Five

“What do you think that was about?” Isabelle asked. “Guess it looks like I was right, he was watching you guys.”

“Would you stop? He’s probably thinking of ways to tell my brother that I’m hanging out with the enemy. I’ll never be able to live this down,” I groaned.

“So, who cares? Jake is a hottie and he seems really into you. Just go for it, don’t care what your brother thinks. He can’t keep you from dating everyone just because he doesn’t like them.”

It wasn’t so much my brother that I cared about, it was more Aiden. What would he think of me if I started dating Jake? Would he start to hate me too and think I was a traitor for fraternizing with the enemy? That sounded ridiculous.

“Let’s forget about that and just watch the game, I have enough drama to deal with,” I said and thought to when I’ll be on that field myself soon with Leah and her demanding tone.

The first game of the year was as intense as I expected, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off two particular numbers the entire game. Despite being a sophomore student, Jake was able to keep up with the rest of the team and square off pretty evenly with Avery and Aiden.

In the end, Jacksonville State walked away with the win, which also meant I’d be having my first date with Jake Porter. I knew it was the first thing he was going to remember after they celebrated their win and paid respect to the other players for a good game. I waited by the railing for him but didn’t expect him to run off the field toward me.

He ran up to the railing and pulled me down to his level to plant a quick and sweet kiss on my lips. It shocked me so much that I covered my lips to gasp.

“Looks like you’re going out with me.” He grinned and ran off before I had the chance to react.

“Wow, that was kind of steamy!” Isabelle laughed and slapped me on the back. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“You and me both,” I mumbled and covered my cheeks. I heard someone shout from the field and looked up to see my brother. “Oh, god.”

“Rylee, what in the hell was that? Did Jake Porter just kiss you?”

“Can you stop screaming across the field? What is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me? I just witnessed my sister kissing the enemy, what’s wrong with you?” He gritted his teeth and glared at me.

“Can you for once not act like a demanding older brother? Yes, Jake Porter kissed me, he’s the friend I mentioned earlier, and I like him, alright? Whatever petty rivalry you guys have doesn’t have anything to do with me, so just let me enjoy myself, please.”

He opened his mouth but clamped it shut and groaned. “Why does it have to be him, Ryles? Out of all the guys in this school, you have to go after someone from Jacksonville State?”

“Yes, I do, and you’re going to shut up and like it. Got it?”

He crossed his arms and pouted. “I’ll shut up about it, but I’m not going to like it.”

“Good enough for me.”

“Alright whatever, are you guys coming to the party tonight?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. “You guys just had a party last weekend.”

“No, we had a party last night too, just not as big as the one tonight.”

Isabelle burst out laughing next to me and I sighed in disappointment.

“If only our parents knew,” I muttered. “Sure, we’ll be there.”

~*~

Just like last weekend, the place was filled to the brim with people and loud music when Isabelle and I showed up. I texted Avery to meet us at the front door because there was no way I was going to try and make my way through that crowd after the last time.

Instead, Aiden stumbled out the front door and stomped up to me. Isabelle took the hint and wandered off, leaving me to fend for myself.

“Who the hell were you making out with after the game? You’ve only been here a week, Ry,” he slurred.

I pushed him away from me a little and he wobbled. “What are you implying? I already knew him before coming here, and it’s none of your business anyway.”

“It’s plenty my business if you’re throwing yourself at random guys without knowing what they’re really like.”

This time I shoved him over. “What the fuck, Aiden? How drunk are you?”

“Ow, that hurt,” he muttered.

“Good, you deserve it. Sober up and get inside, I’ll see you in there.” I stomped off and left him on the ground out front. I was in a great mood before coming here but now I was in a terrible mood and wanted nothing more than to drown myself in drinks and hit the dancefloor.

I found Isabelle in the kitchen unloading the drinks we brought with us and snagged a twisted tea from her hand. “I need to get wasted and distracted, but these songs aren’t upbeat enough for me. I suck at dancing and I’m better at just jumping around.”

“I might have the answer for that.” She handed me the box of drinks and walked into the living room where Ryan was in charge of the music. She plugged in a USB to his computer and turned on her own playlist of EDM music.

“That is what I’m talking about!” I yelled and rushed into the living room to join her.

Hopefully, I could dance away all the negative emotions.

~*~

Aiden

Most of the night was a blur after I confronted Rylee, and everything went to shit. I just wanted to ask her what she was doing and make sure she wasn’t acting out because she was in a new environment with new people. Growing up she was never one to step out of her normal comfort zone and wasn’t the one to show interest in gathering so much experience for a young girl.

I do frequently forget that she was only a year younger than me but that didn’t change how much I wanted to protect her from all the toxic things that come with University. I just wanted to keep her as innocent as she was for as long as I could.

But Rylee has always been stubborn and hard-headed, much like her brother, and the more you told her no the more she said yes.

Like tonight, she seemed to have drunk herself stupid and could barely stand up by the end of the night after all the dancing and drinking she did. Her friend was thankfully better off and was able to walk home with Ryan again, but that left me with the passed-out Rylee.

“Hey, Ry, you awake?” I poked her a little as she lay on the couch.

She swatted my hand and groaned, but otherwise stayed passed out. Avery had joined her on the ground, and everyone else’s keys were locked in the box, so no one drove home drunk and the only sober person, which was Ryan, had the key to unlock it.

I had no other choice but to bring her to my room again and pick her up off the couch to carry her up. She mumbled a little when I moved her and I found myself smiling at how cute she looked before I stopped that train of thought.

There were many times in the past that I thought about what it might have been like if Rylee and I had met in different ways, instead of growing up alongside each other like brother and sister. I can’t deny that she has grown into quite the beauty and was exactly my type – looks, body and personality. She was everything a guy like me could want, but everything I could never have.

She is the younger sister of my best friend, the one person I could really call the brother I never had, and I could never do anything to jeopardize that friendship or hurt him in any way. The worst way I could hurt him was by taking away his little sister and his best friend.

With that thought, I had banished any other thoughts of Rylee and have always treated her like a little sister in hopes that she too would never get the same idea, and for years it has worked.

I placed her in the bed and tucked her in, then went to the bathroom to get Advil and water for her to take in the morning before I left.

“Sleep well, Ry. Hopefully, you forget everything in the morning.”