Maybe I was completely wrong about Carter and me never being friends.
I don't admit to being wrong often so that's saying a lot.
I guess Rie was right about my casual cruelness to Carter being maybe a bit much.
Apart from his remarks and snarky comments, which we both say, he hasn't ever really gone out of his way to make me hate him.
Don't get me wrong, I haven't had some grand awakening where I realised Carter Grant is secretly my guardian angel.
But maybe I was reaching with the Satan comments.
It was our talk outside the kitchen on Thursday.
He looked at me like he was being genuine.
Like he didn't have anything snarky to say and had no more remarks in him.
Like in that moment I wasn't just Chetti, I was something more than that.
But I'm overthinking it all.
It was almost seemed like that.
Not everything is what it seems.
Carter and I aren't friends yet but if we were to become friends maybe I wouldn't hate it.
I guess I don't take the number one spot for the pettiest person alive.
I had the number one spot a few days ago though.
"Nov!" Theo shouts at me from the bottom of the stairs.
I can't make the guys late for their match today. I know better than to do that.
And now considering I'm living with them, once a week I'll be having to drive them, on time, to their games.
"I'm coming!" I throw on my purple hoodie which tastefully says The Bronx on it. I dip my hand in the small tub of junk I have in my room and pull out a green ring that goes with the green cargos Rie picked out for me.
"Please hurry!" I hear Theo's voice and grab the nearest book to me. I pull my door open and rush down the corridor dropping my book in the process.
I stop in my tracks to pick it up and I hear a familiar laugh come from behind me.
"We are so going to be late because of you Chetti." Carter swoops down before me and grabs my book.
"Great Expectations?" I look down at his hands and a groan escapes my lips.
The fact this book didn't burn in the fire makes me want to cry.
My dad gifted me Great Expectations when I was twelve.
The day he gave it to me I think I had to hold back physical tears.
Mainly because I distinctly remember asking for the newest Twilight book.
The year before Great Expectations my dad gifted me Pig Heart Boy, which I originally hated, but grew to love.
It was not the same for Great Expectations.
There was something about the ending that made me want to throw the book onto the subway line.
They held hands.
I like to search for a deeper meaning in things, but he says I love you and she says thanks.
There's no deeper meaning in that apart from I wasted my time reading this book.
"I thought we were going to be late." I snatch the book from his hands and place it on the table perfectly placed in the middle of the corridor.
"We are. No thanks to you." Carter rushes down the stairs before me and I follow behind him.
I'm welcomed by three guys in their soccer kit with scowls on their faces. Even Theo.
"I'm sorry. I'm never on time to your games guys." I race to the elevator whilst the guys all begin to mumble things under their breath.
If they wanted me to stay before they definitely don't want me to now.
The elevator ride with the guys is completely silent, unless you include their heavy breathing.
They breathe like they have to do so on command. Like they can't do it naturally.
When the doors open I run to my car. I full on sprint to my car.
I pull my keys out of my pocket and unlock the car just in time for me to practically jump into the driver's seat.
I'm given a twenty second window to regain my breath.
I lean back in my seat shut my eyes and inhale deeply. The air in my lungs feel like it's all been wasted as the guys saunter over to my car.
Levi sits in shotgun and buckles up his seatbelt, not saying a word to me.
"Relax Chetti, we're late for warm ups." Carter starts laughing as he sits in the middle seat.
I turn around in my seat and blink several times at Carter.
"What Chetti?" Carter acts clueless and shakes his head in my face like a literal child.
For a second his face is close enough for me to see the crumbs on his lips. The way his lower lip looks like he gnaws on it at any given moment.
His face is also close enough for me to notice the way he smells.
God.
The amberwood and spice smell.
I try my best to ignore the stab in my chest that I feel. I pull my face away from him and sort of slam my hands on the wheel.
"You aren't late for your shitty game?" I practically shout out the shitty part and quiet down.
I begin to breathe heavily and shake my hands in frustration. "You know what don't worry about it."
I violently reverse out of my spot and speed my way out of the parking lot.
I don't miss the way all the guys try to brace themselves by holding the handles above the windows.
Carter just places his hands on either side of him.
"You do know the warm up is important?" Levi decides to risk it and speaks to me.
"Like the way hiding the body is after murder?" I cock my head in his direction and raise myself shoulders while smiling at him.
"Yeah, like that." He says sarcastically as I turn the corner.
I mean I should have figured that their game didn't start now.
It's way too early compared to the normal times they have a game.
