Chapter Two
"How was school today Brian?" Dad asks taking his seat at the end of the table.
"Fine."
He raises his brow at me while reaching across the table and grabbing the salad bowl in the center.
"Yep," I say with bored glazed over eyes. There's nothing really to report since becoming an overnight loser. All right, overnight might be stretching it, but still, school was hardly the place I wanted to rush off to every day. Not since Shannon. God, how was I so blind to the girl she really was?
Giggling erupts from the hall, just as Mom moves into the dining room carrying a very overcooked dry pot roast.
"Sam, are you staying for dinner?" Mom asks brightly. Please say no. Looking up from my salad plate, my eyes lock right on her bright blues. Her dark hair falls slightly in her face, causing my stomach to lift and twist in a very annoying knot. The one I try to pretend I never feel whenever Sam is around lately.
She's my little sister's best friend and I've always liked Sam. She's always been sweet, outgoing, and fun to be around, but she was always Olivia's friend. I've known her since they were in Brownies together. There had been plenty of sleep over's between those two over the years. Countless hours of them gushing over some boy band or school crush by our pool, but I'd never felt or been weird around Sam...until this summer. Maybe it had something to do with Sam's new bathing suit selection. This past summer she had traded in her boring modest one-pieces for some revealing strapless bikini's claiming she wanted to avoid tan lines. It made me realize she wasn't a kid anymore. No sir. She was all grown-up. Very grown-up. I started acting so weird whenever she was around that by July I had begun avoiding the pool just to keep myself from acting like a tongue-tied idiot in front of her.
She tucks a strand of her glossy hair behind her ear and her eyes land on the pot roast. "Thanks Mrs. Cunningham, but my mom's expecting me home for dinner tonight."
Liar. I hide my smile behind my fork. If we were having pizza she would have stayed. She knows all too well the meal we are all about to eat will be dry and tasteless leaving us reaching for our water glasses the entire time. My mom looks insulted. I think she may realize it, too.
"Really, Mrs. Cunningham, my mom said she was making something special tonight," Sam prattles on. "Also, I really can't eat anything too heavy in the evenings with training and everything. Spring is right around the corner ya know."
That's right. I had noticed Sam jogging up and down the street a bit more often lately. She was getting ready for the track season. Up and down the block she jogs at least twice a day. Her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail that swings back and forth beckoning me to spend a few minutes each day gawking out my bedroom window.
"Hmmm," Olivia makes one of her loud exaggerated attention grabbing noises. All eyes focus in on her and she smiles. "Brian you should run with Sam later. You've gotten like totally out of shape lately."
What? My face drops and I try giving her a look to let her know she'd better sleep with one eye open tonight. She ignores the look, her attention set on Sam. Almost on cue Sam nods her head in agreement and looks over at me.
"Yeah, Brian, you should come for a run with me later. That'll be fun."
"It will right?" Olivia babbles. "Running is so good for you and everything."
"It is," Sam agrees vigorously. "Very good for you. Gets the blood pumping."
The two girls start pumping their arms as if running in place. This thing they're doing, it's weird and painfully obvious it was planned. An attempt to get me out for a while instead of sitting home sulking and playing video games like I'd become accustomed to doing.
This ridiculous ploy, I should say no, but I don't for two reasons. One, the image of Sam in one of her skimpy bikini's flashes before my eyes and two... "Okay, I'll go for a run with you, but that probably means I shouldn't eat anything too heavy myself," I say pushing away the plate of dried meat my mom had placed in front of me.
Sam's eyes connect with mine and she winks. I know it's because of the pot roast I just dodged but still it stirs something up inside me that I try hard to ignore.
Isn't there some type of rule or a law somewhere that says you can't date your sister's best friend?
