Girlfriend's Best Friend

Chapter 6

             “That’s not true,” Brooke acted like she wasn’t fazed by it, but Jace just told her if she didn’t want it, she didn’t have to say she did.

            “No, I really do, I’m not like, lyin-” Brooke tried to defend herself. I was about to offer to buy both her and Kelli some cotton candy when Kelli quickly said, “Cody, come on the roller coaster with me.”

            I knew she just wanted to get out of there, so I followed her over to the ride. I turned back to look at my friends, hoping they’d understand why I was leaving the group. They all pelvic thrusted and made the signs for ‘get it in’ but Brooke just stood there with an unreadable look on her face. That’s the one thing I wish I could change about Brooke- you could never tell how she was truly feeling.

            That’s what I wanted to find out about her- who she truly was, and why she was that person.

            “Do you like Brooke?” Kelli abruptly asked me.

            “What?” I laughed, not expecting her to ask that. “I mean, she’s a nice girl, but I’m not into her. Or any girl who’s obsessed with attention like how she is.” I knew saying this would make her happy. That’s all I really wanted to do— make her happy. That’s when I liked her the best—when she was completely herself and so carefree and happy and just beautiful. I’d rather have her act this way than her act upset and jealous over her friend. Brooke already knew everyone loved her. Kelli needed someone to show her she was just as great—I wanted to be that someone.

            She smiled and I went to lean in to kiss her but she turned around. I looked back over at my friends, knowing they were staring at me and shook my head. Kelli turned back around to say something to me and realized I was staring at them. She looked annoyed, probably thinking I was looking at Brooke, but I quickly tried to save myself, “The guys are trying to get Mattie with Brooke. They’re doing it right now.”

            “This line is too long,” she said quickly, hopping over the railing that kept the line in place, right back over to Brooke, pulling her away from Mattie.

             “Bro, are you kidding me?” Mattie said to me after Kelli dragged Brooke away. “I was just about to get with Brooke!”

            “Sorry man, it’s not like I told her to take her away,” I defended Kelli. “She probably didn’t even realize.”

            Mattie rolled his eyes and we walked after them. He challenged me to a balloon darts game, the first to pop five balloons won. He said he’d get Brooke the pink dolphin when he won, but instead I won and asked Kelli which one she wanted, which also just so happened to be the pink dolphin.

            We waited on line for the Ferris wheel, but Kelli and Brooke were whispering about something to each other, not even paying attention to us.

            “Yo, you do it?” Duke asked Mattie excitedly.

            “Nope. Cock block Kelli came out of nowhere and took her away right as I was about to kiss her,” Mattie said angrily, looking straight at me.

            “Shhh! She’s going to hear you,” I cocked my head in her direction. We all turned to see she was still whispering to Brooke. “I’ll help if you need,” we heard Kelli say.

            “Help with what?” I asked. “You can’t just do that, you know, tell secrets in front of us.”

            “I’ll tell you guys after the ride,” Brooke winked. Was that wink to me?

            I got on with Kelli after Carter and Jace, Duke and Graham. Brooke insisted we go first, probably so she could see me kiss her. It’s like she flirted with me, but she’d rather me be with Kelli, and that’s what bothered me. The fact that she didn’t really want me, but she flirted with me anyway.

            But then again, isn’t that kind of what I was doing with Kelli?