But I just figured, well am I really ever on time for a regular Grange match?
Nope.
So maybe this is a different situation entirely.
But no, men are just more dramatic than I thought they were.
I shake my head at all of them and drive despite the clear tension in my car.
Tension which I probably caused.
As soon as I get to the parking lot closest to the guy's changing room the all mutter a thanks and leave.
"Chetti."
At least I thought they did.
I turn around to see Carter in his soccer kit looking at me.
"From all the guys, sorry we lied." He shrugs his shoulders while apologising.
"That was a truly sincere apology Grant." I unbuckle my seatbelt and raise one of my legs on the seat.
"Look Chetti I don't apologise very often. Neither do you. So you should appreciate any kind of sorry you get."
"Yeah okay Grant. I accept your apology." I notice the time. "Aren't you going to be late to warm ups or whatever?"
"I can miss ten minutes of practice for you Chetti." He opens the car door and once again I ignore the tug at my heart.
For you Chetti.
I do not feel anything for Carter and I don't know why my body is making out to be like I do.
"Bye Grant."
He slams my door shut and jogs over to the changing room where the rest of the guys disappeared into.
I can see about ten people on the Grange side of the stands and about two on the opposition's side.
Why the fuck would someone willingly get here early?
ROM: Nate said you're here already, Bree and I are in the stands!
Apart from Romi and Bree.
Romi is basically the First Lady of the Grange soccer team, and Bree is her best friend.
I'm the girl who lives with a few of the guys on the team so has to drive them about everywhere due to their lack of cars and lack of ability to pass their driver's test.
ME: Omw
I get out of my car and walk over to Romi and Bree.
I don't know what people who get here so early could possibly do to entertain themselves.
My friends ignoring my comments about how much I hate soccer for ninety minutes is already enough of a struggle for me.
A buzzing forms in the back pocket of my pants and I pull my phone out to see Rie is calling me.
"I got the day off! I'm coming to the game right now!" Rie shouts over the phone.
"How about, we ditch the game?" I ask her and she tuts over the line.
"No."
"You know the game doesn't start for a while, the guys lied about the start time." Rie bursts into laughter over the phone and fucking snorts.
"It's not funny Rie. The only good thing is B and Rom." I continue walking over to the girls and see them talking to a familiar face.
A sort of familiar face.
"I'll be there soon. You have fun." Rie hangs up the phone and I sigh deeply.
"Hey!" Bree shouts to me and I lift my arm to wave back in response.
I do the awkward run-walk thing to reach the three of them.
"Danice, Nova." I smile and finally realise why the face is so familiar. Nate's little sister.
"Oh hi!" I wrap my arms around her and envelope her in a hug. "Nate's been saying, you have to meet her for ages now. But here you are Danica in the flesh."
"My brother's a lot of talk." She smiles brightly at me. "So you all like soccer?"
"No." I point at Bree and Romi. "They like soccer. I am forced here every week." I explain and Romi lightly taps my shoulder.
"She secretly loves it Dan." Secretly love it my ass.
I hate soccer and the line between hate and love for me, is very much not thin.
"You grew up with Nate so I'm guessing you like it." I say to her and she nods.
"How you finding freshman year?" Bree asks her and Danice begins to explain how she's finding everything. From the parties, stress and the stuff in between.
Freshman year for me was basically the same as junior year has been.
The transition from high school was almost hell but I got through it.
And if you ignore the apartment fire, almost identical up to about a week ago.
Arguing with Carter Grant, parties, Rizz, Jord's and games.
Danice seems to be enjoying her freshman year nonetheless.
"Any boys?" Bree asks her and Danice shrugs her shoulders.
"Are boys still confusing in junior year?" She asks us and laughs.
"Yes."
"Not really."
"No."
"Nov how exactly are boys confusing to you?" Bree turns and questions me. Well, they make no sense whatsoever.
"I live with four. They lie and say they have a soccer game now when it doesn't start for another twenty minutes or something. They just-"
"Don't make sense?" My spine instantly straightens when I hear the voice before me. I look at the three girls in front of me and mouth curse words to them.
"Jason!" I say in a faux high pitched voice and turn around to face him.
"So, you not enjoying living with Carter?" I don't really mind living with Carter.
"He's fine." I say nonchalantly and Jason lifts and eyebrow in response.
"Really cause I think he can be a jackass. Especially in-" I inhale sharply and Jason inhales mid sentence.
"Yeah don't call my friends jackasses." I fold my arms and see the look of clear confusion on his face.
