Forever (Friends #3)(9)

Doubtful. But hey, a girl can dream.

"Oh God, is that Dustin over there?" Livvy stands on her tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd.

I slap her shoulder, making her yelp. "Stop looking for him! What did we just say?"

Her gaze meets mine. "Boys suck?" she asks weakly.

"Yes." I nod firmly. "They do. Forget him. Let's go." I hook my arm into hers and steer her through the crowd. "Let's go find the keg. Cannon told me it's in the backyard."

Livvy is smiling and waving at every guy we pass and I want to slap her hand down. It's like she turns on the flirt even harder when she's mad at Ryan. Just so she can prove to herself she's still got it.

"Please don't tell me Ryan's in the backyard." Is she pulling me into a trap or what?

"I have no idea where he's at." I've seen that innocent look on her face before.

"Really?" That one word drips with sarcasm. I can hear it. And I don't believe her. She probably knows exactly where Ryan's at. 

And if they're near each other, she'll want to start another fight. Or even worse …

She'll go in search of Dustin, mess around with him yet again, and really start a fight. A big one. One that would most likely result in a breakup.

Yeah. Not going to happen on my watch. Livvy is a happy drunk. She has a beer or two and she's in a good mood. That's what she should stick to. I'll maybe have one beer, then I should stick with soda or water for the rest of the night.

Drowning my sorrows in booze won't help. They run too deep.

Just as we approach the kitchen I pull away from Livvy. "I need to go find the bathroom. I'll meet you in the backyard?"

She nods. "Don't ditch me."

I laugh and shake my head. "As if I would." I watch her walk away and then head down a short hall to find the bathroom. It's occupied, of course, but after only a minute a girl and guy I don't recognize walk out. The girl's face is bright red. The guy has a smirk on his face and waggles his eyebrows at me as he passes by.

Gross.

I use the bathroom quickly, wash my hands and am about to make my way to the kitchen when I hear someone from behind me say my name.

"Amanda."

I freeze at the sound of the familiar voice, and dread slithers down my spine. I knew I'd run into him. I always do. Though he'd been avoiding me as of late, I had a feeling he might talk to me if he saw me here tonight.

Slowly I turn to find Eli Bennett standing in front of me. Just turned fifteen years old, an adorable freshman and the star quarterback of the junior varsity team, he is Jordan Tuttle 2.0 in the making. "Eli." My voice is weak and I clear my throat. "Hey."

"What's goin'?" He leans in and kisses my cheek so quick I'm left startled when he shifts away from me. The boy has nerve. "Didn't think you and Liv would show up tonight."

"What makes you say that?" I'm frowning. I can't help it. Who's he talking about us with?

"Ryan."

Oh, right. Duh. His big brother.

Eli shakes his longish golden brown hair out of his eyes. "He told me he and Livvy got in a huge-ass fight."

"They argued," I agree, not wanting to say more. He'll run and tell Ryan if I gossip about him. Besides, I would never do that to Livvy.

"Those two should just end it." He makes a face. "My brother has all kinds of hot girls lined up who want him, so it's not like he's hurting."

"Eli." I'm chastising him like I'm his mama, but I can't help it. He shouldn't talk like this to me considering how close I am to Livvy.

"What? It's true." He smiles, his green eyes sparkling. He's gorgeous and he knows it, but I am so not interested. We had that stupid moment in Tuttle's bathroom, but it never amounted to much and I'm glad. I'm not necessarily proud of that moment, to be honest. Eli is way too young for me. "They're all lining up for me too, you know."

I glance around, seeing no girls nearby. "Huh. Is this line you speak of imaginary?"

He starts to laugh. "You never fall for anything I say, do you?"

"No." I smile. "I don't."

His laughter slowly dies. "I like you, Amanda. Too damn bad you don't feel the same way."

A sigh escapes me and I take a step closer. There's something sweet about Eli. One minute he's a complete horn dog saying the worst things and then the next he's like a vulnerable little boy seeking approval. "Eli, I'm too old for you. Go pick on someone your own age."




 

 

He makes a face. "The freshman girls suck. I've dated all the ones I was interested in and they went nowhere. Gone through a few sophomores too."

"Then tackle a junior," I suggest, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm sure you can find someone who might be interested in you."