Playing the Playboys

Chapter 18: The First Time

Bang bang, two shots fired
Man down, one fool, one liar
Ring ring, trust gone missing
House on fire, house on fire

I was alone in the swimming area.

It was hours after the swim meet ended, hours after Logan said we needed to talk. I didn't really know what to say since I didn't want him confronting me in front of a large crowd, my family included. To my relief, he added that he wanted to talk later, when the whole thing was finished.

In between races, I tried calling Zoe and Jade for references or advices. But then Zoe had a game today and Jade had some nerdy thing going on, so I was all alone.

I could always call Zachary, but every time my finger hovered the call sign on his number, I'd think about how he practically spat in my face that we weren't friends.

I was going to have to deal with that later.

Logan disappeared a few hours back. I hoped that he lost the will to talk to me, but then he texted me to meet him here.

And there was no sign of him.

After a few minutes of solitude, I sighed impatiently and went over to the exit.

What a waste of time.

Suddenly, before I could even step a foot outside, a bunch of people started running inside, dragging me along with them. I recognized them as my batch mates, and some even my acquaintances and friends like Theodore, Natalie and many more. They were forming some kind of circle, running around as they showered rose petals everywhere. A jock pushed me to the center of the circle, leaving me baffled. Everyone was smiling giddily at me as they each handed me a rose before falling into a perfect circle surrounding me. Each of them were holding one book that I had read and loved.

I noticed Zoe (who, of course, was holding Fifty Shades of Gray even though I never even touched the book) and Jade somewhere in the circle, waving sheepishly at me. I shot them the deadliest glare, but they weren't paying attention to me. They were concentrated on something behind me and that something caused Zoe's eyes be as big as saucers and Jade's jaw to drop.

I turned around to see Logan Peters with his shaggy brown hair and cute dimpled smile in the middle of the circle with me, with two carts of romance novels beside him. In his hand he held one of my all time favorite books, Pride and Prejudice.

"Hi." Logan greeted nervously, causing the crowd to boo at him.

I raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say 'really?'

He chuckled nervously. "Yeah, um, sorry. I just don't really know how to start."

"You know, I actually wrote a speech for what I'm about to say," he laughed nervously, pushing his glasses up. "That's how prepared I am. Then I just realized now, standing right in front of you, that you are everything but. You're unpredictable, full of life, never prepared, rarely ever responsible—just everything I'm not. When I'm with you though, it's like I'm more than what people expect of me. You make me feel like I'm more than just book smart and the local golden boy, that I can be so much more."

His eyes showed so much emotion that I couldn't bear staring into it. I was scared that if I did, I wouldn't be able to tear away, I wouldn't be able to do what I had to do. 

He opened a page from Pride and Prejudice, clearing his throat.

"'In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.'" Logan read out loud, and I literally heard Zoe's breath hitch.