"Wow okay- sorry." He raises his arms in the hopes that I believe he's actually sorry. "Just he said this guy, Dan, could help me out with you which he did not."
Carter told Jason to talk to Dan?
Carter would only do that if he was purposefully setting Jason up.
He's not an idiot. He knows Dan would be the most useless person to ask for any input on how to 'help' Jason.
"Help you with what?" I know what. But I'm going to play dumb just to see how this plays out.
I don't know what the girls are thinking behind me right now, but I'm sure Bree is holding in a whole lot of laughter.
"Well-" Jason rubs the bar of his neck with his palm. "You."
For two seconds there I'd say he got nervous. But then his eyes moved to Bree's ass.
God. He was doing so bad already.
"I can tell you're into me, so after the game do you want to go out on a date?" Is it wrong of me to be a major bitch right now?
I don't think so.
"This may be a humbling experience Jason, but I am most definitely not into you. I promise you that." I place a hand on my hip and tell him.
Jason stares at me blankly and starts laughing hard. A couple of his friends from the hockey team start walking towards the two of us.
"You're kidding right?" Jason's friends group around him and all look at the scene as it unfolds in front of their eyes.
"Not kidding. I'm sure there's many other girls who have more of an interest in you than I do right now." I smile at him and scrunch my nose.
His friends all double over in laughter and the laughs I knew Bree was holding in are all released.
"Looks like she doesn't like you man." One of his friends pats him on the back and tries o pull him away from me.
Jason stays glued in his spot.
"I don't get it." Jason runs a hand through his hair and folds his arms. You know that face you pull when you fail a test you knew all the stuff for. That's what Jason's face looks like.
"Don't get what?" I don't know how long it is until the game starts but I see more people fill in the stands.
"You. I'm hot." He flails his hand around motioning to himself.
"And that means?" I shake my head around a bit and thin my eyes at him until they probably appear to be slits.
"That you should like me." He says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"I don't." I shrug my shoulders at him and turn to face the girls once again.
Romi's eyes move from Jason to me then back to Jason.
"Why are you still here?" Bree asks him and laughs right in his face.
Jason mutters something along the lines of 'bitches' and walks off with his friends.
Danice smiles brightly once again. "Is this the kind of fun you get up to?"
"It happens more often than you think it would." Romi says softly and sort of giggles.
"It happens a lot." Bree comes out and says rightly.
"What happens a lot?" A hand lands on my shoulder and a girl breathes in deeply.
"You just missed it doll." I look at Rie who groans and grumbles something under her breath.
"I always miss the good stuff." Rie groans again and rests her head on her hand which is placed on my shoulder. "So are you going to explain and also introduce me?"
"Oh god right. Rie this is Danice, Nate's little sister." Romi introduces the two to each other.
Rie does the same as me and wraps Danice in a hug straight away.
"God you're so pretty." Rie admires Danice and tells her.
Danice faces her head down and starts blushing slightly.
"So are you." Danice responds to Rie's comment and grins.
"You're so sweet." Rie punches my shoulder and pain rushes up my arm.
"Ow Rie!" I slap her shoulder, which I doubt hurt very much.
"What did you say to Jac-Jason?" She says his name with the most uncertainty I've ever heard.
"Just that I wasn't interested." Rie tilts her at me and glares. "What?"
"You seriously expect me to that was all that happened? He's got a look that screams insanely embarrassed." She points at him and I slap her hand.
"He's going to see you pointing!" I snap at her and widen my eyes.
"And?" Bree looks over at Jason and waves. Bree is going to make him scream at the two of us. Not that it would go well for him.
"How did you get off work by the way?" Bree looks and asks Rie.
"It's a match day which is normally our least busy day. Especially if it's a soccer game. Football they come to Rizz, soccer and basketball you go to Jord's." Rie begins expalining to all of us.
"Hockey?" Danice asks and Rie's lips form an o shape to show she't thinking.
"I really don't know. Hockey they go in between I guess." Rie isn't into sports, not much anyway, so the fact she doesn't know anything about the hockey team doesn't shock me.
"Do you like hockey? I think hockey season starts soon, or it's already started." I trail off at the end considering I don't actually know anything about hockey.
"Hockey is alright. I definitely prefer soccer." She tells me and I nod to show my understanding.
"When does the game actually start?" Rie inquires and starts smiling like an idiot.
"It's not funny." I elbow her and she pouts at me.
