Page 23 of Only With You

“Okay, deal.”

Gabby pulls me in for a hug, taking me by surprise, but I let myself melt into her. I almost forgot she’s a hugger. “Just hope you know, you’re not going to get rid of us. You’re stuck with us.”

“So, what’s Frimance?” I smile at the enthusiasm that exudes them.

She lets go of me and opens her phone to the notes app. “Every Friday, we watch a romance movie or a TV show, order takeout, and then we discuss it. Kind of like a book club, but without the books. We also have karaoke and drinks, lots of them. I have a list of all the movies and TV shows we’ve watched and everything we want to watch. I’ll share the note with you and you can add anything you’d like to watch.”

“You get it? Friday. Romance. Sounds cheesy, but we love our little tradition. Started it our freshman year.” Polly smiles proudly.

“Oh, then I don’t want to?—”

“Don’t you dare. We want you to be part of it.” She points a finger at me, staring at me like she’ll fight me if I walk away.

I chuckle, raising my hands in surrender. “Okay, I’m in. So what are we watching?”

“I Want You Back.”

7

LANDON

I’m notsure why I keep doing these things to myself.

Allowing Jagger to persuade me to come to the club when I don’t like loud noises or the pungent smell of alcohol.

Sometimes, I wonder how I let myself become best friends with him when we’re polar opposites.

But that’s right. I didn’t allow it to happen. He refused to take no for an answer. No matter how curt I was, how many times I told him to piss off, or said nothing at all, he wouldn’t get the memo.

Jagger Spears planted himself in my life and refused to leave.

We met freshman year of high school. I was new and didn’t know anyone, so I sat by myself during lunch. I was okay with it, because being alone is something I’m used to. But he, along with Polly and Gabby, sat down and wouldn’t shut up. The entire lunchtime consisted of basketball, serial killers, and questions of where I was from.

When lunch was over, I told him I wasn’t looking for a friend and he could go fuck off. Apparently, I wasn’t clear enough, because he laughed and said he was determined to make me his best friend.

Somehow, he managed to succeed, because almost eight years later, here we are, best friends. But now I’m starting to reconsider my life choices and this friendship. He has me doing things like going out to places that make me physically sick and overwhelm me.

He doesn’t know about me feeling that way. I could tell him, but there’s no point.

I’ll be here an hour or two tops, then I’ll leave just like I promised him I would.

We’re at Liquid, a club that opened up last year and a regular place that Jagger and all my teammates like to come to. It’s not my scene. I prefer to be in the comfort of my room, occasionally behind the wheel, or in a studio alone, but Jagger guilt-tripped me.

Since he’s planning on entering the NBA draft next year, he said we needed to spend as much time together as possible. He insisted I come, because as his best friend and it being our last year together, it’s a must.

So, here I am. Drinking water and making sure my earplugs are still intact.

From the distance, I watch my best friend bend down, level to a girl’s chest where a shot is placed between her breasts. It doesn’t take long for him to wrap his mouth around the glass and pull it out from between them.

He smiles, wipes the liquid that trickles down the side of his mouth with the back of his hand, and whispers something in her ear. She nods and a shit-eating grin splits on both of their faces.

I know that look all too well. When he peers at me, I shake my head.

Jagger believes he needs to help me find a fuck in order to compensate for coming out with him. I told him I don’t need it, because even without anyone’s help, the girls always come to me.

I always end up turning most of them down because all they want is to parade around and say they slept with me. I’ve seen them do it with Jag, my other teammates, and every other athlete on campus.

Though it’s not just about the girls bragging they slept with me, but I’m not into fucking everything that breathes and talks. I need to get to know the girl and make sure we’re on the same page.

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