Fair Game

Chapter 8

"There. Dixie won. Happy?" I asked, taking off my headset to face Bree.

She looked at me and blinked. "How is this my fault? We went with your strategy."

"But you rattled me right before the game."

Dixie tied her hair in a ponytail. "Huh. It's not my fault you're so rattle-lable."

"Rattle-lable isn't even a word," I scoffed.

"Do you guys want to talk about what's really going on here?" asked Dani.

Bree frowned at me. "I think Lissie's spending too much time with Asher. She's not prioritizing the team."

"I had one date with him, and it was to fulfill a bet," I shot back. "Why are you focused on him anyways?"

"I'm not the one focused on him, you are. Listen, I quit Dixie's team for this. So we have to beat her."

A week later, Asher and I went on three more "dates". Of course, Bree was not okay with it. She stormed into school one morning, right up to me.

"What did your message mean from last night?" she demanded. Dani, America, and Elijah all crowded around us.

"The one about the dance?" I wondered. "Yesterday, Asher admitted that he wasn't going to take Dixie because she's too obsessed with online games."

Dixie looked at me in shock. "You realize that you're just as obsessed as she is? Maybe even more!"

"Well, maybe I'm not anymore," I replied.

"Lissie, Asher doesn't know the real you. Do you really think he'll like you after he does?"

I blinked. "I guess I know what you really think. Thanks for the vote of confidence." I picked up my bag and stomped away. I ran straight to the washroom and started to cry. Bree and I have never had an argument this huge. She had always been super laser-focused on the team but I guess she wasn't familiar with something pulling one of her teammates away. Mainly me.

At Lunch, I sat alone until Elijah pulled a chair over.

"Can we talk, Lissie?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

"Are you okay?" he wanted to know.

I sighed and put my fork down. I looked over to where Bree, Dani, and America was sitting. They all looked miserable and I felt slightly responsible for it. "I need to ask you something. Do you... do you think that Asher would still like me if he knew the real me?"

Elijah looked down at the table. "If he doesn't, then he's an idiot and he doesn't deserve you. Might as well find out if he's an idiot or not early on."

I smiled slightly. "You're right. I know you're right. I should tell him."

"Right."

"It's so awkward when it's just us. It's not like how I feel around you," I grumbled. Then, I realized what I had just said. I looked at Elijah and his eyebrows were raised, a grin seemed to be slowly forming on his face.

"Okay," he said.

"And Bree and Dani," I hurriedly added.