I have three basic rules to live by
Don't draw attention to myself.
Make it through another year.
My brother's friends are off limits.
My junior year, each and every single one of those rules will be broken.
**~~**
Blaine has always been the type to...
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Either the rumor had started out as true and expanded or someone left out that the entire block surrounding Dillion's was part of the outdoor celebration. It didn't seem to matter to Finn as he shifted his car into park at the other end of the street. The neighboring lots were overflowing with people just arriving. The street parking had been overrun by double parked cars trying to save room for those coming later.
Police officers were leaning near the metal barrier fencing that was only used for the Fourth of July parade. They were offered food as people passed by. Our teammates were greeted with a raised glass of whatever was closest and cheered as they entered the extension of our favorite restaurant in town. The soft smile was unstoppable as I unbuckled my seat belt. The thought of a greasy, gooey burger had wormed its way from my thoughts into my stomach.
Finn's hand landed on mine and his fingers curled around to give mine a squeeze. Those beautiful emerald eyes were clear and sparkled for the first time in days. The tension that had made him stiff and uncomfortable had evaporated. The copper locks needed to be cut, but I did enjoy playing with it when I could. Like on the bus ride home. The only thing missing was that brilliant, carefree smile. I really believed that by winning State he would be able to stay in the present. It wasn't a big enough distraction though.
My rambled semi-conscious thoughts had been a confession that we had both been trying to pretend wasn't an issue. There was an unspoken determination, on my end, to not let the six months be a battlefield littered with egg shells. Arguing wasn't going to solve our problems. Facing them head on, this early, was only going to lead to premature decisions that I wasn't ready for. I'd spent two weeks without him and I wasn't looking forward to a year of that. A year. Maybe more. There was always that chance. I shook my head before giving him my own smile.
"Are you ready," I asked, twisting my hand in his so that my fingers could wiggle into place between his. The corner of his mouth twitched before his head bowed a little to keep me from seeing if it was the smile I loved or the one he'd become accustomed to sharing with the world. His thumb stroked the top of my hand and a shiver ran through from the rough skin tracing circles.
"Can we talk for a minute?" He looked back up and any signs of a smirk had been wiped clean.
"Honestly, I'd like to be in a food coma before we talk," I sighed. My fingers started to loosen their hold only to freeze when his grip tightened more. Keeping our hands joined felt promising. The gut wrenching feeling was an overreaction. My wandering mine was lost in a fog of what ifs as I tried to remind myself that I knew the boy across from me better than that.
"Lainey," he spoke softly as he shifted in his seat. His over hand appeared from behind his back with a bundle of papers. Licking his lips nervously, he eyed the stack of papers before handing them over to me. He let my hand go at that point and leaned back to rest his back against the door. "Coach handed those over when we got back. He and Corey have been getting them since last night."
