I have three basic rules to live by
Don't draw attention to myself.
Make it through another year.
My brother's friends are off limits.
My junior year, each and every single one of those rules will be broken.
**~~**
Blaine has always been the type to...
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Blaine Elizabeth Lester loved me. If the beer hadn't beaten her to giving me euphoric high that conversation would have. The fact that we had two serious discussions in a week was making my head spin. Joseph was about to get his ass kicked for the first one. Blaine would be getting all the love I could give her until I was ready.
I hadn't meant to say that she didn't love me enough for me to say it. I believed she did, but I needed to know that she wasn't going to leave me again. Hearing that she ran to fucking Potter after a fight chipped away part of me. Feeling that sucker punch when I'd been foolish woke me up in time to see her walking away, again. I wasn't prepared for her to do it a third time. Not that I was looking to give her a reason.
There were going to be things out of our control. Hearing her tell me to sign with USC was one that I feared would be a breaking point. Thousands of miles between us wasn't going to be easy. We'd have classes and practices. Then there was that whole time zone thing adding itself to the mix. With a new obstacle everywhere I looked, it was hard to believe she was willing to wait out that year.
"So, Laine crashed at your place again? Did you give her a drawer yet," Shane teased as he and Joe flanked me.
"She does need one since she steals my clothes." I slammed my locker shut and narrowed my eyes on him. "Can I suggest that you keep pillow talk to your own secrets? Leave me out of it."
"Joey's spilling secrets," Shane lobbed his arm across my shoulders, leaning in closer. "What dirt do you have on me?"
"Do you even have secrets," I grumbled, shoving his arm from its place.
"Someone's sensitive this morning. No loving from little Lester last night."
"I swear your brain lives in bedrooms."
"My experience says it's the best place to live." He waggled his brows proudly before his attention focused on a redhead sauntering past. "I'll catch you later."
"In my defense," Joe started once Shane was out of ear shot, "Heather was sworn to secrecy."
"Heather has a bigger mouth than you."
"Yeah. Yeah. Look, it obviously didn't matter to Laine, so why are you sweating it?"
"Because your girlfriend doesn't know what it means to keep quiet. How long before someone else knows?"
"She doesn't talk to anybody else. Cam's got his own drama to deal with. Laine is too wrapped up in you to care. Besides, I doubt anyone would believe the gossip. Star wide receiver had never bagged the ultimate win."
"Dude," I groaned as we entered the cafeteria. My complaints stopped when I saw her.
The sun casted a glow over her table. She was laughing at whatever Cam was saying. Her hand covering her mouth to muffle the giggle hid that amazing smile. The messy bun that I'd grown to accept as part of her own style swayed slightly from the laughter. My aged Warped Tour tee under her purple flannel. I would never get tired of seeing bits of me becoming part of her world.
