How Not to Fall In Love

Chapter 61

I thought I'd feel differently after yesterday but I felt like the same person. Nothing had changed; I was still helpless little Rylee—the same nerdy girl who was dating the hot guy in school. I hadn't had a chance to talk to Sophie or Sadie about what happened. Sadie was still out with Logan when I got home last night, and I was already asleep when she got home. I lifted the comforter off when Sadie barged into my room, still in her pj shorts and matching shirt, her hair in a messy ponytail with a huge smile. 

She closed the door behind her, walked over to my bed, and sat down at the end of it. "Is it true?" 

My eyes narrowed. "Is what true?" 

"You know...You and Austin." She smiled even bigger, raising her eyebrows. 

I smiled; the heat of my blushing cheeks warmed my face. "Yes." I looked down at my hands in my lap. 

"Was he your first?" 

"Yes." I peeked up at her. 

"Aww..." She placed her hands over her heart. 

"Wait...How did you know?" I asked, sliding my feet onto the floor. I got up, walked to my dresser, and brushed my hair. I had a good idea of what she would say next, but part of me hoped she would say something else. 

Sadie glanced down at her hands for a minute, then proceeded to tell me that Austin had texted Logan, and then Logan texted her. That's when she came flying in here to find out if it was true or not. She swore that no one else knew. She also told me that Austin and Logan tell each other almost everything. She said they are worse than girls at times. "I'm going to go get ready. You might want to do the same. The guys are going to be here in less than two hours." 

"Where are we going?" I asked, opening my dresser drawer. 

"Nowhere. They just want to hang out and watch a movie. You better hurry." She walked out of my room. I grabbed my clothes and ran to the bathroom for a quick shower. 

"Rylee, you dressed?" Jules asked through my bedroom door. 

"Yeah." I picked up my wide-tooth comb and started combing my hair. "Everything okay?" I asked, looking back at her in the mirror. 

"Uh...Yeah. Here, let me do that for you." She took the comb out of my hand and started combing my hair.

I reached up and grabbed her hand, staring into her sad face. "Jules, what's wrong? I know something is wrong." I turned around on my bench to face her. "You can talk to me about anything...Remember..." I set the comb down on the table. 

"I just haven't seen you much in the last few days." She hung her head. 

"I'm sorry, Jules. The guys are coming over soon; why don't you invite Evie over and watch a movie with us?" 

"I feel bad asking Jennifer if Evie can come over." She lowered her head again. 

"Jules, I'm sure she won't mind. Do you want me to ask for you?" I brushed a piece of hair away from her face. "For now, this is our home, and Brent and Jennifer are taking care of us. They aren't like Dad, so you shouldn't be afraid to ask them if you can have a friend over." 

"Will you ask for me?" She peeked up at me. 

"Yes. If you dry my hair for me." I smiled, sat down on my bench, and handed her my brush. 

"Fine." 

"Thanks, Jules. You don't have to curl it. I'm going to throw it up in a bun after I go ask Jennifer about Evie." I got up and walked out of my room. Jennifer was either in the kitchen or the family room with Brent, watching a movie. Luckily, the family was connected to the kitchen, so I wouldn't have to go searching the whole house for them. I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen, where Jennifer was busy mixing ingredients into a large steel bowl. "Do you have a minute, Jennifer?" I asked, walking to the end of the counter, keeping my eyes on the big stand mixer.