Perfect for You (4 page)

Noah cocks his head to the side. “And you’ve only just thought about her now? It’s six thirty.”

Damn, damn, damn. I’m officially the worst best friend on the planet. “I have to get my phone. Now!”

He laughs. “You’re cute when you’re frazzled.”

I shake off the comment and jog toward the locker room. He starts to follow me in, but I spin around to face him. He bumps into me and our faces are only inches apart for the second time today. “What are you doing?”

“Right.
Girls’
locker room. I’ll wait here.” He doesn’t move away at all. He’s testing me, trying to see how far I’ll let this go. But he stays true to his word. He’s not making a move to kiss me, even though it would only require moving about a quarter of an inch.

I step back, not breathing.

“Change your mind?” His stare couldn’t be more intense, and I’m not sure if he’s talking about calling Grayson or kissing him.

“No,” I say, answering both questions. I turn and head for my locker. I shove four quarters into the slot and pull the door open. Grabbing my phone, I see I have six text messages and three missed calls.

Grayson: Meet you in five, running a little late.

Grayson thought she was the one who was going to be late.

Grayson: Where are you?

Grayson: Did I get the time wrong? Calling you now.

Ash: Almost time. Can’t wait to see you.

My heart clenches in my chest. It’s six thirty. The Football Challenge starts at seven. I’m never going to make it. I can’t even read the rest of the texts or listen to the voicemails. I grab my clothes from the locker and put them on. I have enough money to call a cab. I’ll still be late, but I can’t miss seeing Ash play. I’ll have to make up with Grayson later. One crisis at a time.

I rush back outside, bumping into Noah. “Oh!”

“Sorry. What’s the hurry?”

“I have to go. The Football Challenge starts at seven. I’m going to be late as it is.”

“I’ll drive you.”

Really? Would he offer to drive me to meet my boyfriend if he liked me as more than a friend? “No, I’ll take a cab. Stay. Your friends are here. I’ll be fine.”

“Not happening.” He takes my hand, not in a boyfriend-girlfriend way. In a “we’re in a hurry” kind of way. He leads us through the crowds of people, weaving in and out of them at a brisk jog. We make it to his car, and he grabs the keys from a pocket in his bathing suit.

“What about all your stuff? Isn’t it still in your locker?”

“I’ll text Nathan to get it for me. There’s no time to go back for it now.”

I can’t believe he’s dropping everything to take me to Ash. Maybe I’ve been overreacting. Maybe Noah is just looking out for me.

“Thanks.” I buckle up and hold my cell in my lap, staring at the screen showing my missed messages. I really screwed up this time. And all for what?

“No big deal.” He grabs a T-shirt from a bag in the back seat and puts it on. “I kind of kidnapped you today. You told me you had other plans.”

At least he realizes he ambushed me this morning. Of course that means he also realizes I ditched my best friend and jeopardized meeting my boyfriend for him. Not good. I fidget in the seat, staring at my reflection in the window. Who am I lately? Ash tells me he loves me and here I am, not even twenty-four hours later, out with another guy. A guy I’ve had a crush on. A guy that reminds me of…

“Are you mad at me?” Noah asks, glancing at me quickly before turning off the highway.

“No.” I’m mad at myself.

“Sorry if coming along today gets you in trouble with your friends.”

Friends. Is he avoiding the word “boyfriend” on purpose? “I didn’t have to agree to it.”

“I’m glad you did though.” He reaches across the middle console and places his hand on top of mine.

I pull away. “Noah—”

“Sorry, my bad.” He grips the steering wheel again, and we don’t talk for the rest of the ride. Noah pulls into the school driveway and finds a parking spot.

“What are you doing?” I expected him to drop me off.

He shrugs and gets out of the car. “I’m here. I may as well see what all the fuss is about.”

I get out, shaking my head. “No, go back to your friends. I’m sure they’re still at the water park.”

“I’m sure they are, but I don’t feel like going back. I’d rather stay here.”

Even though he doesn’t say it, I get the implied “with you.” This is worse than bad. If I show up with Noah, Ash is going to flip.

“What? Think lover boy won’t be happy to see us together?”

Exactly.

“He knows we’re practicing together, right?”

