Not the Golden Girl

Chapter 3: Friends and Foes

After Coach H and I's little spat, the rest of class went off without a hitch. We had free choice for what was left of the period, and the boys and I went against some of the cross country boys in volleyball. Not only did we dominate, but I watched as both Reed and his brother came to see Hurthm for the pig he is, as he walked around leering at the girls and making comments. I didn't need their approval, but it was nice to know that their opinions of me wouldn't be based around the words of a man as vile as Coach H. Even still, Reed's brother continued to glare at me whenever he caught me looking at him, which was more than I cared to admit. It was hard to  ignore him, someone like him stood out from the rest, even though I could tell he'd rather blend it, interestingly enough. Both he and Reed received plenty of female attention, but neither took the bait. I wasn't sure what Mr Grumpy's motivation was, but I hoped Reed's was Char. Finally, the class went into the locker rooms, and after I changed and freshened up, I waited for the boys outside their locker room. As I did, Reed's brother walked up to me, getting close enough that I had to tilt my chin up a good deal to maintain eye contact. For a few moments, we just stared at each other, until he broke the silence.
"What's your deal with my brother?"
Ah, a fabulous introduction.
"Hmmm, I'm not sure how people introduce themselves wherever you come from, but that's not really how we do it here. Try introducing yourself, then interrogating me."
His eyes narrowed at my blatant sass.
"I'm Coach Edwards. Now, what's your deal with my brother?"
"I don't have a "deal" with Reed, he's my friend."
He laughed loudly, but it wasn't a happy one, it rang of disbelief and derision.
"Sure, you just want to be buddies with him. Let's cut the shit, yeah? You're clearly a girl who's used to getting whatever her little heart desires, but my brother's off the table. Go play with one of your other boyfriends, and leave Reed out of your games, he doesn't need them."
Wow. The fucking nerve of this guy. I had thought he'd seen past the shit that Coach H said, or would be able to clearly see I'm just friends with the boys, but apparently he's not as smart as I'd hoped.
I poked my finger into his unfortunately very firm chest.
"Listen to me, jackwagon, because I'm not gonna repeat myself. I think Reed's great, as a friend, just like I think my "boyfriends" are great. I would've thought you'd have seen past Hurthm's horse-shit, but clearly you're as far up his ass as he is. The only game I've played today is volleyball, so back off."
I had no clue why I was letting this guy get me so worked up, he didn't even know me. I didn't know him, I mean I didn't even know his first name. Grr. As my boys came out of the locker room, they circled around Coach Edwards and I, clearly not picking up on the tension. As Dean threw an arm around my shoulder, Edward's raised an eyebrow as if to say 'I told you so'. I rolled my eyes back, illustrating how stupid I thought he was.
Reed smiled at both of us, perfectly oblivious.
"So, James, I see you've officially met my brother Zeke. Hopefully he hasn't been too standoffish," Reed said with a chuckle.
I could tell Coach Edwards, or Zeke, as it were, expected me to snitch on his little tantrum, but I had a much better idea in mind.
"No, not at all. In fact, we were just taking about what a shit head Hurthm is, for designing the girls uniforms to purposefully be provocative."
Reed frowned, clearly upset to have this information confirmed.
"Yeah, when you said that, I couldn't believe it, but even just watching him throughout class made me feel gross."
Trevor nodded solemnly, "It sucks to watch, but the principal is his nephew, so his perv-lympics lives on. He's had it out for our James since freshman year."
I gave a brittle smile as I met Zeke's eyes again, his attention not having left me since the conversation began.
"A few too many balls have left my hand only to make contact with his head for us to be friends, I guess." I shrugged, unapologetic for my actions against him.
Zeke's eyes seemed to flash at that, with an emotion I couldn't quite make out, before he addressed the group.
"Well, I'll try to keep him in line this year," he turned to the boys, namely Reed, Dean, and Mac. "Boys, we have practice at 3:30 on the turf today, don't be late."
With that, he stalked into the office without a backwards glance. My group made its way to the cafeteria for lunch, and found Char already at our regular table just outside the dining area. A slight breeze toyed with my hair, and I couldn't help but enjoy the slight fall moment. We took our seats, with Reed sitting next to a practically giddy Charlotte. As we got to know Reed a little better, the boys and I shared looks throughout the period at the clear chemistry between the two. We learned that Reed had come here from Chicago, but that he and Zeke had moved around regularly after their parents passed away in a car accident. I guess Zeke had always played sports, but until this year, after Reed had grown in both height and muscle, Reed hadn't played anything. There were a couple questions here or there where Reed would hesitate, or stumble around his answer, but I figured it came from the nerves of being watched by our whole group. It was weird imagining Reed and Zeke growing up together because they were so different, but maybe that came from having to take care of Reed and himself following their parents death. I didn't know why I couldn't get my mind off of Zeke for long, but chose to not think about it for too long, I was probably just suspicious of how his deal would affect Char. After the bell rang, I made my way to APES with Char and Preston, then to Public Policy and Security with Mitch and Trevor. Finally, I went into Sports Medicine, only to be met with both the Edwards boys. Ah, I guess it made sense that Zeke could be teaching this course, Reed had said he went to college and majored in Sports Medicine with a minor in Management. Taking a seat beside Reed, I pulled out my iPad and iPen, two outrageously expensive products that I had saved up for. At the start of high school, I knew that paying for school supplies would be a significant burden through the years into college, that would fall to me. I did the math, and getting the electronics with a single folder for assignments that needed to be turned in as a paper copy, was ultimately cheaper than four years of blinders, loose leaf, pencil cases, writing utensils, etc. Thus far, I hadn't ever regretted the decision, which allowed me to stay extremely organized as well. Yes, money was always tight for me, and I've had to work constantly through the years, but my education is an investment, one that would pay off when I could go to a college far, far away from my father and his drinking buddies. I was pulled from thoughts by Reed tapping on my hand with his pencil.
