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Sighing loudly, I return my wandering gaze, the one that kept finding its way to him, back to my friend.

“He was there.”

Brook lifts her head, showing little signs of actually paying attention and being interested in our conversation. “Where?”

“My house. He came last Saturday night.”

I tell her what happened. She is being so moody and unapproachable lately. Her nose is stuck in the books more often than usual, and she rarely said anything. Not that she speaks much in general, but you get what I’m saying.

Brook is not being her usual self and if I have to guess I would say it has something to do with her mom. But she never spoke of her so I can’t know for sure. It’s just a hunch I have. Something’s happening, and I’m not sure I’ll like the outcome.

“So basically, he’s been all lover-boy on you during the weekend, and now he’s back to his manwhore ways?” She rolls her eyes. “Shocking, really.”

I shrug, ‘cause there’s nothing left to say. It’s not like Brook’s lying.

Not long after that, we split up, going on our own way only to meet in Spanish, our last class of the day.

Almost everybody is already there when I come because my math teacher asked me to stay after class to discuss some homework.

“Hey, Lia.” Max smiles from his seat next to mine.

I give him a small wave before sliding into my chair and leaving my messenger bag on the floor next to it.

“What have you been up to?” He turns in his chair to look at me. He is in his regular outfit—jeans and a dark shirt with some logo on it and a leather jacket over it.

“Everything’s the same.” I shrug and bend to get my books out of the bag. I’m so concentrated on the task you’d think I’m performing brain surgery on someone, but the best way not to turn over my shoulder and get a glimpse of him is to stay busy. “What about you?” I grin at him. “Any plans for the weekend?”

“Funny you should ask.” His smile widens as he leans into his chair. That guy has no care in the world whatsoever.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he agrees with a chuckle. “So, our first game is coming this weekend, and I was thinking it would be nice if you’d come with Jeanette.”

“What? No,” my response is instant. There is no way I’d step a foot into the hockey stadium.

“Why?” He sits straight in his chair, frowning at me.

“I don’t follow hockey.” It’s not a lie, I definitely do not follow hockey, but that’s not the reason why I never went to a hockey game in my life and why I don’t want to start doing it now.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Jeanette adds without lifting her head from something she’s been scrawling down in her notebook. “I’ll go to your silly game like I’ve been doing for years. And I’ll go alone ‘cause I like it that way.”

“You see… She doesn’t even want to go with me.” I hold onto the fact, although at the same time I feel bad. It has to be really lonely being Jeanette Sanders.

People always think that about me, but they are wrong. I don’t have many friends and sometimes I’m alone but never lonely.

I have my parents who love me. I have Brook who is the sister I share everything but blood with. And I have my silly dog Lola.

But Jeanette doesn’t seem to have anyone apart from her brother, and more importantly, she doesn’t seem interested in having anyone else. She is always so cold and standoffish.

“Well, I don’t care.” He crosses his arms over his chest, pouting. “I want you to come and cheer me on.”

His words touch my heart. From day one, he has always been so nice to me, and now, he’s asking for one thing and I’m blowing him off?

“It’s really not my thing, Max.”

He doesn’t say anything, just keeps looking at me, his pout firmly in its place. I want to tell him to stop playing staring games like we are kids, but then he would know it’s working and would keep doing it just to spite me.

“It’s not,” I insist, turning around so that I don’t have to look at him. But I’m not that lucky to be left alone, because a few seconds later he’s leaning against the edge of my desk, his foot nudging mine under the table.

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