He Says He's Just A Friend

Chapter 1 - The Very First Night

A/N: Just so there's no confusion, this story is written from two alternating perspectives in first person, so the name at the beginning of each chapter is the POV character. I originally wrote the whole thing in third person, but it felt too distant if that makes sense. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

- Emmett -

The smell of popcorn and cheap beer hit me as soon as I stepped into the bowling alley. Ahead of me, a dozen people waited in the line for shoes. I took out my phone to send a text to my best friend to let her know I'd arrived. Thanks to a fender bender that kept traffic backed up for nearly twenty minutes, not to mention the fact I had to convince my mother to let me drive her car, I was already running late. I didn't want my date to think me rude or inconsiderate. This wasn't the best first impression.

"Can you go already?" The guy behind me sounded annoyed.

I glanced up from my phone to see the line had moved forward a few feet. I closed the gap and glanced back at the guy. He was very attractive. Even as he pursed his lips to the side sourly, I couldn't help but admire him with his freckled cheeks and strong jaw. Lines of irritation formed between his dark brows. He had his thick brown hair pushed to the side in a haphazardly sexy way.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"Whatever," the guy murmured, crossing his arms over his chest, doubling the size of his already impressive biceps. He had a nice muscular frame. But not in like a bulky, football player kind of way, more like the leaner track team guys, or even a swimmer (I loved me a swimmer).

He looked off to the side, clearly uninterested in continuing the interaction.

After receiving my shoes, I headed over to find the lane number Carrie gave me. She sat in the orange plastic seats that glowed under the blacklight, watching her boyfriend take his turn. Jackson tossed his neon green ball at an odd angle, sending it straight into the gutter. Carrie threw her head back laughing as Jackson let out a string of curses.

"That's what you get for being too cocky, boy," Carrie told him as he returned to her. She tucked her thick curls behind her ear as she stood up to kiss him. Her bronze skin looked so much darker in this lighting, with her hot pink top glowing in contrast.

Jackson looked up at me, through the mass of Carrie's hair. "Hey, man."

I envied Jackson's ability to grow a full face of stubble. Technically, I could grow facial hair. However, none of it connected. It ended up looking like I couldn't decide between growing a mustache, muttonchops, and a chin beard, so I'd chosen all three. It was a mess of volcanic proportions. Which was why I rarely went more than a couple of days without shaving.

I returned the greeting and looked around, confused. Carrie and Jackson were alone.

"Where's my date?" I asked.

Carrie and Jackson shared a sympathetic glance. That didn't bode well. Just as Carrie opened her mouth to speak, someone brushed past me. The surly stranger from the shoe line sat down and carelessly kicked off his Nikes. His white shirt turned almost lilac under the blacklight.

"Clay!" Jackson was very excited to see him. They shared a complicated straight boy handshake. The effort seemed halfhearted on Clay's end. "Dude, I thought you weren't going to make it."

"When I make a commitment, I keep it." Clay put his foot in his chair, yanking at the laces on his bowling shoes.

I knew this was not my date. That guy's name was Tanner. That scraggly twink paled in comparison to the gorgeous clean-cut brunette boy talking to Jackson.