My Best Friends Brother

Chapter 62

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Me, Zoe and Luke hardly said two words to each other during our planning session. I appreciate what the guy did when he got me and May out of there the other day with her dickhead ex, but just seeing him sitting next to Zoe brought back all the fucking hurt I felt finding out about them back at camp.

Right before we left Zoe told us that the only night she had free this week was Tuesday, the cheerleaders have a competition this weekend so she's not going to have any other time than that.

I almost told her to go fuck herself but I know it isn’t her fault, she doesn’t know it’s the only night me and Josh would be able to see each other this week.

Just as I suspected, he was completely cool with the fact I had to cancel on him for tomorrow already. In fact, I think he was kind of proud that I was ditching him for school work rather than something stupid like a party. I can’t wait to ring him when I get home after practise and make a new plan, like fuck am I going all week without seeing him. I never fucking ring anybody but I can’t seem to get enough of him just texting anymore.

Last night he called me after Liam fell asleep, we were still talking four hours later but I can’t even tell you what we said. Our conversations flow so naturally that we just find ourselves floating from one subject to another without even realising we’re doing it.

I sent him a text at lunch to wish him luck on his meeting with the social worker today, I know how hard it is for him to have to say goodbye to that boy every time he has to drop him back at his mothers house so I hope everything works out.

I’ve never actually met the woman but from what Brie says I’m not sure I really fucking want to. How a kid as sweet and cute as Liam came from someone like that is beyond me, although I guess both me and May are living proof that you are not destined to become what your parents are. I don’t really like thinking about my birth father, he was gone from my life long before anybody killed him, I’m just grateful that the only thing me and May seem to have inherited from the prick is our eyes.

Josh hasn’t messaged me back in a few hours but I wasn’t really expecting him to, I know that today is kind of manic for him and then he has to go help out some dude that doesn't even work in the same company as him. Sometimes I think he’s too nice for his own fucking good.

Coach got the message around that we were all to ditch last period and make our way over to the gym. Eli and me had a free before anyway so we cop loaded down at Johnny’s pizza, but now I’m kind of regretting it, there's a reason that place has the best food but the worst fucking hygiene rating.

Most of the guys are already on the benches and set to go when we get there, a few of them give us the nod as we make our way over to the changing rooms.

Eli becomes immediately distracted as the twins appeared to have followed him over and are now waving down from the top of the bleachers.

“It would be fucking rude to ignore my new partners right? Give me 5, I’ll meet you in there.”

He’d better hurry his ass up, if he’s late on to that court again because he was too busy chatting up something in a skirt, Coach is going to make him run laps until he passes out.

Two of the other guys pass me on the way out the doors, when I finally get inside I see it’s just me and Luke left. He doesn’t see me, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it into his locker before getting his kit out.

Luke was a scrawny little fucker when he first joined the team but now as I’m looking at him I can see the effort he’s put into building up his body. He’s not jacked like Eli, or even ripped like me, but he's grown all over and everything is sharp and defined.

“Want to take a picture there Thompson?”

Shit. I hadn’t realised I was still just standing there staring at him, I probably look creepy as fuck right now.

I try to laugh it off, tugging my own shirt over my head before tearing open my locker not far down from his.

“Sorry, just hadn't noticed the work you've put in before. You look good, better than you did anyway.”

Something fucking reeks in this locker room, if Eli has left his week old lunch in his locker over the weekend again I’m going to tell the twins he has fucking crabs.

Luke smirks as he pulls his training jersey down and sits on the bench to sort out his laces.

“Scared that someone on this team might end up actually looking better than you?” He chuckles, but before I put on my shirt I step back and give him a good look at what I’m working with. There’s no competition here, the only person that could come near me on this team was Josh back at camp. Running my hands down over my abs I make sure to shoot him a wink before pulling my jersey over my head.

“Pretty sure my title is safe.”

He doesn’t say anything, diverting his eyes from me completely before returning to getting his kit on. This guy is like Jekyll and fucking Hyde, one minute all jokes, the next can’t even look at me.

