FINALLY got the next chapter up for you guys! I know it's not BMR, but Harry's the most adorable bean, so you'll get over it. In the media, there's a gif of Dove Cameron, who I've casted as Charlette, Harry's younger sister. The song, is Touch by Troye Sivan, and I thought it was pretty fitting. Anyways, here it is:

My hand grips my phone as I stare down at Bradley Stuart's contact information. I know I haven't been imagining his side glances during first period, or the sneaked smiles he's been sending me when we passed each other in the halls these last few weeks. Taking a deep breath, I hover my finger over the call button, but once again, I stop myself from pressing it.

Shaking my head, I stuff my phone into my back pocket. He's the one who gave me his number, and yet, I'm still too nervous to call. I sigh, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from my jacket. One finds its way between my teeth while I fish for a lighter.

I light up the cigarette when I find it, inhaling deeply. A fit of coughs follows, before I can even exhale. The second drag doesn't go down any easier, my chest tightening. When I start gasping for air, I grab my inhaler and shake it before taking a deep breath while pushing down on the canister. When I breath out, my lungs feel better, but I don't.

Throwing my unfinished cigarette to the ground, I stomp on it with an aggravated grunt. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I continue down the sidewalk.

The sound of a car engine creeps behind me, accompanied by the window being rolled down.

"Need a ride?" The familiar voice gets my attention. Bradley grins at me from the driver's seat as he continues to drive next to me at walking speed.

I glance around for a second before pulling open the passenger door.

"Thanks." I smile at him before buckling my seatbelt.

"No problem." Bradley presses on the gas and looks over at me with a smile. "So, don't you have a car?"

"It's at Whittney's," I explain. "My car has been having some problems so his dad is taking a look at it for me."

"Oh."

An awkward silence then falls upon us, and I shuffle in my seat.

"So, why'd you never call?" Bradley asks, finally breaking the silence.

"I, uh," I stammer. "I've been dealing with Whittney drama the past few weeks."

Bradley grunts. "Has he been giving you trouble?"

"Oh no, not like that."

"Like what, then?"

For some weird reason, I want to spill everything. Whittney's home situation, him spooning me every night before crying himself to sleep, the confusing mixed feelings I've been having regarding his undefined sexuality. Everything. But, I can't betray Whittney's trust like that, even if my suspicions about him liking me might be true.

"Do you mind if I keep it to myself?" I ask, my hands fidgeting.

"Oh, yeah. Of course."

I stay quiet after that, busying myself with watching our passing surroundings. Music engulfs the car after a few more moments of silence, but it has a good, relaxing beat, so I don't mind. Bradley has an excellent taste in tunes from what I'm hearing so far. It doesn't strike me as surprising, since he's always been very musically inclined.

Leaning my head against the window, I watch the houses go by one by one. With each house that passes, the itch to start up conversation grows. There are so many unanswered questions I have when it comes to Bradley Stuart, and I don't want to assume anything. Even though I have made one or two assumptions, anyway.

Glancing over at him from the corner of my eye, he drums on the steering wheel as if he didn't have a care in the world. His behavior is so different in contrast to Whittney and Austin, that I've almost forgotten what it's like to be around people who actually enjoy life. Better yet, relished in it.

When Bradley catches me looking at him, he smirks. "You're staring."

Quickly, I transfer my gaze to the window again. "No, I'm not."

That earns a laugh from him as he takes a turn on my street.

"You remember where I live," I say, surprised.

He chuckles. "Well, you weren't giving me any directions, so I had to dive deep into my memory banks."

Heat rises to my cheeks. A nervous laugh creeps up my throat and I groan, sending an apologetic glance his way.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it," Bradley says as the car starts to slow down. "You do have to remind me which house it is, though. I have a good memory, but I haven't reached stalker level."

I point out which house is mine and we sit in silence when he pulls his car into the driveway. The music in the background starts to fade when he turns the knob to the lowest setting without turning it completely off.

Bradley's eyes meet mine and he immediately drops his gaze, the faintest smile curling at his lips. When he glances at me again, he pushes his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, which scrunches a little as he does so. There's a lack of confidence in his anxious demeanor that's just now shining through, and it's such a contradiction to how he was only moments ago.

"Hey, um," Bradley stammers, scratching just above his eyebrow.

"Do you want to come in?" I quickly get the words out before I can even think them through.

For a moment, his eyes widen. "I don't know if-"

"Oh god." My hands cover my face, hoping they'll shield me from whatever embarrassment that seems to be taking hold of me. "I didn't mean to-"

A humorous laugh brightens the atmosphere in the car, the sound sending a pleasant tingle up my spine. It is a sound that I wouldn't mind hearing again. In fact, it's something I could put on repeat and listen to all day if it were possible.

"You're really cute when you're nervous," Bradley says, looking at me through his lashes with a grin.

His confession leaves me at a loss for words when I peer into his hypnotizing eyes. They're such a deep shade of blue, that if it weren't for the glasses he's wearing, I'd be in a trance. I'm still speechless when I break eye contact. My focus is fixed on my hands as I fight the muscles tugging at the corners of my lips.

