Page 20 of Charger

“So, why did you guys get into a fight?”

“Because he’s a prick and I told him to leave. He didn’t like that, and things went to shit really fast.”

I get up from my bed. “Zach, you can always stay with us. You know my parents would let you stay here.”

He flips through each page of my sketchbook, ignoring my statement. “What are you always drawing in here?”

I jerk the book out of his grasp just as fast as I had with my bra. “Just stuff.” I sit back down and he does the same. Our thighs touch, causing electricity to tingle through me.

“Stuff, huh, and what kind of stuff?”

I sigh. “Promise you won’t laugh?”

He loses his playful smile and I open my sketchbook. I show him drawings of flowers, buildings, people. I turn the page and there he is, front and center, in his football uniform. It was their first game. The way he was happy and smiling, it made my heart full.

After realizing just how embarrassing that is, I close it. “I-I, uh, liked how you were smiling,” I say softly while nervously playing with my hair.

Zach’s staring at me. But without judgement. He has a spark in his eyes, giving me the impression that he really loves that I drew him. Maybe it was more special than I thought.

“Will you draw me something sometime?”

“Um, sure. What do you want me to draw you?”

“A motorcycle.” He smiles proudly. “Like what the paint would look like.”

Is he serious?

“You want me to design you a motorcycle, why?”

“Because, one day, I will own my own bike. And I want to always be reminded of the girl next door when I go to ride it.” He reaches for my lip. The pad of his thumb parts my mouth as he runs his hand down, stopping as he nears my breasts.

“Zach…”

The sound of a very loud exhaust pipe goes off next door. We both listen as it fades away in the distance.

“Guess he decided to bounce. I should probably go.” He gets up first, and I watch as he’s about to climb out of my window, but then stops. Coming back inside, he steps in front of me. “Stop hanging out with Tommy, Jules.” That caught me off guard.

“Why do you want me to stop hanging out with him?” I stand as he takes another step closer to me. A part of me hopes it’s because he likes me. Like, really likes me. Not just him being a horny teenager.

“You know why, and trust me, he doesn’t like you.” He dramatically closes his eyes. If that wasn’t a blow. “Fuck, I didn’t mean it to come out the way it sounded. I meant…”

“Oh, no, I get it. You meant it’s not possible for a guy to like me, right? I mean, I know I don’t compare to your cheerleader girlfriend, but I didn’t think I was that repulsive.”

He grabs my arm and pulls me to him. “That’s not what I meant. I’m simply saying that he is an asshole, Jules. He’s not interested in dating you. He just wants to fuck you.”

I push him away from me until the back of his knees hit my window seat. “Why does it always have to be about having sex? Why is it so crazy for someone to just genuinely like someone?” I suddenly realize that I’m louder than I should be. That’s all I need, for my parents to wake up and see Zach in my bedroom.

“Because we’re boys and we’re teenagers.”

I just felt a sharp pain in my chest. So maybe that is how Zach feels. He just wants to fuck me, then forget about me. “Right, got it. You can leave now.”

“Jules…”

“Bye, Zach. And don’t forget to ice your damn eye.”

He’s staring at me, but gives up and leaves.

I lock my window and grab my sketchbook. Turning to a new page, I start drawing Zach’s motorcycle. Why? Because I think I’m in love with my best friend.

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