Relationship With My Boyfriends Best Friend

Chapter 5.

"I'm going to ask you this just because I'm a good friend and cousin," Braylee starts out saying already putting dread into my body.

"That sounds promising," I mumble biting on the end of my pencil.

"See this is what I'm talking about," Braylee groans, exasperated. My pencil is not so nicely pulled out of my hand and I look up at my cousin with surprise.

"Um," I blink. "Excuse you?"

She rolls her eyes. "It's a Friday night and you're doing homework, Nina."

I scoff. "Yeah, so?"

"So?" Braylee looks at me with wide eyes, as if I just said something completely unusual. "I - I can't even believe what I'm hearing."

"I don't know why you're acting so shocked, Bray," I let out a soft laugh. "This is what I do."

"Yeah, well," she stands up. "That has to change."

I give her a look.

The problem with Braylee; she always tries to change what I do. Since I was five, this has been my routine. Studying, doing homework, doing the next weeks homework. It's how I was raised and I don't feel like changing it anytime soon.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow that screams doubtful.

"You're coming with me to Adrian's party tonight." I can't help it, the laughs spill out of my mouth at an incredibly rapid pace. My cousin doesn't find the proposal so amusing.

"Come on, Braylee," I guffaw. "You can't actually be serious."

She glowers at me and stands up. I have to bend my neck back to see her face. "I am serious, Nina. You're seventeen years old, it's our senior year! Live a little."

I roll my eyes. "I'm well aware of how old I am, Braylee. This is crunch time more than ever, though. These grades are what are going to get me into a good college."

My cousin throws her head back and groans. "And I'll let you study the life out of yourself, if you come to the party with me tonight."

I lick my lips with a sigh. Braylee has tried getting me to go to these gatherings for years now, she's very persistent with it. I wish that I could be that friend that was up for things like that, but they aren't my scene. Drinking? Yeah, no. Dancing? The way kids these days define the action is definitely not in my range of comfort. Hooking up? Big fat no.

Eric and I have always been on the same page with these things, also. I doubt he would want to join me if I did decide to go.

"Why do you really want me to go so bad?" I have to ask.

Braylee looks at me with a soft smile and sits next to me on the bed. "Because I worry about you sometimes, babe. You're so focused and that's good, but you're losing sight of other things. Having fun for example."

"I do have fun," I defend myself with a scoff. Just because my version of fun isn't the same as Braylee's doesn't mean I don't have any. Certain things bring me joy and excitement, but parties aren't one of them.

"All I'm asking," she goes to clear up her words. "Go to the party with me tonight, and if you really don't like it, we can leave early and I'll never bug you about one again."

I contemplate her words. Really contemplate them. There's not a doubt in my mind that I'll end up hating the party, but I'm all about compromise.

"Okay," I say quietly. A grin as big as Africa stretches across my cousins face and she squeals. I cover my ears to try and keep myself from becoming tone deaf and cringe.