Girlfriend's Best Friend

Chapter 4

        “Now she’s upset,” Kelli muttered under her breath to me. I mean, I could understand why Brooke would be upset. But it’s not like I’d say anything—this wasn’t my place to get involved. Kelli then went on to say how anything about food or weight upsets her, but Brooke still denied it. I looked around at my other friends, who had the same worried expressions on their faces as me.

            “So, do you like going in the ocean or do you just like tanning?” Mattie thankfully changed the subject.

            “Both,” Brooke said, her eyes piercing angrily into Kelli right before her entire expression changed into a happier, flirtier one.

            We kept eating our pizza and I couldn’t help but notice how little Kelli ate. She had half a slice which I finished for her and just a water. Brooke ate two full slices and downed a Pepsi without thinking twice about it. That didn’t make her look unattractive though—if anything, her carelessness and confidence in herself made her look better.

            We started walking down to the beach, me in front with Kelli, Brooke and the guys following. I wanted to hold Kelli’s hand or offer to hold her bag or anything but I was too nervous. And I couldn’t help but feel that if she was Brooke, I wouldn’t have even thought twice about it. I just felt like Kelli would’ve been awkward or nervous about it.

            “Cody Hayes,” Brooke said to me after we’d set out stuff down and were about to walk down to the water.

            “Brooke Cooper,” I probably sounded stupid imitating her. Our friends walked down to the water without us and I walked over to her.

            “One name left—Kelli Carson. And I have a good idea,” she smirked.

            “What is it?” I asked, secretly hoping she’d ask me to forget about her and go for her instead. I liked Kelli—trust me, I did. She was a lot different from Brooke and that’s what I liked about her. That she wasn’t just plainly beautiful for everyone to see where she could trap their attention so quickly. I liked that you really had to get to know her before she’d let you see how beautiful she was. It’s almost like she had higher standards which I wanted so badly to show her I could fulfill. But at the same time, there was something about Brooke that made everybody want her. And out of everybody, I could be that somebody.

            “Well you obviously like her an-”

            “I don’t,” I quickly lied, not wanting her to think I did. She raised both eyebrows, not believing me for a second and looked up at me with her smiling baby blue eyes. “You do,” she smirked. “I think she likes you too. Remember yesterday when you said you would get with her? Well I think today would be a good day for that.”

            “I’m just nervous,” I accidentally admitted. Shit, why would I say that? She’s going to think I’m soft.

            “Aw! Why? She’s totally into you! She’d go for it!”

            “She’s into me? How do you know?” I hoped I didn’t sound too eager.

            “I’m her best friend! Of course she tells me things.”

            “What if I screw up or something? She’s so pretty and funny and I don’t want her thinking I’m and idiot,” I tried to explain, almost hoping she’d find a reason for me not to go for Kelli but for her instead. I felt awful for wanting this, because at the same time, I truly did want Kelli too. I just didn’t want to blow all my chances with Brooke. “All my friends will bag on me and—”

            “Just go for it, trust me,” she tied her hair into a pony tail, which I couldn’t help but notice made her boobs push out as her arms were up, tying her hair back. I tried not to look, explaining, “I just— I’m not sure if I like her.”

         “You’re not sure?” Brooke asked me, both eyebrows raised bent inward. After everyone else had made their way down to the beach already, the guys hadn’t been paying attention to me, but I noticed Kelli turn back a few times to see why Brooke was talking to me.

            “Like, I do really like her, but I feel like I also kind of like someone else a little,” I tried to save myself, and hoped she’d realize I was talking about her. I didn’t want to give up on her just yet. “What if I lose the other girl because she sees me with Kelli?”

            “Well, then that other girl missed out, not you! You’ll have Kel, and you won’t need that other girl,” she said, giving me a look that made it seem like she knew, but you could never be sure of anything with Brooke. She continued instructing me, “Tonight on the board walk, I’ll distract the other guys—” that shouldn’t be too hard for her “—and you stay back with Kelli and just kiss her. One simple kiss. Tell her she’s beautiful and that you really like her. She’ll tell you she likes you back. Then you can ask her on a date and take it from there!”

            How could I possibly say no to Brooke? Her flirty, raspy voice, her flirty, bright blue eyes, her flirty, confident personality- her flirty everything- she made it hard to say no.

            “Do you think if I asked her to be my girlfriend, she’d think it was too fast and say no?”

            “She would definitely say yes,” she encouraged me. “Go for it!” I smiled and hugged her, my body towering over her tiny frame. We made our way back to the ocean where we parted off.

            “What was that about?” Kelli asked me.

            I didn’t want to tell her Brooke was trying to get me with her, but I didn’t want to lie and say I was talking to Brooke ‘just because’ because I knew it would upset her. “She was asking me whether she should go for Mattie or Jace,” I lied. I knew it would sound believable because Kelli had been texting me about it just five minutes before they showed up. I liked that Kelli told me a lot of things about Brooke— it was an easy way to find things out.

            “Well, I don’t think she’s into either of them right now,” she cocked her head in Brooke’s direction and that’s when I saw her kissing Carter. It shouldn’t have hurt. I shouldn’t have cared. But I did.

            “I was right,” Carter said. “Kelli was telling the truth.”

            “The truth about what?” Brooke asked what I was thinking.

            “That you’ll flirt with everyone even when you don’t mean it. Not in a bad way though, I was just saying,” Kelli shrugged one shoulder to subtly bash Brooke, although it wasn’t too subtle. I exchanged a look with my friends, hoping Brooke and Kelli wouldn’t start fighting.

            “It was a dare,” Brooke defended herself.

            “He could’ve just said he wanted to make out with you and you’d say yes,” Kelli rolled her eyes, not backing down. “He didn’t have to dare you.” This was partially my fault— she’d told me that she felt like Brooke had power over her and I told her that she should put her in her place if she felt that way. But I meant talk to her— not be a bitch.

            “Yup, you’re right,” Brooke backed down.