I CAN'T [ BROCK BOESER ]

- four -

"Are you serious?!" Jessica squeals jumping onto my bed, Dayla and Alicia follow her and soon everyone is piled onto my twin sized bed. My phone is pulled out of my hand by Alicia and then Jessica grabs it and scrolls through my texts, her smile grows wider when she sees what's written.

"You have to do it!" Dayla exclaims reading over Jessica's shoulder. I shake my head at her words.

"I can't." I sigh as I lean back against the wall, my arms rest on the pillow that's on my lap.

"Why not?" Alicia asks in an annoyed tone, her face scrunching up at my words.

I shrug my shoulders. "You see how good looking he is, how brilliant he is, tell me how I am not going fall for him? I don't want to because I'm scared, he'll turn out to be like every other boy. I'm afraid to let my heart out of its cage after what Hudson done."

"Just start out as friends with Brock, tell him that you're still mending a broken heart and you don't want to be with anyone right at this very second. He'll understand why you're so closed off and distant." Jessica says handing me my phone back. I look down and see the written words Brock sent me.

Brock🏒

Are you free on this sunny
Sunday afternoon to allow me
to take treat you to a coffee?

I'd like to see you before I leave
on Monday night for the team's road trip.

"I don't want to be a charity case for him." I sigh looking back to my friends, they all sit on my bed facing me.

"You won't be!" Dayla protests.

"He did say he wants to see you before he leaves." Alicia says raising her eyebrow in a suggestive manner. "That means he likes you."

"It's almost one! Message him now so he doesn't think you're ignoring him." Jessica says giving my legs a shake. I stare back down at Brock's message, my heart beat thumps faster as I read over it. I'm having conflicting thoughts about Brock. I just saw him last night and somewhere in me begs my head to see sense and see him again, my heart screams out no to protect itself from another run at liking someone who has the potential to hurt me.

"What are you going to do?" Dayla asks. I raise my head to meet the waiting eyes of my friends, I take a deep sigh and answer with my head.

"I guess I'll go see him." I say and the three girls squeal.

"We should do her make-up." Alicia mumbles as she gets off my bed.

"No! Please, I don't want to be seen making an effort or I'm trying." I call out instantly. I don't want Brock to get the wrong idea if I turn up looking like I've tried to impress him. It'll just be two people going out to have a coffee with one another, nothing more than that.

Levi

Yeah, sure
I can meet up with you

✹

I slowly walk towards the Starbucks on campus, my hands are shoved into my pockets and are balled into fists. I agreed to meet with Brock at three o'clock at the Starbucks facing my dorm building, it's now ten minutes after three and I'm only leaving my dorm now. Well, I was more forced out of my dorm by Jessica, Dayla and Alicia, who slammed the door closed in face and locked it to make sure that I didn't try to get back in. And now I see the Starbucks in front of me, panic fills my bones the second I catch a glimpse of Brock's hair inside. He's here and waiting for me for about ten minutes, I'm outside panicking about seeing him again.