P A R K E R

07 | missing out

"PARKER!" I STOPPED stretching and turned to a glaring Riley. If she was white, her face could be really red right now. She looked angry and I narrowed my eyes at her in confusion, wondering what I did wrong this time. "Maybe you should sit down."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes, "I said, maybe you should sit down. Check your ears would you."

"And why should I sit down? I done nothing yet to warrant that." I say balling my fist at my side.

She took more menacing steps forward until our bodies were almost touching. "When your captain says to sit, you sit!"

I fuming inside but there was nothing I could do about it. She's the captain after all. Some girls were shooting me pitiful looks and murmuring amongst themselves. Maybe they knew what this is about. I took steps back and exhaled out some fumes. "Fine but just you know that I won't be sitting for long, unless you come up with a reason for this."

She sneered and I resisted the urge to slap it off her. I walked to the bench and sat down close to my gym bag, taking my water bottle out of its strap and guzzling down half the contents.

"You were benched?" I look up to the voice and I see Sean behind me. He crosses over, so he's in front.

"Yes." I say through my gritted teeth as I watched Riley start the girls up.

Sean lifts up a gym bag beside me, dropping it to the ground and sitting on it place. "Why?"

"Because Riley Trinke is a she-devil, that why." I pointing at her, as she shook her tiny waist around.

"Riley Trinke?"

"Yes, that dark skinned bitch with the curly bun and invisible mantel of power."

"Blake's twin sister?" Sean asks again and I shoot him a deadpanned look. "Sorry, it's surprising to me, she looks so different... damn."

"Sean!" I call in disbelief letting my hands flail out. "That is not the point."

He chuckles, "Sorry, but I really can't see her as a bitch." I glare. "Leaving aside the fact that she's hot, she was also really sweet back then you know. And she's Blake's twin. Blake."

I nod understandingly, "I see where you're coming from, I mean how can someone who shared a womb with such a wonderful person turn out so evil. But I'm saying the truth, even Blake knows. And as per her sweetness years ago, that was all pretence and if it wasn't. Then you should know that people change."

"I go with Pretence. Riley has been evil since the day I met her. She hates me."

"Hmm." Sean says nodding his head. "So what did you do to her this time?"

"That's the stump. I did nothing to her!" I shake my head. "Forget Riley, she's crazy. What are doing here?"

"Nothing really. I came to watch you jump around but that obviously isn't happening anymore." He smirks and I glare. His eyes move from me and unto the field. I follow him and watch as Blake tries so hard to fit into the position of quarterback.

"Do you still play?" I ask my eyes still on the field.

"Sometimes."

"Are you going to try out?"

He starts shaking his head. "No."

"Why not?" I ask now looking at him. "You've played before. You've played with this team before."

"Yeah but that was when..." He trails off and his face morphs into a frown. "I can't."

I know what he didn't say. '...that was when Bryce was alive.' They both played middle school football. Then Sean was quarterback and Bryce played along side him. They were both equally fantastic players. They made plans of playing together in highschool but Sean had to leave. Sean loved it then and by the way he was watching them, I can tell he still does. Bryce isn't here now and they were a duo just like we were.

But I know Bryce would've loved Sean to be the one to replace him and most of all, he would have wanted Payne Crows to continue the winning streak. With the way Blake was playing now even though he was doing his utmost best, I don't think we're gonna win. Bryce would hate that. If there's anything he hated more than running, it's losing.

I nudged Sean, "look at Blake, he needs help."

"Yeah, its obvious."

"Our first game is next Friday. We're totally gonna fail if help doesn't come along. I hate losing, all my exercise and jumping around would be for nothing." I say with a pout.

He turns to me with a smirk, "are you trying to tell me something, Parker?"

"Well, duh. I'm telling you to try out."

"But..."

I place a hand on his tattooed shoulder, "for the school. The team. Blake,--" Bryce. "our winning streak and lastly, me."

He looks at me and chortles. I remove my hand from his body ignoring the stupid feeling beneath my palms that wants to stay longer. I roll my eyes, screwing open my water bottle. "I know me doesn't mean much to you but-"

He collects the water bottle from my hand and flicks my nose. "Another thing that's the still the same, you're adorable."

I pinch my nose, "was I ever adorable?" To you? I wave my hand, "don't answer that, just give me my water."

He stands up and stretches, giving the people sitting on the bleachers a show to remember. "One day you're gonna blow up because of all the water you take in." Then he drowns my remains of water in one go and tosses the empty plastic to me. "Try not to."

I glare at his retreating figure and watch as the boys stop playing to come shake hands with him. He walks to the coach and they start talking, just then, a voice definitely belonging to a Harpy, comes ringing in my ears.

"Parker! Get your bony ass back in here!"

Good God, why do you torment me so? I sigh in pity for myself and walk back to the cheer squad taking positions. My eyes return back to Sean and now he has a ball in his hands and a helmet on. He runs around, perfectly avoiding body contact and hitting off any unfortunate soul that blocks his way. He scores touchdown and the boys attack him with hugs. Both our eyes move to the coach and I smile when I see a thumbs up.

