Chapter 47
Lexi had been acting weird around me all day long.
I didn't really know why. Was she mad at me for some reason? Or was she trying to distance herself from me a bit because she had realized I was head over heels for her?
Or maybe it was okay to lean her head against my shoulder or hug me, but only at home, and not when there were people around.
I wasn't a rational person, clearly. I was an emotional mess.
Anything Lexi did or didn't do I read it as meaning something.
Maybe I should stop putting meaning to every little gesture Lexi made. I shouldn't worry, right? It wasn't because she hadn't looked in my eyes all day that it meant something bad.
Right?
Anyway, it wasn't time for me to freak out about Lexi when we had a game tonight and my team depended on me. If one person played badly, it had repercussion on the whole team.
I should stop worrying about Lexi, and worry about my head.
My priorities were all out of whack.
The game was on our field, so we'd have that advantage at least. It was always nicer when the crowd was on your side.
While we were getting ready in the locker room to head out on the field, Alex seemed to be a little bit more worried than he normally was, like something was bothering him. He'd been weird since the warm ups.
He'd seemed fine during practice in the morning though. Had something happened? With Lexi maybe? Was this why Lexi had been weird with me all day?
When we got on the field, we had a full house.
Suddenly, I stopped thinking about my worries. There was no room for that in my head now. I had to focus on my plays and on running fast enough to not get caught.
When it was time for us to make our first play, Clark snapped the ball to Alex, and I was supposed to run in front and grab the ball, but even before I had time to open my hands in front of me, Alex dropped the balls.
What the hell? He'd never made that kind of mistake before.
"What's wrong with you dude?" I asked Alex quickly, keeping my eyes on the clock.
"Just focus on your running okay, and let me worry about my part," Alex answered, annoyed, in a rush.
"I would if you did your part right. What the fuck Alex?"
"I made a mistake, okay? I'm allowed to make mistakes," he told me, snapping at me.
"Fine. Okay. Whatever," I answered, dropping it.
He was right, anyone could make mistakes.
But he looked more stressed out than usual, and he kept looking towards the bleachers.
What was up with him?
The next play went smoothly and the other and the other.
We kept playing until we lost the ball at the 20-yard line, which was Alex's fault again. He threw the ball at the wrong spot.
Seriously, what was up with him? I didn't ask him again, because I didn't want him to snap at me.
Once we were back on the sidelines and the defense was on the field, I tried looking at the bleachers, towards where Alex was looking and spotted Lexi.
She was sitting with Daphnee and chatting up with a guy and a girl I didn't recognized.
Wait. Who was that guy? They seemed to be getting along well.
I had no idea who he was.
And I didn't know the girl either. Could she be Alex's secret girlfriend? Did Lexi figure out he was probably seeing someone and now Alex was feeling guilty about it?
I stopped looking at the bleachers.
Now was not the time to make up crazy scenarios in my head.
Even though I was slightly freaking out.
Who the hell was that guy?
The game went on. It wasn't our finest performance, but we weren't the greatest team around anyway.
I got tackled at one point and I felt a ringing in my head. I shook it off quickly, but it was enough to worry me for a second.
I didn't tell anyone though, and played it off like everything was alright.
We still managed to win regardless of Alex's many slip ups.
Coach was ready to tear him a new one after the game.
He'd get destroyed when we'd meet up to watch the plays again.
Our next team meeting was going to be brutal. Coach had zero chill.
Already, the guys were on his case, asking him why he seemed to have such a hard time handling his ball.
I wasn't really listening. I sat in one of the bathroom stalls and took a pill to help with the headache beginning to build up.
Everything was fine, right? It hadn't even been that big of a tackle. I was probably just too worried and tired.
I didn't have to worry.
Everyone started to leave the lockers. I took my shower and changed.
I was pretty sure the guys had talked about dinner plans before the party, but I wasn't sure anymore.
Now that the game was over, I was thinking about the guy sitting beside Lexi.
Tyler would have told me if his sister liked some random dude. Right?
I walked out of the school building and was automatically greeted by Stacey's shrill voice calling my name. Seriously? I still had to deal with her? Wasn't she done with me by now?
"Stacey, what do you want?"
"You played a really good game today," she said smiling.
Was she trying to get back in my good graces? I had no time or patience for her.
"No I didn't," I just replied and walked away, ignoring anything else she might have wanted to say.
And then, in front of my eyes, Alex had joined Lexi's little party.
The new guy looked pretty happy, standing beside Lexi.
Jesus.
I walked up to them. "Hey so what's going on now? Are we going to eat first?" I asked Alex, my voice flat.
"Yeah, Peter and Justin are already heading there. Italian won. And Tiffany's party afterwards," Alex replied.
"Good," I answered, nodding and then said, "I don't think I've ever seen you guys before," trying not to make it too obvious that I needed to know who they were.
"We don't come to school here," the girl said. "I'm Ashley."
Ashley and Alex? They weren't holding hands, but I could see it.
Lexi didn't look pissed.
The guy hadn't introduced himself.
"Well as long as you guys weren't cheering for the other team, we don't mind supporters," I said and looked at Lexi's probable new suitor. Or maybe he was Daphnee's date. She didn't seem that interested in him though, so yeah.
Fuck my life.
I was a goddamn idiot. And my head hurt.
"Alright, I'm starving, so I'll be leaving," I said and walked away.
I got to Casa di Mama, Peter and Justin's favourite spot.
We were pretty much the only ones there because it was late at night.
Some of the guys were already loading up on carbs when I got in the restaurant.
I sat down, ordered and texted Tyler. Does you sister have a new suitor? He was at the football game with her.