I nod. “But this isn’t practice. I’ve never seen you go to a single football game, so how do you explain wanting to watch this?”

He steps toward me, taking in every inch of me. “I can explain it, but he probably won’t like it.”

No, he won’t. “Please, Noah, don’t do this. You’re putting me in a really bad position.”

“Don’t worry so much. He’ll assume we were practicing and came over afterward. Besides, the fact that I’m here might be a good thing. I wouldn’t show up if he had anything to worry about, right?” His questioning tone speaks volumes. Either he wants me to admit Ash does have something to worry about, or he wants to lull Ash into a false sense of security. Or maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe he knows how Ash will react and it’s exactly what he’s hoping for. All this wondering is giving me a killer headache.

“Do I have to carry you there over my shoulder again?”

“No!” I put my hands up. That would be more than disastrous. I start walking to show him I’m willing to go as long as he keeps his hands to himself. He laughs, and every so often he leans toward me, pretending he’s going to scoop me up and fling me over his shoulder.

“Not funny, Noah.”

“Yes, it is. If someone didn’t have you on such a short leash, you’d see that.”

“Don’t.” I stop walking and face him. “Don’t talk about him like that.”

He holds his hands up. “I was only joking.” He gestures for me to continue, and thankfully he doesn’t try to pick me up or even pretend to.

The practice football field is packed with players, but not many people showed up to watch. Really only the football players and cheerleaders care about this little tradition. I sit down in the stands, trying to make it look like I’ve been there for a while, but Ash turns and sees me immediately. I wave and smile, but his eyes move to Noah sitting next to me. Noah also waves and smiles. Ugh, someone kill me now.

“Can you behave yourself, please?” I say, keeping my eyes on Ash.

“Seriously, Meg, you were a lot more fun at the water park. Actually you were fun yesterday too, until…”

His point isn’t lost on me. He thinks Ash is holding me back. He’s wrong, though. I ignore him and cheer Ash on as the players have a throwing contest. Ash wins hands down. Being the quarterback gives him the definite advantage. The cheerleaders all stand up and cheer, and I can’t help noticing the leggy blonde on the end whose skirt is barely covering her ass. I’ve never seen her before, so I’m willing to bet she’s a freshman. Something about her reminds me of Stacy, which makes me think of Derrick. I shake my head and turn away from her, focusing on Ash again.

Two hours later—two excruciatingly long hours later—Ash is named the winner and the challenge is over. I stand up and exit the stands as Ash runs up to me. He wraps his arms around me. “Hey, you were late.”

“Sorry about that. You did great!” I hope my excitement will keep him from asking why I was late.

He lets me out of the hug, and I see his eyes are glued to the stands. “Did he come here with you? Were you two together?”

“Um, he kind of followed me here when I told him I was coming to watch you. He thought it sounded interesting.” My eyes can’t get any lower.

Ash gently raises my chin, but I still don’t look at him. “Meg.”

“Yeah?”

“Look at me.” He crouches down, meeting my eyes. “Is he bothering you?”

“No. It’s fine. He wants to help me get ready for the first match, like I told you. I guess he didn’t have any plans tonight, so he tagged along.”

Ash narrows his eyes. “Were you swimming?”

“What?”

He motions to my bikini strap sticking out from under my tank top. Oh crap! “And those look like swim trunks on Noah. I thought you guys were playing tennis.”

How do I explain this in a way that doesn’t make me look like the world’s worst girlfriend?

“Meg?” Ash’s eyes are burning into me. His patience has run out.

“Hey, nice work out there,” Noah says, coming up behind me. Ash glares at him. “Sorry I kept this one so late. We sort of lost track of time.”

No way! He’s going to rat me out. He’s going to mess up things between Ash and me.

“Ash, I can explain.” The words tumble out of my mouth even though I have no idea how to follow them up.

“It’s seriously my fault. Don’t blame Meg. She was kind of stressed, and I thought she could use a little fun. I made her tag along with me and a group of my friends to the water park. Hope you don’t mind, man. I was only trying to help her out.”

This is it. It’s all out in the open. I went to the water park with Noah, while Ash was at practice and waiting for me to meet him.

Ash’s jaw clenches and his hands ball into fists. After a full day of practice and the Football Challenge, he is amped up and ready to fight.

