The Girl Next Door

30. Upgrading Her Lunch Spot

Alex's POV

It was my first time seeing her play sports, and—no joke—volleyball suited her. She was freaking awesome.

Astrid wasn't perfect, sure, but every time she dove for the ball or managed to send it flying over the net, she had this determined look on her face that was just... different. It was hard not to watch her.

"Dude, you're staring," Matt whispered, smirking as he elbowed me in the ribs.

"Shut up," I muttered, but even I knew I wasn't being subtle. Every time she did something cool—like that spike that no one saw coming—I couldn't help myself.

"Go, Astrid!" I yelled, cupping my hands around my mouth.

The guys immediately jumped on it.

"Ohhhh, look at him!" Blaine said, loud enough for half the gym to hear.

"Are we watching volleyball or The Bachelor?" Geoff added, laughing so hard he almost fell off the bench.

"Leave him alone," Matt chimed in, grinning like an idiot. "He's just supporting his future girlfriend. Right, Alex?"

"Shut. Up." My face felt like it was on fire, but I wasn't about to stop cheering. Every time Astrid landed a point, I clapped like I was at a championship game. And when she stuck her tongue out at me? That was game over.

"She totally just did that to you!" Blaine howled, doubling over in laughter.

"She's got you hooked, man," Geoff added, shaking his head.

Maybe I was hooked. Maybe I didn't care. Watching her out there, owning it, was worth every second of their teasing.

"Might be the chance to make things more real than a fake relationship, yeah?" Geoff added, grinning like he'd just won the lottery.

I groaned internally. Why did I ever tell them?

It was supposed to be harmless—Astrid had asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend so her grandparents wouldn't worry about her being alone. Simple. No big deal. But no, I had to share that little detail with these guys, thinking it wouldn't come back to haunt me.

Now, they couldn't let it go.

"C'mon, Alex," Matt chimed in, leaning back on the bench with a smug expression. "You're already halfway there. Why not just... you know, seal the deal?"

"Make it real," Blaine added, wiggling his eyebrows like a total idiot.

"Guys, shut up," I muttered, trying to keep my voice low so no one else would overhear.

But they didn't care. They were on a roll now.

"You cheer for her like that, and we're gonna start planning the wedding," Geoff teased, nudging me.

"Fake boyfriend?" Blaine snorted. "Yeah, right. You're not fooling anyone, man. Not even her."

I wanted to argue, to tell them they were wrong, but I couldn't find the words. Instead, my eyes drifted back to Astrid as she served the ball. She looked so focused, so... radiant. And okay, maybe they weren't completely wrong.

But no way was I admitting that to them.

"Remind me why we're friends again?" I said teasingly, glaring at Geoff as he smirked like he was the king of comedy.

"Because I'm the life of your otherwise boring existence," Geoff shot back without missing a beat. He leaned closer, his voice dripping with fake sincerity. "And because, deep down, you know you'd be lost without me."

"Lost in annoyance, maybe," I quipped, shaking my head.

Geoff just grinned wider, clearly unfazed. "Admit it, Alex, you love me. Not as much as you love Astrid, obviously, but close second, right?"

The other guys burst into laughter, and Blaine practically fell off the bench, clutching his stomach.

"You walked right into that one," Matt said, patting me on the back like he was consoling me.

"Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious," I muttered, but I couldn't help cracking a small smile. It was impossible to stay mad at them for long.

Geoff leaned back, looking way too pleased with himself. "Face it, Alex. Without us, you'd be stuck staring at Astrid and pretending it's all just fake."

I rolled my eyes but didn't bother responding. They weren't entirely wrong, and that was the worst part.

Finally, the PE class was over.

Astrid walked off the court, her face flushed and damp with sweat, but somehow, she looked... breathtaking. Her cheeks were this perfect shade of pink, and a few loose strands of hair framed her face in a way that made it impossible to look away.

From where I was sitting, I felt like the biggest idiot just staring, but I couldn't help it. She had this way of being effortlessly captivating, even after running around and spiking volleyballs for an hour.

She glanced in our direction, waving casually. Was it at me? Us? I wasn't sure. Probably the whole group. But still, I felt that dumb flutter in my chest like she'd waved just for me.

"Dude, you look like you've just seen a movie star," Matt whispered, breaking my trance.

"Shut up," I muttered, but my eyes stayed glued to her as she grabbed her water bottle and headed out.

"Starstruck," Geoff teased with a grin. "That's what it is. You're hopeless, man."

Maybe I was. But watching her walk away, all I could think was, I don't even care.

Lunch rolled around, and I expected to see Astrid at her usual spot outside the cafeteria. She always sat there, tucked away under that big tree, far from the chaos. But today?

She didn't.

Instead, she walked straight into the cafeteria, tray in hand, and headed for our table. Our table.

The most popular table in the school, thanks to the football team—and, well, me being the captain didn't hurt. It was the kind of table everyone wanted to sit at but didn't dare approach unless they were invited.

And here was Astrid, sliding into an empty seat like she belonged.

The guys immediately noticed, of course. Blaine raised his eyebrows, Matt smirked, and Geoff—predictably—elbowed me hard enough to make my tray rattle.

"Well, well," Geoff said under his breath. "Looks like someone's upgrading her lunch spot."

"Shut up," I muttered, but my heart was racing.

Astrid set her tray down and glanced around the table, her expression calm, like this was no big deal. Like she wasn't sitting at the table where half the school's gossip started.

"Hey," she said casually, her voice cutting through the noise of the cafeteria.

"Hey," I replied, maybe a little too quickly.

Blaine leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Astrid, you do know sitting here means you're officially part of the cool kids club, right?"

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "I think I can handle it."

And just like that, she started eating, completely unfazed. Meanwhile, I couldn't decide if I wanted to strangle Geoff for his teasing or thank him for not saying something worse.