"Seriously, are you going to stop pouting soon?" Mark asked me.
"He won't, he's been in a bad mood because he hasn't gotten laid in a while," Clark said, obsessed with my sex-life as always.
The guys started to tease me about that. I just flipped them off.
I checked my phone. Tyler had answered me. Jesus fucking Christ, you dumbass. You a lost cause. A lost cause. You're the only imbecile that likes my gross gross sister, alright?
I laughed at how annoyed with me the text was.
I put my phone back in my pocket.
I wasn't sure that I should believe her brother.
My food was brought to me.
More people joined us. Lexi walked in the room with her new little group.
We were already getting crowded around the table.
And apparently, I was a caveman. "Shot gun Lexi," I yelled.
The guys laughed at me, but kept on eating and chatting together.
"What the hell?" Lexi said with a frown.
Yeah, I was unhinged.
"I called dibbs on you. Now you sit on my lap," I told her with a smirk.
Because I had issues. I should have added that part. It was important.
Lexi rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not sitting on your lap!"
"You are," I replied.
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Okay right now, you're annoying the schnitzel out of me Blake," Lexi sighed, standing a few feet from me.
I grinned at her. She'd gotten closer to me as we had been chatting.
I could just grab her hand and pull her on my lap and show the new idiot that I was done letting anyone have Lexi.
I'd be damned if anyone got this girl before I had even truly tried to tell her my feelings.
I wasn't giving up this time.
"Just sit beside the guy so he can finally shut up! He's had a moody day," Davis said and laughed. The guys joined in.
I had been moody lately.
I also had the beginning of a headache, but that was normal.
Lexi rolled her eyes at him, but still sat beside me.
"Why are you acting like an idiot?" she asked me, while scanning through the menu.
"I'm not acting, why would you say that?" I replied and ate some garlic bread so I wouldn't say anything stupid right now.
"I don't know you're like... putting the Blake's a jerk mask," Lexi said with a frown, like she was disappointed in me.
I wasn't being a jerk, not exactly. I was insecure.
It was a sad fact to admit.
"I'm just normally annoying, haven't you figured that out by now?"
Lexi wasn't having it. "It's hard to keep up with you, I hope you know that."
My head and my insecurities were making me delusion. "Well, good thing you got that new boyfriend of yours in order to not have to spend time with me. Tell me where was he yesterday when you were crying—" I caught myself saying, but before I could finish my sentence Lexi hit me with her menu.
"What the hell?" Lexi snapped. "You little bitch! I'm practically stalking you so don't you go on and imply I don't like spending time with you, and trust me, there's nothing going on between me and Travis."
I blinked slowly at her outburst.
Had she just... said she practically stalked me?
Also... little bitch?
I burst into laughter. I must have seemed insane. "Did you just call me little bitch?"
"Hell yeah I did," Lexi replied shamelessly.
I kept laughed. And then I said, "sorry. For jumping to conclusion. I don't know, being a little bitch?"
That was the right assessment. I was being a little bitch. An insecure little bitch.
"As long as you know you were one, and you don't do it again, I'll forgive you," Lexi replied.
"Oh, I can't promise I won't be a little bitch again. I think it describes me well."
"It does. You're like a drama queen sometimes that needs attention."
It was because I didn't know how to ask for attention without feeling guilty about it.
I wouldn't admit that out loud though.
"Sorry," I said again.
"It's okay. I can get used to the little bitch. But like, being jealous of Travis is a waste of your energy," Lexi assured me.
So, I guessed Daphnee liked him? I didn't really see it, but I never really understood that girl anyway.
"I wasn't being jealous," I told her, lowering my head closer to hers, so she'd be the only one hearing my answer.
"You kinda were though."
"No, no," I argued.
Lexi grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it in my mouth, "here, eat something if you're going to use your mouth for something useless."
I chew my food and then, "I can think of a much more useful way I could use my mouth," I told her with a smirk.
Lexi yelped a laugh. "Mother of god, you did not just say that."
"I did."
"You know, sometimes I'd like to be bold like Daphnee and tell you to put your money where you said you mouth would go, and like mean it," Lexi trailed, her cheeks a little red for admitting this.
And I'd love for her to actually mean it.
It was very inappropriate of me to have these kind of thought around a table full of people.
"You know my number if you ever get bold," I told her with a grin.
Lexi just laughed. Her shoulder was pressed against mine.
She gave her order to our waitress. She was eying my food now.
"You want some Pumpkin?" I said, offering her my fork.
I didn't have to ask her twice. She poked a few tortellini from my plate and ate them with a grin.
I moved my leg a bit, lightly pressing it against hers under the table.
Lexi rested her hand on the table beside mine.
Her pinkie brushed against mine.
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Happy Monday my little Pumpkins! How is everyone doing? I hope you had a nice week. :D
I've been kind of overworking, and not sleeping enough. Hopefully things start to settle down a bit, and I get more time to put on my writing. And I can sleep more than five hours every night. 0_0
You might have noticed, but I took out the Tyler prank from the chapter. It just didn't feel quite right anymore with the story, so yeah. It's out. It's not like we're missing Tyler/Blake interactions anyway. XD
Also friendly reminder that if you want the kiss chapter right away, you can subscribe to my Patreon at patreon.com/kariannegiard. That chapter shall be up shortly. You'll have 4 chapters in advance actually.
So yeah. That's about it. I can't believe we're already in August. 0_0 But it's fine, I have a looooot of things planned for September. My future uploading schedule shall be fuuuun. ;P
Alright. Leaving you alone now! Love you guys!
See you all next week! :D