“No, but Tyson’s coming. One tray won’t be enough.”
“You’re making him food now?” he asks, snark, and possibly a little anger, in his voice.
What is he talking about and why is he ticked off? There’s no way he can be throwing a fit over the fact that I’m making Tyson some frozen food when I just did the same for him! Both are my friends!
“Why are you so crabby?”
He stands up and comes to me. “I’m not.”
“You are.”
His hazel eyes transform into two dark orbs “I just didn’t realize that you and Tyson were friends like that.”
“Friends like what?”
“Like… that. Like you and I.”
“I’m not allowed to have other friends? Is that it?”
“I didn’t say that. Don’t put words in my mouth,” Beau says, a little angrily. “You’re allowed to have friends, Addy. That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Then say what you mean, Beau! I’m tired of this shit. You act like I’m only allowed to be friends with you.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Okay, you’re right, you don’t. But you do act like I can only have you as a guy friend.”
“Because I know what all the other guys are thinking! And it’s not okay to think of you that way. All they want from you is sex, Addy. They don’t care about you.”
Right. Why would a guy think of me as anything more than a place to stick his dick? I grit my teeth together and answer angrily, “Thanks for the reminder that I’m not worth anything more than a sex toy, Beau.”
“That isn’t what I meant!” he shouts, tugging at his short strands of hair. “It’s just that… Tyson, he doesn’t want you the way —” He trails off and looks away from me.
“The way, what?”
“The way a guy should want a girl he likes.”
“You mean like you want Lizzy?” I ask, voice barely above a whisper. “You know what? Don’t answer that. I don’t care. Tyson and I are friends. You and Lizzy are friends. The four of us are friends. Why are you being so weird? I don’t get you. You’re acting… jealous.”
“Jealous?” he scoffs. “Hardly. What would I have to be jealous for?”
“Absolutely nothing, apparently.”
He opens his mouth to respond but we’re interrupted by the doorbell and Tyson and Lizzy barging in without us opening the door for them to enter.
“Ding dong! The party’s here! Where’s my girl at?”
“His girl, huh?” he whispers lowly.
I roll my eyes and whisper back, “It’s Tyson being Tyson. That’s all.”
“Whatever.”
Lizzy and Tyson come into the kitchen and Lizzy immediately struts over to Beau, placing a hand on his bicep and doing a little hair flip. He leans into her when she presses her body against his, shamelessly flirting with him. I raise my eyebrows at the pair and Beau looks away quickly.
Yeah. That’s what I thought. Nice try on the double standard, there, Beau.
Tyson pulls me against him, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, kissing the top of my head. It’s a move he’s made a thousand times before and will probably make a thousand times more. It’s also a move he’s made on every available (and some not available) girls in our school. “Thanks for inviting me over, Addy girl.”
I scoff. “Invite, huh? Seems as though you’re the one who invited yourself.”
“Whatever way you want to play it. You know what they say, don’t you?”
“No, what do they say?” I ask, as I get the pizza rolls out of the oven and pull plates out of the cupboard. Once I’m done, I lean my hip against the counter and cross my arms, waiting for him to reply. I don’t mean to push my boobs up when I do it, but by the way Tyson stares at my chest, I have a feeling I did.
“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And you offering to make me food? That’s grounds for keeping me around for a long, long time, there, Addy girl,” he says, leaning in close so that his face is mere centimeters from mine.
I lift a hand, pressing it against his chest and giving him a light push back. “Oh, please, like I was in risk of you not being around. You’re like one of those burrs in the woods that stick to you and won’t let go.”
“I was going to say he’s like a tick, but burr works, too,” Beau jokes, but I know him well and the tone in his voice is anything but joking. Especially since