13. Boys, Boys, Boys
13
BOYS, BOYS, BOYS
MALLORY
I feel like Epiales plucked the worst possible nightmare from my head, and planted it into real life.
This day was supposed to be a good day. It's a fun day, filled with stupid activities. I get to mess around with my friends, team up with Ollie. It’s supposed to be a good day — and it was.
Until it wasn’t.
First of all, Ollie looks ridiculously hot in his green pullover. Seriously. In the light, it kind of makes his eyes turn a sage green, which is my favourite shade. Then my mom keeps blowing up my phone with calls, clearly not taking the hint that I don’t want to speak to her. Then I had to witness Quinny Cooper basically claw Ollie’s arm to death. Now I'm not on his team, but she is.
To quote one of Juliana’s favourite musicals: Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw.
I’d rather go home than watch Quinny flirt with him all day. In fact, I'm just about to excuse myself when I feel a hand on the small of my back.
“Hey, Mallory. I hope you’ll be on my team! Here,” Gus holds out a bright pink shirt for me, one that matches his. It’s an oversized – too bright – pink tee that has Covington University Athletics written across the front. It’s a horrible shade of pink, all the more reason for me to ditch. “It’s uh, not the best shade,” he says rubbing his neck, a slight pink tinging his cheeks. “But I have a feeling you’ll pull it off. I doubt there’s a colour out there that wouldn’t look good on you.”
I think my eyebrows just shot up to my hairline. He’s openly flirting with me, in front of his teammates, and Ollie. Again. Even though I can feel Ollie’s arctic–level stare boring a hole right through Gus’s head – he’s acting like nobody else is there. Gus hasn’t styled his hair today, but instead hides it under a CU ballcap, and his horribly bright pink shirt actually makes his blue eyes pop.
Since our date the other week, we’ve been hanging out more. Well, twice. And I've hid it from Ollie. Twice. It’s not that I didn't want to tell him, and I wasn't openly hiding it from him. I just – Gus is hot, and actually really sweet. He knows a lot about art and classics, so we’re not short on things to talk about. He’s here on a hockey scholarship studying art history so he can be a gallery curator. Also he’s mega hot. Did I mention that? He’s also not Ollie, which is the key thing here. I hang out with Gus so I can get over the mega, one sided crush I have on my best friend that is slowly sucking the life out of me.
Maybe I should stay and be on his team, get to know him even more. Although I don't know how I can concentrate when I can basically hear Quinny purring from over here. Ever since she walked over she’s been edging closer and closer to him. And he hasn’t moved. Not one bit. It doesn’t bother me. I can’t let it bother me.
Focus on Gus !
“I uh, had a good time on our date last night.” He says.
Fuck. Me. Sideways.
Our date. The date I went on with Gus when I told Ollie I couldn’t hang out.
Because I had plans.
With Gus.
After we had our first official date, he took my phone and punched in a few more ‘casual hangout sessions’. Sometimes he comes to My Main Squeeze when I’m working. Sometimes we’d grab coffee or go to the mall. Like yesterday. He told me a few days ago he wanted a new pair of jeans and needed ‘a girls opinion’. So we went to the mall. Being with Gus is better than I expected it to be, to be honest. Gus surprised me, he’s not what I expected, which just makes me feel worse.
I feel the heat creep up my neck when Ollie’s gaze shifts from Gus to me, and it burns a hole straight to my heart.
But I have to ignore it, and him. “Yeah, I had fun! I’m just going to go change in the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” I give Gus a quick, friendly smile as I practically run inside the building.
I know as soon as this day is over Ollie is going to grill me like an agent from Criminal Minds for hiding this from him.
I’m currently hiding in the stall when I hear the bathroom door open. I clutch the pink shirt to my lacey bra as I hold my breath, really hoping it’s not Quinny.
“Mal?”
I let out the breath I was holding, opening the door. Abi stands there in a black mom jeans that hug her curves, a loose–fitting green shirt slung off one shoulder, showing off her lacy black bra strap. She’s bunched it up around her belly button. Her blonde hair is straight and down, with two mini braids in the front.
“I’m not hiding.” I say throwing on the massively big shirt. I walk out of the stall and look in the mirror. I look like neon pink threw up on me. Gus was wrong, I really don’t suit every colour.
“Mhm. Sure you aren’t.” She says, standing behind me with her arms folded against her chest, using that sickly sweet voice. I stand in front of the mirror when Jules and Court come busting into the bathroom. Jules is wearing her team purple shirt, and Court wearing her team blue shirt. All the shirts are the same except for the colour so I swear to god, why is it just me that looks bad in it? “Is he mad?” I ask, trying to tie my shirt the same way the girls did, to make it semi–flattering on me.
“Hun, I don’t think Ashby has ever been mad at you,” Abi offers.
“He isn’t capable of it.” Court adds, leaning against the sink, watching me fail to tie the knot on my shirt. She huffs a sigh the fifth time I try and fail to tie the knot, taking over for me. “But he’s pissed you didn’t tell him about your date. A blind man could see it.”
“I didn’t lie, I just, I didn't know how, you know? This is the first date I've been on with someone on the team. It was hard enough telling my dad.”
“What did daddy Grace say when you told him? You never did tell us.” Court says, smiling.
I just threw up in my mouth. “I told you guys to stop calling him that!” She laughs. “But he…was weird about it actually. Like not mad, but like, surprised.” Abi avoids my gazes as she finishes knotting my shirt. “What?”
She looks at me over one more time then goes back to stand with Court and Jules. They all collectively fold their arms.
Abi turns to Jules, changing the subject. “So… J, I noticed Montgomery Is wearing the shirt you made for him.”
Juliana beams at Abi, at just the mention of Cory. “I know, right? I think it’s secretly his favourite shirt.”
“Oh come on Jules, it’s his favourite because you made it for him.”
I roll my eyes, grabbing Abi’s shoulders and forcing her to turn around. “Stop trying to change the subject! Why did you look at me like that?”
Abi winces. “Do you think maybe he knows? About your crush on Ollie? It’s not like you hide it well, Mal. Everyone knows. Everyone apart from Ashby, apparently.” Jules starts picking off the polish on her nails.
My eyes widened. Dear god. “It’s not obv… do you think Gus knows?”
She shakes her head as she reapplies her lip gloss in the mirror.
Court moves toward me. “I doubt it. Gus is a straight up, no bullshit kind of guy, from what Shawn tells me. If he knew about it, he would’ve told you. He’s been on the team for a whole year.”
I run my hand down my face. This had to happen to me.
“I like Gus, I do. You know I wouldn’t lead him on if I didn't.”
“But you like Ashby more.” They all collectively say, like a choir of voices.
It wasn’t a question. They aren’t asking if I do like him more, they know. I feel my entire body sag, like my legs could just give out at any moment.
I’m trying not to like him more .
Jules smiles at me. “Don’t worry, I texted Cory, he’s gonna keep Ollie busy, you can concentrate on Gus.”
I just need to breathe and get through this day. Maybe everything happens for a reason. I am on Gus’ team, and he’s on Quinny’s.
Maybe this is how our story is, Ollie and I.
But I think no matter how this ends, I'm screwed.
Even if I date someone else, I'll always choose him. That’s the problem.
But maybe ours is not a love story like I hoped.
I just have to learn to be okay with that.