Page 33 of Third and Ten

She stumbles as if she’s just backed into a brick wall, and he leans down to grab her shoulders and help her regain her balance. “Ugh. Watch where you’re going,” she protests, shrugging out of his hands and moving to stand beside him.

“It’s not like I’d have seen you unless I’d been staring at my feet, Reed,” he fires back with a sneer. Neither of them seems to be willing to turn and acknowledge the other or leave the room, and I can’t help but laugh at the way they’re standing side by side, arms crossed and scowling. The two of them have been rivals for as long as I can remember, with Loren winning the academic upper hand by eking out Blake for the title of valedictorian over a decade ago, and my perfectionist brother never forgiving her for being smarter than him.

“She may be onto something, though,” he adds after a second, addressing me as if Loren wasn’t currently stationed a few inches away from him. “I think we can all stand to benefit from you finally getting laid.”

“I’m not trying to sleep with her. I’m trying to…relationship her,” I declare. They both look as if they’re holding back a laugh now, Loren’s lips quirking and Blake’s nostrils flaring. “Okay, let’s say I’m trying to accomplish both. Regardless, I’m failing miserably.”

“Then it’s time for Plan B—” Blake says.

“We should try making her jealous—” Loren offers at the same time.

They turn to glare at one another, issuing a silent challenge, until Loren finally speaks again. “I’ll see you at the pep rally, JD. Let me know if you want to take me up on my offer.”

Blake huffs in her face, and Loren rolls her eyes. “You’re going to use her to make Tenley jealous? You’d be better off planning one of those cheesy promposals, with a handmade sign and all. How about, ‘You’re a perfect TEN, and I’m just trying to score’?” Blake holds his hands out as if he’s picturing the poster in his mind, still facing Loren but obviously directing his suggestion at me.

Loren's shoulders drop, and she turns away and blinks a few times. I’m sure she’ll fire off a witty comeback any second, but she stays silent.

“Do you always have to be such an ass?” I bark at Blake after a moment passes.

He clears his throat, seeming remorseful now. “Sorry, boss.”

“He wouldn’t know how to be anything else,” Loren finally replies with an indignant sniff. Then, she scampers away, leaving Blake with his hands in his pockets and a broody look on his face.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” I ask after he shakes off their encounter.

“I had to bring over a form to renew my coaching authorization. I figured I’d hang around for the pep rally, but I guess the good people of Camellia don’t need my help to pay homage to the great JD Bourgeois and all his majesty.”

I stand and toss my trash, refusing to take the bait. “Cool. Well, I’ll see you in the gym, after I grab my scepter and my crown.” I learned long ago that my brother’s love language is “sarcastic douche.”

He snorts and follows me down the hall to the sanctuary of my classroom. “I also came to see if you needed any help with the Tenley situation,” he adds as I unlock the door. “But I guess you’ve already gotten a better offer.”

“Maybe I have.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “You and Loren actually have a plan?”

“Yep.”

His curiosity is killing him. “Aren’t you going to tell me about it?”

“No, I don’t think I will,” I say in my best Captain America impression as I sit behind my desk and begin sorting papers.

He grunts and saunters over to the board, examining some of the signatures, artwork, and social media handles that high schoolers leave behind wherever they go. For some unknown reason, teenagers seem to think we teachers want their constant feedback, and their critique methods range from proclaiming a simple, “That’s why no one can stand you!” when I uphold a project deadline to leaving an enthusiastic, “Brittany G + Britney F love you, Coach JD!” on my dry-erase board.

“Well, I sure as hell hope you aren’t planning on involving Brittany G or Britney F, or you might find yourself needing more of my advice than you think,” he remarks.

I roll my eyes. “No worries, man. It’s all legal.”

Blake wanders off and picks up a plastic model of a human heart, fiddling with it absent-mindedly. “Just tell me you don’t seriously think talking to Loren Reed is enough to make Tenley jealous.”

I shrug, enjoying how much this is getting under his skin.

“Why not? Loren’s cute. She’s also smart and really funny—she’s a catch.”

“I’ve always found her to be an intolerable smartass, but if you think Loren’s so great, then why don’t you just ask her out instead?”

It’s a valid question.

“She’s cool, but I don’t think there’s any chemistry. There’s more of a brother-sister vibe with us.”

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