“Where were you this morning?” Dave asked. “Kowalski was saying you’re afraid to play against him now since you know he’s going to take you down for breaking his nose.”
I snorted. “He can try. I’m not afraid of that dillweed. I was just busy.”
“
Busy?
” one of the guys asked, and several of them snickered.
I followed their gazes and found Seth standing behind me. “Our table’s ready, Ellie,” Seth said without taking his eyes off of Dave sitting next to me.
“
Really
busy,” someone else teased, igniting more laughter.
“Shut it, perverts,” I snapped. Then, with a sigh, I stole a few more of Dave’s fries. “Tell Kowalski I’ll be there Monday morning in case he wants to get beat again.”
When I stood up I heard someone say, “I didn’t know Westley liked ‘em pretty.” Then someone else muttered, “I didn’t know Westley liked ‘em at all.”
I whirled around, ready to knock someone the freak out, but Seth grabbed me firmly around my waist. “Whoa there, tiger,” he said, laughing as he dragged me to our table.
Somehow, though I’d fully intended on sitting next to Angela, Seth ushered me into the booth across from her and sat down next to me before I could protest. Angela smiled at me really big from across the table. Smugly. I was about to kick her when Seth distracted me with a question. “So that guy you were just sitting by, he was the same one you were joking with at the party last night, right?”
“And?”
“You two seem really… chummy.”
I knew what he was getting at, and even though that definitely wasn’t the case with Dave and me, I didn’t see the harm in letting Seth believe it was. “Maybe we are.”
“What guy?” Angela asked, startled.
“He means Dave.”
“Dave Holcomb?”
I nodded and Angela laughed. “Yeah, right. Ellie, don’t tease poor Seth like that.”
Poor Seth. Right.
“Dave Holcomb,” Angela said, “is one of the most popular guys in Ellie’s class. He could get any junior girl he wanted. And half the seniors too probably.”
Angela explained all this as if it should be a comfort to Seth, and really she was right—Dave and I are friends, but he’d never ask me to prom if you know what I mean—but Seth didn’t seem very thrilled with the idea of me being “chummy” with such a sought-after guy.
It got quiet for a minute and we all sighed with relief at the sight of our server. “What can I get you guys?” the lady asked.
Seth gestured to me, so I said, “I’d like a chocolate peanut butter shake please.”
The woman nodded, then moved her eyes to Seth. “How about an Oreo cookie shake,” he said. Then he looked at me and added, “We’d better get a basket of fries as well.”
“And for you?” the server asked my sister.
“Oh, nothing for me thanks.”
“You sure?” Seth asked while I said, “Nothing? You were the one who insisted we come here.”
“I’m sure,” Angela said. “I’ll be fine with my water.”
Something was up with Angela. She doesn’t exactly pack away ice cream the way I do, but I’d never seen her sit down in a restaurant and not at least order a Diet Coke.
A few minutes later I figured out what she was up to when I saw Rachel and Brooke walk into the restaurant. Angela looked up just as her friends spotted us. She tried to look surprised, but she’s not that good an actress. “Oh, hey! What are you guys doing here?” she asked innocently when Rachel and Brooke slid into the booth beside her.
“Yes,” Seth said, that cool control back in his voice. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Rachel and Brooke didn’t answer Seth’s question. Instead they started cooing at Seth and me like we were a couple of puppies in a pet shop window. “Angela was right. You guys are just the cutest!” Brooke whined.
“Totally adorable,” Rachel agreed. “I’m so glad you’re together now. You know Seth, Ellie’s never had a boyfriend before so you’d better take good care of her.”
I didn’t have time to correct Rachel of my relationship status because Seth, of all people, said, “Oh, we’re not together.” But then he had to go and ruin it by throwing his arm around my shoulders and adding, “Don’t worry your pretty heads about it, though. I have special plans for our little Ellie here.”
“Special plans?” I muttered. “Could you be any creepier?”
Seth ignored me. “I promise you,” he said to my sister and her friends as he pulled me tight against him. “I’ll take extra care with her.”
The blond brigade all sighed and started scrambling to their feet. “Well, we’ll leave you to it then,” Rachel said. “Have fun you guys!”
“Angela!” I hissed when my sister stood up. I
knew
she was going to ditch me! “Where do you think you’re going?”
“You guys don’t really need me to come today,” she said with a big innocent smile. “Do you Seth?”
Seth gave my sister his first sincere grin of the day. “It’ll be difficult, but I’m sure we’ll manage.”
“You told mom you were coming with me today,” I said, starting to panic. “You promised!”
Angela smiled down at me very condescendingly. “Trust me, Ellie, this is for your own good.”
“But I wore your stupid shirt!”
“Totally cute, by the way,” Brooke said. “You should wear pink more often.”
I glared at my sister. “I hate you!”
“You won’t later,” Angela said, which caused Seth to laugh. Angela winked at him and then ran off with her friends, leaving me trapped in a booth with my psycho neighbor who still had his arm around me.
“Well,” Seth said after my sister was long gone and our shakes were in front of us. “This is a pleasant turn of events. You know? Your sister’s not as bad as I used to think.”
“Yeah, she’s worse. Stupid traitor.”
“Ellie, quit being ridiculous. She did what she did because she cares about you.”
“Right,” I sneered.
Seth’s entire demeanor was completely different now. He was much happier and way too comfortable. “Angela just sees what you can’t for some reason,” he said.
“And what’s that?”
The corner of Seth’s mouth pulled up into a smirk and he turned, angling his body toward mine in the booth. “That it’s only a matter of time before I get what I want.”
Seth looked as if he were the one caught in a spell this time. His gaze was so intense that I shrank back as far as the booth would allow. It wasn’t far enough. He cupped my jaw in his fingers, brushing his thumb across my lips.
