Page 19 of Past

"Yeah, I can't help myself around him. So, you and Elliot?" She grins at me.

"Yeah, I like him. It's real strange to admit that." I laugh.

"Hell, I never thought I'd hear you say that. So are you up for watching Thor?"she asks with a grin.

“Which one is that?” I ask, and she pulls out her phone from her hoodie. A few minutes later, she shows me Thor, or the actor who plays him.

“Yes, you have good taste in films.”

“Nah, I just like muscular, blond men.” She winks. I giggle because Thor does look like an older version of Blake, just with slightly darker hair. They both look Viking-like though; Maisy told me that one.

We both spend the rest of the day doing just what Izzy suggested, and, honestly, it's brilliant.

Chapter 8

Elliot

“Give it back you, pighead!” Allie shouts at me as I take another one of her pens off her table when I thought she wasn’t looking. I have a bag full of them at home, but it never gets old seeing her so angry.

“Nooppee,” I say with a laugh. Allie gets up, her pigtails shaking as she moves and stands in front of my desk.

“I’m going to hurt you, just so you know,” she says, deadly serious, and I smirk. I lean back in my chair, knowing the whole class is staring at us by now. This class is boring anyway, what’s an eight-year-old to do?

“You’re tiny.” I laugh.

Allie picks up her pencil case and throws it at me. It hits me in the head, and the pens fall all over the floor.

“Detention, both of you!” our teacher comes back into the room and shouts at us. I’m guessing she saw the throwing, but I don’t know why I’m in trouble.

“But, Miss, I didn’t–”

“I don’t care, Elliot, both of you wait outside and sort your problems out.” She waves a hand at the door, and I stomp out, with Allie following me.

We both stand next to the door, not talking for a while before I say something. “You’re pretty cool, Allie. Not like the rest of the girls,” I tell her, and she looks at me. I never noticed how pretty she is or how shiny her hair is.

“You’re pretty cool too, Elliot,” she replies with a grin.

“How many lengths did you do?” Seb asks me as I lift my head out of the pool at home and shake the old memory of when I first started crushing on Allie from my mind. Before everything went really wrong. Seb is standing, holding a happy-looking Jake. Both of them are wearing matching blue swimming shorts with white anchors on them. I really hope Seb doesn’t keep up with this obsession with matching Jake in his clothes when Jake is older. I would feel really fucking sorry for him. I wipe the water from my face before I answer him.

“Ninety-two so far. I needed a cool down from the weights and running.”

“That’s good. I’ve never liked swimming in here until Jake.” Seb looks around the pool.

“Pass him here while you sort out his floatie seat,” I say, holding up my arms. Seb walks over and hands me Jake. He squeals in happiness as I put him in the heated water. Seb gets his floating seat contraption out the cupboard with a load of floating toys.

My workout is definitely over.

Seb gets into the water, and he helps me put Jake in the seat by guiding his legs in.

“How is everything?” Seb asks as I pull Jake around in his seat.

“Good,” I reply.

“I heard from a little, blond birdy that you spent the night at Allie’s,” Seb says, and I laugh.

“That was last night. I swear you and Blake are like two school girls,” I mutter.

“So, you finally got the girl. I’m happy for you, man, but can you sleep with her? I really need me some cake,” he says.

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