Page 6

CHAPTER 6

GIRL WITH A PROBLEM BY AMY ALLEN

Brianne Archer:

Bellamy drives us back home from our childhood house and I sit with my head touching the window despite the chill it gives me. I keep quiet as Taylor Swift plays over the speakers. When it’s just me and Bellamy, it’s always Taylor Swift. He can say it’s because of me, but I know he loves her just as much as I do at this point, especially now that he has a girlfriend who loves her too. Part of me knows he plays it this much around me because he knows it will make me feel more comfortable. Bellamy turns the volume down and nudges me with his elbow.

“Talk to me, B.” He’s soft with his words. I press a smile to my lips.

“I’m okay. Really, I can talk to Madeline about it this week,” I tell him, mentioning my therapist to him.

I’ve only been seeing her this past year, but so far, I feel like everything we’ve worked through has stuck. I haven’t been able to attend any of our video appointments the past two weeks because life has been too hectic, but I warned her it would be that way when I moved. I have a lot to update her on. I wonder if I should even mention Parker to her… She doesn’t have to know.

“But I should also be there for you, B. I can listen. I might not be a licensed therapist and my advice might be shitty, but I can still be here,” he tells me and I nod.

“I just get sad sometimes. It’s normal to be sad,” I admit.

The last thing I need is for Bellamy to worry about me. He goes into spiral mode when he thinks I’m not okay. I remember his sophomore year, I had a really bad episode. I was going through a rough time with an ex and I wanted my mom and… Bellamy wouldn’t leave my grandparent’s house, where I still lived, for a week. He refused. I don’t need him doing that again.

“You miss Mom and Dad?” he asks and I nod.

“Always,” I admit reluctantly.

Even when I do, I try not to bring them up to Bellamy. I know it affects him and I don’t need to make his life harder. It’s his senior year and he has a lot riding on this football season.

“Me too.” He reaches over the console and grabs my hand.

He squeezes and I squeeze back. He doesn’t normally play into conversations like this. I don’t think he’s told me he misses them in years. He coped with our loss easier than I did. He’s still dealing with it better than I am all these years later.

“It’s unfair,” I say out loud and I feel selfish saying it.

I know there are worse things. Worse things could be happening to me and worse things are happening to other people all over the world. It’s selfish to be upset but I am.

“It is but I know this is what they would want, for us to be together here at SPU,” he tells me and I nod.

“They would. Mom and dad never talked to me about college, but I know that they knew you wanted to go here. I hope they imagined us here together,” I tell him.

“I’m sure they did.” He offers me a smile and I sigh.

“Is Kamryn coming over tonight?” I ask him and he nods.

“She’s already over at our place. Sienna is with Lawson and I’m sure he’s ready for us to be home so Kamryn will give him his girlfriend back,” he tells me and I smile at the thought.

“I’m glad you have Kamryn,” I tell him.

“I am too…”

I see that look in his eyes—that look that you see in the movies on the guy's face when you can just tell how in love he is. It’s how I wish someone would look at me. Bellamy has always been a lover, he’s always been a romantic but he’s never had a girl give him exactly what he deserves and I know Kamryn is giving him that. I know she’s exactly what he needs because I can see that she looks at him the same exact way.

I’m glad too because every week when he would come home to tutor me, I would never hear the end of it from him about her. I swear I thought my ears were going to fall off.

“I’m glad you have Dakota, but speaking of, I figured we could talk about that,” he adds and I furrow my brows.

“If you’re trying to have the sex talk with me, Gam already did, and either way, I’m not a virgin,” I tell him and he cringes.

“I’m well aware… I almost got in a fight with that Ryland kid when you two broke up because of it… If you don’t remember,” he speaks sarcastically.

“Oh yeah, then what?” I ask, turning to my brother.

“I know you’re in college now. I’m trusting you to make smart choices and I can’t tell you not to have your boyfriend over because that would make me a hypocrite, but if you do choose to have sex with him, please don’t be… loud.”

He looks more than uncomfortable talking about it and I cringe as well.

“Dakota and me—”

“Are really cute… But I don’t want to know. Just like you really don’t want to know the details about me and Kamryn,” he explains.

