Another Stupid Boy

Chapter Thirteen

Three hours in a car with Seth Rollins was a bit life changing. No flirting and no speaking of what had just happened between us. Instead, he was real.

We talked about the upcoming football season and what he thought our team's chances were for a state championship. We laughed about my extraordinarily bad volleyball skills and how fortunate we were that AJ showed up when she did. We talked about how annoying it was to have siblings, our favorite and least favorite subjects and our taste in music, which was actually pretty similar.

At the end of the three hours, as crazy as it sounded, Seth and I had become something that felt sort of close to.. friends.

Or maybe it was the sleep deprivation.

It was definitely the sleep deprivation that had us laughing like little three year olds when we stepped into the hotel lobby to see how horrified everyone was when they realized that Bevis, was none other than a girl that, for obvious reasons, couldn't share a hotel room with Seth.

Seth's dad just brushed it off with a simple, "She can stay with Marilyn," and then sent us off to our rooms to crash before Dean's competition.

Marilyn, I discovered when I woke up, was Dean's mom. She was a fairly short, somewhat chubby woman, her hair reached the middle of her back and was in beautiful loose curls. The only resemblance between her and Dean was the hair color.

Marilyn's personality was different from her son's. She was sweet and a bit shy, unlike Dean, who didn't seem to know a stranger. I liked her instantly. Apparently Seth liked her too, since he gave her the biggest bear hug when he saw her.

Marilyn, Seth and I drove to the natatorium where Dean was already with his team. We joined the McMahon's in the lobby of Royal Palms Community Natatorium, and I followed them as they went in to wish Dean good luck.

When Dean saw the group, his mouth split into a wide grin. He gave his mom, along with everyone else, a huge bear hug. And when his eyes landed on me, his smile widened in surprise.

"Mermaid!!" he exclaimed and opened his arms to embrace me. "Now I know I'll win for sure."

"Back off, Water boy!" I held my hand in front of myself to stop him.

"What?" he motioned to his body, "I'm dry."

He ignored my warning glare and pulled me into huge hug that lifted me off the ground. Before he released me, he whispered in my ear, "I'll expect my mermaid good luck kiss before my race."

I rolled my eyes at him and smugly said, "I'll be sitting next to your mother."

He raised his eyebrows and smiled back. No teenager wanted to make out in front of his mother, and we both knew it. If he won today, he'd have to do it without any good luck kisses from me.

As promised, I followed Marilyn into the stands and sat as close to her as I could, without being creepy. Seth sat on the other side of Marilyn, and his parents took their seats next to him.

We still had a bit until Dean's first race. That's when Marilyn turned to me and started asking me all sorts of questions. I'm all for polite conversation but this felt more like an interview. She asked about my likes and dislikes, my life in general, and my friendship with Dean, specifically.

I just told her that I had met him at Kaitlyn's pool party that Kaitlyn invited me and Nikki to. Better to say that than to mention the whole Kaitlyn/Nikki/Seth mess.

"Oh," she simply said, but I knew better than to underestimate this woman. "and your nickname is mermaid?"

"Dean's the only one that calls her that." Seth grinned at me.