Page 39 of The Problem with Sports
I followed Steven into the living room, and Andie was sitting on the couch with Grant. When Grant saw me, he smiled and said, “Hi, Nate.”
“Hi, Kiddo.”
“Did you meet my dad?”
I smiled a forced smile. “Yeah, I did.”
Steven and I stood almost next to each other behind the couch, while Grant rambled on. “I was just telling my mom how you said you wanted to be her forever boyfriend. That’s okay, right?”
The tension in the room was thick, but everyone was doing their best not to let it touch Grant. “Of course, it’s okay,” I told him. “But…I probably should have told that myself, yeah?”
He chewed on his lower lip a bit, and I hated putting that look on his face. “Well, I told my dad, and he said I needed to tell my mom, so she can decide if she wants to be your forever girlfriend.”
Fuck it.
I walked around the couch and sat next to Grant. “Your dad is right,” I told him. “Itisup to your Mom, and I should have asked her first, instead of saying anything.”
“But you guys can still be friends, right?”
My heart dropped.
“Uh, of course,” I said. I had to clear my throat for a second. “It’s important to be friends.”
Grant looked like he was giving it some thought, then gave a small nod. “Well, Mom says you guys are just friends, but that’s fine because you’ll be able to find another forever girlfriend.”
And then my saving grace came from the last place I would have ever expected.
“Hey, bud,” Steven said, calling to Grant’s attention,” why don’t we get going before it gets too late for Friday Fries.”
Grant’s face lit up. “Okay.” He went and hugged Andie before turning around to hug me. “I gotta go,” he said. “It’s time for Friday Fries.” I had no idea what that was, but I smiled anyway.
“Call me if you need anything, Andie,” Steven said before grabbing Grant and taking off. “Nice meeting you, Nathan,” he lied as the door shut behind him and Grant.
Fucking asshole.
Chapter 21
Andrea~
One of the hardest things to do was listen when you were in the right.
And pissed off.
When I had heard the knock on the door, I’d known it was probably Nathan. Rachel and my parents always texted when they were going to stop by. Especially, on the weekends because they knew that’s when I put in my most work hours. But because I had been upset and angry, I had asked Steven to answer the door because I hadn’t been able to trust that my emotions wouldn’t get the better of me. This entire thing was a mess, and I wasn’t going to add to it by fighting with Nathan in front of Grant and Steven.
And now, Steven and Grant were gone, leaving me alone with Nathan, and I. Was. Pissed.
“Andie-”
“Don’t, Nathan,” I said, interrupting him, and it was a miracle I could get those two little words out with how clenched my teeth were.
“I was going to tell you,” he said, ignoring my command. “But it slipped my mind with that mess at my parents last night. I-”
“There never should have been anything to tell me,” I snapped, my composure lost. “The second Grant asked you if we were dating, you should have walked him back home, so we could have that conversation together.”
“I didn’t tell him we were dating, though,” he argued. “I just told him I liked you.”
I scoffed.
