Hidden Feelings and Hesitations

[4] Haylie

If I thought I had been doing a good job at avoiding Frankie, I was completely mistaken. It was like she'd been refusing to be in the same room as me since Thursday morning and it was killing me. Our interactions were limited already, but I'd hardly even seen her at lunch and I definitely hadn't spoken to her since the other day.

My mind was filled with a list of possible reasons that she could be upset with me. The only one that was sticking—though I really didn't want it to—was the fact that I was going on a date with Logan today.

I finished my braid and quickly threw on a T-shirt. There wasn't much time before he was supposed to get here. We were leaving at 2:30 and it was already quarter after. Luckily, since he'd agreed to laser tag, we weren't dressing up, so it didn't take me long to get ready. I pulled on my tennis shoes and headed downstairs to wait in the living room.

"Where are you going?" Gavin asked as I sank into the couch cushions. He had a book spread in his lap, but one of his favorite TV shows was playing in the background, as if he couldn't decide which he'd rather be doing.

"On a date," I absently told him, glancing out the window.

"With who?" His confused voice made it sound like his faced was all scrunched up and when I turned to look at it, it was.

"His name is Logan. He was one of the first friends I made here. We're going laser tagging."

My brother's jaw dropped now. "That's not fair. Can I come?"

"No, it's a date."

"You're going on a date?" Maya gasped as she walked into the living room. I rolled my eyes, knowing I wouldn't get out of here without a full interrogation. At least my parents weren't around so they couldn't add to the mix.

"Yes, his name is Logan, I met him in physics, we're going laser tagging, no more questions," I recapped for her.

My sister quickly made her way across the room and threw herself onto the couch next to me, apparently unsatisfied with my response. "Yes more questions. What does he look like? Is he cute? Is he smart? How did he ask you? Does he play sports? Is he on the basketball team? Ooh, wait, is he on the football team? How tall is he? Have I seen him before? Is he that guy you waved to in the hallway? Because you told me you didn't like him. Were you lying to—"

"Maya! God, take a minute, would you? He has brown hair and yes he's smart. He plays baseball and soccer. He..." I trailed off, trying and failing to remember all of the things she'd demanded to know. It was easier to indulge her than to fight her.

"You didn't tell me if he's cute or if I've seen him or if he's that guy we saw," she pointed out, not having trouble at all.

I felt like I didn't know how to answer her first question. Was he cute? I mean, I guess he was attractive, but I hadn't really thought too much about it. "Sure, he's cute. And I have no idea if you've seen him, but no, he's not the guy from the other day. That was Brady, he's friends with Logan."

"Can we meet him when he gets here? Please?" She grabbed onto my arm and pulled it closer to her, almost begging.

"Yeah, I want to meet him!" Gavin closed his book and jumped out of the recliner. "I bet if I asked him, he'd let me go with you."

"One, get off of me," I pried her fingers away from my arm. "Two, he's not coming inside. Three, this isn't that big of a deal. We're basically just hanging out. We're not in love, we're not getting married, so chill out." My siblings wilted at my harsh words, but they were the truth. Movement caught my eye and I saw Logan's car pulling into my driveway. I got up from the couch and grabbed my coat from the hook by the door. "I'll see you later," I muttered and left without looking back at them. I didn't need their disappointment to make me feel any guiltier than I already did.