Page 46 of I Blame the Club

Wes shoots me a sideways look, reaching for another punk rock t-shirt, “Have you ever watched it before?”

“Well… no.” My eyes narrow, “Have you?”

He smiles, popping out a dimple, “Trip introduced me to it. It’s surprisingly good.”

“You’re pathetic.”

Wes ignores me, tilting his head as he holds up another t-shirt. Not bothering to hold back my sigh, I look at the nonexistent watch on my wrist.

“It should not take you this long to pick out a t-shirt.”

“Shut up. I’m just making sure it’ll be one Trip likes.” He frowns, looking from the one in his hands to the one on his arm, “Do these look the same to you?”

I sigh, pointing at the dark material in his hands, “That one has the vintage sticker on it, the other doesn’t. Isn’t her birthday in October?”

Wes nods, “October 17th.”

“It’s September 2nd.”

Broad shoulders lift in a shrug, “It’s going to creep up before we know it.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a relationship does to a man.

I let out another exasperated sigh and Wes shoots me a look, “What is your problem? You love shopping.”

It’s true. There’s nothing I love more than an excuse to voice my opinion.

“Sorry, man. I’m just… tired.”

Turning so my back is facing him, I hide my pained expression by flipping through a stack of CDs.

Since discovering Lacey’s pill bottle, I have done my best to avoid my childhood friend. Wes always knows when something is bothering me, so the fact he hasn’t caught on yet is almost as big of a shock as finding the pills was.

Almost.

“I know what you’re doing.” Wes ambles beside me, his indecision with the t-shirts weighing down both his arms.

“Hmm?” Refusing to look at him, I pick up the closest CD and flip it over.

“You’re trying not to tell me something. But it’s not going to work, do you want to know why?” He studies me, his usual charming smile nowhere to be found, “Because I already know what you’re not telling me.”

My fingers freeze, “You do?”

Wes nods, “I was waiting for you to say something.”

Relief and guilt fill my system as I carefully put the CD back in its place.

“I didn’t know how to bring it up, Wes. I was worried it would be breaking her trust if I told you before I confronted her.”

Wes blinks, “What are you talking about?”

My heart plummets at the confused look on his face.

“What do you think this was about?”

He frowns, “The crush you have on our assistant coach.”

“Er, right. That’s what I was talking about too.”

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