Chapter Five
After a few hours of being able to practice in the studio in the next town over, Harlow finally was able to drag me out of there to head home. Well, we went back to her house, which was basically my second home.
"Your sister is awesome," I commented, plopping onto the couch next to Mason. He was in the middle of playing some video game with Gage, but he talked to me nonetheless.
"Are you sure you don't mean annoying?" he countered.
"I heard that!" Harlow called out as she made her way into the kitchen.
Mason chuckled. "Why is she so awesome this time?"
I leaned my head back on the couch and closed my eyes, tired from dancing earlier. "She took me to that dance studio. The one I told you about a while ago, remember?"
"Ah, right. I guess practice went well, then?" he asked before swearing under his breath. It sounded like he was losing to Gage.
"Yup," I said, feeling more tired than a few seconds ago.
"You look exhausted," he said, probably glancing at me before returning to his game.
"I'm not," I lied. The truth was that if my eyes weren't already closed, they'd certainly be closing by now.
"Sure you're not," Mason joked. Before I could offer a witty remark of some sort, I found myself falling asleep after a hard day of dancing.
*****
I was having the best dream ever. Captain America had just confessed his love for me, looking hot like he always does. Yeah, I have a thing for superheroes—don't judge me. Just as I was stepping towards him to meet him halfway for the best kiss ever, I came into contact with reality rather than this wonderful fantasy.
"Ow!" I whined, noticing I was on the ground, awake from my dream. I heard laughter from above me.
"You're such an idiot." Hearing that familiar voice, I knew I was either awake or suddenly having a horrible nightmare. I sighed and sat up, though I didn't get off the floor yet.
"You were drooling in your sleep. Dreaming of me again?" Gage smirked.
I shot him a glare. "I wasn't drooling! And you wish. I was actually dreaming of my future husband," I said defensively.
He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh? And who might that be?"
"Captain America."
Gage rolled his eyes. "Every girl wants to be with that guy. What's so special about him anyway?" he asked, probably thinking I meant the actor who's played the superhero. I mean, I wouldn't turn down either guy.
I crossed my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at him. "Maybe because he's funny and nice and hot."
"Huh, it sounds like you just described me," he said, smirking.
This time I rolled my eyes as I stood up from the ground. "I don't think so. Captain America is everything you're not, which is exactly why I love him."
Gage's smirk disappeared as he glared at me, standing as well. "And it makes so much sense to love someone who you've never met, let alone a fictional character," he said sarcastically, though there was bitterness in his voice as well.
I plastered a fake smile on my face. "Of course! After all, with the guys around here, I have to love someone I can never have since it's all I can do. I'd rather choose to love someone I'll never have than even think twice about loving some guy in this town."
"There are some decent guys in this town," he said, defending his own male population, I assumed.
I let out a short laugh. "Right, like who? You?" He paused, not saying anything in return for a moment. That's when I left out a real laugh.
"Are you two actually getting along?" Mason asked as he entered the room, with Harlow right behind him.
I was still laughing, but I managed to choke out, "He...decent...guy...HAHAHA!"
"What?" Harlow said, confused.
"She's just being stupid, as always," Gage interjected.
When I finally ceased my laughter, I started to explain what happened. "I told him how I love Captain America and he said something about loving someone I've never met before. Then he tried defending the male population of this town when I said I'd choose a fictional superhero over any guy in this town. So when he said there were a few decent guys around here, I started laughing once I realized he was talking about himself," I told Mason and Harlow.
Harlow shook her head at us while Mason looked hurt. "You mean I'm not a decent guy?" he asked, pouting.
"Aw, of course you are! You're the only exception," I said quickly, giving him a hug. I felt him chuckle against me as he patted my back.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the best, what can I say?"
I grinned at him as I stepped back, glancing at Gage's upset expression. I rolled my eyes at him and turned away, not caring about what he thought about me. It's not like I was actually in love with Captain America; he was just my dream husband. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy seeing Gage's reaction to my confession though.
"Anyway, let's go do something!" I exclaimed.
"Like what?" Harlow replied.
I shrugged. "I don't know, but I have a lot of energy right now since I took a nap."
"I can think of a few ways to burn your energy," Mason commented, winking at me.
I smiled and shook my head at him, while Harlow interjected, "Shut up, Mason. Let's go bowling! Since I was supposed to do that yesterday if someone didn't worry me sick," she said, staring at me. I shrugged and nodded in agreement, as did Mason and Gage.
Eventually we arrived at the bowling alley and started playing immediately. The first game was Harlow and me against Mason and Gage. The guys were surprisingly good at bowling, unlike Harlow. We kept teasing about how horrible she was, making us lose to the guys.
"Alright, we need to change up the teams. I don't want to be stuck with Harlie anymore," I joked.
