Coach's Daughter

7.

Chapter 7.

The car ride was uncomfortably silent. Luke seemed distracted, almost like something was bothering him. It was a different side to the charming, untouchable persona Luke adopted at school. He always seemed so chill and outgoing around everyone.

"Luke," I said quietly, determined to break the awkward silence. I wasn't sure how to ask him what was wrong. I barely knew the guy. What if he was being so quiet because my dad had all but forced him to give me a ride home? Did he resent me?

Luke startled out of his strange standoffish state at the sound of his name. His eyes met mine for a second before he looked back at the road. "Yeah?"

I bit my lip and looked down, fiddling with my bracelet. Was it weird to ask him what was wrong, since we weren't friends? I took a deep breath and decided to just ask. I was brimming with curiosity. "Is there something wrong? You seem so out of it... like somethings really bothering you."

"It's that obvious?" Luke asked, a small sigh escaping from his lips. He'd been stressed out since we'd gotten into the car. I'd only ever seen him acting like a happy and, well, classic jock. His whole demeanor had changed in the 10 minutes we'd been on the road. Of course it was obvious.

I looked over at him in the driver's seat. He had one hand resting on the center console and his other on the steering wheel. His fitted black t-shirt showed off his muscular arms, and his dark brown hair framed his classically handsome features. Yup. I was definitely attracted to him.

Since I'd asked him if he was okay, his face had relaxed a little, but he still didn't seem like himself. He looked stressed. "Do you want to talk about it?" I offered.

Luke looked over at me as we stopped at a four-way stop. A small glint of amusement showed on his face, and his lips curved up into his usual half-grin. That was the Luke I was used to seeing.

"I've just got some family thing on my mind," he said. "That's all."

I nodded. Family was a personal topic I didn't feel comfortable asking about. After all, I was just some kid Luke didn't really know.

When I didn't respond verbally, Luke added, "College is the real issue behind it."

College. The one topic that would really highlight our age difference. Of course. Being only a sophomore, I hadn't really started to think about college.

"What about it?" I asked cautiously.

Luke sighed. "I have scholarship offers from over 10 schools. Some are full scholarships, others are smaller."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

What was so bad about having so many options? Wouldn't his parents be happy Luke could go to college for free?

Luke snorted. "Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you?"

The amusement faded from Luke's face as he thought about it. For a minute, I thought he'd zoned out again, but then the vehicle came to a stop and I realized we were in my driveway. It had been the fastest 20 minutes of my life, and I wasn't ready for it to end. I wanted to ask him more. I wanted to talk to him about college. I wasn't ready to go sit in my room alone and bored. So I pretended we were still driving and continued the conversation.

"What do you mean by, 'you'd think'?"

Luke put his car in park and turned to face me. His eyes showed a small glint of the amusement that I was coming to adore.

"Do you actually care?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow tauntingly.

I grinned, trying to emulate his easy humor. "I mean, I guess I have nothing better to do than listen to you complain about having scholarships most guys would kill for," I teased. "Besides, you're the most popular guy in school. I'm sure everyone will love to read all about dashing Luke's college troubles on my gossip blog. Since I'm a little kid, you wouldn't expect me to take this conversation seriously, now, would you?"

Luke reached over and tickled me, laughing. "You're a brat, you know that?"

I stuck my tongue out at him, pushing him away. "You know you love it. Besides, it worked. You're smiling and laughing and acting like yourself. Mission accomplished."

I sat up in my seat now, trying to look more mature. "But seriously," I told him. "Before we left school you were all cocky and had that half grin/smirk thing you do all the time. Then we got into the car, and you became someone totally different. So yeah, I want to know why."

The amusement in his eyes spread across his face as his lips curved upward into a grin. He leaned closer to me, and my heart beat faster. Was he actually going to tell me?"

"Have you been watching me Faye?" he murmured.

My stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels. Why did he have so much power over me? He was a jerk who thought I was just a kid, but I was a goner anyway. My heart beat wildly. That wasn't what I had expected him to say.

"What? No!" I said, turning away from him and looking out the window to avoid his gaze. I couldn't lie to his face. "I just meant that's my impression of you whenever I see you around school. I'm not some kind of creepy stalker."

Luke placed his hands on my shoulders, and the touch felt electric. I wondered if he felt the attraction too, or if it was all in my head. "Oh come on, I was just joking with you. I know what you meant."

The tone of his voice was sincere, and I knew he hadn't meant anything by his comment. I was practically drooling over the guy, and he was completely oblivious.

I turned away so he wouldn't see me blushing.

"I know," I said quietly, turning slowly back to face him. "I should probably get inside."

Luke gave me a small nod, and slid his hands down from my shoulders to my waist, pulling me closer to him. Oh. My. God. Was he going to kiss me? I sat there awkwardly, trying to figure out what to do. As he pulled me in closer, I turned my head towards him, giving him the opportunity to kiss me if he wanted to. I wanted him to. For a long moment, I thought he might. Then he wrapped me in a brotherly hug instead.

"Thanks for cheering me up," he murmured. "You're a good friend."

My heart sank as I realized that Luke hadn't meant anything romantic by the gesture. I was like a kid sister or a friend, but not a romantic interest. And that hurt more than I wanted to admit. "Thanks for the ride," I mumbled as I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door. I needed fresh air and to get away from Luke to clear my head.

"Don't mention it." Luke smiled at me. "After all, I have a feeling this won't be the last time I give you a ride home."

My knees went weak as I realized he was right. And though my pounding heart and nervous stomach subsided as he pulled away, his touch had left me feeling almost intoxicated--I couldn't quite think straight. Somehow, I was both dreading and anxiously awaiting my next car ride home with him, curious to see where...whatever that had been...would lead us. One thing was certain: this was going to be interesting.