Broken Ties Read online

  “Just blowing off some steam.” He smiled. “This is Leo.”

  “You don’t go to Rixon High,” I said.

  “Nope, I’m an Eagle.” A knowing glint lit up his eyes as he referred to our rivals, the Rixon East High Eagles.

  “Then you’ll be ready for us to kick your ass on the field this season.”

  “Actually, I’m on the swim team. But I’m sure I could wipe the floor with you in the pool.”

  Cole smothered a laugh and I shot him a hard look.

  “I’m just messing,” the guy said. “Me and Eli go way back.”

  “I’m Aaron and this is Cole.”

  “I know who you both are. I might not play football but it doesn’t mean I don’t follow the game.”

  “How’s the new building?”

  Rixon East High had burned down the summer before last. All the kids were shipped to surrounding high schools in the area. It had caused a few problems for Coach Ford last season, especially when their star player Kaiden Thatcher turned up to play for the Raiders and fell ass over elbow for Coach’s eldest daughter Lily.

  “It’s good to be back.”

  Silence descended over us. Eli and I weren’t friends. I knew him because he knew Poppy. He liked Poppy. Which in my head pitted us as enemies. Because she wasn’t his.

  But she wasn’t mine either—she never would be.

  “So you’re Eli’s new girl’s friend, right? What can you tell me about her because this one is keeping things close to his chest.”

  “Leo,” Eli hissed.

  “What? I just want to know that the first girl to catch your eye in forever is worth it.” Leo smiled, but I was too caught on his words.

  Eli’s new girl.

  New girl.

  His girl.

  My chest tightened and I inhaled a sharp breath. “Me and Poppy go way back, yeah.”

  “So is she?” He stared at me expectantly.

  “Is she what?” I gawked, confused.

  “Is she worth it?”

  Fuck.

  Well that was the million dollar question, wasn’t it.

  No.

  Say no.

  But I pasted on a fake smile and said, “Yeah.” I almost choked on the words. “She’s worth it.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Poppy

  “Do you have to show off?” Sofia asked me as I flipped over again.

  Traipsing over to her, I dropped down onto the end of the lounger. “I need to burn off some steam.”

  “Can’t you do it without looking so… graceful?” Her lips twisted, and I returned her smile.

  “You’re just jealous you’re not as bendy as I am.”

  “Maybe.” She chuckled. “I have brains. You have brains and bendiness. It doesn’t seem fair somehow.”

  “You do know bendiness isn’t officially a word, right?”

  “It is now.” Sofia poked her tongue out at me and let out a soft sigh. “It’s getting cooler.”

  “Yeah, summer is over.” It had been for a couple of weeks now. The first signs of fall were already everywhere, but we liked to make the most of every possible moment outdoors, and we had the perfect yard for tumbling.

  Sofia let out another sigh and I glanced at her. “What’s up?”

  “Do you ever wish that you were one of them?”

  “Am I supposed to know who you’re talking about?”

  “The popular girls.”

  “We’re pop—” She gave me a look and I conceded. “Fine. We’re not Zara Willis level popular. But I’d rather be us than like her. Why do you ask?”

  “Because sometimes it feels like…” Sofia hesitated and that had my attention. I’d never known her to be so unsure of herself. “I’m invisible.”

  “What? No way. You’re beautiful and clever and any guy would be lucky to call you his.”

  Something like heartache flitted across her expression. “So why have I never been on a date? It’s senior year and I can count my sexual experiences on one hand and one of those is with myself. It’s depressing.”

  “It’s not like I’ve been on any dates either.”

  “Yeah, but you’re Coach Ford’s daughter. It’s different.”

  “Your mom is the guidance counselor. That’s pretty intimidating.”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “But if a guy liked me… really liked me, he wouldn’t let that stop him, right?”

  “Sofia,” I said. “Is there someone you—”

  “What? No! No. I just… I don’t know. It’s senior year and I thought it would be different. I thought… it doesn’t matter. I’m being silly.”

  “Let’s make a pact.”

  “A pact?” Her brow lifted. “You mean like yours and Aaron’s sex pact?”

  “I am not discussing that with you. Besides, we were fifteen. We didn’t know what we were talking about.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine.” I poked my tongue out at her. “Anyway, you’re right. It’s senior year, Sofe. We owe it to ourselves to make it the best senior year ever.”

  “And how do you propose we do that?”

  “I don’t know. Party more. Kiss boys. Step out of our comfort zones.”

  “But I like our comfort zone.”

  “You just said it yourself, sometimes you feel invisible. Well maybe it’s time we become visible.”

  “Okay.” A slow smile spread over her face. “What did you have in mind?”

  I gave her a knowing glance and grinned. “How do you feel about double dating?”

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sofia fussed with the hem of her cute floaty dress. I’d never seen her look so girly. But we were turning over a new leaf, embracing senior year and all that came with it.

  I didn’t want to spend the next few months pining over a boy that would never see me, not the way I truly wanted him to. And Sofia didn’t want to graduate high school having never dated… or been kissed… or any of that stuff normal teenagers were doing.

  So here we were, waiting for Eli and his friend Leo.