I looked up to meet shy eyes and blushing cheeks.
"So, um, I messed up?"
Mg brows furrowed at that, "How did you mess what up?"
He ran his hand through his hair repeatedly, clearly a nervous tick.
"I couldn't think of a reason to get Char away from the table to ask her out, and I didn't want to ask her out in front of the guys, and now, I don't know," he let out a whoosh or air, the stress oozing off the poor guy, "Maybe she doesn't want to go out with me? She didn't ask?"
I couldn't help but laugh at how sweet but silly this poor boy was. I turned in my chair to face him head on.
"Reed, let me tell you a little something about myself. I never break pinky promises, ever. And I pinky promise you, Char really, really likes you and wants to go out with you. She thought you would ask her out at lunch, and spent the entire period afterwards asking Preston and I if she was ugly. Which is, for obvious reasons, ignorant."
A relieved smile broke out across his face, and he gave my pinky a squeeze before releasing it.
"Okay, that's really great. Super great. So, how do you think I should ask her out?"
I thought about it for a moment, coming up with a plan.
"I have an idea. So, I drive Char to and from school, so walk with me after class to meet her at the parking lot. There, I'll "forget I needed to speak to a teacher" and run back into the school. While I'm gone, ask Charlotte out. Boom, mission success."
"That's perfect!! I think the date should be this weekend, but I want to see her outside of school before then, to get to know her better."
"Hmm. Well, every Wednesday, the boys and I get together at the garage to watch Survivor, and sometimes Char comes. I bet if I said you were coming, she'd be sure to show up."
He was practically bouncing out of his seat now.
"You guys watch Survivor, Zeke and I love Survivor!!"
At hearing his name, Zeke turned to the two of us with a questioning look.
"Reed was just telling me you guys love Survivor, I do too."
Zeke studied me for a moment before responding.
"Do you really?"
I nodded with a little smile, "It's my favorite show of all time. I got all the boys into it and it's our little group tradition to watch it together every Wednesday night."
Reed almost jumped out of his seat.
"Wait! Why don't you, Char, and the boys come to our place to watch it? We have an awesome theater room, and I can spend more time with Charlotte."
Before I could respond, Zeke cut in.
"Reed. I don't know that that's a good idea."
Reed's face scrunched up in irritation, "It's a great idea. We always watch anyways, and you don't have a ma- practice."
Zeke seemed almost angry now, his nostrils flaring slightly, but his expression not changing.
"We'll talk about this after practice, Reed."
Trying to break the obvious tension, I cut in.
"Don't worry about it too much, yeah? If it doesn't work out to watch at your place, we'll just stick to tradition by being at the garage." I gave them both a smile, "Though I have to warn you, it's no theater room. It's a couple beaten up couches, a projector, and a white sheet."
I turned to look up at Zeke, almost forgetting what I was going to say when I got caught in his eyes, "You're welcome to join us too, Zeke. It's always a really fun time watching together."
He scoffed lightly, "I'm sure it's fantastic being in a dinky garage with a bunch of high schoolers."
The smile dropped off my face instantly, and I wished I hadn't gotten my hopes up. I had no reason to want to hang out with him, or to hope he'd want the same, but he didn't have to be a dick about it.
When I refocused, Reed seemed to be reprimanding Zeke with his eyes, but I could tell Zeke didn't care. Whatever, fuck that.
Lightly touching Reed's arm to get his attention, I said, "Well, regardless, the invite to join us stands, just let me know."
He nodded slightly, and after a beat or two of starting at me, Zeke called the class together. When class was over, Reed and I walked to the parking lot and met up with Char. I played along with the ruse, and tucked into a corner by the entry so I could still see them. I heard an excited giggle from Char before she threw her arms around Reed's neck. Yes! I turned away with a grin and fist pounded the air in celebration. Looking up, I saw Zeke watching me with the slightest curl of his lips, forming the shadow of a smile. When our eyes met, they held for a while. I almost started to walk to him when he shook his head and stomped back into the school. What a confusing man. Shrugging my shoulders, I made my way over to Reed and Char, congratulating her when she told me about their date this Friday. They were both glowing with happiness, and I shoved down a tinge of sadness in my heart when I realized Char was about to have a lot less free time. I was happy for her, and if anyone deserves real love, it was her. We said our goodbyes to Reed, and I drove an ecstatic Char home. One day in, and this year was already interesting.