"Parker?" I turn to see everybody including Riley stuck in a particular pose, except me. I turn to her with a sheepish smile and her reply is, "I will hurt you."

Great.

O_o

"I can't believe he's your neighbor. Again." Nova says grinning from ear to ear.

I give her a flat look. "So?"

"Don't give me that. Sean Bryan is your neighbor, how aren't you freaking out?" She says looking ready to jump off her seat in any time.

"To be fair, I almost did freak out," she looks ready to squeal and I shut her with a finger. "But for an entirely different reason. I was worried, he was going to hate on me as usual and be all mean. That's the last thing I needed."

"A guy like him can be mean to him all the time and  I won't mind." Nova says flipping open her book to another page while munching on a fry. I don't understand how she can talk, eat and read at the same time. Her nickname should be multitask-er. "He's so hot now Parks. I mean he was hot before but this is level twelve hotness."

I sigh, "come on Nova you can't seriously be talking about Sean's hotness to me right now. Not after recent happenings."

She looks up guiltily. "I'm sorry Parks. I'm so sorry. Its a curse, the curse. I can't just shut up about a hot guy that I see and I talk about it until it's out of my system. I'm so sorry. That was mega insensitive and everyone's talking about him too that's why. I won't do it again. No more talk on Sean's level twelve hotness. No more. Sealed lips. Permanently. Forever and--"

"Nova breath." I say with an amused look and she exhales, then we share a look and burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry." She says her laughter dying down. "I don't want to screw up and then you'd cut me off like Nicole and Barbara."

"Nova if this little meet up behind the school library says anything. Its that, you're unable to cut off. Permanent. Forever and... whatever you were going to say."

"Ever." She supplies.

"Ever." I complete and we laugh. "Please be yourself and don't change because of me, I'll be fine."

"You sure about that?" I nod and she sighs. "I didn't wanna ask but I'm still curious so... where did you go yesterday? You weren't in school? I was so worried because I clearly saw you that morning and you weren't picking your calls."

"I had a break down in the bathroom and Sean took me home. I slept all day." I confessed.

"Shit, Parker..."

"I'm fine. It wasn't serious. I'm fine." I say trying to convince her and myself.

Her eyes linger on me for seconds longer and whether she believes of not, she eventually looks away.  "Okay, promise not to freak?"

"What?"

"Don't freak out." She says and although she can be very dramatic, she kinda looks serious now.

"I'll try not to."

"Okay, someone saw you leave with Sean yesterday and rumors were growing. When you arrived with him this morning, the rumors spread out."

"What rumors?" I ask getting anxious.

"That you're with him now. That you both spent all day and night together." She says with a concerned look. "I tired to tell them its not true but... well, I tried."

I shake my head. "I can't believe anyone would think that? After everything."

"Humans can be horrible."

"Maybe that's why Riley was a bitch today." I say.

"Duh."

"Well she can gave him. I don't have anything going with Sean."

"Ew. Not for our Seany please." I raise my brows at her and she ducks her head with a smile.

I roll my eyes, "I don't care about the rumors anyway. Whether or not I like it, people must talk."

Nova nods with a mouth full of fry. After she's done, she smiles and I know something I won't like is coming. "So if we don't talk about boys, there's only two things left to talk about."

"Botox and Maths?"

"No!" She leans in closer. "Malls and clubs."

"No."

"To which one?"

"Both." I say looking down on my half filled paper and trying to remember how exactly my signature is.

"Come on." Nova whines bringing my attention back to her. "There's discounts now on winter clothes and we can get the last bit of dazzle summer has to offer. Then about clubs, my nephews Aunty's second husband - whatever that means - is opening a club tonight. The name..." She reaches into her bag and produces a card, pushing it to me on the table, "...is Iris and I've got invitation."

Even though I'm not the least bit interested, I pick up the card and read through it. "It says strictly by card invitation and there's only one card. Only you can go Nova."

"One card? Says who?" Nova smiles and brings out a handful of cards from her bag. "I'm to invite my friends."

"Nova, I can't go." I say already shaking my head.

"Why not?"

"Because." I simply say scribbling down my signature in a hurry to leave.

"Please Parks, this is the first social event you'll be going to in seven months. Seven months! Bryce--" I looked up sharply as she called his name and she starts to regret it before she gulps and continues, "Bryce would have wanted you to continue your life the way it was. The last thing he'd like is for you to be cooped up in your room on a Friday night when there's something like this going on."

I don't say anything and Nova reaches for my hands over the table. "What would he say?" She pretends to think about it, then smiles. "Don't be boring, Arc!"

And I laughed, I laughed until I started to cry. "I hate you Nova."

She gets up from her seat and hugs me. "Is that a yes?"

"Bitch."

"We'll have so much fun, together."

•  •  •

What do you think of Nova? And partying for Parker, good idea or not? Too soon?

Vote and comment.