Page 25

CHAPTER 25

BOYFRIEND BY JUSTIN BIEBER

Parker Thompson:

“Okay, you can’t still be mad at me.”

Xander lays across my bed and I don’t talk at all as I pack my carry-on sized suitcase. Brianne and I woke up yesterday morning in the mountains and it was a picture-perfect moment… Except I had morning wood and she found it hilarious. I don’t care that she knows I want her but it does give me less of an edge. She tried again to get just a kiss, or anything from me. I said no and she closed herself off. I wanted to fight it, to fight her initial feelings on the matter but it’s not my place. She’s allowed to feel upset but she has boundaries and so do I.

I don’t want to convince her to date me with the incentive of getting kisses or physical rewards. I don’t want that to be her reason. I’m sticking to my word. I’m not doing anything with her until she’s sure she wants me in that way. I have no intention of just being casual with her. It would sound a lot better to Bellamy if he knew that we were serious and not just screwing around. Brianne hasn’t spoken to me since I dropped her off. She didn’t even look at me once at our game and she completely ignored me after, even when I texted her. Which is exactly why I’m still mad at Alexander fucking Marino for being the biggest cock block ever. He wasn’t trying to be but that’s exactly what he did.

“Get out,” I mutter, packing my two nights’ worth of clothes into my suitcase.

“Come on, Thompson. You know I meant well by it. Besides, online it says girls love that shit. The one bed trope, ” he tells me and I slowly turn my attention to him.

“In fucking books, sure. This is real life, you idiot. She wants to sleep with me. I want a relationship with her. You ruined that,” I tell him.

“I did nothing of the sort,” he argues.

“Well, now she thinks I’m pushing her into a relationship or something,” I mumble, focusing on my suitcase.

“She does not, you haven’t even talked to her,” he argues.

“Because she hasn’t talked to me,” I explain.

“You’re the guy. You text first, idiot,” he tells me and I shake my head.

“Since when is that even a thing?” I argue back.

“Since always, you dipshit. Nico! Andrew!” he calls out.

“Jesus Christ, no, please,” I speak to myself and just sit down on the floor in defeat.

“What?” Andrew comes out first.

“Why are you guys always screaming?” Nico asks and I scoff.

“Says you,” I speak under my breath.

“Why is grumpy being grumpier than normal?” Nico asks.

“Who texts first?” Xander asks.

“Us,” Andrew tells me.

“The guy usually,” Nico agrees.

Then, Andrew’s door opens. A stunning blonde walks behind the two of them, hair all the way down to her waist. Andrew’s hockey jersey hangs off of her body. She peeks her head into the room.

“Your roommates are right,” she tells me and looks up at Andrew. “Are we getting food? Come on.” She smacks his ass and walks around him. My jaw hangs open slightly at the subtle blush on his cheeks.

“Since when was she in there?” I ask.

“Since last night. And her name is Diana,” he tells us.

“Diana is hungry! Let’s go, hockey puck,” she groans and I smirk as Andrew hurries out of the room and after the girl that I guess is his almost girlfriend.

“She’s pretty,” Nico speaks out.

“Agreed,” Both me and Xander reply.

Good job to Andrew, considering how much of a loser he is.

“That’s beside the point. You need to text her. Something besides a song,” Xander tells me.

“I’m never taking advice or help from you again. You’re on cautionary probation from helping me,” I tell him and he scoffs.

“You’re being dramatic,” he argues.

“You basically ruined my life,” I tell him and go into the bathroom. Both he and Nico follow me.

“That was a little dramatic, Parks,” Nico argues.

“So what?” I shrug and grab all of my toiletries.

“Just forgive me. I’m sorry, I won’t be an idiot again,” he promises and I laugh to myself.

“If I’m going to forgive you, you can’t lie to me,” I look at him, walking into my bedroom backward.

“Are you calling me an idiot?” he asks and I nod.

“Mean.” He crosses his arms.

“I’ll forgive you if you take me to the airport so I don’t have to park my truck there overnight,” I offer.

“Really? Deal.” He holds his hand out.

“So, does this mean you and Brianne are going to sleep together again? Vegas for a night, that’s so romantic,” Nico wiggles his eyebrows.

“No, I’m not sleeping with her again until I’m ready and I’m not. I’m doing this the right way. I didn’t last time and it ended badly for both of us. As much as I don’t want to admit it to either of you, it really hurt when she ran out after that first night. It definitely made me feel like shit, so I’m trying to avoid that. Brianne is… flighty. She runs at the first sign of trouble and I’m not letting that freaking happen. She wouldn’t look at me at the game last night at all,” I tell them.

“Maybe she forgot you existed,” Nico shrugs.

“Maybe you should shut your fucking mouth?” I suggest and he scoffs.

“She’s probably just scared that she wants you the way you want her, dude. Just text her that you’re excited to see her this weekend, even if it’s not romantically. I bet she’ll appreciate that. Have you even told her what you want?” Xander asks.

“Yeah, I did,” I shrug.

“In what way?” Xander asks.

“I said I wanted her to be mine before I kissed her,” I admit.

“AHHHHH,” Xander makes a buzzer noise and crosses his arms.

I cringe at the loud sound. “What the hell was that for?” I ask.

