into the idea of working together to bring home a championship. At this point, it’s not too late to turn things around. I think that’s what we all want.
Now that Sydney has shared the good tidings, she huffs and rises to her feet. “All right, I’ve got to head over to the library for a couple of hours.”
I perk up. “Want some company? I’m not busy, I can come with you.” It would probably be a good idea to get out of the apartment for a little bit. It’s been more than a week since the breakup, and I’m still all sad bastard. Even I’m tired of being around myself.
“I wish you could.” A scowl twists her pretty face. “Unfortunately, I’m meeting up with Brayden to work on that stupid project.”
“Oh.” Their strange interaction pops into my head. I’ve been so focused on my own situation, that I almost forgot about her run in with Brayden. “He’s a nice guy, I’m surprised you have such a problem with him.”
She straightens to her full height and stares at me like I’ve grown a horn on my head. “How can you even say that?”
Ummm...
“I don’t know.” I’ve never had an issue with the handsome wide receiver. He’s always treated me like a little sister. Out of all the guys on the team, he’s probably the one I trust most. Clearly, Sydney feels differently—which is strange. As far as I know, nothing has ever happened between them to bring out such animosity in her. “Most girls would be thrilled to be partnered up with him.”
A haughty look enters her eyes as she sniffs. “Well, I’m not most girls.”
True that.
“I’ll be honest, after we ran into him at that party, I kind of wondered if there might be a little something-something going on between you two. You had that whole I-hate-you-but-I-secretly-want-to-sleep-with-you vibe going on.” Although now that I think about it, Brayden wasn’t acting that way. He was needling her, trying his best to solicit a reaction. Kind of like an elementary school boy would do to a girl he liked.
She makes a choking noise deep in her throat. “I have way too much self-respect to ever get tangled up with such a manwhore, and quite frankly, after the whole Ethan situation, I’m taking a timeout from the dating game. I need to get my head on straight.”
In a surprising plot twist, Sydney and Ethan haven’t mended their broken relationship. It’s been a little more than two weeks. This is the longest they’ve ever gone without getting back together again.
“That’s probably a smart decision.”
She chews her lower lip before reluctantly admitting, “I saw him the other day walking to class with another girl.”
Ouch. It doesn’t matter if she’s the one who pulled the plug on the relationship, seeing your ex with another person still stings.
“I’m sorry, Syd,” I say gently. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”
Sadness flashes in her eyes as she shakes her head. “No. The thing is, it hurt to see him but not nearly as much as I assumed it would. It didn’t make me want to call him up and get back together again.” She pauses, as if thinking about what she’s admitted before her gaze refocuses on me. “That’s got to mean something, right?”
“I think it means you made the right decision where Ethan is concerned.”
“Yeah.” A small sigh escapes from her. “I think you’re probably right. For a while, we were really good together. And then we weren’t. Now that I’m looking back, I think we hung on for too long. We should have broken up a while ago.” She jerks her shoulders as if unsure what the correct answer is. “But it was comfortable, you know? It was easy.”
Easy?
That’s not the term I would use to describe their relationship.
When I give her a get-the-hell-out-of-town look, her lips twitch, and a few chuckles escape. “All right, maybe not easy, but you know what I mean. No matter what, Ethan’s a good guy, and I always knew what to expect from him.”
“He’s definitely a good guy,” I agree.
“Just not for me,” she tacks on almost regretfully.
I nod, understanding the mix of emotions she’s experiencing.
“The plan is to focus on school and soccer for the time being. The last thing I need is a man fucking up the works.”
“Sounds smart. We can do it together.”
“The celibate sisters,” she adds with a grin. “I like it. We’ll get T-shirts.” Sydney slips her phone out of her pocket