Page 59 of I Hate You More

“Such a shame,” she said, draping a hand across my arm and batting her lashes at me. I thought we’d cleared the air last week and she’d decided to move on from our relationship. Apparently, that didn’t mean she was going to stop flirting with me though.

“Not really,” I replied as I quickly lifted her hand off me. There was no way I was letting her get the wrong idea about us.

She pouted as her hand dropped to the table. “You used to be more fun, Chasey.” Given the way she almost immediately turned her attention on Luke, who was sitting across from me, I knew she wasn’t bothered I’d brushed her off. It was all just another game to her, and I really had to wonder how I’d dated her for so long when it was obvious how little she cared for me.

Jenna’s attention had me glancing in Ally’s direction. Was it strange that a part of me hoped Ally would react to seeing Jenna all over me? My heart leaped when I found her watching me, but her gaze quickly darted away, and her cheeks started to turn pink. There was nothing fake about her expression now, unlike earlier today, and it had me questioning once again why she’d been acting so strangely toward me.

I quickly shook my head, scattering my thoughts and replacing them with the same thing I’d been thinking all morning. Ally had only been acting unusually nice because of our truce, and I had to remember that. Once this year was over, we’d go right back to bickering like we’d always done. I only wished the thought didn’t make me so sad.

* * *

It wasa relief to get out of the house on Friday night. I might not have been looking forward to watching Shane’s football game, but I would have used almost any excuse to avoid his sister. Ally had been getting on my nerves the last few days with all her overly pleasant behavior. I thought I’d grown used to it, but I’d come to realize there was nothing pleasant about pleasant people at all. It was some horrible combination of acting nice but without any soul.

She’d smile when she passed me in the corridor, but her eyes would be vacant of any emotion. Whenever we were at the dinner table, she’d pass me condiments without complaint or do something outrageous like offer me the first slice of pizza. Even when I spent too long in the shower one morning, she gave me that insipid smile, shrugged causally, and said “no problem” when I apologized.

It was a problem though because Ally without her fire wasn’t Ally at all.

I leaned back on the bleacher, trying to get comfortable. There was nothing comfortable about sitting in the stands though, and it wasn’t just the cold metal bench making me feel that way. It was the first home game of the season and the first game I’d come to watch since I quit the team. It felt weird to watch my friends all taking the field without me, and it didn’t help that I kept getting critical looks from anyone who passed. People in this town took their football seriously, and it hadn’t just been my dad or the team I’d let down when I quit last year.

Given all the hatred being shot my way, I almost wished I’d taken Mr. Lockwood up on his offer to watch the game together. He was sitting a few rows in front of me, but he was with a group of parents, so I’d been a hard pass on that option. Most of my friends were out on the field though, so I was sitting here alone.

My focus on the game was disrupted when I saw Ally appear at the bottom of the bleachers. She was dressed in an oversized sweater with a bright red school scarf wrapped around her neck. A large container of popcorn was hugged to her chest, and she appeared to be deep in an argument with Tessa. Their eyes were both serious, and Tessa was using large hand gestures to back up whatever point she was making. Ally didn’t appear to be winning their disagreement as her shoulders were sinking with defeat as Tessa continued to talk.

It wasn’t like Ally to come to Shane’s games, and I wondered if that was the source of her dispute with her best friend. She didn’t look at all happy to be here, and it was refreshing to see her eyes lit with annoyance rather than the emptiness I’d witnessed all week.

As if she sensed me watching, Ally’s gaze darted toward me. Our eyes barely met before she was looking away again. Tessa nudged her and nodded in my direction, and I leaned forward on my knees as I watched Ally scowl at her best friend in response. I had no idea what was going on with them, but since Ally had looked my way, I’d become infinitely more curious.

Ally blew out a long breath before she turned from Tessa and began to trudge up the stairs. She moved slowly, like each step took an unprecedented amount of effort, and I watched as she passed row after to row before slowing as she reached mine.

She hesitated for a brief second and then started to move down the row toward me. I could barely mask the surprise on my face. None of her friends were sitting anywhere near me, and Tessa had gone to sit several rows away. She arrived at my side before I could come to any sort of conclusion to explain her strange behavior.

“Is this seat taken?” she asked, nodding at the vacant spot beside me. The bubbliness was back in her voice, and the irritation I’d seen in her eyes only moments ago had disappeared.

I frowned and glanced at the free spot, still unsure what was going on. “Don’t you want to sit with Tessa?”

Ally shrugged. “Is it free or not?”

“Yeah, it’s free.” She sat down before I could tell her that it wasn’t free for her though. Not that I should have been complaining. At least with Ally sitting beside me, I might get a little less hate thrown in my direction by the Fairview crowd. The team wasn’t playing very well, and judging from the looks I kept getting, people were trying to find someone to blame, and I was an easy target.

“Popcorn?” Ally offered.

I shook my head, refusing to look in her direction. She could sit beside me, but that didn’t mean I had to take part in the performance she was putting on.

“They’re not poisoned,” she said, as if that was what I was concerned about. “See?” She popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth, drawing my gaze to her lips. I knew I shouldn’t be looking, but I couldn’t help it. When my eyes fell on Ally’s lips, all I wanted to do was kiss her, but right now, I wasn’t sure I wanted to kiss her when she wasn’t acting like herself.

“I’m fine, thank you,” I replied stiffly, as I focused back on the game. My mind was far from football though, and I kept sneaking glances at Ally out of the corner of my eye. She looked beautiful. Her hair fell in soft waves, and there was a light sheen of lip gloss on her lips. I could smell the soft scent of her strawberry shampoo, and I imagined she’d taste a little sweet after the popcorn she’d been eating.

I clenched my hands into fists as I forced myself to stop wondering what it would feel like to kiss her. Ally wasn’t interested in me like that, or she would have brought up what I’d said to her in the truck at some point this week.

The crowd jumped up and started cheering as the opposing team fumbled the ball. Jason picked it up and started streaking toward the end zone. I leaped up with them, my full attention on the game once more. I held my breath as I watched him run across the field, and my heart pounded so quickly I felt as though I was running with him. He was almost to the goal line when he was tackled to the ground. The ball fell from his hands, and a Wildcats player dived on it.

As one, the crowd sank to their seats, disappointment clouding the air in a heavy and unwelcome haze. We still hadn’t scored in the game and had just missed a golden opportunity. On the upside, I wasn’t still thinking about Ally’s lips.

“You know, I never noticed how well the school colors suit you,” Ally said, once play had started again.

My eyes dipped to my red T-shirt, and I had to make an effort not to laugh. “The school colors suit me?” I glanced in her direction.

She nodded. “Yeah, er, red’s really your color.”

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