“You’re going about it wrong. Women never want to feel like a piece of property and I know that’s definitely not your intention. Try something else,” Xander tells me and I roll my eyes.

“He’s right. You should definitely go about it in a different way, and not only that, but you should text her,” Nico offers and I sigh, pulling my phone out, texting her the words Xander said exactly, knowing there’s nothing to lose at this point. She immediately texts back.

Brianne: Excited is an understatement.

I don’t know what that could mean. Excited to see me? Or excited to be around me maybe? Excited for Vegas in general, probably. I sigh and tuck my phone into my pocket. I need to go or I’ll be late… and I guess I need to listen to my roommates and get my shit together.

“Let’s go,” I nod to him and he clears his throat.

I look at Xander and he nods his head toward my bedside table.

“Forgetting something important?” he asks, nodding to the table again. I sigh deeply.

“I’m not sleeping with her. I told you that,” I tell him.

“Okay, but what if she tells you she wants to be your girlfriend, and the hot makeout turns into something else and you’re not prepared? Wouldn’t you rather be over-prepared than underprepared?” he asks me.

“The likelihood of her saying she wants to be my girlfriend is so slim it’s—”

“Oh shut it, Parker. Could you just hope for good things to happen to you? I get growing up and not being hopeful in your situation and I’m sorry you grew up that way, Parker… but you’re not there anymore. You can hope for good things. You can wish for things. That’s okay. Take the damn rubbers and hope for a girlfriend and good pussy. Come on, man,” Xander urges.

I clench my jaw and hold my hand out, oddly feeling a rush in my stomach as I do.

“Fine. Hurry up,” I grunt out.

He smirks and opens my bedside drawer, grabbing a handful of condoms. I take them and tuck them in the front pocket of my suitcase. Xander claps his hands and hops off my bed, charging out the door. I roll my eyes and follow after him.

* * *

I’m quiet as I shuffle onto the plane with the entire crew. Kamryn, Sienna, and Brianne are bare-faced and wearing a plethora of leggings and SPU athletics wear. They practically match. Lawson, Bellamy, and I aren’t much better, all of us wearing football hoodies and sweats as we board the flight. Bellamy takes his seat next to Kamryn and Lawson takes his seat next to Sienna. I stare at Brianne as she sits behind the two couples, the window seat open next to her. We’re in the nice fancy seats, the ones I have never flown in before. The only time I have ever been on a plane is for football, traveling to other games and other states, never for leisure like this.

She raises her eyebrows at me and I feel heat in my stomach at her stare. I take my bag and lift it over my head, putting it in the compartment above us. I take Brianne’s bag and do the same with hers, not even waiting for her to ask. I take my seat next to her and pretend that she’s just a person sitting next to me, not the biggest infatuation I have in my life at the moment. She’s doing a great job at keeping it casual and cool just like me.

I buckle up, knowing we’ll need to for takeoff anyway. I feel her gaze on me so I look at her and she looks away casually as if I didn’t just slightly catch her staring at me. Her words are still hanging between us—that she’s more than excited. I make a move first, testing the waters. I take her hand very softly and casually. I squeeze once and she looks at me, then relaxes her hand in mine until the two people in front of us shift and she moves her hand as quick as lightning. She wipes them on her leggings and looks at Lawson who’s looking between us.

“Nervous or something?” he asks her and I swallow as I look at him.

“Slightly,” she mumbles.

“Parker will die first if the window pops off,” Sienna tells us.

“Gee, thanks,” I mumble.

“Morbid, Si.” Lawson holds up a high five and she claps her hand into his, both of them laughing now.

I pull out my phone as we wait for the rest of the plane to board and smirk at myself when I see a text pop up from Brianne.

“Quickie in the bathroom to ease my nerves?” she sends.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling too wide, knowing if Lawson or Bellamy saw it, they would never stop bugging me about who it was about. I decide to go on my Spotify and pick a song from the playlist that Xander has sent me to get brushed up on music I should know. Boyfriend by Justin Bieber. I send it to her, knowing that Xander would be proud considering he is a self-proclaimed Belieber. I hear Brianne laugh next to me and a smirk curves onto my mouth but is wiped away instantly the second Lawson and Sienna turn around.

“Texting your boyfriend?” Lawson asks her and I look out the window of the unmoving plane.

“He’s her situationship, not her boyfriend. Get it right,” Sienna corrects.

“Thank you, Sienna. He’s not my boyfriend. But yes, I am texting him,” she tells Lawson, and heat burns in my chest knowing she’s not talking about Dakota.

They have no fucking clue. I look back forward and Lawson is looking at me now. He gives me a single look that makes my stomach sink. He doesn’t have a clue, does he? I eye him up and down and shrug.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re being quiet,” he speaks out.

“I’m always quiet,” I shrug.

“Parker never speaks. It’s like pulling teeth during our lessons,” Brianne crosses her legs and shrugs. “Fuck off, Lawson.” She smiles and he points his middle finger in her direction.

I look at her, her hair down in long beautiful waves like curtains around her face. Her bare face is rosy and bright, those perfect freckles speckled on her cheeks. I give myself one second and then the plane starts to move and the flight attendants move toward the front of the aisles to start their demonstration. I decide not to look at Brianne for the rest of the flight out of fear that Lawson may or may not catch me staring.