“Get your hands off me.” I was surprised when I actually sounded dangerous because that warm tingly feeling I got whenever Seth touched me was trying to convince me I didn’t really want him to stop.
Seth sat back with a sigh and pushed my shake a little closer to me. “You should drink that. It’ll make you feel better.”
“Actually, going home would make me feel better.”
“Won’t you at least try to have a nice time today?”
“If you would at least try to act like a normal person, I might.”
Something flashed in Seth’s eyes. “And what’s normal?” he snapped. “Breaking people’s noses and having to be forced to wear clothes that actually fit? You’re not exactly one to talk, you know.”
I was so taken aback by his outburst that the only thing I could think to do was take a sip of milkshake. A really long sip.
I knew Seth was watching me. After what he’d said, I couldn’t help feeling completely self-conscious. I shrank back wrapping my arms around myself, my temper completely depleting.
Stupid Angela and her stupid shirt
.
“You look very nice today,” Seth offered suddenly. I glared at him, hating that he could read me so easily. His face filled with regret. “I’m sorry—I lose my temper sometimes.”
I didn’t say anything, even though I probably should have apologized to him too.
“Let’s not fight,” Seth said, attempting to make amends again.
“Whatever,” I grumbled and then did the only thing there was left to do—I reached for the basket of fries sitting between us and dunked a really long one into my shake. After shoving the fry in my mouth I noticed that Seth was watching me with that completely amused sparkle back in his eyes.
Once I got to the car dealership I started to relax. I was buying my first car, after all. Even with Seth around I was kind of excited. Plus, it was easier to deal with Seth when I wasn’t trapped in a small booth with him anymore.
“So,” Seth said as we wandered over to the used half of the dealership. “Did you have anything specific in mind?” Seth raised his eyebrows and opened the driver’s side door to an F150. “You strike me as the truck type.”
I tried not to smile at that and climbed behind the wheel. Seth joined me in the cab and watched me as I tried to get a feel for the truck. “You know what’s good about a truck,” he said eventually.
“Plenty of room to haul all your gear when you go camping.”
“I suppose that’s true, though I wouldn’t really know. I’ve never been camping.”
“Never?” I asked.
“Nope.” Seth slid across the cab toward me. “I have, however, been to the drive in.” He slipped his arm around my shoulders with a grin. “Bench seats are nice, don’t you think?”
I swallowed hard and hopped out of the car so fast that Seth fell over. “No trucks, then?” he called as I slammed the door in his face.
I was already looking in the windows of a Focus when Seth caught up to me. I took specific note of the bucket seats up front and then climbed behind the wheel. Seth settled himself into the passenger seat.
“This would get much better gas mileage,” I said.
“It’s kind of small, though.” Seth wiggled uncomfortably and then scooted his chair back.
I glanced around the car and tried to picture the J’s all cramming into the tiny car. “True,” I agreed. “Let’s go try that one over there.”
Seth followed me to a Fusion. As I got comfy behind the wheel, he didn’t say anything, except “much better.”
“Definitely,” I agreed, glancing over my shoulder. “And way more room in the back seat.”
Seth turned to look at me with his eyebrows cocked way up. “Ellie,” he said, laughing. “You just freaked out over the idea of a bench. I don’t think you have to worry about needing a spacious backseat.”
When I caught his meaning I blushed. Why are all guys such horn dogs? “I didn’t mean I plan on making out back there. I was simply thinking of the J’s. They fully expect me to drive their sorry butts to school in the fall.”
“Yeah, and they fully expect you to get busy in the back seat with them too.”
“Shut up, they do not.”
“Oh, yes they do. They’re guys. And you’re not. It’s that simple.”
“They’re my best friends. We’ve grown up in the same neighborhood together our whole lives. I guarantee none of them is interested in me.”
“Not that they’d tell you. They’re probably afraid of getting their butts handed to them on a spoon. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking about it. At least one of them is. My money’s on Josh.”
“What makes you say that? You’ve never even met the guy.”
“Yeah, but who else would spend so much time playing something as lame as
Skateboard Pro 2000
? I hate to break it to you, but the guy’s not obsessed with beating your score. He’s hoping you’ll get bored and jump his bones.”
“First of all, gross. And second of all,
Skateboard Pro 2000
is not lame.”
“I’m afraid it is, Ellie. In fact,”—Seth shrugged apologetically—”your entire video game collection pretty much sucks.
Grand Theft Auto, MX vs. ATV Racing, Madden Football
? Where’s the action? The suspense? The danger?”
“I play
Halo
,” I said defensively.
“
Halo
?” Seth laughed. “Give me a break!”
“What’s wrong with
Halo
?”
“Um, it’s boring. You just run around and shoot at anything that moves. Your sister could probably beat that game.”
“Oh yeah, and what’s your favorite video game?”
“
Assassin’s Creed
.”
“
Assassin’s Creed
,” I repeated dryly.
Of course it is.
I shouldn’t have asked. “Excuse me if I find murdering people disturbing.”
“It’s not about killing people, it’s about the challenge. You can’t just go in and blow off everyone’s heads. You get points for stealth and creativity. Blowing up a bunch of aliens is whatever, but pulling off the perfect murder? That’s an accomplishment.”
“No. It’s creepy is what it is.”
“It’s not that creepy,” Seth argued. “Otherwise why are there so many crime novels and cop shows out there? People are fascinated with murder.”
This conversation had taken a turn for the weird really fast, but it was more of a conversation than Seth and I had ever had. Well, a conversation that wasn’t about him trying to seduce me, anyway. That’s why I encouraged him to keep talking.