Mutual Hatred - Love Game (10 page)

After learning what flavors the kids wanted, they waved goodbye and set out for the parking lot.

"We're going in my car," he told Shelley when she walked in the direction of her car.

"Hmph, whatever."

She liked his car. It was a shiny black BMW. The front seats were clean, but when Shelley looked behind her, there was junk all over the backseat.

"Don't mind that. The guys always trash my car. I'm too lazy to clean it," he explained as he backed out.

"Uh huh," she nodded, "Well I hope you know you're buying ME ice cream too, since you forced me to come with you."

"I didn't force you! We both know you want to spend some alone time with me."

"Up yours."

Brandon hit the accelerator. "Yeah, I would like to make 7-Up mine."

"Do you normally drive this fast?" she asked, looking at his speedometer. It read 65.

"Got a problem with it? I can slow down if you're scared."

"I don't mind," Shelley rolled down her window, "I kind of like the breeze. But unless you want to get a speeding ticket, slow down."

He complied, slowing down to 55. They pulled into the Coldstone parking lot and raced each other to the door.

Brandon gallantly opened the door for her and said, "Ladies first."

"Why are you in such a good mood today?"

"We're at Coldstone. Enough said!"

They bought the ice cream and carefully carried it back to Brandon's car.

Shelley barely sat down when she sat on something that sounded strangely like a Whoopie Cushion.

Brandon was cracking up in the seat beside her. She glared at him. "Haha, very funny. You're such a kid."

Shelley pulled the object from under her. She had been right. She threw the Whoopie Cushion at him, but he dodged it and tossed it to the backseat.

Shelley licked some ice cream off her cone. "What flavor did you get?" she asked amiably.

"Founder's Favorite."

Funny, that was her favorite too, and also the one she had just licked. She looked for another cone with Founder's Favorite ice cream, but the one she was eating was the only one.

Uh oh.

"Uh…Brandon?" she began uncertainly, "I don't think you get a Founder's Favorite ice cream cone. But there's a cone that looks like it has Coffee Lover's ice cream, and I know the kids won't want that."

"You ate my ice cream?"

Where did that good mood go?

"Um, yes?" she answered faintly, "I didn't know!"

"That's okay."

Hmm, is anyone else seeing something wrong with this scene?

"Aren't you going to get all huffy on me?" she asked timidly.

"It's just ice cream."

Huh. New side of Brandon. Shelley could get used to this.

"But next time it happens, you are so dead!" he said.

So much for that.

Chapter 8 – Do and Don't

On her way home from the Community Center, Shelley realized something. She had spent an afternoon with Brandon, and they hadn't tried to kill each other. He had been civil. She would even go far as to say he had been
nice
. When did that ever happen? She suspected it wouldn't last to see tomorrow.

Taryn seemed to think otherwise. When Shelley recounted the afternoon to her over an early dinner, Taryn said,

"Oh god, you are SO dense!"

"Huh?" Shelley asked stupidly.

"Brandon SO has the hots for you!" declared Taryn.

"Tare bear, I'm afraid you're wrong here. He hates me, I hate him, end of story."

Taryn was persistent. "He doesn't hate you though! He said he dislikes you. And that means that there is room for
like
!"

"You just don't give up, do you?"

"Well think about it," Taryn reasoned, "Being around you has obviously had an influence on Brandon. And maybe seeing you interact with kids turned him on."

Shelley burst out laughing. Taryn had definitely gone too far.

"You don't just go from hate to love in like three weeks, Tare!" Shelley scolded.

"I didn't say that," defended Taryn, "He's obviously
attracted
to you, duh! Your maternal instincts or skills or whatever must attract him to you. Why else would he be so nice? He wants you to be the mother of his children!"

Sound far fetched?

Ah, well Taryn has a vivid imagination.

Shelley could only laugh. Leave it to Taryn to jump to conclusions like this. "You're crazy."

"I'm right and you know it," Taryn retorted haughtily.

"The only person who can determine if you're right or not is Brandon. Why do we care about him again?"

"
We
don't. But
you
do," Taryn corrected, putting down her fork.

Shelley snorted. "Not really."

"Well he definitely likes you!"

Cue eyes rolling. "What? Just because he didn't get mad that I ate his ice cream?"

"Exactly! If it were someone else he probably would have had a heart attack!"

"Please. Brandon acts like a spoiled little kid. He is SO up to something. He always is!"

"But you like him for that," said Taryn.

"I don't."

"Do."

"Don't!"

"Do, do, do, do!"

"Don't, final answer."

"You
so
do. When you're prepared to suck it up and admit you DO, let me know," Taryn said smugly.

Shelley would love to have thrown a biscuit at Taryn. But alas, they were friends and she loved Taryn. "Don't get your hopes up. Its not gonna happen. Besides, liking him would ruin my brilliant plan."

"Then I guess you'll have to come up with something else."

"No, I won't. Because the only thing I'll ever feel for Brandon is-"

"-LOVE!" Taryn threw in.

"Hate," corrected Shelley, "He is SO sexist. And you know what he said about Johnny Nickol? He told me Johnny was gay and he hates women. Isn't that outrageous?"

"Actually, no," said Taryn, nearly spitting out the water she'd been sipping. "I think it's true."

"How can you be gay and hate women?"

"You're forgetting about my sister."

