♤DEALS♤

Chapter 21 - A Dealer on a date

Peyton Griffin's POV

If I thought I was giving Caleb mixed signals, I was wrong. One minute he wants to get to know me, and the next thing I know, he's walking away from me when I follow his request.

I think asking for a deal must have struck a nerve. I think it's best we never have to be in each other's company till I leave. That way, nobody will get broken, I hope.

Speaking of company, Jack, Jacob and Shawn are in the kitchen watching me do the dishes. If that's not disturbing, I don't know what is.

I learned they are on the hunt for a new maid because Jacob made the last one blow him.

"I just don't get it," Jacob muttered again.

"What don't you get?" I ask as I start the battle with the frying pan to remove the rest of the horrid breakfast that Jack made us.

He loves food but can't make it even if it were to save his life. Microwaved popcorn does not count. So we all had a bowl of cereal.

"How does Caleb make you fall in love with him without even trying? and I have been waiting for you to allow me to take you to a special place." He said smugly.

I didn't need to turn around to know that Shawn had thrown his book at Jacob; the curses being thrown were a hint of itself.

I stopped scrubbing the frying pan and began playing with the lather, my back still to them.

"Jacob, I don't know why you are so intent on me being your next conquest. I don't share my bed with halfwits," It doesn't escape my mind that I am a virgin, "I am not in love with Caleb, but I respect him. I always thought he was a pompous idiot who slept around and did drugs."

Everyone winced about my description of Caleb; I only had that because Lola and Charlie could not shut up about him and if I'm being honest. That's how most musicians end up.

No offence to Drake; he's a babe.

"But now that I have been here for a few weeks, I think I was wrong." Now I look at them, "And I am hardly wrong about judging people's personality."

Shawn looked upwards and laughed, like full-blown laughter, like the one you get when you see a cat trying to fight off a cobra. Okay, I'm getting off-topic here, but you get the gist; his laugh was a contrast to his quiet person.

"Care to share?" Jack asked the question that I was thinking about.

Shawn sobered up and wiped away a stray tear, "I just find it funny how you both speak about each other in the same way and pretend not to at least like each other."

I turn back to the battle of soap in the sink, "I would like to assume that the two people you are referring to are either Jack and the microwave or Jacob and one of his conquests. Caleb and I are barely friends now. What makes you people think that we will want to even... I'm not going to complete that statement because it is complete bullshit." I snort.

"Hold up. If you think that, then what happened in the music room last night?" Jack throws a piece of popcorn in the air and catches it with his mouth.

I stiffen but play it off, "He played me an instrument, and that was it." I keep my answer vague.

"So while you guys were 'playing'," Jacob made air quotes, "The atmosphere didn't shift; it didn't feel like it was only two of you in the world. Like you wanted to know what is more to Caleb Parks? You wanted to see what the more to him is."

I rinsed up the frying pan, drooped it on the rack and began drying other dishes, "You were on to something till that last thing left your mouth."

"When did you start quoting cheesy romance novels?" Shawn stared at his brother as if he were an alien.