Chapter Five

Before I can do anything to stop Ash from pounding on Noah, Jackson comes up behind him, pinning his arms to his sides. He ruffles Ash’s hair. “Nice job, my man!” he says loud enough for everyone to hear. Then he leans closer and whispers, “If you take a swing, Coach will have to suspend you, and if you miss the first game, we’ll all kick your ass. Now, move it to the locker room. No girl is worth getting benched.”

His words hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. Jackson wraps his arm around Ash’s shoulders and walks him to the locker room. Ash doesn’t say a word to me or Noah.

“Guess I owe that guy a thank you. It would suck to start the school year with a black eye.”

I put my hand up to stop Noah. “Just don’t.” I turn and face him head on. “Are you trying to destroy my relationship? You just blabbed all of that. Every single detail.”

“Not every single detail.” He steps toward me. “I censored the parts he’d really have a problem with. I told you, Meg. I’m not trying to break you guys up. If that’s what ends up happening, it won’t be because of me.” He walks away but stops after a few steps. Warmth washes over his face, replacing the confidence I’m so used to seeing, and his tone softens. “Sometimes, two people just aren’t meant to be together. Sometimes, they’re only standing in the way of the two people who should be together.” He walks away, leaving me to think about that.

So that’s it. Noah thinks he and I are supposed to be together. He put it out there. No games. No beating around the bush. There it is. And all I can think is why now? Why not sophomore year or the beginning of junior year? Why did he have to wait until I’m dating Ash to notice me?

I’m the only one left on the practice football field. The players are all in the locker room, and the cheerleaders are heading home. I stand there for a moment, thinking about Ash and how to make things right. I have to show him he comes first. I have to show him that Noah’s feelings for me don’t matter. Ash is the one I’m in love with. But I don’t think saying goodbye to Noah is the way to do that. It would only make it look like Ash was right about him and me, that there
was
something going on between us. It might jeopardize my relationship with Ash even more.

I climb the hill to the locker room and sit down outside the door. Players file out, all eyeing me like I’m the she-devil. Just great. I can only imagine what they were all saying to Ash about me in the locker room.
Dump the bitch. She’s not worth your time. There are plenty of freshmen girls to date.

Finally, Ash comes out, with Jackson on his heels. I jump up and reach for his arm. “Ash.”

Jackson glares at me, but Ash waves him along with a “See you tomorrow, man.”

I stare at Ash, tears filling my eyes. “I swear nothing happened. I wouldn’t do that to you. You have to know that.”

He sighs and looks up at the moon. It’s full and right above our heads. “Why’d you go? I thought you had plans with Grayson today.”

Another relationship I’ll have to patch up thanks to my little excursion. “I did. It was stupid. I guess after all the training, trying to get her ready, trying to get myself ready, I needed a day away from it all to have fun.” I reach for his hands, and he drops his gym bag, lacing his fingers through mine.

“I don’t like him. I’ve seen the way he uses girls. The guys on the team think he’s hitting on you. Do you have any idea the crap I just took from them in there?”

“I’m so sorry, but he knows I’m with you. He gets it. He just makes comments sometimes because he thinks they’re funny. I told him they’re not. He won’t do it again.” I hope.

“The guys are going to give me hell for this tomorrow.”

“For what? Noah? I’ll make sure he doesn’t—”

“No.” He lets go of me and takes my face in his hands. “For this.” He presses his lips to mine. His kiss is hungry, and I give in to it. He’s letting me off easy after what I’ve done. I kiss him back with everything I have. My hands are in his hair, pulling him closer. I can’t breathe, but I don’t care. I’m not letting go of him. My head spins as his arms wrap around me and lift me off the ground. We don’t pull away until a crowd of football players emerges from the locker room, hooting at us.

I let go of Ash and discreetly wipe the corner of my mouth.

“Way to put her in her place, Davidson!” one of the guys, whose name I don’t know, says.

Yeah, they hate me, but they’re okay with Ash’s tongue being down my throat.

“Keep moving, Tucker,” Ash yells, his eyes never leaving mine. He smiles. “That was amazing.”

Yes, it was. “You’re amazing, and I’m really sorry—”

He presses his finger to my lips. “Just promise me you won’t ever be in a bikini around him again.”