Page 36 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls

Chapter Thirteen

Brock

The guys, Lexi, and I are hanging out at her house on Friday afternoon. We’re going to watch the new superhero movie that just came out. Cooper, Dean, Theo, and Nate drop down on the floor, which leaves the bed for Gael, Lexi, Finn, and me. Lexi takes her spot in the center and Gael positions himself on her left. I’m about to snag the spot on her right, but Finn shoots past me and lowers himself there. There’s enough room on the bed so they don’t have to be squished, but he’s sitting very close to her. She doesn’t seem to notice or care. Her eyes shift to me and she smiles, gesturing for me to join everyone.

Tearing my gaze from how close Finn is to her, I plop down next to Gael.

“Been waiting for this forever!” Theo cheers, raising his arms over his head. “They say it’s the best one yet.”

Nate raises a brow. “So great that they didn’t play it in theaters?”

Theo playfully jabs him with his elbow. “Shut up.” He glances around. “Did we forget popcorn?”

Lexi stands. “Oops. I’ll get some.”

Finn jumps to his feet. “I’ll go with you.”

They walk out of the room.

My eyes linger on the exit before Gael interrupts my thoughts with some new gossip going around school. Apparently a guy, Dominic, broke up with a girl, Journee, whom he dated since the sixth grade.

Cooper’s eyes light up. “Think she’ll go for me?”

Dean snorts. “You’re not her type.”

Cooper scowls. “Man, am I ever going to get a girlfriend?” He motions at all of us. “Why do we all suck at romance?” Hepins his gaze on me. “Brock, did you have a girlfriend back in Boston?”

I shake my head. “No. I mean, some girls showed interest, but I, uh…you know, I was dealing with stuff.”

They nod in understanding.

“Maybe things will change and all of us will have girlfriends by the end of the year,” Gael says.

Theo slaps his hand. “Yeah, man. It’s all about positivity.”

They continue talking until Lexi and Finn return with a few bowls of popcorn. Finn hands two to the guys on the floor, keeping the other two for the ones on the bed.

I notice, again, that Finn sits close to Lexi. Very close.

“Dude.” Gael grabs the bowl from Finn. “Don’t hog the goods.”

“Are we ready to begin?” Lexi asks. “And Coop, don’t ruin the movie by criticizing every little detail. It’sfiction.”

He throws his hands up. “If things don’t make sense, you bet I’m going to tear it apart.”

Dean scrolls through his phone. “Guys, the reviews are terrible. Should we watch something else?”

“No,” Nate says.

They continue to argue, but I barely pay attention. My focus is on Lexi, who nods as Finn bends close and says something to her.

I pull my gaze away. Why am I watching them like that? I don’t want to be a creepy stalker. It’s obvious Finn and Lexi have gotten close over the years. Are they…do they like each other as more than friends? I seriously have no clue.

“Brock.” Gael taps my arm. “What do you think?”

I shrug. “I kinda want to watch the movie based on one of my favorite book series. It’s calledSea Nightmareand it’s about a guy who befriends this weird sea creature and he can talk tohim…” My voice trails off as they blink at me. I shrug again. “You know I’m not into superheroes.”

Lexi giggles softly. “You never were and it always ticked you off how crazy obsessed we were with them.”