Page 61 of Crazy Pucking Love
With a groan, I sat up and stared at the equations until they blurred into illegible lines. Not even math could save my mood. Especially since I’d kinda sorta come to the diner in hopes of running into Dane. We could study, score some field goals with sweetener packets, and all would be right with the world.
Instead it was all wrong.
Determined not to turn into the girl who sat and did nothing while feeling sorry for herself, I picked my phone back up and scrolled to a different name.
Me:I need a break.
Lyla:From studies?
Me:From everything. I’m sure you’re busy, but I could really use a movie night like we used to have.
Lyla:Well, get over here, then! I could use one, too.
Relief filled me, my outlook on everything a little rosier. Thank goodness for Lyla. Vanessa had kept me sane yesterday, but she had a test to study for tonight, and said she planned on going to bed early.
I gathered my stuff, picked up snacks on the way, making sure to grab the sour gummy worms Lyla liked, and climbed the stairs to her apartment complex fast enough my thighs burned. So did my face, but that was more from the chill in the air.
Lyla hugged me and directed me to the couch. A bowl of buttery popcorn sat on the coffee table already, making the place smell like a movie theater. She held up two movies. “So we’ve gotPitch Perfect, orFriends with Benefits.”
“Love both, butPitch Perfectis totally perfect for what I’m in the mood for.” While I enjoyed looking at Justin Timberlake and all,Friends with Benefitswould only remind me of my current situation with Dane, and I’d either end up crying over the thought he and I would never be more because real life wasn’t like the movies, or let hope carry me away into dangerous false-expectations territory.
“Okay, but just so you know, I sometimes sing, and as Beck likes to point out, I don’t always sing the right lyrics.”
“I’m okay with that. I’m tone-deaf, so I’ll get the lyrics right, but it’ll sound horrible.”
“Sounds like we’ll make a killer duet,” Lyla joked.
We settled in, and halfway through the movie, her fluffy gray and white cat, Einstein, curled up between us. Lyla scratched under his chin while I petted his back and played with his tail, and he purred loudly.
As the credits filled the screen and the bass of the music thumped through the room, rejuvenating resolve pumped through me. I could do this college thing. Sure, I’d like a swoony guy to kiss at the end of the day, but I didn’tneedhim in order to be strong.
I wrapped my arm around Lyla and leaned my head on her shoulder—I neededher, no question. “Thanks for tonight.”
Einstein perked his head up, looking slightly confused about where he was and why his personal space was being crowded, but then he stretched and went back to his nap.
“Anytime.” Lyla patted my leg. “Wanna talk about whatever’s bugging you?”
For a moment I considered it. But I hated to put her in a position of keeping secrets from my brother—and I hated to think what would happen if she slipped and told him even more. Beckett would probably snap and go after Dane, who’d be super confused, because I wasn’t sure we were anything more than friends right now.
Then he’d definitely avoid me—no more texts, and no more hanging out.
For the record, I’d still be strong whatever happened. Because even thoughMe – Dane = longing, with a side of misery,Me – Dane + girl time & realizing my happiness & future was up to me = I’d be okay.
I tucked one of my legs under me. “Like I said, I just needed a break.”
“Have you talked to Karen recently?” Lyla asked.
Crap. She called earlier, but I was so disappointed she wasn’t Dane that I sent her to voicemail. My…well, she wasn’t my stepmom, although she had been with my dad for a while and she was the mother of my half sister. Yet she wasn’t exactly just his mistress, either. Complicated—that was the best word for everything surrounding her. “I haven’t. Is everything okay with her and Avery?”
“Yeah, they’re fine. She’s having a birthday party for Avery two weekends from now and wanted to know if we’d come. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Beck about it yet—this day was super crazy and I was in the lab until right before you called. But she said she even checked Beck’s game schedule and made sure he didn’t have one that day.”
“Which makes it hard to say no,” I said. “She’s really good at that.”
“If she wasn’t so nice, I’d say she’d learned tactics from the Art of War or something. I know that she means well. She just doesn’t exactly understand how hard it is for Beck to go down there, even if he doesn’t have a game.”
I snagged one of the neon gummy worms left in the packet, even though I’d cut myself off from more sugar a good twenty minutes ago. “Do you and Beckett have trouble finding time to spend together?”
“Yeah. It’s a constant battle. I’m studying, or he is, or practice and games, and sometimes we’ll go a couple weeks where the only time we really spend together is spent sleeping. Mostly sleeping.” Lyla blushed. “Sorry. TMI.”
