Summer Girl || A Shourtney Story

.10 if devotion is a river, then i'm floating away

"What a sweetheart," I smiled.

"Hmmm..." Mari delicately tapped her index finger onto her temple, pretending to think. A knowing smile graced her features as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Clearly, Mari thought something was up between the two brunettes.

I was curious to hear how Kimmy would respond to Mari's hinting. Only a few days ago, Kimmy approached me about getting to know Shayne. But yesterday, Damien's eyes told me a different story. The way he looked at her during paintball was... well, it definitely wasn't platonic.

"Oh, I don't know," Kimmy mused. Her blushed deepened.

"Is there love in the air?" I teased.

She sighed with a shy smile, sitting on the locker bench. "It's just the craziest thing. I honestly thought I had feelings for Shayne earlier this week-"

"Oh, really?" a startled Mari responded. She sounded shocked, if not a bit wary. Her eyes flickered to me briefly to survey my reaction.

Does she know something? No, there was no way. Right? I shook my head at the thought.

Kimmy nodded. "But as I got to know him, I realized it was more platonic. Plus, he wasn't exactly interested," she laughed lightly.

"He wasn't?" I couldn't help but ask. It felt like my world had stopped. My heart weighed less by the second. I guess he wasn't flirting with Kimmy after all.

She shook her head with a small smile. "We actually talked about it after Netflix and Chill. Super healthy conversation, no hard feelings. But he hinted that Damien might be more open to getting to know me like that, so here we are. One day at a time."

"I'm really happy for you, Kimmy," I grinned.

I hadn't felt this much relief since Ian told me that Mythical was saving Smosh after the infamous Defy shutdown. There was no vested future between Shayne and Kimmy. I actually had a shot.

On the other hand, if Shayne could so easily reject Kimmy, who's to say he wouldn't do the same thing to me?

Mari, ever-observant, noticed me fidgeting with my swimsuit. "Something on your mind?" she asked.

A deep sigh escaped my lips as I finished changing. "I'm just curious why Shayne hadn't mentioned any of this to me. We're supposed to be best friends," I frowned.

Mari and Kimmy offered sympathetic looks in my direction, a knowing look passing between them. I didn't understand.

"Maybe he didn't think it was that big of a deal," Kimmy offered. "He's got tunnel vision, anyway."

If the floor could swallow me whole, now would have been the perfect time. Kimmy was suggesting that Shayne was in love with someone, something he hadn't mentioned to me ever. Shayne used to tell me about every fling and date. We would spend hours on my couch making fun of his idiotic moves over two large pizzas. Back then, there were no secrets. So why now?

I tried to keep my voice as even as possible. "He is?" I faltered. Hot tears began to well in my eyes. What the fuck is wrong with me? I blinked furiously, trying to remain calm.

Kimmy's eyes widened as she realized the damage she had done. "Oh, Court, I shouldn't have said that. I'm guessing that he is. I don't know anything."

Sensing the tension in the air, Mari diffused the situation. "Hey, it's getting late. Maybe we should head outside?" she offered. Understanding my discomfort, Mari immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

I nodded feebly, following Mari's dark-haired figure out to the pool deck.

The boys were already outside, all standing by the edge of the water. Their impatience was riddled with cracking jokes and asking Sarah if the crew was ready (repeatedly, I might add).