I want to argue considering he used to blab about her all the time to me so him not letting me even get a word out is slightly irritating, but I let it go.

“Don’t worry, then. You won't hear a thing from me and Dakota, swear,” I promise, knowing how easy that will be to keep.

When we pull up to the apartment, Dakota is waiting in his car. He gets out when I do, and all three of us meet in front of our complex.

“Dakota,” my brother smiles as a greeting to my best friend.

“Bellamy,” Dakota nods as he speaks. I stand between the two and walk with them.

“Brianne,” I say my own name and Dakota slinks his arm over my shoulder, then covers my mouth.

“That was not as funny as you thought it was,” he tells me.

I bite his finger and he winces, pulling his hand away from me.

“Ow, you little shit.” He shakes his hand out and I smirk to myself.

“Play nice, B. He doesn’t have to stick around like I do,” Bellamy smirks as we get into the elevator. I roll my eyes and cross my arms.

“You’re both annoying,” I tell them, tapping my foot on the ground until we reach our floor.

I walk out first and pull my key out. I unlock and open our door to find the exact scene I was expecting. Sienna and Kamryn are talking on the couch together and Lawson is sitting next to his girlfriend being completely ignored as he sits with his head in his hands.

“Thank god,” Lawson says. “Take her, please, I beg you.” He looks at Bellamy and I laugh to myself.

“Hey, rude,” Kamryn furrows her brows.

“Hey, you know I love you, but right now I want to love my girlfriend. Respectfully, go away,” Lawson pulls Sienna off of the couch, then lifts her up and over his shoulder with ease.

She squeals and he takes her up the stairs without another word.

“Caveman!” I yell at him.

“I’ve been called worse!” he calls back and makes it up the stairs.

“Goodnight, we have things to talk about,” I loop my arm with Dakota and pull him toward the stairs.

“Night, Bri!” Kamryn calls.

“Night, B. I love you,” Bellamy calls after me.

“I love you, Belly!” I say as I walk up the stairs with Dak.

The second we’re in my room with the door closed and locked, I throw myself on the bed and promptly slide onto the floor. I groan all the way down and then roll over, my body now flat and my head turned up to the ceiling. Dakota stands over me and stares right down at me.

“Why are you being dramatic?” he asks. “Does this have to do with why you interrupted me earlier? I was very busy.” I roll my eyes.

“Making out with a hot football player is not an excuse. Best friend trumps hookup,” I tell him and he rolls his eyes.

“Get up and tell me.”

He holds his hands out and I take them, letting him pull me forward. I stand and then turn him, sitting him on the bed. He leans back and looks at me as I start to pace my bedroom floor. I pull out my phone and pull up Parker’s Instagram. He’s got fewer followers than my brother, but still a lot in comparison to most people but that’s what they both get for being sponsored as well as being on the best team in the nation. I click on what could possibly be the hottest picture of any man to ever exist. He’s smiling, holding a football on the field in one of those stupid fucking compression shirts that guys seem to love.

“This. This is why I’m being dramatic,” I tell him. He takes my phone and nods.

“Parker Thompson is drop-dead gorgeous, we’ve known this,” he tells me and I sigh.

“Yes, yes he is, and you know what? Compression shirts should be banned in this country. They should be against the dress code. You’re telling me I couldn’t wear a tank top in high school because it’s distracting but a man can wear one of those slutty little shirts and get away with it? Unfair.”

I throw my phone onto the bed and cross my arms over my chest.

“Tell me how you really feel, Baby,” he chuckles to himself and I turn to him.

I think about today and run my hands down my face, dragging my lips with me. I let my hands fall and Dakota looks at me with raised eyebrows with concern written on his face.

“You're hot and he’s horny. What’s the problem?” he asks.

I think about just how hot Parker is—how hot and hard his body was today in the locker room. Wet, too. It was also dripping wet…

“Brianne Emily Archer, why are you blushing like a whore in church?” Dakota asks me, a smirk on his lips. I gasp.

“Dakota, don’t talk about whores that way. We have an ex-whore right down the hall,” I tell him, referring to Lawson.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Jesus loves the dirtiest whores or… something like that. Anyway, tell me what you’re hiding. What happened today?” he asks and I start chewing on my thumbnail.

“I walked in on Parker in the locker room today,” I tell him quickly.