  When I’d asked him at school today if he had a friend who would be interested in Sofia, he’d instantly suggested Leo, his friend from across the river.

  Leo didn’t go to our school, so he sounded like the perfect candidate since Sofia was hesitant about her mom or brother finding out.

  “It’s a great idea,” I said, scanning the parking lot for Eli’s car. “Eek, they’re here.” Grabbing her hand, I pulled her toward them.

  “He’s eager.” She chuckled softly as we watched Eli scramble to get out of the car before we reached them.

  “We could have picked you up from your house,” he said, his big brown eyes sweeping down my body and back up. “You look… wow.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek and a little shiver ran through me.

  “Thank you.” I smiled. “And don’t worry about it. We had to run an errand first.”

  We didn’t, but he didn’t need to know I’d wanted to avoid any awkward meeting between him and my dad, who was bound to sniff out our plans like a bloodhound.

  “Hey, Sofia.”

  “Hi,” she said. “Is Leo—”

  “He’s in the car.”

  “Oh.” She threw me a confused look, and I shrugged.

  “Perhaps he’s nervous.”

  I was sure I heard Eli mutter, “Something like that,” but he placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me around his car.

  “I guess I’ll open my own door then,” Sofia grumbled, climbing into the other side.

  “She’s nervous,” I explained to Eli as he reached for the door.

  “She doesn’t need to be. Leo is one of the best guys I know.” His eyes lingered for a second and then he motioned for me to get in.

  “Leo, Sofia. Sofia, this is my best friend, Leo.”

  “Hey.” He barely looked twice at her, and I was aware of a strange tension between them.

  “Hi,” Sofia clipped out.

  “Everything okay?” I whispered.

  “Fine.” She smiled but quickly averted her eyes.

  Crap.

  “Ready to bowl?” Eli chimed, either unaware of the atmosphere in the car or trying to gloss over it.

  “I can hardly wait,” Leo murmured.

  My brows crinkled. He didn’t seem too pleased to be here, and Sofia looked less than impressed at her date for the evening.

  “I can’t wait,” I said with fake bravado.

  Maybe this was a bad idea.

  But it was too late now.

  “Oh my God.” Sofia grabbed my hand and held me back while the guys headed for our lane. “This is the worst. He doesn’t want to be here.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true. Maybe he’s just having a bad day.”

  “I love you, babe, but you’re a terrible liar. He hasn’t looked twice at me. He let the door close in my face on the way in here and he didn’t even offer to get me a drink.” Her gaze dropped to the slush in my hand. The one Eli had bought for me.

  “Eli asked you if you want—”

  “Not the point, Poppy. I thought Eli vouched for him.”

  “He did.” I glanced over at the guys. “I don’t get it.” He’d told me all about Leo. How cool and funny he was.

  But that guy wasn’t the guy who had showed up tonight. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

  “I knew this was a mistake.” Sofia hugged herself, glancing at anywhere but me.

  “He’s a fool if he doesn’t want to get to know you. You’re amazing, Sofe. I hope you know that.”

  “You’re right, I am pretty awesome.” She smirked. “Leo would be lucky to know me.”

  “That’s the spirit.” I winked. “Now let’s go bowl our cute asses off and have some fun.”

  Sofia gave me an encouraging nod, but I saw the doubt shining in her eyes. Damn Leo for making her doubt herself.

  We reached the guys just as they exploded with laughter about something.

  “What’s funny?” I asked, glancing between them.

  “Hannigan here thinks he has a shot at beating me,” Leo said, suddenly animated. “But like I’ve told him a hundred times before, nobody beats the master.” He picked up his bowling ball and blew it.

  Sofia smothered a snort and I elbowed her in the ribs. “Let’s see what you’ve got then,” I said.

  “It’s on, Hannigan.” Leo grinned at Eli, not even bothering to acknowledge me. “You and me, best of three games.”

  I glanced at Sofia and her eyes widened as if to say, ‘I told you so.’

  “If you two want us to leave, we can just—”

  “What, no!” Eli looked horrified. “He’s joking. Right, Leo?”

  Leo’s expression hardened as he stalked off down the lane.

  “I’m just going to go to the restroom.”

  Before I could stop her, Sofia took off in the opposite direction.

  “Is she okay?” Eli asked.

  “What do you think?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Leo hasn’t exactly made her feel welcome. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to be here.”

  “That’s not true, he’s just…” He trailed off, watching as Leo rolled his ball. “Nice one.”

  “Seriously?” I muttered. “I’m going to—”

  “Shit, I’m sorry. Maybe bowling wasn’t the best choice of activity. Things between us can get competitive.” Eli dropped his hands to my waist, closing the distance between us. “I’m glad you came.”

  “Can you talk to Leo? I promised Sofia a good time, but he’s kind of being a douchebag.”

  “Yeah, I’ll talk to him.” His gaze dropped to my mouth, the air around us turning thick. “I really am glad you came, Poppy. I want to get to know you better.”

  “You know me.” Strained laughter bubbled in my chest.

  “I know the girl everyone else knows, sure. But I want to learn what really makes you tick. Your hopes and dreams. The stuff other people don’t know about you.”

