When We Write the Stars

Chapter 12: Hayden

     "Dude just bone already and move on," Coleman says.

     "Gross man, it's Cassie, I don't think about her like that," I shoot back, defensively.

     "So I could ask her out then," Gibbs asks shooting me a grin.

     "Be my guest man," I respond, gritting my teeth, "but good luck with that. Cassie's, how should I put this, difficult."

     "She'd never say yes man," Payne directs towards Gibbs, "She's too busy watching romance movies and arguing with West to go out with you."

     "Don't say arguing like that, we are arguing. Because we don't agree. On anything. She's difficult," I groan from my seat in Gibbs' car, wishing I was anywhere but here.

     "All the arguing would stop if you guys boned. Scientifically proven to end all arguments," Payne calls out.

     "Oh yeah," Coleman taunts in response, "Is that how you end your fights on the ice?"

     "No, but it is how I end fights with your mom," he responds.

     Children. I am surrounded by children, but I can't help but laugh at how ridiculous of a comeback that was. Brandon Payne is known for a lot of things, but his way with words is not one of them.

     On Wednesday night, I tell all the guys that I won't pass to them if they say or do anything weird while Cassie's there. They're all conveniently in their rooms when she arrives, actually listening to me for what feels like the first time.

     "Where is everyone," she asks as she walks in and takes her jacket off, "I swear there's usually a hoard of hockey people everywhere you go."

     "It's a Wednesday, they're probably studying for once," I respond, half expecting the guys to pop out at any minute and embarrass me.

     "You say that as if you've ever actually studied," she replies, rolling her eyes as she sits down on the couch as if she owns the place.

     "I've studied a time or two, I'm not going to deny it though, school isn't a priority for me."

     "This class though," she responds, "this class better be. I need this grade."

     "I know, I know," I reply, waving her off, "Why do you think I'm watching all these awful movies with you?"

     "Because you just love the company," she mutters sarcastically.

      I don't know how to respond to that, I have no idea how I feel about her, joke or no joke, so instead I ask, "What's tonight's movie?"

     "One of my all-time favorites, so you better not hate it, 10 things I hate about you."

     "That's a romance," I ask, "It has hate in the title."

     "It's kind of enemies to lovers," she says then pauses, "I assume you're familiar with the trope."

     I roll my eyes, not dignifying her with a response, and then pull up the movie online. I then have to choose where to sit. Do I sit on the opposite end of the couch like we've been doing, or do I sit right next to her like the other night? I sure as hell wasn't going to watch the movie in my room after that moment we shared, but now I was completely overthinking the couch thing and probably looked stupid for how long I'd been standing there.

     Eventually, I settle on sitting in between the two, I'm not directly next to her, but I'm closer than usual. That's got to count for something. I try to pay better attention to this one since she said it was one of her favorites, and while it's not what I'd consider good, it's got Heath Ledger and you've got to love that guy.