No Strings Attached (Sample)

(4) Short Calls and Big Brawls

| Chapter 4 |

Jason’s POV

I didn’t realise how pissed Blake really was at me until we were all sat in the car. I could practically feel the hostility rolling off her in waves, and it was different to the other times she’d been angry at me. This time it was kind of getting to me; I wanted to be on her good side.

I decided not to wind her up like I usually did and just stewed in the silence instead. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy not to say something that’d usually get me a smack around the back of my head from her, but I managed to keep my mouth shut until we pulled up on the drive.

Blake didn’t say anything as she ran into the house and up the stairs. I could hear her door slamming all the way from the front of the house. She was not a happy bunny right now. Surely that couldn’t have been my entire fault? I was only playing around with her oh-so-perfect boyfriend. Could nobody take a joke around here?

“What do you want to do?”

I jumped slightly at the voice that dragged me back to reality, and I couldn’t help but chuckle that Dave, one of the most skittish people I had ever met, had made me jump. That just went to show how much I was focused on Blake- way too much. I needed to get those thoughts out of my head, god damn it.

“I actually have a ton of homework,” I told Dave. “I need you to help me- well, I need you to do it for me.” Before he could answer I unzipped my schoolbag and handed the stack of papers over.

“Um, okay…” he said, putting them in his own bag.

“Thanks mate,” I said. “You can do them tonight, okay? But now let’s play some basketball.”

Dave just stood there twiddling his thumbs a little. “I don’t know how to play.”

“Where do you live?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “Under a rock? Come on, I’ll teach you.”

I grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him to our basketball court outside. I’d say that homework for basketball lessons was a pretty good trade.

Blake's POV

For some reason Jason wasn’t being his usual, annoying self all the way home. It was starting to freak me out when we’d covered half the journey and by the end of it I was just plain nervous. My dad always said that it was when boys were quietest that you should be worried about what they were going to do. I just hoped that wasn’t true now, although I wouldn’t put it past Jason to pull some awful prank on me.

Either way, I was still mad. He knew that he was winding Braydon up; he knew exactly what he was doing. Jason just didn’t care how much trouble he made for me. All he ever thought about was number one, and that just really ticked me off.

By the time I parked up the car I couldn’t stand being so close to him for another second. I got out and headed straight for my room. Braydon didn’t have practice today which meant that I’d be able to call him straight away; I couldn’t waste any time.

He didn’t pick up the first two times I called, his phone going through to voicemail both times. I was losing hope after a few tone dials on my third attempt, but Braydon finally picked up and I plonked myself down on the bed to speak.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Hey,” I said. “It’s me. Are you still mad?” I held my breath.

“I was never mad at you, babe. That idiot was pushing my buttons and I just needed to cool off,” Braydon told me.

I let out a sigh of relief. But then I heard giggling from his side of the phone. I’m telling you now that Braydon was not one to giggle. My eyebrows flew up and my stomach plummeted.