Fooling Ourselves

How He Ended What Didn't Start

"Why do you treat James the way you do?" I asked Ari as she scrolled through her phone. We were both on each half of my bed with lots of snacks between us and soda cans on my bedside table. We had just finished watching Divergent with the gorgeous Theo James. It was Wednesday night, our usual girl's night where we'd go over to each other's house and have fun. Tonight we were having it at my house.

"What do you mean?" she stopped scrolling through her phone and looked up at me.

"You treat him awful and he's clearly got it bad for you," I explained.

"Yeah right. James is a player and through all his flirting, not once has he man up and asked me out," she sighed.

"Why are guys so complicated?" I stuffed my mouth with food and sunk further under my sheets.

"What do you know about guys? You've never even had a boyfriend-"

"Thanks to Jace. Try getting a guy past him. I know he's the one who told all the guys at school not to approach me," I said and then drank some of my juice.

"You can't be so sure it's him-"

"Who else would it be? What other guy in my life would be so protective over me to warn guys off?" I cut her off.

"The principal?" she shrugged and I glared at her.

"Ari, I'm being serious," I groaned, clearly frustrated with her jokes.

"Okay so let's say he did it, what do you intend to do to him?" Ari leaned over and placed her phone to charge. She got up and started clearing the bed of everything.

"I just want him to confess and promise to stop," I replied truthfully, "I'm not going to accuse him. I want him to come to me."

"Well that's fair enough," she agreed, "He owes you that much."

"I know," I nodded as she climbed back in the bed and pulled the sheet around her, "Yes. Go ahead and hog my sheet as usual."

"I wasn't really asking for permission but okay," she rolled over and turned off the lamp and I did the same to the one on my side, "Night Skye."

"Goodnight Ari."

He hadn't shown. It was lunch time and I still hadn't seen him show up. So it was official. I was now stalking him and not the other way around. I had been secretly looking out and searching his hangout spots for him all morning. He hadn't even turn up to class. I really needed to stop but why didn't he come to school?

And to make it worse, today was one of the last practices for the game tomorrow and he wasn't here. Jerk. He was a selfish, inconsiderate asswi-

"Hey there sweetheart," I crashed into a muscular chest but before I could fall someone wrapped their arms around me, holding me up. I looked up and saw that it was Dylan and I pushed him into the nearest empty classroom.

"Where were you?!" I shrieked not realizing how desperate and needy I sounded until after the words left my mouth. I covered my mouth immediately, shocked that I had said that.

"Missed me?" he smiled genuinely and it was the first I had seen him really smile and it was beautiful.

"No!" I denied blushing, "It's just...I was worried...about the game and...you know, practice."

"Darling, I don't need practice," he stated cockily.

"You could be humble about it," I muttered more to myself than to him.

"So why did you kidnap me? It surely wasn't to teach me how to be humble," he suddenly smirked at me, "Was it to tell me you'll be cheering for me? Because I already know that."

"No. I'll be cheering for my brother," I watched as he immediately tensed.

"You're brother seriously needs a girlfriend," he told me and I pouted, "Don't do that or else I'll be tempted to put those lips to good use."

"I won't be doing anything with my lips and you-"

"Woah, I was just talking about kissing but I'm always open for other options," he teased and I blushed uncontrollably.

"I wouldn't kiss you. You go around kissing way too many people, like that girl in the hallway yesterday," I tried to sound calm. Tried.

"You saw that? Well, I'm highly requested but I can assure you, I don't have an STD," he joked.

"You're such an asswipe," I snapped.

"Wait, are you jealous?" he smirked.

"Why would I be?" I avoided his eyes, desperate to change the topic, "So do you know why Jace hates you? Why did you guys stop talking? I want to know because it seems like everybody knows something I don't and I know him and James are hiding something and I know it has something to do with you but no one will tell me anything."

"I have to leave," he said coldly and moved to do just that but I grabbed his hand in mine, immediately feeling warm and tingly.

"Dylan please," I begged.

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry but I can't and it doesn't matter. It was between me and Jace and it's not like we'll ever be friends again so it's all good-"

"No it isn't all good-"

"I think it would be best if we go back to how it was before and stop talking," his voice almost gave me chills.

"What?" the words left my lips in a soft tone.

"It's not like we'd ever be able to talk out in the open and I'm not exactly turned on by this whole hide and sneak thing," he continued, "So let's just go back to you ignoring me."

"Oh ok," I forced the words out of my mouth and nodded, "That works for me."

"It was nice talking to you while it lasted," he told me and then left.

"You too," I mumbled silently.

***

I was engulfed in a bear hug the moment I stepped out of the girls' locker room after changing back into my clothes after rehearsal. I smelt the familiar cologne and recognized the person as my brother. I just stood there while he squeezed the life out of me.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you and it's wrong of me to demand you not to talk to him and to tell you what to do and I know you don't have to but you still listen to me. And...shit, I'm sorry," he apologized, his head still buried in my neck.

"It's okay but seriously, you need to lay off the protectiveness and get a girlfriend. I'm almost eighteen. I'm my own person and I'm going to talk to whoever I want and you can't do anything about it-"

"But I'm your brother-"

"Then be my brother and let me grow up. Let me mature and make my own mistakes, have my own experiences," I pleaded.

"Okay but still I want you to stay away from him," Jace warned.

"And that! You need to get over that! Move on and stop living life warning me away from him!" I snapped.

"Never," he said darkly.

"It doesn't matter anyway," I said giving up on trying to help my brother, "We'd never be friends. We only spoke because I was annoyed at something. It was just an accident really."

"Good. Now let's go home. I need my rest, big game tomorrow," Jace replied.

"So there's nothing else you want to tell me? Nothing you want to apologize for?" I asked suspiciously.

"No. There's nothing else," he stated calmly and threw his arm over my shoulder, dragging me along with him out of the school.