She huffed, trying to hide a smile. "Fine, I don't want to be stuck with you either. You're probably my bad luck charm."
I laughed. "Okay, so Mason and me against you and Jenson."
The first couple of times it was my turn, I got all spares and strikes. Mason was doing really well too, which allowed us to win the game.
"Yes, we won!" Mason shouted happily. He picked me up in a hug and spun me around. He could act so childish sometimes, but I got a kick out of it.
"Whatever, I was just having an off day," Gage commented moodily.
"Sure you were, Jenson. I'm sure you can blame me just like—" I froze when my eyes landed on a group of people a couple lanes over. Actually, my eyes landed on one person in particular: Zack Brent. He was laughing with his friends, bringing back memories of all the times we laughed when we were dating. Yeah, he was definitely the one person who broke my heart. The fact that my heart still hurt whenever I saw him was proof of that.
"Kody?" Harlow asked. I quickly turned to my best friend and gave her a smile. I could tell she knew something was up though. Her unasked questions were answered when her eyes landed on the same person I was looking at before.
"Who knew he'd be here?" she said.
"Who?" Mason wondered.
"Nobody. C'mon, I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat here," I said, pulling Harlow along with me toward the snack bar. Mason knew about all of the guys I've went out with and broke up with, except Zack. Well, he knew I went out with him, of course, but what he didn't know was that Zack was the one guy who really meant something to me. He didn't know that Zack was the first person I've ever loved, and the last person to break my heart because I haven't let anyone get that close to me again.
Mason brought over the pizza he ordered from the snack bar as the rest of us sat down at a nearby table. Harlow left momentarily to get our drinks before we started eating in silence. Mason and Gage made small talk with each other and Harlow, though the air among us was somewhat awkward. The guys could tell I wasn't telling them something.
As they talked amongst themselves, I couldn't help but look over to where Zack was. Even though he betrayed me when he cheated on me with my sister, I still felt something for him. I mentally scolded myself for still having feelings for him, even if I couldn't help it. I remembered all the great times between us, yet I also remembered the horrible memories he caused. One specifically was a memory of my sister, who was angry at me for something, telling me that Zack had told her he only went out with me to get to know her better. Whether that was true or not, I believed it because she dated him for quite a while after we were done.
Of course I didn't want to remember those depressing memories, which is why I tried to avoid Zack at all costs. The only time I saw him was when he'd smile at me in school, which I would try to ignore. But for some unknown reason, I couldn't stop myself from glancing over at him right now.
"Okay, that's it. What do you keep looking at?" Mason demanded. He didn't seem angry, just concerned.
My attention quickly turned away from Zack, who was in the background behind Mason. "I'm not looking at anything."
"Kody, I know you're lying. What—or who—do you keep looking at?" he repeated.
I shook my head. "It's n—"
"Don't you dare say no one, missy. Which person is it, now?" he pushed, looking around the bowling alley.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. That's when Harlow came to my rescue. "Just drop it, Mason," she stated. Her forceful tone caused Mason's concerned expression to harden slightly. I glanced at Gage to see him looking at me curiously, which I ignored.
"Let's play one more game," I suggested. Mason looked like he was going to object, until he gave in finally gave in after seeing my determined expression. I wanted to keep my mind off of the person I kept glancing at.
"Fine, but only if we're on a team together. We're beasts as a team," he said, offering a small smile. I grinned back, thankful he didn't pester me anymore about Zack. I know he'd ask questions later, but by then I could come up with a lie.
Mason and I were winning again, both laughing when Gage and Harlow whined about bad luck. Although they did a lot better than before, Mason and I were still winning by a landslide. There was one frame of the game left, when the unthinkable happened.
"Mason! I thought that was you," Zack greeted.
Mason turned and gave him their usual manly handshake. Gage walked over to Zack and a few other guys too. "Hey, man. How've you been?" Mason asked. I mentally groaned, forgetting until now that Mason knew Zack. They used to be closer a couple years ago, but I haven't seen Mason or Gage hang out with Zack for a while now. Zack usually hung out with the football players, while Gage and Mason were both on the basketball team.
I stood off to the side with Harlow, talking with her about something random. I wanted to make myself seem busy to avoid an awkward situation, until someone interrupted us.
"Kota!" Zack said, using the nickname he used to call me. I used to love how he called me something different from everyone else. Now I just thought it was stupid since all it did was bring back memories I didn't want to remember anymore.
"Zack," I said indifferently.
"How've you been?" he asked, though I knew he didn't really care. All he cared about was screwing other girls, like my sister.
"I've been great. I'd ask how you are, but I don't really care."