"Carly is just a man-hater. She's straight as a needle though!" exclaimed Shelley.

"But she hates men!" Taryn contradicted, "Proving that it IS possible."

Shelley attempted to change the subject. "You know what? We've been so wrapped up in me that we haven't talked about you! How's the dating scene?"

"It's a freakshow," Taryn muttered, "I went out with like five guys last week, and all of them were just stupid. They seriously didn't want to talk at all!"

"That's probably how Carly feels."

"Mm," agreed Taryn. "Oh yeah, I'm uhh…sort of going out with this guy in a couple nights. And it's kind of a double date..."

"And you want me to go too?" Shelley finished.

"Exactly."

"Who are you going out with?"

Taryn coughed. "Ahh, Alex Taylor?" she said apprehensively.

Alex Taylor. Hmm, interesting.

Translation? JERK! "And who would be my date?"

Shelley sensed Taryn was hesitating. "Probably James Watkins," she finally answered.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Shelley said, "Oh thank god! I was afraid you'd say Brandon."

Taryn chuckled nervously, "Haha, um, yeah, right."

"Oh well. I guess if you really want me to, I'll go. But you should know I can't stand either of them for long periods of time. So don't blame me if I try to beat the life out of James."

"You're the best, Shells!" cried Taryn, "I didn't want to be alone with Alex. Especially if he ends up like the other guys from last week."

"He better not. I'll give him hell if he does!"

"Alex won't," Taryn said confidently, "He seems sweet."

"Alex is friends with Brandon. So Alex is a jerk!"

"Just because they're friends doesn't mean they're all the same!" Taryn protested.

"Nope," Shelley said stubbornly, "Not changing my mind about Alex or Brandon or any of their friends."

"Please just do this for me?
Please
?" Taryn begged, "I promise I won't bug you about Brandon for
at least
half an hour."

Shelley laughed. "Oh
fine
," she sighed. "Hey, you need to help me cook up little stunts to pull on Brandon. Little things that'll take him down a peg."

"Are you going to start this war? Or are you going to wait for Brandon to strike first?"

"Probably wait and see what he does," Shelley mused, "I don't want to do anything too drastic."

"But you are!" Taryn said pointedly, "Your plan? I want it to be clear that I don't approve!"

"I'll only be resorting to that plan if Brandon gets dirty," Shelley reminded Taryn.

"I bet you'd like to get dirty with Brandon," said Taryn, who formed a sly grin on her face.
Oh that little devil.

"Whatever it is you're on…remind me NEVER to take it."

"Very funny. There's that sexual tension between you two. And like, opposites always attract! But you're not really opposites, are you?"

Taryn's words finally sank in. Shelley and Brandon really weren't
that
different. After all, they shared the love for football, kids, and ice cream.

But then again, that wasn't enough to prove that they were alike.

"Hah I'm right!" Taryn shouted gleefully when Shelley remained silent, "You loooooooove him!"

"I'm going to make you pay for dinner if you don't shut up," warned Shelley.

"Fine fine, I'll drop it," Taryn said hastily, "So how's the coaching life?"

"Taryn! What a coincidence!"

The two girls looked up in the direction of the new voice. Shelley rolled her eyes. Alex Taylor and his goons had walked in, including Brandon. Why did it always seem like he was everywhere she went? Taryn shot Shelley a look that plainly said 'Help Me!', but Shelley merely smirked.

"I think I'm going to the ladies room. Have fun!" she said as the boys made their way to the table.

"I'm going to get you back for this!" Taryn growled, "Some friend you are!"

Shelley got up from her seat and nodded to at the boys, brushing shoulders with Brandon as she walked past him. Turning around, she could see that Alex had already made himself comfortable in the seat she had previously occupied. The rest of the boys found their own table, clearly preferring to leave Alex to whatever it was he wanted to do.

After applying three coats of lip gloss and touching up on her eye makeup, Shelley decided it was time to save Taryn. Although Taryn seemed to like Alex, it was amusing that Taryn didn't want to be left alone with him.

"Alright lovebirds, time to break it up. I'm hungry and watching Alex flirt endlessly isn't doing much for my appetite," Shelley said airily.

Alex scowled at Shelley and said with an innocent smile, "I'll see you later, Taryn."

Shelley slid into her seat and with an evil grin plastered on her face, she casually asked, "So what did he want?"

"He just wanted to make sure we were still on for Friday night," replied Taryn.

"Are you?"

"Only if you're for sure going. Alex is weird when he's nice. I don't like that."

Shelley leaned in conspiratorially. "Imagine a whole night with him," she whispered.

"You're coming too!" cried Taryn.

"Oh, James and I will for sure give you two some alone time. It'll be like we're not even there."

"Some best friend you are," Taryn mumbled.

"I'm the
best
best friend you will ever have! And don't you forget it."

"You'd never let me."

Chapter 9 – A Date with Destiny,
Literally

Football practice had been a pain that week. Shelley didn't even want to think about it. The good thing was that Mr. Wise had come to take over practice the last two hours every day. She was beginning to think the team was up to something, but shrugged it off. It wasn't one of her concerns at the moment.

- - - - -

Shelley arrived at Taryn's house promptly at six on Friday night, all dolled up. After all, date was still a date, even if it was with James Watkins. Taryn had greeted Shelley in an outfit similar to her own; beige shorts and a navy tank top under a formfitting light blue Oxford shirt.