Page 4 of Anytime I Want

“Julia! Chloe! Let’s go!” Nathan yells from downstairs.

Saved by the brother. Man, I love him.

Chloe and I grab our stuff and chat mindlessly about our day, making our way down the stairs. I smile at Nathan before I see Uncle Kai and Aunty Emily, Graham’s parents, in the livingroom with my parents. I stand there, waiting for a pause in the conversation so I can say hi.

“Kai, want a soda?” my dad calls, grabbing a Coke for himself.

“Sure,” he calls over his shoulder, eyes still on the television. Uncle Kai and my dad are equal opportunity sports enthusiasts— hockey, baseball, football, soccer, curling—you name it, they’ll watch it.

“Oh! Julia, Chloe, you look beautiful!” Aunty Em gushes, rushing towards us to give us hugs and fix our hair. Does it need to be fixed? I doubt it but that won’t stop her.

“Chloe, what’s your dad up to? Does he want to come watch the game?” Uncle Kai calls from the couch.

Chloe snorts. “You know he’s not into sports. Besides, he’s with my mom.” She rolls her eyes and smirks.

We all know what that means. I’ve never seen a couple more obsessed with each other than the Jameses, and I go to public high school.

Uncle Kai hums. “Maybe next time. We need to hang out with him more. Especially since our kids are all going to fall in love.”

My dad laughs. “Do I really want Graham to date my daughter? I’d rather she date someone me or Nathan could take, in case they break her heart.” It would be hilarious if he was talking about someone that wasn’t me. He’s well over six feet. Add that to his enthusiastic personality and naturally grumpy face, and he can be pretty intimidating. If Uncle Kai wasn’t Hawaiian, I think people would think he and my dad were brothers. He is a really nice guy, truly, but people don’t often get to that point. Graham is no slouch, but just based on size alone, I think my dad would do okay.

“That’s true. Do we really want them to all intermingle? It could make these nights awkward with Em and Theresa trying to make small talk around the elephant in the room.”

“Don’t worry!” Aunty Em interrupts. “I already had a talk with Graham and told him that he needs to be careful because I will not let him ruin this friendship.” She waves her hands between her and my mom to emphasize the point. Nathan, Chloe, and the parents all chuckle but the blood drains from my face. I look at my shoes and clear my throat, forcing out a strangled chuckle. I know they think it’s a big joke, but it’s really not. What if we did date and broke up? It would be awkward. They don’t believe it, but how could it not be? They wouldn’t want to stop spending time together, but since it’d be weird, they would naturally stop reaching out, and their friendship would turn into greetings by the mailbox and when they pull in the trash cans. I can’t let that happen.

“J?” Chloe asks. “You okay?” She’s at the front door, and I see Nathan on the porch, looking at us, obviously waiting for me to move.

“Oh, sorry. I’m coming. Bye parents! Have fun. I hope your team wins,” I call, closing the door behind me.

Chapter 4

Graham

“Julia! Looking gorgeous, like always!” I smile as Julia, Chloe, and Nathan climb into my truck. “Nathan, move. Let her have the front. She looks better than you.”

“Uhm, no. Thanks, though.” Julia quickly buckles herself into the back seat. “Nathan can stay there—long legs and everything. Besides, I want to sit with Chloe.”

“Okay.” I clear my throat, feeling a little uncomfortable. I should keep a tally of every time she rejects me. Maybe seeing itwill encourage me. Failure leads to success. I think I saw a sign like that in the locker room.

I bought Julia a new backpack after school and put it in the front seat for her. Wishful thinking, I guess. I grab it before Nathan sits on it, not sure what to do. It isn’t anything special. It’s bright yellow because I know it’s her favorite color, but it has a reinforced bottom, so hopefully it won’t break. I turn to Chloe, taking a minute to find my equilibrium. “Chloe! You are also looking great.”

Chloe smirks. “Oh, Graham. You are not helping your case here.” I smile at her in the rearview mirror, while driving out of the neighborhood. I glance at Julia and see her blankly staring out the window. I am awkwardly driving with one hand, the other occupied by the new bag.

“What’s with the bag, Graham?” Nathan asks. Julia’s eyes shoot forward and her jaw drops a little.

“It’s for Julia if she wants it.” Okay, normally I’m a little smoother than this. I think. I hope. Whatever. I try to hand it to her, but I end up hitting Nathan in the face. Chloe starts to laugh, and Nathan scowls at everyone.

“Just let me.” He grabs the bag and purposely hits me in the head while passing it back to Julia.

“Hey! No abusing the driver!”

“What? Abuse? Did I hit you? I’m so sorry!” Nathan says, pretending he didn’t know what he was doing. He shifts again before dropping the bag into Julia’s lap and elbows me in the shoulder. I laugh at him and meet Julia’s eyes in the rearview mirror.Thank you,she mouths. I wink back before focusing on the road, my chest a little more puffed than it was a minute ago.It’s just a backpack, Graham. Pace yourself.

“Who’s gonna win tonight? Our Desert Valley Tigers? Or those losers from Sun Hills?” Nathan asks. I know what he’s doing. The man loves a bet.

“Well, when you ask it like that, how can I pick anything besides the Tigers?” I ask.

“Just for funsies, wanna wager on it?”

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