I manage to get to the point where I almost resemble an actual player before I hear coach screaming and shouting right before Eli comes crashing in through the door.

“It was the legs! The legs made me late!” He stutters whilst stumbling over his own limbs and launching for his locker. Me and Luke both laugh and race out, leaving him trying to figure out why his shorts won’t go over his head. He’ll figure it out eventually.

Luke stands next to me as I lean up against the wall and try to stay out of Coach’s anger fuelled clutches. I actually feel a bit like shit now for not acknowledging him properly in bio, we were making some progress before then and I can’t hold what happened with Zoe over the dude’s head forever. I of all people know what it’s like to make a mistake and have everyone around you never let it go.

“When you get to mine tomorrow, I’ll-”

“I’m not interested in her.” Luke blurts out the word so fast I take a second to process exactly what he said. I look at him, his hands are kind of shaking at his sides, his nails picking at each other as he tries to keep his shit together. “Zoe I mean, I’m not interested in her. I know you’re pissed that we’ve all been put in the same group but I thought it might make it easier for you if you knew that I’m not actually interested in her.”

It shouldn’t make it easier but it actually does. Luke stares down at his shoes the entire time he talks, I’m starting to believe that this cocky attitude he sometimes comes out with is just a cover for the fact that he is seriously insecure.

“Why not? Is there something wrong with her?”

Luke finally turns up to look at me, his tongue appearing too big for his mouth as he splutters trying to find the right words to say to me. I let him fluster for a bit before letting my lips curve up at the edges so he knows I’m only fucking with him.

His hand springs out and shove me to one side as he joins me in giggling to himself. That actually fucking hurt, he’s stronger than he looks.

“Fucking hell, don't fucking do that. Zo, she’s beautiful and everything, she's just not my type.”

I try not to but I can’t help but to think back to the photograph he proudly displayed on his phone that night.

“She was your type enough to shove your head between her legs.”

Even as the words leave my lips I realise they were too harsh. I’m not being fair, I promise myself here and now that I won’t bring that up again with him, it's the only way to make a fresh start if we actually have any chance of making one.

He stiffens, his hands finally stopping their fidgeting by his side as his head falls back against the wall.

“I think she’ll agree with me when I say that it was a mistake... Neither of us were truly thinking about the other that night, I know my mind was definitely somewhere else.”

It was made pretty clear that the only reason Luke went near Zoe was to get back at me, but as I look at him now I can see there’s genuine hurt and sorrow in his eyes. He wouldn’t be the first guy to use a girl to make himself feel better, then again though, Zoe did say that he wouldn’t let her touch him at all...

Coach paces back and forth on the phone at the other end of the court before marching towards us. Both me and Luke stand up straight just as Eli crashes around the corner and almost squashes Luke as he throws himself up against the wall, acting like he's been standing there for ages despite the fact Coach is staring directly at him as he pants out of breath with his jersey on backwards.

Of all the friends in all the world, how did I get shoved with this fucking mess?

“Thompson!” Coach yells even though he's almost directly in front of us now. “He should be here any minute, you ready for this, you know he won’t go easy on you.”

I literally have no fucking idea what he’s talking about, he seems to realise as he rolls his eyes and begins to massage his temples.

“He didn’t tell you? I thought you two would be over the moon to be working together again. Assistant coach Jeffery’s jury service is going to be going on for another few weeks so I called up an old favourite to come help out with practise until he’s back.”

An old favourite? Josh?

My heart begins to race as the doors at the edge of the hall swing open, but sinks immediately when I see a mess of blonde hair before the rest of him even enters. You have got to be fucking kidding me.

The room almost falls silent as everybody becomes lost in the majesty of his fucking greatness. There’s a reason he didn’t tell me, we both know I don’t want him here.

First I’m shoved in a trio project with my ex and the guy she cheated on me with, then I’ve got to cancel the one fucking thing I was looking forward to this week, and now I’m going to be playing second fiddle on my own fucking team to everybody’s favourite  fucking Thompson.

“Jayce.”

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