We say good night back as she closes the door. Her grin is taking up her entire face. It’s creepy in this lighting right now.

“Ugh . . . he’d make the best boyfriend.” She swoons with her back pressed against the door.

She’s a hopeless romantic. She clearly adores him; she does nothing but talk about him when we talk about boys. Well, when the two of them talk about boys; I have nothing to say. Especially right now, seeing as I really don’t want to talk about it but Haley is convinced that Kevin likes me. I deny it all the time, telling her we’re just friends because I don’t see him like that. He’s very nice, don’t get me wrong, and quite handsome but I’m just not attracted to him like that. However, I can see most girls are when I’m with him. He’s charming and sweet, that’s why the girls like him so much, he’s easy to talk to.

I have the hot water bottle tucked in beside me to help me warm up and fall asleep easily once we’re all settled in.