180 Degrees- Completed

Chapter Thirteen

"So a cheerleader? I'm guessing you know a lot of the people here already then?" 

"I mean, I've only been here a few weeks. I came up early for auditions and just kind of stayed. I've been to a handful of those parties with the team. They keep introducing me to all the players and giving me the low down on everyone but there's so many people and names and who's with who. Who has crushes on who, who's taken, who's available. It's a lot." I chuckled. "What about you?" 

"I know, you, James, the guy from last night. A douchebag called Jasper and the volleyball girls. That's it. I've not been here too long. Like a week without my parents. I'm sure I'll meet more once I'm on the team officially." 

"When will you find that out?" 

"I've got practice with them this week so hopefully soon. I've missed being on court. Kind of really want to make it just to slap a ball into my ex captain's face at a match. I think that would be hilarious." 

"You didn't get on with her?" 

"Not in the slightest." I rolled my eyes, pulling my phone out and finding a photo of the whole team. "This is me, my best friend Izzy and Penny is in the middle obviously." 

"Oh I know her type so well. Dating the captain of the football team?" 

"Soccer. Yeah." 

"Oh, a soccer boy?" 

"Yeah and I had a MAJOR crush on him for 4 years. Didn't tell anyone but Izzy so that couldn't have been why she was a bitch but yeah. He's at Stanford so if you go down there for a match send me pictures and I'll point him out." 

"A Stanford boy? For soccer?" 

"He was going to come here but went there for her apparently." I rolled my eyes as we walked around the park. "She cheats on him too. Regularly. With like all his so called friends. It's not fair on him." 

"No one told him?" 

"Nope." 

"Why not?" 

"The only people who knew were us on the team and none of us wanted to be kicked off and loose our chances at doing it in college. Also like it wasn't our place to say anything right? I didn't know the guy. I doubt he even knew my name so it's not like I could just walk up to him and say hey Edward's your girlfriend of 2 years is a lying cheating bitch and all your friends are 2 faced liars." She giggled. "Imagine what would happen. I'd have been obliterated. No thanks. I choose life." 

"Yeah okay, makes sense. So you said you knew a douchebag called Jasper?" I groaned, rolling my eyes. 

"Yes. Prick. Honestly." 

"I need details." I sighed. "Between us and no one else unless they try to get close to him and then I'll keep you anonymous." I smiled, taking my phone back and swiping to his photo. "He's a prick? But he looks so sweet." 

"Yeah don't let that smile deceive you." I told her the story of me and him, start to finish. Coffee to pizza. Watching her face as she couldn't believe him as much as me. I mean, I wasn't hurt by it. I didn't know the guy. It was one date. Nothing serious and nothing of any importance ever happened between us. 

"So you just pushed him out?" 

"Yep. Hand on his shoulder and forced him out my room. Like I could have let the little lie about him being an introvert go right? I was a little pissed about him lying but didn't care what it was about. It wasn't anything major and I found out pretty quickly right? But then for him to have lied to me about that, just to get me to open up to him. Like? There was no point behind it either. It was such a bad plan that he had to get me. None of it makes any sense and I don't know why he thought I'd fall for it." 

"Because girls like you, quiet, innocent girls, would fall for it. I'm sure there will be a few this year that will." 

"Just unnecessary. Like he's cute as hell. He could have just been how James is with me. Honest about it. I mean he hasn't told me but if I've mentioned it he's held his hands up you know? Like his past doesn't affect anything. Neither does my past. All it means is that I'm more likely to take it slower than he's used to." 

"Didn't look like either of you wanted to take it slow last night." She chuckled and I pushed her slightly with my arm as we both sipped. "I'm kidding. You were so confident there with him last night. I'm sure there's going to be plenty of guys you can use to taunt him with." 

"I love pushing his buttons. He's really funny when he's jealous and fighting for my attention. Also. I've never dated before. I want to get a good deal of experience behind me you know? Like talking to guys. This is my first week doing it and everyone has all these dating stories and I can never contribute, well until Jasper. Plus like, I have spent the past like 5 years watching everyone else date and everything and I'm here like, okay, I know myself. I know who I am. I did all my personal work. I'm ready. It's my turn. Lets find me a guy who can sweep me off my feet." 

"Like James?" 

"I don't think James has swept me just yet. Maybe another bit of competition hanging around would push him, you know? He's a little possessive but not too much that it's suffocating. I kind of want to see where his limit is. Is that bad? That I purposely want to toy with him like that?" 

"I don't think so. Not here when he is as well known as he is and if you keep hanging around with him, you'll quickly be known as much as well." 

"But I don't just want to be known for dating James. I want to have my own thing going on outside of him you know? Volleyball, my own friends. I don't want all anyone knows about me to be him. I am not an extension of some guy I met a week ago. Surely dating another guy would knock him down a peg or two as well? Like people would be saying I could have the hottest guy in school completely to myself but he's competing with someone else because I know what I want and what I deserve." She looked at me, stopping in her tracks. 

"You're evil, you know that?" She giggled, looping her arm through mine. "I love it." 

"I'm going to give him a few days though. Maybe let him think he's got me to himself. But we'll see, depends on if I bump into anyone."