My Boyfriend's Best Friend

Chapter Eighteen

Connor

“I told you you’d make the team,” Rylie smiled, punching me lightly on the arm. I rolled my eyes but I couldn’t help the huge smile on my face that lit up the hallway. I grabbed her playfully in a loose headlock and ruffled her hair.

“Hey!” she protested, laughing as she pulled out of my grip. “Not the hair, Conn.”

“When did you become so vain?” I teased, watching as she smoothed her hair down.

She poked her tongue out at me to which I replied to in the same way. We were so mature.

“Just because I’m hot and you’re not!” she joked.

“That’s not what Tara said,” I playfully fired back.

She stopped abruptly and I knew I had said the wrong thing. “Tara? She called you hot?”

“Uhh… yeah,” I said, scratching the back of my head nervously. For some reason, I didn’t really want Rylie knowing I was hanging out with Tara. She would get the wrong impression and that wouldn’t help me win her back. “We’ve been hanging out a bit. She’s in my Chemistry class.”

“Oh. That’s cool,” she said with a tight smile and resumed walking. There was an awkward silence as neither of us knew what to say.

“So… do you like her?” she finally asked.

Immediately, I stumbled. “Who? Tara?” I spluttered. “Of course not! I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with her. In fact, she’s a really nice girl and she’s pretty and if things were different I’d totally go for her but I kinda have feelings for this other girl but it’s really complicated and - ”

“Connor,” Rylie interrupted me with a tight smile on her face. “You’re rambling.”

I blushed and ran my hands through my hair. “Sorry.”

She gave me a funny look and I cleared my throat nervously. I had come so close to accidentally confessing I had feelings for Rylie. “Yeah, so, um, we’re just friends,” I concluded.

Rylie nodded in understanding. “So this girl you like, what’s her name?”

My stomach dropped. Oh crap. Now what? “Oh… uhh…”

I was saved from answering as Ben, one of the boys on the soccer team, came running up to us.

“Connor! My man!” he shouted loudly, causing several heads to turn our way. I rolled my eyes as he clapped me on the back in a signature bro-hug.

“Benny boy, wassup?” I asked, embracing the distraction. Ben beamed his startling white teeth at me – his dad was a dentist – and shook his shaggy mop of black hair.

“Not much, man. Except you made the team! Party at the beach this Friday, 8 o’clock. You better be there. You too, Rylie.”

I smiled and nodded. A party at the beach would be the perfect way to relax after this stressful week. I mean, I’d been back, what? Six days? And already I’d punched Aidan, confronted his twin brother and made the team. I deserved a break from the constant drama.

“You can count me in, Ben. I’ve never said no to a good time.”

He flashed us those blinding pearls and faced Rylie. “And of course you’ll be there. Aidan’s always goes so…”

“Yeah,” said Rylie, with a glance my way. “I’ll be there, Ben.”

He nodded and ran off to inform the rest of the team of the party. Rylie and I began walking to our lockers and I couldn’t help but count down in my head. And three… two… one…