Page 23 of The Boys Next Door

Obviously, she needed to turn and dash upstairs, right now. Getting a fast Coke wasn't worth the awkwardness. But the lines of that bare back, a few feet away, were graceful enough to keep her frozen for a second.

It was a second too long. Before she could move, he straightened up. Diana looked right into two hazel O'Brian eyes. Her panicked gaze moved to the freckle under his left eye, then the startled expression that quickly became a mocking smile.

Oh no. No way would she turn tail and run now. Not with Ian looking at her like she was intruding on the sacred vending machine of the PE department.

As she strode down the stairs, looking straight ahead, he jumped back. With an exaggerated sweep of his Sprite, he gestured her towards the vending machine.

Diana marched past him, fished a dollar out of her purse, and fed it into the slot. The machine sucked the bill from her fingers. Her cheeks had to be as red as her sweater and matching skirt. Out of the corner of her eye, Ian was loping away -- thank God -- to the wall by the vending machine.

Unfortunately, he'd positioned himself so she could see all of him. The lights in the hallway were dim, but not dim enough. Had she thought the back was beautiful? The front was gorgeous. What a waste. Brendan might deserve to be hot, but Ian? Not a chance.

As if to prove her point, Ian let out an enormous yawn, stretching both arms high and wide.

Diana looked quickly away from the dark patches of hair under his arms. So rude. If he burped, she'd die. Ian had had a talent for roof-raising burps when they were kids. She sneaked another look in his direction.

Immediately, she wished she hadn't. Now Ian was running the cold can of Sprite over his bare arms and face, up one side and down the other, his head thrown back in fake ecstasy, like he was a girl in a centerfold just cooling off.

Diana punched the nearest button. How could he do this to her? How dare he invade her Coke-buying experience? She had enough to deal with in her day. Her face was on fire, along with every other part of her body.

“Aaaaahhhhh,” Ian sighed loudly, radiating satisfaction.

Diana didn't know whether to be pissed, mortified, or burst out laughing. Clamping her lips together, she ignored him until her can clattered out of the vending machine.

Just then, the door to the boys' locker room burst open. Another pair of hazel eyes met hers, this time with a look of pleased surprise. Brendan strolled out, as stripped down as his brother.

“Di! We never see you around anymore.” His face lit up in the easy grin she remembered so well, dimples winking. Why did he have to use a nickname, like they were still friends? It made her ache inside, and she didn't want to feel anything close to an ache.

“Hi, Brendan,” she squeaked.

“Hiiiiiii, Brendan,” Ian murmured. Brendan just messed up his brother's hair with one hand.

“I told you to find us if you needed anything. You never have. We’re about to graduate.”

Did Brendan really have to talk to her? Her throat was dry now. At least with Ian, she could be annoyed. And silent.

“I haven’t needed anything,” she heard herself say. She fiddled with the tab on her Coke. Her eyes didn’t know where to look. “I’m doing pretty okay.”

“We saw you got the best sophomore grades again this quarter.” Brendan dimpled at her. He leaned a hand against the wall, next to Ian, who was tossing his Sprite from palm to palm.Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.“I bet you’ll be valedictorian. You’ll be able to do whatever you want, Di.”

Whatever she wanted. So crazy, she couldn’t wrap her head around it. She wanted a lot. Heat flushed her cheeks.

“Does anything happen here that you don’t know about?” The words spilled out. Suddenly, she remembered Brendan as a kid, walking around like a sportscaster, interviewing everyone in the neighborhood and giving a play-by-play of their doings.

Ian’s low chuckle surprised her. He hadn’t opened his Sprite yet, and he was watching her. She felt as shaken up as the can. Flushing hotter, she turned back to Brendan, which was only a little safer.

Brendan’s smile broadened. “I like to know what’s going on. You're coming to the game tomorrow night, right, Di? It's big,” he went on, before she could saywhat game? “State championship. Woodside plays an incredible game, but I know we’ll pull through. You should see Ian’s jump shot. And afterwards—“

“No. “ She could only shake her head over and over. “No, I have to study. Uh, good luck.”

Brendan shrugged, then smiled again. “You too, Di.”

Gripping her Coke, she swerved around Ian, who was making a big show of cracking open his own drink and chugging it.

Brendan wrapped an arm around his brother, leaning close to whisper. Ian answered in the same tone. Hearing the twins’ overlapping murmurs, blending as seamlessly as they always had, almost brought Diana back to the vending machine. But she couldn’t blend with the twins anymore. Right?

She’d made it halfway up the stairs, wishing she could redo every word she’d said, when a confident “Hi guys!” rang through the hallway.

She had to peek. Just enough to see the gorgeous girl strolling up to the twins, beaming at them both, taking Ian’s Sprite out of his hand and pouting when she saw it was empty.

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