  “I—”

  “You’re up, Hannigan.” Leo’s voice was like a bucket of cold water, simmering the heat building between us. “Excuse me.” He leaned over us to grab his drink.

  Eli moved back, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not cool, man,” he whisper-hissed to Leo who shrugged.

  “We’ve got a game to play. You can play Romeo later.”

  Something passed over Leo’s face, but it was gone too quickly to decipher. He was clearly very protective of Eli, which usually, I could appreciate, but it seemed a little over the top considering this was our first official date, and a double-date no less.

  I shook off my reservations. Eli and I had a connection. Something that was worth exploring. And I couldn’t deny the flutter of butterflies in my stomach every time he looked at me.

  “Where’s Sophie?” Leo asked, and anger raced down my spine.

  “Are you joking?” I looked to Eli for support, but he had already moved to the edge of the lane. “Her name is Sofia.”

  “My bad.”

  “If you didn’t want to be here, why did you come?”

  His eyes flicked to Eli and he let out an exasperated breath. “Because he asked me to.”

  “Do you always do what Eli asks of you?”

  “He’s my best friend. Pretty sure there isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do for him.”

  “Well,” I snapped, moving around him to choose my ball. “Maybe you could stop being such an asshole about it.”

  “Is he trying to piss me off?” Sofia glared at Leo as he sat, more interested in whatever was on his cell phone than our conversation.

  After bowling we’d gone to Cindy’s Grill for something to eat, but the whole date had gone from bad to worse.

  Sofia had won at bowling, which only sent Leo spiraling into an even worse mood. Eli got pissed at him and the two of them had a heated discussion on the ride over here, and Sofia wanted to leave.

  But I’d begged her to stay, hoping that we still might salvage the night.

  I was rapidly losing hope though.

  “Dude.” Eli elbowed his friend in the side and Leo winced.

  “What the hell was that for?”

  “Poppy asked you a question.”

  “She did?”

  “You’d know if you were listening—”

  “Okay, I’m done.” Sofia shot up. “I’ve tried, I really have. But I’m done. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She gave me a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  And I got it, I did.

  If our roles were reversed, I would have wanted to leave too.

  “We’ll give you a ride home,” Eli said.

  “No, it’s okay. I can walk—”

  “It’s the least I can do. Here, you girls go on ahead.” He passed me his keys. “And I’ll settle the check.”

  “Come on,” I said to Sofia, throwing Leo a dirty look.

  She was a silent storm beside me as we left the diner.

  “Sofe?”

  “Remind me never to let you talk me into this again.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize… I screwed up.”

  “No.” She let out a gentle sigh. “It’s not your fault. I just can’t believe what an asshole he was. Even if he didn’t like me, he could have— whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

  “I’ll make it up to you this weekend. We can have girls’ night. Just the two of us. Whatever you want to do.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “Good. I hope you do.”

  We reached Eli’s car and I unlocked the door, then climbed into the back.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s jealous,” Sofia said.

  “Jealous?”

  “Yeah, of you and Eli. Some guys can’t handle losing their friend to a girl.”

  “We’re not even together.”

  “No, but Eli clearly likes you and—”

  “Sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” Eli dropped into his seat and twisted around to look at us.

  “Where’s Leo?” I asked.

  “He’s not coming. We got into it, and well, I told him to make his own way home.”

  “But he lives across the river.”

  “Yeah, well, he should have thought about that before he ruined everything.”

  “You really did that?” Sofia asked. “But he’s your friend. Isn’t there some kind of bro code for that?”

  “Don’t give a shit.” Eli shrugged. “It wasn’t cool and I’m sorry I didn’t tell him to fuck off sooner.”

  “It’s okay.” A small, impressed smile spread over Sofia’s face. “This kind of makes it all worth it.” She glanced at me and mouthed, ‘He’s a keeper.’

  I pressed my lips together to hide my own smile.

  It was a pretty awesome thing to do.

  And another thing working in his favor.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Aaron

  “Go Raiders,” someone yelled the second me and Ezra entered the school building.

  “Fuck yeah,” I replied, grinning as I slung an arm around Ezra’s neck.

  “You’re an ass,” he grumbled, shrugging me off.

  “But you love me.”

  His brows crinkled. “You really love all this shit, don’t you?” His eyes flicked to the banner hanging from the ceiling, the splashes of Raider blue and white adorning the lockers and noticeboards lining the hall.

  “Hell yeah. This is what it’s about, E. The buzz, the anticipation… Football is religion and we’re the gods they worship.”

  He drew up short and I almost slammed into him. Whirling around, he pinned me with a hard look. “I’m going to say this once, and only once. It’s. Just. A. Fucking. Game.”

  Something tightened in my stomach as I gave him an easy breezy Aaron Bennet smile. “You say that now, but I know you felt it last weekend. The moment you step out onto the field under the bright Friday night lights… there’s nothing in the world like it.”

  He stared at me as if he was seeing me for the first time.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I never realized before… how much it meant to you.”

  “It’s all I’ve ever wanted,” I admitted.

  “But nobody really talks about it?”