Chapter 7 #3
My shoulders slumped as I focused back on my plate and food, suddenly losing my appetite.
I worked hard in practice and in class. But I was still a liability.
I could take free kicks, but when we did a game simulation during practice, I froze.
I needed to work on that; otherwise, I would never be an asset to the team again.
And I didn't want to sit on the bench.
I didn't want to go pro, but I also wanted to play. This was my life. Something I was good at, I needed to somehow find my passion and strength again.
Vibration from my pocket pulled me out of my mental turmoil, and I smiled down at the notification.
Rosalie added a new song to your shared playlist called ‘Songs You'll Pretend Not To Like’.
My heart skipped a beat as I stared at my favorite notification and swiped my thumb across the screen, curiosity winning. Her silent support meant even more than any words of encouragement.
Especially when I saw the song. It was an acoustic cover of Elle Goulding's Army. And I instantly knew what she meant. She wanted to let me know I wasn't alone, that even if it was just her on my side, I was in fact standing with an army.
Emotions wrapped around my throat, and I had to take a big gulp of my sparkling water to wash it off.
Our eyes connected over the table, and Rosalie offered me a small, sweet smile as I mouthed 'thank you'.
Her smile grew wilder, eyes sparkling, and I was back to my original thought of wondering why the hell I did not kiss her?
If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t think twice, but with our rocky relationship, her brother’s connection to me, and my self-esteem plummeting after my injury, it wasn't as easy.
I watched as she turned back to her conversation with Aaron and Oliver and, with a wide smile, jumped back into explaining whatever it was that got her so excited.
My stupid heart skipped a beat as she flourished, returned to her old self, and blossomed within my friendship group.
“You have a crush,” Nova accused me, leaning in close to me.
I stared at her and grimaced. “Excuse me?”
She laughed. “You're staring at Rosie. And I already knew last year you liked her, but this is way different. You actually like her.”
“There are words leaving your mouth, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Unless you’re talking about your weird thing with Maddox.”
Nova snickered and rolled her eyes. We were always close with her, and she was usually fun.
Even if she was a drama major and brought a lot of headaches with her fun, outgoing, and very loud personality.
“That thing you think is happening is you and Rosie. And I called it a year ago, thank you very much!”
“Shut up,” I muttered, jabbing my elbow into her side. “You were already trying to make that happen before...”
Before my injury.
During my recovery.
“Yeah, because she was baking for you.”
“Has it crossed your mind that some people... I don't know, Nova, enjoy baking?” I asked with an arched brow.
Nova gasped. “Enjoy? Baking?”
“That's what I thought.” I laughed.
“Rosie loves baking,” Aaron jumped into our conversation and pointed at his sister. “She used to be very bad, and it was her mission to get good. There was a period where she baked every week, but then she gave up.”
“And you called my cupcakes bird shit,” Rosalie scrunched her nose up to the memory.
“The shape!” Aaron defended himself. “Not the taste. The taste was great.”
Rosie grinned at her brother. “I know, they looked horrible.”
“Wait, I still have a picture of it!” Her brother reached for his phone.
“No, Aaron, no need for that,” Rosalie reached to take the phone from him, but he leaned away.
With an easy swipe, I stretched across the table and grabbed it from him. “Nah, I don't want to see it. I want to remember the cupcakes she made for me.”
Rosie's grateful eyes met mine, and I winked at her.
“You just want more cupcakes,” Aaron grumbled after a second of suspiciously eying me.
“I would never say no to that,” I grinned widely and winked at Rosie, who was turning a shade pinker in her cheeks.
“Stop flirting with my sister,” her brother groaned, lethal edge of his voice. “I told you…”
“No one touches your sister, or we die,” Oliver rolled his eyes. “Everyone heard your locker room talk last year, no need for reminders.”
“Now I know why I can’t have a date,” Rosie sighed dramatically. “Did you post it all over school as well as a wanted poster?”
Nova laughed. “No, imagine, it would give them way too much material for those long showers…”
Rosalie gagged, and Aaron looked like he was ready to murder Nova. “The bottom line is no one should flirt with Rosie. Especially not her student.”
Rosie and I exchanged a look over the table, and she bit down on her lip to stop herself from laughing.
“This is the first time I've seen Dex attempt to flirt since the accident,” Max joined the conversation with a grin. “Let him try.”
I stared at my best friend. “Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence. You make me sound like I'm...”
“Not good at it?” Nova asked from beside me.
“Practice makes perfect, my friend,” Maddox added.
I rolled my eyes, still grinning. I missed my friends, even if they annoyed me. I leaned back in my chair and laughed.
“I will take everything you guys said under consideration,” I nodded my head, my eyes sliding back to Rosie, who was hiding her grin in her glass of water.
I held her gaze for an impossibly long moment, allowing everyone around us to fade into black and imagining it was just the two of us at the restaurant.
Rosie's tongue reached out, and she licked her pink lips as her grin spread wider, and I felt myself harden.
“You know,” Nova leaned in, snapping me out of my staring contest. “You never denied flirting with Rosie.”
“I wasn't attempting to flirt,” I muttered, and watched as Rosie's eyes darkened with masked hurt. “I was actually flirting.”
Nova giggled, and Rosie leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smirk.
That girl was going to be the end of me.