My Brother's Playboy Best Friend

3

Hazel's point of view.

It smells like Vince. Warm pine and fresh mint. My eyes are shut. I push my back further against the warmth of Vince's toned, firm body. The cafeteria chatters with gossip, as it always does. I don't pay much attention, not when I'm snuggled against Vince. I should probably eat something but I would rather seize the opportunity with Vince being single for once. He wraps a strong arm over my chest, my head secured on his shoulder. He thinks I fell asleep, most likely. I feel his chest vibrate as he laughs at something a player said. I lost the train of the conversation at some point. I smile to myself at the idea of my brother shooting daggers at Vince with his eyes. Even after agreeing to us friendly cuddling a while back, he hates it. I can't tell why exactly. I can't tell why he thinks Vince is wrong for me either. Yes, he sleeps around. Yes, he's a party animal. Yes, he's a motherfucker who knows how to use his pretty face. But he's Vince Blake, the man I've been in love with since freshman year, before Parker even got in the football team. It doesn't matter whether or not he approves anyway, things will work out at the end. I know they will.

Suddenly, Vince shifts and I'm rudely shaken. I peek an annoyed eye open. Before I can say or see anything, someone grabs me.

"You're such an ass," Neil says, scooting me over so I can lay on him instead.

I frown, confused at the sudden change. "Huh?" I let out.

I feel more weight pressing on the table's bench. My eyes struggle getting used to the blindind cafeteria lighting. Neil softly places a hand over my eyes to spare me. There's a foreign female voice, all flirty, and an overly amused high-pitched giggle.

"Don't worry about it, Haz. Vince is just fooling around with his new..." He inches his mouth closer to my ear for privacy. "Toy."

My stomach falls. So soon? I grimace at the idea, paying attention to the voice even more. And I recognize it. That cunning twat, Eve. I shoot up, out of Neil's hold. She throws me a short glance but soon smiles warmly.

"Hi, I'm Eve." She holds a hand out for me to shake. I glare at it.

Behind her, Vince raises his eyebrows encouragingly. I don't budge, still. Parker is too immersed into his burger to notice the situation. He has a thing with gross cafeteria burgers, somehow.

"Play nice, Stiles," he warns, harsher than I would've liked.

Reluctantly, I shake her hand. She smiles against before letting me face her back, all over Vince like a flea again. I pout, mumbling profanities to myself. Neil pokes my forehead, an encouraging look in his eyes. I sigh, annoyed. He seems to pity me, enough to slide his carton of strawberry milk in front of me. It's Vince's favourite. And my favourite too.

"There. Gift," Neil says.

I immediately glance excitedly at Vince. Will he pay attention to me more if I give it to him? It's not like Eve has given him anything other than, well, a couple blowjobs in the bathroom, undoubtedly. I look back at Neil. He reads me in a second. His smile falters a bit but he allows me with a conciliatory nod.

"Vince," I call out.

"Yeah?" he says, Eve practically on his lap.

"For you." I slide the carton further on the table. He catches it.

"Thanks, Stiles." He opens it, takes a short gulp, as if to satisfy me, and goes back to groping Eve.

I make a gagging noise. Parker, on the other side of the table, finally pays attention. His face morphs into disgust and annoyance quickly.

"What the fuck, Vince. Not at the table, we've agreed on this," he scolds. The other players agree, one after the other.

At the complaints, Vince rolls his eyes but pushes Eve off him anyway.

"Later," he tells her, dismissively. She slams her lips against his roughly and kisses him wetly, in front of all of us, before leaving, swaying her bum.

"What a woman," a player says.

"I know right?" Vince replies, downing the strawberry milk like it's a shot of whiskey.

I stand up, ready to leave after her.

"Where are you going? You've barely eaten," Parker (unnecessarily) comments.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" another player asks.

Neil only stares at me worriedly, silent for once. Vince keeps on chewing on his food and scrolling on his phone, barely paying attention.

"Bathroom. I have an... emergency." I don't wait for their answers and rush out of the cafeteria.

Once I reach the hallway, I find Eve turning a corner, at the left extremity of the hall, towards the gym area. I jog to catch up. I follow her into the cheerleading lobby and decide to speak up before she notices me on her own.

"Eve," I say.

She spins around, somehow graciously, barely any surprise readable on her face.

"Yes? Hazel, was it?" she asks with a smile and I'm reminded why I hate her. She's a brat. Everything she says sounds like a mockery.

"I need you to end things with Vince. Now." I cross my arms. She crosses hers too, stubborn.

Already, she seems to have understood my game. And she isn't willing to play along.

"No." Her gaze is a challenge. I'm willing to take it, anyday, anytime.

"Don't make me make you," I warn.

"I heard of you doing this. Scaring girls away." She pauses, looks me up and down.

"You're quite disappointing. Thought you'd be scarier," she ends her sentence, raising a curious eyebrow.

"I will hurt you. So if you don't want this to get messy, leave Vince alone." I grit my teeth.

She laughs at me, flicking her black hair.

"How about no? He picked me here, not you."

Touché. I'm midly hurt but I hide it.

"You were not his first pick, nor his second, sorry to break it to you," I tease, hoping I still have the upper hand.

"Yeah well, he wouldn't ever pick you. Even if you were the last woman on Earth, Hazel," she states as if it was a fact.

I clench my fists and tremble in anger. My silence incites her to keep going.

"Actually, I'm willing to help you out here. I'll teach you a lesson because brats like you can't learn otherwise." She smiles cruelly and I actually start fearing what she means by that.

Suddenly, two girls, both cheerleaders, grab me by the shoulders and arms. I struggle in their strong grip. Eve grins at them.

"Let me go!" I scream.

"Not before you learn," she says, hitting me in the ribs with her fist, hard.

And then she hits me again, and again, and again. On my back, stomach, ribs. By the end, when they let go of me, I drop to the floor hopelessly. Pain thumps in me. My heart beats in my temples. Humiliated, I pull myself up to my feet and limp to the nearest bathroom. In the mirror, my reflection looks flawless. No bruise on my face or anything. I raise my shirt. There are red spots all over my torso but they're too fresh to have darkened yet. I don't even look like I've had a finger laid on me. I guess it's for the better that I don't look the way I feel. The more I stare, the angrier I get. How dare she? Vince is mine and he cares more about me than he cares about her, obviously. I need to tell him.

Infuriatingly slow, I drag myself to the cafeteria, ready to pile it all on, tears and all. To my surprise, the usual chatter has quieted down. I soon spot our usual table and smile at the idea of Vince's comforting embrace. My smile drop quickly though as I notice that all the players have swarmed around someone. A player sees me and announces my presence to the others in a mutter. Slowly, the swarm splits, revealing a bawling Eve and her two friends, comforting her. Neil seems deeply distressed. Parker has a concerned look on his face, mixed with disappointment. Vince glares through me, fulminating. Eve has a brief, evil crooked smile before going back to her victim act. Shit. I'm fucked.