The Hard Crush 1 (Feelings For You)

SEVENTEEN

"What's wrong with her?" Sebastian asked.

They all gazed after Winifred's retreating figure.

"Dunno," Jerry and Tristian answered together.

Jerry couldn't understand what had scared her off. She'd agreed to join them for lunch and suddenly she just backed out. He was still wandering what it was that she wanted to talk to him about. He felt excitement surge through his being. Being around her in the morning - even though it had been for a short while, made him feel relaxed in an unfamiliar way. He was glad she wasn't upset about what he'd said to her the other day she came over to his house.

"You've been awfully quiet, Ashley," Tristian suddenly said. "What's wrong?"

Jerry glanced at Ashley.

That was true. She hadn't spoken two words to any of them, which was strange. She was usually the talkative in their group, but not now. Right now, something was bothering her. She was sitting beside him and he could sense something was wrong.

"Why, Tristian?" She asked. "Are you going to act like you actually care?"

"Of course he cares," Jerry chipped in. "We all do. We're friends, right?"

"I guess," she glanced at Tristian. "How's your new friend? Hope she's treating you right."

"Winifred?" Tristian asked. "Yeah, she's pretty amazing."

Jerry watched as Ashley gave Tristian a scathing look. "Amazing?" She asked. "Do you like her or something?"

"Of course I like her. She's a great person."

"No I mean like."

"What the hell is that ?" Tristian asked, his eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. "Oh, I see," he said, rolling his eyes. "We've reached the point where we sort out different definitions of like, huh?"

"You're not answering the question."

Tristian paused and gazed at her, studying her while she gazed back, refusing to break eye contact with him. He finally looked away with a sigh.

"Well, like I said, she's a great person," he said, looking down at his lunch. "Smart. Easygoing. Funny. Beautiful."

Something in the way he said breautiful caused Ashley to stiffen beside Jerry. She averted her eyes and began playing with her lunch. It was something she did very often when trying to hide her emotions. Tristian noticed her weird reaction and immediately figured things out.

"Are you jealous, Ashley?" He asked, quite surprised.

Ashley's head snapped up and she looked at him. "No. If I was going to get jealous over someone, it definitely won't be you. And considering all the girls you mess around with, I'm not even surprised you find Winifred attractive." She got up. "You're not worth it, Tristian." She glared at him and then left the table.

And that, apparently was the third girl leaving their table.

"The girls I mess around with? What the hell was that?" Tristian asked, looking dumb founded.

"I'm not exactly sure," Sebastian replied. With the look on his face, it was obvious he was trying to do a mental calculation on what just unfolded before them.

"Rico, you have to talk to her," Tristian suggested.

"What? Why me?" Jerry asked.

"Because you're the smart one," Tristian replied.

"Hey!" Sebastian exclaimed, looking like he had just been insulted.

"Sorry," Tristian shrugged. "I actually meant he's the smart one when it comes to understanding women."

And with that being said, Jerry promised to have a chat with Ashley as soon as possible. He was exceedingly curious to know why Ashley seemed annoyed at everyone. He had two women to talk to.

He was still wondering what Winifred wanted to talk to him about.

Thinking about her, brought home another thought; Tristian wasn't thrilled knowing that he'd become friends with her. Jerry had sighted a small hint of jealousy on Tristian's features when he'd been with Winifred in the morning.

Now, Jerry had managed to figure things out and he'd come up with; Tristian is very much interested in Winifred. And with that thought in mind, he resolved to push Winifred out of his head, which he knew was not going to be as simple as he hoped. Their time together, brief as it was, still lingered in his head even as he got home. Truth was, he couldn't stop thinking about her. And he wanted to stop, he was desperate to stop, for the sake of his best friend whom he knew was also attracted to her.

Damn. This was going to be very difficult for him.