Mutual Hatred - Love Game (17 page)

"We are
so
getting those smartasses back for that. You're so lucky you didn't eat any of it!" Morgan said to Shelley.

"What should we do?" Shelley asked.

"Gun them," Morgan said fiercely.

"Gun them?" Shelley repeated dubiously.

"Water gun them," corrected Morgan. "We'll launch a full out attack on them. I'll tell Destiny to come over; she lives next door."

And that was how Morgan, Destiny, and Shelley ended up filling 'Extreme Super Soakers' with water and charging after Brandon and the boys (they were outside tossing a football around), battle cries included.

Definitely a great way to cool off from the summer heat, don't you think?

Boys being boys, Brandon had tried to retaliate, but he couldn't find any water guns; Destiny had looked a step ahead and hid them. The guys finally realized that they were fighting a losing battle, so they resorted to throwing the girls in the pool. Brandon picked up Shelley and effortlessly tossed her in; it took Kyle and Alex's combined efforts to throw in a kicking and
screaming Morgan. Destiny proved her strength when James and two other guys tried to throw her in; she ended up pushing
them
in. In the end, everyone ended up in the pool with their clothes on whether they liked it or not.

After drying off and borrowing some of Morgan's clothes to wear, Shelley joined everyone in the game room. Some of Brandon's friends played pool while Morgan and Shelley had a staring contest with Destiny trying to commentate and make one of the girls lose. Jana Miller finally made an appearance.

"Dinner!" she called out. "My, my, we've got a little party going on, don't we?" she mused.

Brandon and Morgan led everyone into the kitchen, where at least a dozen boxes of pizza were sitting on the counter.

"Are we supposed to eat all that?" asked Destiny.

"One box for you sissies," Brandon said, ceremoniously handing his sister a box, "And the rest is for us growing boys."

"Like you need it," snorted Morgan. "Give us another box."

"No!" protested Brandon, "Shouldn't you be watching your weight or something?"

"Are you calling me fat?" demanded Morgan angrily.

"No, of course not!" Kyle interjected hastily. "What your brother is trying to say is that there is no way you three girls could finish two boxes of pizza."

"Just watch us," Shelley said haughtily, snatching a pizza and handing it to Morgan.

And much to the boys' chagrin, they did.

Destiny even wanted to start in on a third box, but by then everything was gone.

And Shelley happily went home. Today had been one of those good days. Even Brandon's stupid little prank had led to excitement.

She's also learned a lesson. Shelley had noticed that Brandon had this thing about food pranking. That meant she'd have to watch what she ate if Brandon was around; there was no telling if he'd done something to it or not.

And that meant next time, it would be her turn to prank him.

Oh, let the pranks begin.

Chapter 14 – Secret Societies and Mr. Suave

"I hereby declare this meeting of the tentatively titled 'Secret Matchmakers' in session!"

Morgan pounded her fist onto the marble dining table (not a good move; it hurt!) to get everyone's attention.

Not that she didn't already have it.

Jana Miller stopped talking to Claudia Sinclair to smile at her daughter. Destiny Hoyt and Taryn Manuel were already gazing at Morgan with amused interest.

"I have called each one of you here today for one reason: to get my idiot brother together with Shelley Sinclair, his coach. It has been called to my attention that the two are not particularly fond of each other, and action must be taken to change that. Evidently, Shelley and Brandon refuse to do anything about it but bicker, so it's up to us to do it." Morgan paused to glance at Jana. "Mother, are you taking notes?"

"No dear, but I'm sure all of us will remember this speech. My, my. Who knew my daughter could sound so professional when she feels like it?" Mrs. Miller smiled like the proud mom she was.

"This is not a laughing matter, mother dearest. We are five women, working towards one common goal. And besides, how hard can it be? All we have to do is give Shelley and Brandon a push here, a shove there, and BANG!" Morgan clapped her hands together for emphasis, "They're two lovesick puppies."

"But you're forgetting that my daughter can be stubborn," pointed out Claudia.

"And your brother isn't exactly easy to sway either," added Jana.

"Well that's easy. We're just not going to say anything to them about each other. Everything we do
has
to be subtle," said Taryn.

"So basically we throw them at each other until they break?" asked Destiny.

"No, no. Shelley will only deny more if Brandon is thrown in her direction. We have to make it seem like, I don't know, everything is just a coincidence," said Mrs. Sinclair.

"We're just going to make them see each other in a new light," Morgan said firmly. "And eventually they'll realize they looooove each other!"

"Forget that for now; let's come up with a new name. The Secret Matchmakers doesn't appeal to me," said Claudia, "It doesn't have the flair or zing I want."

"How about the Brandon-and-Shelley-Conspiracy?" put in Destiny.

"Too long," dismissed Jana, "We need something short that no one else will understand if we talk about it in public."

"Team Brandon-Shelley?" offered Claudia.

"But instead of Brandon-Shelley, let's shorten it, like in Harry Potter! We'll be Team BS!" cried Taryn.

Everyone nodded in agreement. The tribe-er, team-had spoken.

"Team BS it is," Morgan said triumphantly. "Meeting adjourned."

- - - - -

Another day, another practice.

Shelley yawned a very unladylike yawn, stretching her arms above her head as she did so.

Yesterday at the Miller's had made Shelley realize that it was to her advantage that she was friends with her players. They had somehow forged a bond this summer, one that couldn't be easily broken. After all, a coach who gets along with his or her team isn't just a coach.