“What do you mean when you say you walked in on him? Did you see anything?” he asks and I shake my head.

“No. I ran straight into his half-naked body, then he grabbed me and held me still so I didn’t fall, and I basically removed his towel with my eyes. It was hard not to imagine what was underneath when I was staring at him like that, Dak. And he has this tattoo that goes down his V line and—” I explain and Dakota smirks.

“Please tell me you fucked Parker Thomspon in the locker room.” He gets far too excited and I scoff.

“No!” I half-whisper and half yell.

“Did you give him head at least?” he asks and I roll my eyes.

“No. I ran away like an idiot and sat in the hallway, completely appalled that I did that. I was so embarrassed, Dakota… I called you then he walked out. He was super chill about it and didn’t seem to care at all even though he was basically naked, and it was obvious that I wished he would have been. Then he asked about you and I told him we weren’t dating… Then we had a good conversation and I dropped him off at his apartment. Then he… Dakota, he asked me out. Like asked me to go get coffee with him, or dinner, or anything. That was his exact wording,” I tell my best friend and his jaw dislodges as he drops it.

“Parker Thompson asked you out on a date?” he asks me and I nod.

“He did,” I tell him.

“And you said yes, right?” he asks me and I nod.

“I did, but accidentally like my mind wasn’t thinking right. He’s off-limits. I feel guilty because that’s my brother's friend. I shouldn’t go out with my brother's friends. At first, it was okay because I just thought he was hot, but him thinking I’m hot too? That’s what changes things. I can’t tell my brother, and this is the first thing I’ve never been able to tell him and I feel wrong,” I tell him.

“Why? Your brother doesn’t need to know. It’s just fun, that’s it. When it’s serious, then it’s something to worry about. Until then, have fun. You can’t meter your life on how everyone else around you is going to feel about it. Parker is hot and he’s interested. Are you really going to pass that up because your brother might be a little weirded out by it? Did he say anything about Bellamy?” He asks and I shake my head.

“He didn’t seem to care about Bellamy at all,” I admit.

“Then neither should you. You’re an adult. Live your best life but you better not go out with him on my birthday,” he tells me.

His birthday is in two days. Mine is in four.

“I’m not going out with him until next week. That’s what we decided on. Speaking of, we’re going to be here for my birthday after the game… but I was thinking maybe something on Saturday,” I tell Dakota.

“Baby… We’ve got it planned already. My birthday is Wednesday, then we’re celebrating the next day. Thursday is my day, we’re doing Thirsty Thursday with the team, whoever wants to come. Then, some of the team and I planned something for you on Saturday since you have plans with Bellamy on Friday,” he tells me and I pout my lips.

I’ve never had anyone do anything for me for my birthday. Normally, it’s left up to me.

“You planned something for my birthday?” I ask him.

“I did. Get your cowgirl boots out, country girl,” he tells me and I clap my hands.

“Oh my god, are you taking me to a country bar? One with a mechanical bull? Please say yes!” I get excited and he rolls his eyes.

“I have never seen someone get so excited over a mechanical bull. Yes. They do line dancing. All of us got outfits to wear too and I’m not inviting your lame-o brother and his friends. You don’t ever want to have fun when he’s there so it’s just going to be us and the team,” He tells me and I nod.

“Deal. Ugh, I’m so excited now! Thank you.” I wrap my arms around his neck and sloppily kiss his cheek. He shrugs me off and wipes his face.

“Get your ass off of me before I regret planning this for you,” he tells me.

“I love you more than words, Dakota,” I smile to myself and dance across the room to my dresser.

“Like a sister,” he chimes.

“Like a brother,” I reply back.

“Are you going to invite your new boyfriend to your birthday party?” Dakota asks me as he rifles through his bag.

“I don’t know… I might,” I smirk to myself, knowing there’s potential for anything.

Dakota is right. This is silly and fun. It’s not serious. Parker probably just wants something super casual. If it’s casual, it doesn’t have to feel high stakes. I’m doing this. I feel absolutely ecstatic about the thought of this weekend. First game of the season. Dakota’s birthday, then my birthday. Cowboy club. Maybe seeing Parker. Things feel better than expected and it’s only my first freaking day.