Never Say Never (Completed)

Nine {Playing for Keeps}

"This feels weird."

Ian's quiet voice broke me out of the tired daze I'd been in all day. It'd been a few days since Lucas' game, and he'd been at arm's length since, afraid if he disappeared on me again I'd have no choice but to run to his enemy. As I glanced up from my untouched lunch tray, it took my mind a few minutes to process what he was referring to. Most of the attention on the cafeteria was on him, whispers and nods in his direction. Tristan, who seemed to have unfortunately taken permanent residency at our table, didn't help much. Both boys were dressed in tight shirts and even tighter jeans. It was a big difference from the usual flannels or oversized shirts Ian wore, and it showed every inch of his toned upper body so much that even my eyes had lingered for a second. He'd grown so much, height and muscle wise, but had never quite grown mentally or gotten used to the fact that he wasn't a scrawny little kid anymore.

"Well," I shrugged. "this is what you wanted, isn't it?"

There must have been some kind of bitterness in my voice, because both boys turned in my direction, surprised.

"That doesn't mean it doesn't feel awkward." Ian said.

"He's finally realizing he's not ugly." Tristan added, but I couldn't help but feel my lips curve downward in a grimace. His comment had felt like a dig at me, and the dark look in his eyes only added to the uncomfortable tension that sat in the air between us. I wasn't sure if it was the hostility on my part or the hurt from me rejecting him, but we definitely weren't as cozy as he was with Ian.

My eyes found Savannah when I turned away from the boys at my table. She was standing a few feet from Bryan, her finger twirling her blonde hair. But she had absolutely no interest in the boy before her, no, her eyes were on Ian across from me. I couldn't help but smile when Bryan leaned back against the lunch table behind him in irritation, arms crossing over his chest. In doing this, he was looking directly at me and caught me staring. The annoyance seemed to vanish into the air and was replaced with his usual smug grin. He winked before saying one last thing to Savannah and walking out of the cafeteria and into the courtyard.

"What the hell was that about?" Ian snapped. I peeled my eyes from the door Bryan had just exited and looked back at my best friend. He was glaring at me, his grasp on his water bottle so tight the water had started to overflow and pour out the top. "He seriously needs to back off."

"He's not doing anything." Tristan commented softly.

I had to repeat his words in my head a few times to realize he was defending Bryan, or me I guess.

"He's trying to get at Charlotte to piss me off." Ian retorted angrily. "He had no interest in her until the fight at the party last weekend."

"That's because I stayed behind to make sure he was okay." I whispered. "Nobody else seemed to care."

Ian tossed a chip in his mouth, speaking again once it was swallowed. "There's a reason for that, Char. Just stay away from him, okay?"

I nodded, then met his eyes across the table. "We need to work on the project."

*

I felt a twinge of something close to jealousy in my chest when I walked out the front doors to find Ian in a crowd of girls. I pushed it down as I approached, knowing how the conversation was going to play out before he even opened his mouth.

"Hey, Char. The girls invited me to a party tonight." He gently nudged one of his beautiful admirers aside so he was in front of me. "You want to come?"