"It's not that I don't want to come in," he assures me. "I just have to get to the diner before Rodney purposely orders me something he knows I don't like."

A humor-filled scoff leaves my lips. "He'd do that?"

"He takes his weekly team dinner meetings very seriously."

"Well," I huff, unbuckling my seatbelt. "I'd better let you go then."

"Wait."

Bradley stops me by grabbing my arm before I can get out of the car. Our shoulders are now touching and his hold doesn't loosen. The proximity eats away all the breathable air between us when my eyes hesitantly admire his lips. They don't linger for long, but it's impossible that he didn't notice, his clenched jaw confirming my theory.

"You, uh-" He clears his throat and doesn't stop me when I suddenly pull away. "You think I could stop by tomorrow after school? You know, before the game?"

I beam at him. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I mean, definitely."

He licks his lips after letting out a hearty chuckle. "Okay, I'll be here."

"Okay." The word barely comes out as a whisper.

"And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You're still in my car."

A cheeky grin greets me when I'm shaken from my daze.

"Oh, right." I fidget with the door handle, my face getting hotter with each passing second. When I'm finally out, I cross my arms in front of my chest and look down at a, very amused, Bradley. "I-I guess I'll, um-"

"You'll see me tomorrow." His cheeks dimple and his eyes wrinkle at the corners when he finishes my sentence for me.

"Yeah, that."

I smile brightly while watching him pull out of the driveway, giving him a wave as he drives off. Even when he's out of sight, the triumph etched onto my face doesn't wane.

Tomorrow cannot come soon enough.

Another dinner is filled with silence. Charlette and I shuffle our food around while our mother eyes us intently. I try to avoid her look of judgement, and am successful until she starts up conversation.

"Are you two still not talking?" She asks, probably having had enough.

Charlette rolls her rolls, a reaction I'd never dare towards my mother. "I'll talk when Harry apologizes."

I scoff. "For what? I'm the one who should be apologized to."

Outraged laughter follows. "How do you figure?"

"You know what you did. What you're doing."

"What? Protecting my older brother because he's too much of a pussy to stand up for himself?"

"Enough!" My mother interjects, collecting the plates on the table. "You two are not leaving this table until you figure this out."

When she leaves the kitchen with little Eleanor following behind, heated air is all that's left between us. Charlette sits across from me, her arms folded over her chest and her nose turned up. It's obvious she won't give into my silent treatment, so as usual, I give into hers.

"Look," I start, my eyes softening. "I'm sorry that I freaked out about the whole sleeping around thing, okay? I just don't want you to get hurt."

Anger still radiates from her glare, but seemingly less than before. "I know that."

"And I guess," I sigh before continuing. "I guess I was just upset that you slept with Rodney."

"Is that what he told you?"

I squint. "Yeah."

"Oh my god." Her hand covers her mouth to suppress a giggle. "Rodney and I never hooked up, dumbass!"

"Really?"

"Of course not! For one, Courtney would kill me, and Austin would kill Rodney."

The fact that I listened to Rodney instead of just asking Charlette about it makes me sick to my stomach.

"I'm sorry, Char."

She smiles. "It's okay. I forgive you. Now tell me, why was Bradley dropping you off earlier?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

She looks at me like I have brain damage.

"Okay. I think Bradley likes me. Like, likes me likes me."

"Shut up!" Her cheeks turn bright red and then bursts out in laughter. "God, I tried to sleep with him! Why didn't you tell me sooner and save me the embarrassment of rejection?"

"Him and I just started talking."

"And what about Whittney?"

"What about him?"

She sends me a pointed look.

I roll my eyes. "You know it's Austin I'm in love with. Not Whittney."

"You keep telling yourself that, but I know you. You're not in love with Austin," she explains, like they're her own feelings and not mine. "The feelings you claim to have for him are nothing more than infatuation, and the sooner you realize that yourself, the better."

"You're suggesting that Whittney's the one I'm in love with? That's crazy."

"Like I said." She smirks, eyebrows raised. "I know you."

"I thought you didn't even like Whittney."

"I don't," she grunts. "But I want you to be true to yourself and not confuse your love for lust. Austin's attractive, which is why it can be confusing. Trust me, I get it. But don't mistake your feelings with just having the hots for this guy and go for someone you're actually in love with."

"And you think that's Whittney?" I laugh at the absurdity.

"As much as I don't like him, I want you to be happy." The sincerity in her eyes is accompanied with a smile. "And you should see that way he looks at you."

I sigh. "Whittney would never admit to liking me, even if what you're saying is true. He's too afraid of what others think, though he pretends like he doesn't."

Charlette nods. "Well, then he'll miss out on an amazing guy."

"If what you're saying is true." I remind her.

"Yep!" She chimes, pushing her chair in when she's on her feet. "But, if I'm wrong, there's apparently someone else who's pining for you. In fact, I'm willing to bet that you like him, too."

***

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Til next time,

TheWriterD