She tries again to free it from my grasp.
揤i, stop,?I say when she抯 nearly worked it out of my fingers. 揑t抯 not Liam. It抯 Jordan.?
She pulls back and goes quiet.
I nod to confirm it because I can tell she抯 trying to decide if I抦 joking or not.
揓ordan Thatcher??The way she says his name speaks volumes.
揧es. Jordan Thatcher. We抳e been spending so much time together while I tutored him, and things just sort of?happened.?
揇aisy.?
Okay, I like the way she says my name right now even less than the way she said Jordan抯。
揑 really like him. I know he has a reputation, but棓
揌e抯 slept with half of the Valley population. That isn抰 a reputation. It抯 a fact.?
揑 don抰 care about his past.?
揚ast??Her voice softens. 揌oney, I say this with love, but you don抰 really think that he抯 only seeing you, right??
I squirm under her scrutiny. 揥e haven抰 set any boundaries.?
揝o he could be with some other girl right now??
揥ould he text me if he were??I unlock my phone to read his text and then show the image to Violet.
She stares blankly between the screen and me.
揊uck the Dealer. It抯 this card game where棓
揑 know the game. So??
揝o he抯 out and texting me. Therefore, not with another girl.?
揑 love your optimism,?she says with a sigh.
Okay, fine. I admit there抯 a teensy tiny part of me that wonders if he抯 hooking up with other people. We mostly hang out alone in my tree house and around his schedule. It wouldn抰 exactly be hard for him to juggle. But the bigger part of me just doesn抰 care. Or maybe wants to stay in denial.
揑 know that your past makes it hard to believe that he could be this popular jock who parties and sleeps around, and is also a decent guy, but I think he is, Vi.?
揧ou抮e going back early to hang out with him??
I nod. 揌e asked me to come back this weekend.?
揥hat happened with Liam? I thought you were into him.?
揑 was, or I thought I was. I think I liked the idea of him more than anything.?
揓ordan is so different from Liam,?she says.
揧eah.?I laugh. 揃ut also not. He抯 unexpectedly sweet and厰 I trail off. 揑 never expected to fall for him.?
揊all??Her brows rise. 揇o not fall in love with him. Talk to him, get it out of your system or whatever, but absolutely do not fall in love with him.?
I smile and roll my eyes, then shove at her leg lightly. 揇on抰 worry. I will be fine.?
Or I hope I will because I think I already have fallen in love with him.
23
JORDAN
Liam disappeared after practice and hasn抰 come back to the dorms yet. He was late again and just a total mess. I don抰 get it. These streaks of hot and cold are throwing the team for a loop. We get in a nice groove with him, and then BAM, he抯 late or having a bad day, and we all have to readjust.
I came back to the dorm thinking he抎 be here beating himself up about it, but it抯 been hours, and he抯 not here and not answering my texts. Jenkins came over with his teammate Warren and Warren抯 girlfriend, Regina. We抮e playing video games when there抯 a knock at the door.
揂re you expecting someone??Jenkins asks.
揘o.?
揋o away,?he yells in the direction of the door.
揘ice,?I say, and then call louder than he did. 揇oor抯 open.?
No one enters. I wait for another knock. Nothing. I put down the controller. I wouldn抰 normally bother checking. In fact, it抯 only the thought that it抯 Liam on the other side, too drunk to work the door handle, that gets me to my feet and across the room.
A lot of athletes are still here over break, but the hallway lights are dim, and it抯 quieter on the floor than during the semester. I notice all of this because the girl in front of me is a shock.
Daisy抯 face is red from the cold. She抯 bundled up in a coat and hat that puts all the focus on her face and those big blue eyes that seem even brighter in this dark hallway.
揧ou抮e not Liam.?That抯 what I say. It抯 all I seem capable of getting out of my mouth as I stare at her.
揝urprise!?Her smile is small and forced梙esitant. 揌i.?
I抦 still a little thrown that she抯 really here, and I don抰 move or say anything for too long. Regina抯 laughter breaks the silence. That moves me to action because instantly I can see the wheels turning in Daisy抯 head and her jumping to the wrong conclusion.
She takes a step back. 揑抦 sorry for showing up like this. You抮e obviously busy. I was trying to be spontaneous. I抣l text you like a normal person.?
She ducks her head and actually takes off down the hallway.
A laugh breaks free from my chest, and I take off after her, grabbing her around the waist.
揧ou抮e fast.?
揌umiliation is a great motivator,?she mumbles, and tries to keep moving forward. 揕et me go. I抣l text you later.?
揃ut then I can抰 see your face when I tell you that I missed you.?
She stops struggling and turns her head to look me in the eye. 揧ou did??
揧eah. I did.?It抯 true, too. I don抰 think I even realized how much until I saw her. Everything just feels better when she抯 around. Liam disappearing after practice has me worried, but here she shows up, and it soothes something inside of me.
I take her hand and tug her back toward my room.
揂re you sure??she asks before I push open the door. I抦 not sure what she thinks she抯 walking into, but I抦 not the kind of asshole she obviously thinks I am.
揚ositive.?
Inside, she glances around and visibly relaxes at the scene in front of her. Warren抯 girl is halfway on his lap as they stare at the screen.
Jenkins looks up first. 揌ey, Daisy, right??
She nods and waves. 揌i.?
揟hat抯 Warren and Regina.?I point as I introduce them.
揌i,?Regina says. Warren tips his head.
揇o you want something to drink??I go to the mini fridge.
揥ater is fine.?
I grab her one and take a seat on the chair, beckoning her to sit on my lap. She抯 all bundled up and the cold from outside is radiating off her.
I抦 still a little stunned, so I just wrap my arms around her.
揥hy抎 you think I was Liam? He抯 not here??
I shake my head. 揘o. He disappeared after practice.?
揢h-oh. That doesn抰 sound good.?I can barely hear her over Jenkins?smack talk to Warren.
I lean closer. 揚ractice was pretty awful.?
Her response gets lost in another wave of noise, but her mouth turns down in a sympathetic frown. I stand with her, and we go into my room. After kicking the door closed behind us, I flop down on the bed and hold my arms out. She sits on the edge of the mattress, looking all unsure and adorable.
揑 can抰 believe you抮e here,?I say, dropping my hands around her.
揑 wouldn抰 be if I抎 thought it through. I should have realized you抎 be hanging with friends.?
揧ou抮e a friend.?I hook a finger through a belt loop on her jeans. The denim gaps around her hip bone. I don抰 pull, but she leans into me anyway.
揑s that what I am??
She smiles as I bring my mouth to hers. Has it only been a little more than a week? Damn. I missed her lips.
揌ello, friend,?I tease and sweep my tongue against hers.
Most of the time, when girls start trying to have the what do we mean to each other conversation, it freaks me out. I抦 not anti-girlfriend, exactly. I did it once, and it didn抰 work out, but that isn抰 why I haven抰 seriously dated since. The truth is, I like hanging with my friends and doing what I want without worrying about another person.