Match Me

Chapter Eleven: I Have Cooties

CHAPTER ELEVEN: I HAVE COOTIES.

XXX

Moment ruined.

I can't kiss someone with my little brother's eyes trained on me, or more specifically Ben's. It's like Isaac knows what's going on without having to hear what Ben said, and my little brother doesn't like it by the look of his glare.

Squeezing my eyes tight, I lean in and kiss him on the cheek; an art I've mastered over the years of trying to keep my lip virginity intact.

When my eyes open, I'm greeted by Ben's dazzling smile, cranked up a couple notches without a hint of disappointment on his face.

A weight lifts off my chest as I release a breath I didn't even know I was holding as I examine the cherry red stain I left behind on his stubbly cheek.

"I think I'm luckier than any leprechaun in the world now," Ben says, the million watt smile and dimples reappearing on his face, though accompanied by a big red stain on his cheek the second time round.

My cheeks flare as I wave him on, shaking my head and smiling. "Go on before you're late for your own match!" I call, as he darts back onto the field.

****

"What was with the lipstick on the opposing captain's cheek?" Isaac questions, his dark gold eyebrows furrowing as I concentrate on driving us home safely.

Little brothers are not allowed to ask these kinds of questions.

"Nothing," I mumble, "why?"

Isaac scoffs, rolling his eyes at me. "Be real with me. I'm not a little kid anymore - I can tell when a guy likes someone, Ember. They do something special. It's called flirting, and you're horrible at it." He picks at his dirty nails as he says so.

Wow, way to be blunt.

"I'm okay with you flirting with Ben. He's a solid guy," Isaac says, while his fingers tap a syncopated rhythm on the dashboard. "Just don't wear lipstick next time you want to kiss him. It's disturbing, especially since it was on his face the whole game. Until I wiped it off, of course." His mouth lifts up into a mischievous grin.

"You didn't!" I exclaim, my eyes widening.

"I didn't hit him; I just told him that my sister's lipstick should not be anywhere except on her lips. And gently wiped it off." He shrugs, yelping as he dodges my one-handed attempt to smack him silly.

Jerk!

"Isaac, I swear-"

"What else am I supposed to do? I don't like the fact that he's on a team! The captain nonetheless," he rolls his eyes, "you seem to have a thing for those guys."

I narrow my eyes as I navigate throughout the night, and judging by the familiar rows of houses, we're almost there. "What do you mean by you don't want me hanging out with them?"

Isaac sighs as he ruffles his hair. "I don't want to be mean. You know I love you." He says, his voice soft.

Aw! Isaac is almost never this cute, which leads me to think that something bad's about to go down.

"But you're fucking up the teams. You're about to ruin the Lake Worth team and Ben's. You can't do this." He insists, his voice urgent. "I love you, but the team deserves something better than you making Levi emotionally unstable. You're ruining his potential, Ember."

"I..." The plan to match him with Autumn seemed to have flown out the window. I've been almost desperate for Levi's attention, becoming the needy, whiny bitch that I've always despised. "I understand." I mumble, nodding. "Yeah, from now on it's strictly business."