Growing Pains

Chapter Four

Duncan

Howie's was starting to get packed with people. I made eye contact with a couple of girls that passed, and I shot them flirtatious grins. It's not like it mattered much to me anyways, my heart was decidedly spoken for.

I watched Justin with a glare. What did Courtney see in that guy? Sure, he was good looking, but I knew half the girls in our class thought I was too. I ran my hand through my green mohawk, as I looked at his dark hair. Was I not clean cut enough? Maybe I could wait for my hair to grow a couple more inches and I could cut it off, go back to the natural black.

I didn't understand why I was dwelling on this one guy so much. Court had gone on plenty of dates, and I had fooled around with plenty of other girls. But somehow, this guy felt more final. It felt like he was the one she had been waiting for all along.

Not me.

I sighed, slouching down in my chair further. I knew that Courtney would never go for me if she was hung up on a guy like that. We just... we were not in the same world. He was Prince Charming and I was the juvenile delinquent—the choice was obvious.

Bridgette made her way to our table, which was front and center, a perfect view of the band. She sat down in her typical spot whenever we came to Howie's, leaving an empty chair between us for Courtney, and rubbed her hands down her face.

"What's wrong, Malibu?" I raised a brow at her.

"Besides the fact that my mom found out I've been, well, active? Absolutely nothing," she dropped her head to the table with a thud, making me understand what she was implying.

I grimaced, "that bites. Is she in helicopter mode?" She nodded her head, well attempted to, on the table.

She lifted her head, a look of misery filling her eyes, "She found condoms when she randomly decided to clean out my bathroom. I came home from my shift at Waves to find her screaming at me." Her face smoothed out into a faraway look, making me wonder if she was calling back the not so distant memory, or another of a much stronger caliber.

"So, I take it you're sleeping over at Court's?"

"Oh yeah." She sighed and then undid her long blonde ponytail, letting her hair fall past her shoulders. She started retying it and looked over at the stage, "What do you think of Justin?"

I shot her a suspicious look, "Why?"

She shrugged, her ponytail secured, "He's really cute and seems nice. I was just thinking..." There was that familiar twinkle in her eyes that finished her sentence loud and clear. It wasn't much of a surprise to me that she was already chasing down a new distraction, especially with her mother's words laying heavily on her shoulders.

We all had things we took comfort in.

"What is so special about this guy?" I growled to myself.

"What?" She asked innocently, obviously not hearing my grumbling.

I smirked at her, about to tell her to go for it, but then I stopped. If she went for him, then Courtney never would, she was too loyal to go after any of her friend's exes. It would immediately take out my competition, but at the same time, it would break Courtney's heart.