Could they all, god forbid, be
friends
?

That was the last thing that should have been on her mind. Today was her last day coaching before she left for Las Vegas with her family. Mr. Wise, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Wess would be responsible for the living terrors, and she called the team that in the fondest way possible.

While Shelley was delighted at the prospect of going on a vacation, there were several downsides. The first? It was blazing hot in Vegas this time of year. Why couldn't her parents choose to go during the spring when it was nice and pretty? The second downside was not coaching. Could she really spend a week away from those guys? They were impossible, but she loved them for that. What were they going to do in Vegas for a week anyways? Her dad would go gamble while Claudia would work her way around the slots and go shopping.

Shopping. Don't you just love the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace? And Aladdin's Desert Passage? What about the Venetian's Grand Canal shops?

Okay, so maybe there
were
things to do. But a girl could only do so much shopping before she had enough.

Then again, there were arcades. And lounging in or beside the pool was always an option.

- - - - -

After lathering sun block all over, Shelley spread her towel on a beach chair and made herself comfortable. Moments later, a figure loomed over her.

"Hello, beautiful!" he crooned, "What's your name?"

Shelley lowered her sunglasses and gave him the once-over. "Sorry, I don't talk to strangers."

"Then we'll just have to introduce ourselves, won't we?" the stranger countered.

Persistent, much?

"I am Zachary Fox," stranger-boy continued, holding out his hand.

Did he really expect Shelley to shake it? When she didn't take it, Zachary merely grinned and said, "Ah, the silent type. I like it."

"Are you lost?" asked Shelley.

"In your eyes. Can I have a map to your heart?"

Do we have a sweet talker on our hands here?

"No. But I can give you a map to the other side of the world," offered Shelley.

"Ouch," Zachary pretended to be wounded, "That hurts, gorgeous. How can someone so pretty dish out such hurtful words?"

"No idea," replied Shelley, "It's a gift, I suppose."

"The blonde beauty has a sense of humor," laughed Zachary jovially. "Who would have guessed?"

"Do you need something? Because I'm trying to get a tan here," Shelley said irritably.

"And I'm trying to get you to introduce yourself. I promise I can be worth your while," said Zachary, smirking like a kid with a huge secret.

"My name is Donatella Versace. Will you go away
now
?"

"Donatella. Hm, no, it doesn't fit you. You look like an Amber," Zachary guessed. "Am I right?"

"Wrong. Guess again."

"Kaitlyn?"

Shelley shook her head vigorously. "Nope."

After much deliberation on Zachary's part, he finally said, "Shelley?"

Shelley had been prepared to say "Wrong again!" but Zachary had caught her off guard. But before she could lie and say "No" Zachary had already figured out he was right.

"Shelley it is. Third time's the charm, I always say," Zachary said triumphantly. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Cold water would be nice," answered Shelley.

"How about a tequila or something?" suggested Zachary.

"Are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?" Shelley demanded.

"Not the original plan, but if you don't stop looking at me like that I just might try," Zachary gave Shelley a wolfish grin and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"How am I looking at you?"

"Like you want to jump my bones any second now."

"Keep on dreaming," said Shelley.

"Or you could make my fantasies a reality."

"How about not?"

"Touché, touché," admitted Zachary. "Can we be friends?"

"Only if you stop trying to pick me up," said Shelley, but the smile on her face told Zachary she found his antics amusing.

"Is there an airport nearby or is that my heart taking off?" Zachary grinned like an idiot again.

"I haven't heard that one before," remarked Shelley, "I suppose we can be friends. But you need to keep the lines to a minimum; there's only so much I can laugh about."

"Mais oui," Zachary said with a fake French accent, "I live to make you smile, mademoiselle."

"So how old are you?" asked Shelley.

"I'm 18. And yourself?" said Zachary pleasantly.

"I just turned 18. Where are you from?"

Shelley finally took the time to study Zachary. He was quite handsome, really. She didn't know why she hadn't actually looked at him before. His body was tanned and nicely toned. In fact, Zachary's looks made Shelley think of Brandon. But while Brandon's sandy blond hair was usually spiky, Zachary had let his dark hair grow out. And of course, Shelley thought Zachary was slightly better looking.

But then again, her opinion was a little biased.

"Charmed by my beauty? You've been staring at me for about ten minutes now," Zachary said brightly.

Shelley swatted his arm playfully. "You're not
that
charming."

That was a total lie. Zachary was hot enough to be a model.

"So what are you here for? Business or
pleasure
?" Zachary said conversationally.

Shelley shot him a dirty look and said, "Pleasure. Why are you here?"

"A little bit of both. I'm trying to get into modeling. I had a meeting with a couple people who were interested."

"And what did they say?"

"They wanted to hire me on the spot, but I'm thinking maybe I should go to college first. I want to complete my education," said Zachary.

"Interesting. What college are you planning on?" asked Shelley.

"Wherever I get into. So who knows?" he shrugged.

"I guess I should get your autograph now before you become rich and famous, huh? Girls will be lining up for your number and you won't remember the girl you met in Vegas!"

"The only girl who matters doesn't want my number," Zachary said earnestly, "In fact, she's not interested. She's unforgettable, just like you."

Shelley threw her head back and laughed. "Maybe one day we
will
meet again. Then we'll see how you feel about me."

"Maybe you're the one who'll forget me," said Zach with a mysterious gleam in his eyes, "You look like the kind of girl who already
has
a guy."