"Now why are you lying to me Nov?" She presses her hand to my face and pulls my cheek like I'm a baby.
"In fifteen minutes." Great.
I look out to the soccer field and see the guys kicking the ball around while the other team is just looking at them.
They seem pretty confident. They've got these smug smiles on their faces.
You know I kind of want the guys to beat them solely because the other team looks like a bunch of assholes.
Romi tells us it's a good idea to get a seat near the front so we descend the stairs and sit right behind the guys on the bench.
We're close enough to hear the stuff Coach Hart is saying to the guys but I choose not to listen.
"Wait none of you have a boyfriend on the team?" Danice smiles at Romi. "Apart from Rom."
"Nope."
"No."
"Definitely not."
The guys who happen to be in front of us must have been able to hear our conversation, despite all the noise around us, and turn around.
"Wow Nov are we all that bad?" Noah jokes and nods at me. "I see how it is."
"Come on Noah you know I don't mean you personally." He replies with 'sure' and turns back around to stare down the team on the other side of the field.
"But they're all cute." Danice sounds shocked at the reality of us not dating any of the guys. "Have you never even kissed one?"
Rie, Bree and I all look at each other and shrug out shoulders.
"Maybe a drunk dare, or a drunk day." Bree clarifies and Danice furrows her eyebrows again.
"Maybe?" She tilts her head and presses her lips together in a line.
"Maybe."
"But please don't tell Nate I said his friends are cute." She pleads us and we all laugh then agree we won't tell Nate.
"Not too sure if the boys won't tell him though." I point at Noah and Zack who are both laughing and giving us the side eye.
"What happened two not pointing at people Nov?" Rie slaps my hand.
"Touche." I stick my tongue out at her and she cracks a smile.
"Why does Stoke look constipated?" Bree nods her head over in Stoke's direction and he does in fact look constipated.
His cheeks are all pink and he's biting on his bottom lip like there's no tomorrow.
"Stress." Romi mutters while sounding sympathetic for Stoke. "The game starts in five."
The guys all do this weird formation on the field. In my two and a bit years of watching their games I've never seen them do this.
But I'm normally late. I remind myself.
My eyes slide to Carter on the field.
His hair is more curly than usual and he looks quite nice.
Serious, but nice.
He's got a slight smirk playing on his lips from looking at something.
I follow his eyeline and see a brunette. She's about Bree's height, slightly short, and she has a top on that almost shows her entire bust.
She's mouthing things to Carter across the field and making a phone shape with her hands.
I know Carter will get her number after the game and either break our deal or avoid contact with her until after the month goes by.
I look back to Carter and all the guys.
The referee makes Zack and some guy on the other team stand in front of him as he throws a coin in the air.
Zack lifts his arm in the air and celebrates briefly before a ball is given to him.
A whistle blows and Zack kicks the ball to Tom.
I slouch in my chair like I do every game and eye the hot dog stand.
At least after this I can have a drink and enjoy the fact I'm no longer watching a soccer game.
Danice, Bree and Romi all start talking about the other team.
"The captain is apparently the biggest ass in his school." Danice tells the two of them.
Rie on the other hand is actually taking an interest in what's going on. She's got her hands on either side of her seat and is leaning forward as if she can't see the field clearly.
"Which one is the captain?" I lift my head up from staring up at the sky and ask the three of them.
"46." I try to find the player on the field. He's pressed up against Carter and shoving him.
And Carter is obviously shoving him right back.
Number 46 looks right about the same height as Carter but is slightly lankier.
He looks like an asshole.
His eyebrows are in a messy, furrowed state and he looks constantly smug. He's pushing Carter around, when he doesn't have the ball anyway, and he looks scarily proud about it.
I drag a hand down my face and push a curly strand of hair behind my ear.
Carter looks more frustrated than I've ever seen him.
Keep in mind all I do is frustrate him.
His cheeks are a deep red and I'd blame it on the fact I'm looking at him from a distance so I'm seeing things, but his normally hazel-green eyes are black.
I cross my right leg over my left and lean forward in my seat.
I'm not focusing on what's actually going on in the game, but just on Carter.
He's going to do something dumb. I can tell.
"How long till half way?" I ask Romi. Maybe if someone can tell Carter not to do something stupid the rest of the game will go fine.
I don't really care about the game.
But if Carter does something it will surely make the game even longer than it already is.
"Halftime and in half an hour." Bree corrects my poor soccer language and I sigh.
He's going to do something stupid.
an: thanks for reading!!