Bad Boys Do Cry

29: Second Best

The rain finally stops. Bye.

We're driving to the elementary school, on our way to pick up the twins from their last day before winter break. The rain stopped halfway through our drive, stopping as fast as it started.

Oliver and I are both still pretty wet. We're at a got sprayed by a hose wet rather than our earlier state of jumping in a pool wet.

We're both pretty talkative on the drive. I tell Oliver some funny stories about the twins. The time they fell off the couch when fighting for the remote. The time they spilt the milk everywhere on the kitchen floor and then I slipped and fell. I had a bruised butt for a week.

Oliver offers back some stories of him and Grayson pissing off the coach of the football team. The time they hung all the jockstraps in his office. The time they stole his whistle and made him do drills instead of the team. The time they were almost late to a game because they made a scavenger hunt for him. They'd hidden the playbook in the locker room.

"I can't believe you put a clue under the toilet seat, that's gross," I laugh.

He chuckles too, "It's clever, Haze."

I smile at him and nod.

"Who placed it there?"

"I had to," Oliver grimaces and looks slightly mad remembering what he had to do for the good of the prank.

I burst out laughing, "Ew, poopy hands!"

"Shut up."

I look to him. He's concentrating on the road, but I can see a smile trying to tug on his lips. The windows are down and the wind blows his hairs perfectly across his forehead. It sways, but never covers his eyes. Even his hair length is absolutely perfect.

"Haze, we're hear," Oliver brings me out of my mesmerized stare.

I curse myself for staring at him in silence for who knows how long. I don't want to inflate his ego any more than it already is. He may be perfect Oliver Grey, but he doesn't need to know that I think that.

"Oh," Is all I say before getting out of the car.

I can hear his light chuckle as I close the door. He caught me staring, of course. Oliver Grey knows all, which means he knows that I stare at his perfect side profile when he drives.

"Are you Ben and Braden's sister?"

I turn to see a forty year old woman looking at me with a welcoming smile. She looks familiar, probably from seeing her pick up her kid just like I do with the twins.

"Yeah, you are?"

"Jacob's mom," She extends a hand out to me.

I smile at her and shake her hand.

"I wanted to let you know," She begins talking, looking to the doors instead of me.

I do the same, waiting for Ben and Braden to run out with their arms open and a large smile on their faces. They were always happy when they got out of school. Especially nowadays when they got to share their day with not just me, but Oliver too. I usually only got the Spark Notes, but Oliver, he got the whole damn play.

"I'm having a little Christmas sleepover for Jacob and his friends on the 23rd. Ben and Braden are invited."

"They'd love that," I smile and nod even though neither of us are looking at each other.

"I told Jacob to give them each an invitation, but I wanted to let someone a little older know," she chuckles a little at her own words, "And since your mom doesn't pick the boys up, you're the next best thing."

My smile falters at the mention of my mom, but I don't say anything. Not everybody needs to know the family dynamic we have. It works and that's all that matters. Anyway, I don't need her pity nor her empty words of advice.

"So, if you could just let your mom know, I hope to see them."

I just nod and give her a small 'Sure'. Sure, let me go tell my dead mother that the twins are sleeping over. I'm sure she'll have a lot to say about that. Hell, maybe she'll even say they can't go. That'd be wild.

Finally, I spot the twins running out. I'm grateful they came out when they did. I really didn't want to have small talk with Jacob's mom. I open my arms out and stumble back when the two boys hug me at the same time.

"Hazel, Hazel!" Ben smiles up at me, "We got invited to a sleepover!"

I smile down at them, "I heard."

"Can we go? Can we go?" The boys start asking, "Please!"

I nod my head, "I think so."

"Yay!"

They both let go of me and sprint off when they catch sight of Oliver's car. They bump into each other as they run to the car, trying to slow the other down. I laugh at them and start making my way to the car.

"And then she threw the paper ball at me and I threw it back and then someone else threw it and then the whole class was throwing paper balls!"

I laugh as I catch the tail end of the story Ben is telling Oliver. He's watching them intently, taking in every bit of information. When Ben finishes, Oliver turns to me and smiles.

"They're growing up to be pranksters."

I smile at him and then look back to the twins, "They learned from the best."

I hold my hand up for a high five. They each reach out give me one before falling back into their seats through fits of laughter. Oliver looks over to me before backing out of the parking lot and making his way home.

"Second best."

I roll my eyes at him. Still as cocky as always, I see. The twins are laughing amongst themselves in the back seat of the car which leaves Oliver and I to our own silence.

I look at him, his side profile always catching my eyes. He tightens his jaw when he drives which makes it more defined than it already is. He always drives with two hands and barely ever takes his eyes off the road yet always noticing everything. I inwardly smile, remembering that he calls me predictable, but he doesn't realize how predictable he can be too.

"Hazel," Braden speaks up.

I turn around and look at him, smiling so he knows I'm paying attention and listening to him.

"Why are you wet?"

My face reddens at his question and I turn back around to face the front. Oliver is smirking and he's trying to not let a chuckle escape his lips. Several reasons come to mind as an answer to that question. Not all are PG enough for the twins, except for one.

"We were just playing in the rain."

"I want to play in the rain!" Braden crosses his arms.

"You were in school, buddy. Next time, okay?"

"Promise?" His eyes glimmer in excitement and anticipation.

The mood changes are hard to keep up with sometimes. He's more hormonal than a teenager.

I turn back around to him and nod, "Promise."

After that, Ben and Braden go back to laughing and talking. I turn back to the front and look to Oliver. He gives me a sly smirk, taking his eyes off the road for a second so that he can look at me with amusement.

He whispers so that I can hear him but the twins behind us can't, "Playing."

Okay, that answer wasn't PG enough.