Mutual Hatred - Love Game (31 page)

Her expression turned smug. "Is that what this is about?"

He crossed his arms. "What do
you
think this is about?"

"You're jealous. Of Zachary."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Just a little. If that's all you're here for, I think I'll go to bed now." She turned to leave

"Not so fast. How about a good luck kiss for tomorrow's game?"

Her laugh was mirthless. "Oh Brandon, you still haven't changed."

"Excuse me?"

"You want a trophy girlfriend, one who will always be there to cheer you on and do your bidding. You want me to be that girl. But I'm not."

"Don't give yourself so much credit," he snarled.

The smile she gave him made something go funny with his breathing.

They looked at each other and something flashed between them that made Brandon's mouth suddenly go dry. It would be so easy to pull her close and kiss her, the way he'd been wanting to for awhile. It would be something like their other kisses, but even better. Only, this time no one would be watching. This time he would be doing it because he wanted to. He hesitated. He saw Shelley swallow hard and look away from him, and as quickly as it had happened, the moment was over.

She certainly was not the brittle, beautiful, anorexic kind of girl he was used to dating. She was... she was better than that. She was warm and feisty. She was pretty and intelligent. She was the only female he had ever both desired and respected.

Funny, he'd never realized that until now. Had his feelings for her changed?

"You know how I like my girls," he added, "But you don't seem to know how much I want you."

She didn't know what to say to that. What would any other person say to that?

He gave her a haughty smile before leaving.

Even as she let herself into the house and quietly went to her room, she was in a daze.

Things were happening too quickly. Just when she thought she had her feelings for him figured out, something happened to cause uncertainty.

He didn't want her.
He couldn't
. He wasn't into girls like her. And yet, why was he even bothering to pursue her? Surely it took effort.

Brandon Miller could have any girl he wanted.

So why did he happen to want her?

- - - - -

They won their first CIF game. Shelley took it as a good omen. No matter how far they got in the tournament, she was still proud. They'd gone where no one had ever dreamed-except for maybe herself, Mr. Wise, and the team.

It hadn't been hard. She wasn't even sure the game had been fair. The opposing team kind of..well, sucked. How had they even made it to CIF? But all the same, it was a win and it guaranteed Wilson a spot in the next round.

She'd tried her best not to talk to Brandon unless she could help it. Every so often she could feel him staring at her while she was talking strategy. It was uncomfortable, but it wasn't like she could just tell him to go away. Besides, fraternizing with your players-your enemy of all people (if you could call Brandon her enemy), was strictly against the rules. That was one of the first things Mr. Wise had told her.

But there she was, being a rebel again, breaking all the rules.

Of course, avoiding Brandon was entirely impossible. Something always threw them together. For instance,

"Shelley, Jana Miller invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner. I know it isn't what we usually do, but are you up for it?"

Shelley's face fell when at her mom's words.

"Why?" she said sharply.

Mrs. Sinclair seemed taken aback. "Well, I suppose she just wanted to be friendly. I was telling her how we won't be with your aunts and uncles this year and she offered to have us over. Come on," she coaxed, "It'll be fun! You like Morgan, don't you?"

"Morgan's not my problem," said Shelley, gritting her teeth.

"Dear, don't do that; it's unbecoming for a young lady like you."

Shelley rolled her eyes. "That is the
least
of my worries, mother."

"Oh, I know you and Brandon aren't on the best terms," Claudia said soothingly, "But its Thanksgiving. Couldn't you two just be civil for
one
day?"

Shelley sat up; something had just occurred to her. "It's not just me, mom. Dad
hates
Mr. Miller!"

Mrs. Sinclair dismissed it with the wave of her hand. "Nothing a little persuasion can't solve."

"Ew, mother. Sexual innuendo in front of your daughter? I think I'm going to be sick," gagged Shelley.

"Oh, grow up. Sooner or later you and Brandon are going to realize you're both been stupid and realize your true feelings. After all, we are all fools in love."

"You
so
stole that from
Pride and Prejudice
."

"Well," smirked Claudia, "I always said Jane Austen was a smart cookie."

Chapter 25 – More Than Friends

Not to sound ungrateful, but Shelley wasn't very thankful for anything. She knew she was being selfish, spoiled, and rotten, but that was just how she was. Being thankful for family, friends, your home, and all the things you had was a given. Okay, maybe she should have been thankful for the football team too.

Shelley was in a particularly sour mood, seeing as how she was going to be spending Thanksgiving at Brandon's house. What's worse was that after living in jeans and comfortable clothes for so long, her mother had insisted that she 'look nice.' What, didn't she look nice enough already? Apparently not. So Shelley had donned a stylish dark brown skirt that stopped just above her knees along with a matching beige top and knee high boots to complete the look. She had pulled her silky long mane into a sleek ponytail. It had been enough to satisfy her mother; she could only hope it would be enough for the Millers.

After their little early morning meeting outside her house several nights ago, Shelley didn't really know how to face Brandon. Things were awkward. It seemed like he had really put his feelings out there, but she wasn't accepting them the way he wanted her to.

On the way to the Miller's house, Mrs. Sinclair had turned around in the front seat to find her daughter's face contorted in a frown and her arms crossed.

"Sweetiekins, it is Thanksgiving. I know you don't want to go, but sometimes you have to suck it up," said Claudia.