He smiled, shaking his head slightly. "Same old Kota, I see." I was confused by what he meant by that, but he turned away to get back to his friends before I could say anything else.
After he left, Mason said, "That's right, I almost forgot you went out with Zack." Harlow gave me concerned glance, which I smiled at.
"Yeah. Hey, I'm going to hand in my shoes, alright?" I told him, not feeling up to bowling anymore.
"You have the last turn," Gage said.
I waved him off nonchalantly. "Mason can go for me."
"I'll head back with you," Harlow said, leaving the guys behind. Mason didn't seem to catch on to the change in my mood yet, though Gage stared after us with an unreadable expression when I glanced back.
When we had all finally handed in our bowling shoes, Mason was talking to Gage about something in the car. Harlow kept giving me wary looks, as if I was going to break down at any moment. Although seeing and talking to Zack again was difficult, I wasn't about to have a mental breakdown any time soon. He didn't deserve to make me go through that.
"I think we should watch that horror movie when we get back—" Mason started, until I cut him off.
"Hey Mason, can you actually drop me off at my house? I'm not feeling well," I said. He shot me a concerned look in the rearview mirror, but nodded and said he would.
Soon enough Mason pulled up to my house. "I'll walk you to your door," Harlow offered. Before I could object, she was already out of the car, so I said a quick goodbye to the guys and got out as well. It was best to get away from them before Mason could interrogate me anyway.
*****
The next day I woke up at the sound of my phone's loud ringtone. I groaned and rolled over, reaching for the object that was practically breaking my eardrums. The fact that I was still tired didn't help either.
"What time is it?" I groggily asked whoever was on the phone.
The person laughed, which I immediately recognized as Harlow's voice. "Good morning to you too! It's almost nine thirty."
"You don't sound like you're dying."
"Because I'm not?" she replied, sounding confused.
"Then why are you calling me so early?" I demanded.
She chuckled before answering. "Because Mason and a few friends are going to the beach later. Care to join us?"
I sighed. "What time are you going?"
"They wanted to go later, so around one."
"Great, see you then," I said, hanging up. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was useless. Whenever I wake up, I can never fall back asleep.
After dragging myself out of bed, I ate breakfast and took a quick shower. I noticed that I still had a lot of time to kill, so I decided to change into shorts and a tank top to practice dancing in. I could at least use my garage for a couple hours.
I didn't feel like putting on my pointe shoes, so instead I opted for ballet flats before bringing my old school boombox into the garage. I put on a random song and started dancing immediately, letting my body perform the moves that freely came to mind.
It seemed like I was dancing for a while, though I didn't stop because one of my favorite songs to dance to came on. The song started playing, causing me to continue dancing. I used the entire space of my empty garage. Luckily my parents and sister used our wide driveway to keep the cars in rather than park them in the garage. They used to use the garage until I begged my mother to let me use the space to dance when the studio closed.
Anyway, I wasn't paying attention to anything other than the song playing. My body did what it felt like doing. I wasn't practicing the routine I needed to record eventually, but instead I just let off steam and did what I loved doing. Dancing allowed me to temporarily forget about everything else, whether it was stressing out over recording my routine, or thinking about the past I had with Zack.
As I starting spinning, I noticed right away I wasn't alone in my garage anymore. I let out a loud shriek and broke my spin, stumbling backwards. I would've fallen if it weren't for one of the two people catching my arm.
"We're sorry we scared you!" the guy said, though I could tell the other guy wasn't sorry at all.
"I'm not," Gage smirked. "You can let go of her now," he said, referring to the hold the unfamiliar guy still had on my arm. The guy smiled sheepishly and released me before I went to turn the music off.
"What are you doing here? And who are you?" I asked, looking at the guy I've never met before. Now that I took in his shaggy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, I thought I might've seen him once or twice in school before.
"Ah, right, I'm David. We're here to pick you up," he explained, offering a perfect smile.
"I can see you lost track of time again," Gage stated.
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll just be a few minutes," I said as they followed me into the foyer. I quickly changed into my favorite red bikini and put a white sundress over it. I slipped on black flip flops, grabbed a few things I needed for the beach, and was on my way out in no more than five minutes.
"That was fast," David commented.
I shrugged. "I'm just that good," I joked. We all got into David's truck as he briefly explained that Mason told him and Gage to pick me up since he was driving Harlow and a few other friends. During the short ride to the beach, I could already tell that I would get along with David. Knowing he was friends with Gage made me a little cautious because I didn't normally care for his group of friends, but David was a friendly, likeable guy so far. I'm sure he was still infamous with teenage girls though.
After we got to the beach and found where everyone else was, I was finally ready to enjoy the day off. Other than Mason, Gage, Harlow, David, and me, there were a few other people: Stephen, Joe, Trisha, and Samantha were the seniors who came along, while Kim, Jenna, Kyle, and Rob were the juniors who came with us.
