Cross My Heart

4. TYLER

Chapter 4

TYLER

14 YEARS OLD

H igh school starts in three days, and I’m nervous as hell. New schools give me hives, but I guess I should be grateful that I have two best friends with me. And now that I’ve been here for a year, I know mostly everyone. Not that it seems to matter, considering how queasy I feel just thinking about it. I guess I’m luckier than most though. I am on the Junior Varsity football team along with Noah and a few of our friends from eighth grade.

We’ve actually spent the last few weeks practicing and doing drills, getting ready for the season. It has kept us from spending any real time with Scar, but now it’s finally the weekend, and here I am, in her room. Noah is supposed to come over after finishing chores, so for now, it’s just the two of us.

Scarlett and I sit side by side on the plush rug in front of her bed, the Wii U controller vibrating in my hand as I speed up my car in the video game. We’re playing Mario Kart to pass the time until Noah gets here, and then we can decide what we all want to do. Probably go back to his pool. But for now, I’m Yoshi and she’s Princess Peach.

“Fucker!” Scarlett whines as I bump my car into hers, and then pass her. “What the?—”

I smirk. “Admit I’m better than you.”

“Never,” she growls. “I’m still undefeated.”

“Not for long,” I sing-song.

If there’s one thing Scarlett is good at, it’s Mario Kart. She has a winning streak that neither Noah nor I can beat, but we’re sure as hell going to try. If there’s one thing we all have in common is that we’re very competitive. Noah and I argue over who’s faster on the field all the damn time. Noah and Scarlett argue over who is the fastest swimmer. And then there’s Scarlett and I. We don’t need a good reason to argue—we just do. She’s always picking on me, and sometimes it pisses me off. She doesn’t know when to stop teasing.

She’s also disgustingly girly and the older we get, the more it shows. She just tried out for the cheerleading squad and made the team. I’m not surprised, she’s always been in gymnastics according to Noah. Now she has to go to all of our games. And I don’t know how I feel about it. I mean she is my best friend. But she’s also super clingy with Noah. I just wish I could have him to myself a little more often.

“Ha!” Scarlett yells triumphantly. “I knew you didn’t have it in you.”

“Fuck,” I mutter, tossing my controller to the side.

“Undefeated.” She grins, and her eyes wrinkle in the corners. She looks kind of cute when she smiles, one single dimple in her right cheek.

I sigh.

“Where the hell is Noah when I need him?” I groan. “Someone has to take your title. Anyone.”

“No one is going to beat me, Ty Ty.”

“Gross.” My nose wrinkles. “Don’t ever call me that again.”

But Scarlett just chuckles, completely unbothered. She’ll probably use the horrible nickname again in five minutes.

She tosses the controller to the side and gets up, her extremely short shorts riding up her butt until she’s flashing me her cheeks. I look away, face heating. She snorts as she adjusts herself and then goes down the stairs without me.

Since it’s just us, her parents require her to leave the door open at all times. As if I could ever try anything with her. She’d either bury me alive or laugh in my face. Or Noah would kill us both. That is probably more accurate.

I twiddle my thumbs as I wait for her to come back, and I hear footsteps soon enough. My eyes trail her body from head to toe as she comes back inside, and her brows rise all the way to her hairline. But she doesn’t say anything for once, and for that I’m grateful.

Her curly red hair is frizzy because of the humidity, her cheeks flushed, her hazel eyes bright. Her lips are naturally a dark shade of pink, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think she’s wearing makeup. And then there’s her body. Small in just the right places, and yet she also has curves now. She’s looking much more like a woman than she did last year. And you can tell she’s an athlete by her strong legs and lean waist.

I shake my head.

“Come sit up here,” Scarlett murmurs, and I look back at her from the foot of the bed.

She has a whole tub of cookie dough ice cream in her hands and one spoon. It’s our favorite. Noah doesn’t really like cookie dough, and he always feels left out when we have ice cream because she refuses to get his favorite. Which is coconut. Who the fuck likes coconut ice cream? Sometimes he is really weird.

I get up from the floor and go sit next to her on the bed, our backs against the headboard. Both our legs are crossed at the ankles, and I look straight forward as she dips the spoon into the ice cream.

“Here’s a good bite,” she whispers, nudging my lips with the spoon. I open up and look at her face, and she’s smiling so widely it’s almost blinding. I chew the huge bite of cookie dough and grin. “Told ya.”

“I don’t think Noah is coming,” I tell her, sighing. She takes a bite of the ice cream, and then offers me the next one. “He should’ve been here by now.”

“He’ll be here.” She rolls her eyes. “He’s just slow with chores.”

“He’s a goddamn turtle,” I chuckle. There’s a moment of silence as she puts the spoon up to my lips again, and I practically slurp the ice cream. She giggles. “So, what was it like growing up with each other? I’ve never had a life-long friend before.”

“Amazing.” We make eye contact, her eyes wide. “We’ve been friends since we were in diapers.”

“So I guess best friends?”

Scarlett rolls her eyes, and just as I think she’s about to say duh , she replies. “My only friend. My ride or die. The one I always turn to.”

“And now?” I ask her slowly.

“Now?”

“Is he your only best friend?” I ask, my voice low. I’m suddenly feeling vulnerable, and it makes me want Noah here even more. She always makes fun of me?—

“Nah.” She grins. “You’re my best friend too.”

I grin.

“About damn time you admit it,” I huff, and she shoves my shoulder.

“You don’t need to get a big head about it,” Scarlett mutters, and then there are footsteps right outside her door. Noah comes into view. “There’s my favorite best friend!” she yells, and he looks between us, confusion clear on his features.

“So now you have a favorite?” I narrow my eyes on her face, and she grins.

“Duh.”

“Not fair.” I pout, and Noah laughs, coming to sit with us.

“You look cute when you pout,” Noah says, then sits at the foot of the bed, facing us. My cheeks heat until it feels like my entire face is burning. “I see I’ve been left out as always.”

“Oh, please.” Scarlett rolls her eyes playfully. “We both know you don’t want this ice cream.”

“You could get my coconut one.”

I snort. “Who even likes coconut?”

“Me, you asshole,” he mutters. “And you don’t look cute anymore. I take it back.”

I place a hand over my heart and mock gasp. “That’s hurtful.”

“Good.” Noah grins. “Now what the hell have y’all been up to without me?”

He looks right at Scarlett as he says it, and she raises one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. Oh, yeah. She started getting those done now too. But there’s something off between them right now, as if the question has some sort of double meaning. And I can’t figure out what it is.

“We played Mario Kart,” I blurt out. I don’t even know why I’m letting her off the hook. She could have answered the question. “And of course, she won.”

Noah groans. “We have to beat her, Tyler.”

“Don’t Tyler me.”

“That is your name.” Noah grins. “Is it not?”

I roll my eyes. “Ty is fine.”

Noah runs a hand down his face as he smiles, and my stomach flutters. When his hand finds my thigh, I gasp. I realize how flushed his cheeks are and the way his eyes shine as he looks at me. It makes me feel like I’m on top of the world. For just a brief moment, it’s just Noah and Me.

Me and Noah.

Us .

He licks his lips, and my eyes trace the movement. When my gaze meets his once more, he raises a brow at me.

I shake my head.

But then Scarlett interrupts the moment, as she always does, and this time I’m grateful for it.

Because what the hell was that?