"Can't I wait in the car?" Shelley offered in return.

"No!" her father said loudly, "If
I
have to suffer through an entire evening of the insufferable Scott Miller, then you do too."

"Gee, thanks dad."

"Well it wasn't
my
idea to do this dratted dinner, so don't you start getting sassy with me, missy," he grumbled in reply.

Shelley heaved a long, loud sigh. "I know, I know. Thank you,
mother
, for being polite and accepting Jana Miller's dinner invitation, even though you know I despise Brandon and daddy hates his dad. Thank you!"

"And don't you start sassing your mother, either," her father added.

Shelley
really
didn't want to do this. Why couldn't their family of three have their own Thanksgiving dinner at their own house? She considered it an intrusion on Brandon's family if they joined them for Thanksgiving. She took that up with her mother, who reminded Shelley that it was Jana who had invited them in the first place.

They finally pulled up in front of the Miller house. In the daylight, it seemed larger without teenagers spilling out of it.

Here was the dreaded moment.

Shelley's mother rang the doorbell; moment later, Jana Miller opened the door. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her perfectly tailored pants and silk blouse, and Shelley could see some of Brandon's good looks in her.

Jana and Claudia exchanged hugs after inviting the family in.

"Do make yourselves at home," Mrs. Miller said warmly, leading them into the living room, "I'm afraid dinner won't be ready for a few more minutes."

While her parents got settled, Shelley excused herself to go to the bathroom. Once safely locked inside, she breathed a sigh and told herself,

"I can do this."

She freshened up, fixing her hair and applying a fresh coat of lip gloss. When she deemed herself ready, she took another breath and opened the door.

"Oof!" cried a voice from behind.

"Sorry!" Shelley said automatically, cautiously peering around the door to see who she had rammed it into.

"Oh!" she gasped.

It was Brandon.

He was surveying her, so Shelley took a moment to size him up. Brandon was looking tousled, his blond hair a delightful mess. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a plain white shirt that fit him perfectly.

Bottom line: he was adorable.

Shelley blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"It might have something to do with the fact that I
live
here, but hey, my guess is as good as yours," he smirked.

She lightly swatted his shoulder. And just like that, any tension they'd felt before was clear. He was back to his usual self, and she hers. "Shut up. Do you normally do this to guests?"

"What, wait outside bathroom doors so I can get hit?"

"Yeah."

"Then no; just for you."

"You're so funny," she smiled, pinching his cheeks.

"Haha. So I noticed you noticing me and my hot body," he said with ease. "And well, we
are
alone here, and I'm sure no one would mind if we missed dinner…" he watched her carefully for her reaction, "What d'ya say, princess? Would you like me to ravish you as you have been fantasizing ever since you laid eyes on me?"

Oh, he was
so
full of himself.

"Oh Brandon!" she gushed, clearly playing along, "You have
no idea
how badly I want you!"

He smiled to himself. "I knew it."

Shelley smirked as she pushed away his advance. "You really need to learn what sarcasm sounds like, sweetie."

"My right nut's name is Mr. Sarcastic, you know. Would you like to get to know him?" Brandon said brightly.

"Not really!" cried Shelley, although she was clearly amused and took the arm that he proffered.

Together, they made their way to the dining room, where their respective families were sitting. At the head of the table sat Mr. Miller, and at the foot sat Mr. Sinclair. Shelley's dad was determinedly not looking at Brandon's father, who seemed to find the situation quite amusing. When Brandon and Shelley made their appearance, Morgan, Jana, and Claudia all looked up from their chatter in innocent surprise.

"And where have you two been?" Morgan asked.

"The bathroom," answered Shelley.

"TOGETHER?" everyone sitting down said in unison.

Brandon and Shelley glanced at each other, a small smile gently tugging at both their lips.

"Yes, family, Shelley and I had sexual relations awhile ago and she just took a home pregnancy test and found out that she is indeed pregnant. Congrats, mom and dad, you're getting that grandchild you always wanted. A little early, but I suppose you'll be happy no matter what," said Brandon.

Everyone, including Shelley, stared at him in shocked silence.

Mr. Sinclair was first to find his voice. He remained calm, although Shelley could tell he wanted to rip Brandon apart from limb to limb. "Young man, I
do
hope this is your idea of a sick joke."

Brandon smiled sheepishly. "Uh, actually, it was. Now would be the time to laugh."

He began to chuckle nervously, but the deafening silence shut him up.

"What? Can't you people take a joke?" he asked defensively. "I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

Shelley tugged on Brandon's shirtsleeve. "I don't think they think it's funny," she whispered.

"Thanks, I couldn't tell," he whispered back.

"Brandon Andrew, that is
not
something appropriate for the dinner table! Or in front of the Sinclairs either!" Jana Miller was seething. "And I thought I told you to change into something nicer!"

"Whoops, sorry,," said Brandon, casting his eyes downward, "Guess I got a little distracted."

But despite his mother's wishes, Brandon didn't bother changing. If things had been tense at the table before, you could sure bet that it was even worse now. He pulled out Shelley's chair for her and took the seat next to her.

They said grace and began their meal. For the first few minutes, everyone was silent, helping themselves to the turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. and contentedly eating. But Claudia Sinclair could never sit through a meal in silence. She had to talk.