As I got out my sunblock, which I didn't even need since I always managed to tan rather than burn, Mason jumped at the chance to put it on my back before I could ask Harlow.
"I'll get your back, babe," he grinned. I rolled my eyes, but let him anyway.
"Enjoying this?" I asked when he was taking long.
"Of course," he said. I refrained myself from rolling my eyes again while he finished. "Done! Now let's go in the water!"
"No, I think I'll—" I started, until Mason decided to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder. "Mason West, put me down right now!"
"Nope, we're going for a swim," he laughed, starting to walk toward the water.
"I don't want to go in yet!" I shouted, hearing the sound of the waved get louder and louder as he got closer. "I swear if you don't put me down, I'll—"
"You'll what?" he taunted.
I thought for a moment, until it came to me. "I'll leak the photos from Harlow's sixth birthday!"
He stopped walking. "You wouldn't."
I smirked, knowing I won. "I would. I have photos."
"You said you burned them all!"
"I lied."
"Fine, but you better burn them." Mason huffed before dropping me onto the sand.
"Ow," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "It's not even that embarrassing. All we did was dress you up like a girl and—"
"Shush! I don't want that getting out. I don't care if I was a kid, it's still embarrassing. You're evil for keeping those photos."
I grinned up at him. "You made such a pretty girl though."
"Shut up! Don't say that out loud!"
"Whatever," I laughed. "Help me up now." He let out a breath before pulling me off the ground. I was going to tease him some more, until a few other people decided to join Mason in the water. I smiled at him when he shot me a glare and headed back.
I sighed as I sat down next to David. Stephen and Trisha were the only two who stayed back other than David and me. I could see Jenna trying to flirt with Gage, which he so graciously returned. It wasn't surprising since he flirted with anything with legs. Mason and Joe seemed to be splashing the other girls to annoy them.
"I didn't know Mason was dating someone," David commented. My head whipped around to face him, as did the rest of my body.
"Mason's dating someone?"
David looked confused. "Uh, isn't he dating you?"
Before I could give a coherent response, I started laughing. "No, I'm definitely not going out with Mason," I answered once I controlled my laugher.
"Oh. It just looked like you two were together," he admitted, still appearing to be somewhat confused.
"I guess I can see why you thought that. It's just that Mason and I joke around like that because it annoys his sister," I explained, smiling. "And Gage," I added.
He nodded while his eyes seemed to look relieved. "I see. Speaking of Gage, I heard you two don't get along," he stated.
"That's an understatement. Who'd you hear that from anyway?"
"Gage told me himself. He was telling me who was going today and I asked him about a few people, including you. Then he told me that you two don't get along because he hates you," David told me. It shouldn't have surprised me that Gage told someone he hated me, but it did for some reason. I shrugged it off though, feeling the same way about his arrogant self.
"Yeah, he does hate me," I said with a short laugh.
"Why?" David wondered, before stopping himself. "Never mind, it's none of my business."
I shrugged, thinking of a good enough response. I wanted to forget about the hurt I caused him back then, and to myself for acting like such a brat. But there was nothing I could do now to fix our relationship—or lack thereof.
"We just don't get along anymore. We used to be good friends, but he turned into a major jerk that I can't stand anymore," I said.
David thankfully understood I didn't want to talk about this anymore, so he changed the subject. "So, tell me about yourself."
"You mean you haven't heard of me already? I'm practically famous for being the sister of Jacqueline," I joked.
He shot me a grin that brightened his face. "Well, being Jackie's sister doesn't define you, right?"
I offered a small smile. If only he knew how much being her sister actually did define me. I'd have to ask Mason later if David went out with her too. Finding out if he'd stoop that low (in my opinion) and go out with my sister would tell me a lot about him.
"What do you want to know?" I asked him, staring into his bright blue eyes.
"Whatever you want to tell me."
"Alright, well I dance..." I started. Before I knew it, I was telling him more than I thought I would say about my life. He did the same, telling me he was a baseball player and about his family. As we learned a lot about each other, I realized that David seemed like a genuine guy so far. I wasn't going to admit to liking him just yet though. I still wanted to check to see what Mason thought of him.
"Are you two coming in the water?" Harlow asked, her eyes lingering on David's exposed chest. I almost laughed at her as she openly checked him out.
"I'm good here," I told her before turning to David. "If you want to go in though, I'll be fine here."
"Nah, I'm good here too," he told Harlow, his eyes never leaving mine. I smiled before glancing back at Harlow, who seemed rather disappointed. She muttered something before heading back, leaving me to continue talking to David. And we continued talking about everything and anything until it was time for all of us to leave.