Page 36 of The Beginning and End of Everything
“It’s the uniform, poss. What do you want me to say?” I looked to Connor for back up, but he just shrugged. He was too much of a pussy to agree with me in front of Poppy. “Even golden balls there would be tempted if she’d give him a shot.”
And Lola would definitely give Con a shot. Captain of the rugby team, Con was no longer the chubby kid cramming Milkybars in his pocket. Most of the girls in school wanted his attention, of course, he never noticed anyone but Poppy.
Poppy directed an inquisitive brow at Connor, tapping her pencil on her notebook. “Would you?”
“No!” His cheeks tinged pink. “Of course not.”
Poppy’s jaw dropped a little. Then she shoved him so hard he nearly toppled off the bed. “You just blushed! Oh my God. I can’t with you two.”
“Ah, don’t be hard on Con. He doesn’t possess balls, despite all evidence to the contrary.”
Connor grabbed the stuffed possum I’d given Poppy for her birthday last year and hurled it at my face.
“Well, you two chase after girls like Lola Stevens all you want.” Poppy snatched the stuffed animal and placed it back on her bed. “I’ve got a date next weekend. With a guy who would never go after Lola Stevens.”
The muscle in my jaw spasmed. The thought of some guy touching her made my fists clench. “With who?”
Her gaze narrowed while a subtle smirk played at her lips. “I’d prefer to keep my date private, thank you very much.”
“You’re okay with this?” I asked Connor while thumbing at Poppy.
He shrugged. “I mean…” Then he shrugged again.
“I don’t need either of you to be okay with anything.”
“I’ll find out who it is, Poppy. And then…” I fixed my gaze on her and sighed. “You know what happens.”
If looks could kill, the one Poppy shot at me would have put me in my grave. “Don’t. You. Dare.”
“Tell me who it is.” I pushed to my feet. “If he’s nice, maybe I won’t have to kill him.” It was a lie, there was no guy on earth nice enough to date my possum. Well, Connor, but even that thought had me riddled with jealousy.
Poppy swung her legs over the mattress and rounded the foot of her bed, stopping inches in front of my face. The top of her head barely brushed my chin. Her chest bumped up against me and made me all too aware of her curves. My jeans tightened, and I shifted on my feet, fighting my body’s natural response to her. It had grown increasingly harder to ignore the way I felt about Poppy and the things I dreamt about doing with her, but it was those very feelings that kept me leashed.
I loved her too much to let her fall for someone like me. And she would.
We both knew she would.
Her storm-grey eyes looked particularly turbulent. “Fuck off, Brandon.”
A shocked expression tore across Con’s face, but a smile crept over mine. Good girl, Poppy Turner had finally gotten a mouth on her. And it was hot.
“Didn’t know you had it in you, poss. Gotta say, I’m a little turned on.”
Her nostrils flared on a deep breath. “I’ll be sure to use that word on my date then.”
I groaned at the thought. This wasn’t getting me anywhere. I’d find out exactly who Poppy was dating, and then I’d fill him in, the same way I had every other guy who had looked at her.
19
Poppy
My telling Brandon and Connor that I had a date was the absolute dumbest lie I could have told. If I fessed up, they’d never let me live it down. And while I’d toyed with the idea of pretending that the mystery guy had stood me up, a lie like that, and Brandon would make it his life’s goal to find out who the guy was so he could pummel him.
Hope stood in front of my dresser, tugging at the short hem of her dress while shooting a judgmental glare at me through the mirror. “Tell me that’s not what you’re wearing to the party?”
“I don’t know.” What I was wearing to the party was the least of my concerns. “So. I did something stupid.”
Her chin dropped with a disappointed sigh. “I knew it would happen sooner or later. You banged the pikey, didn’t you?”
