The End Zone

Chapter 11

"So that's the guy you're into?" Zack asks as we walk down the street to our rides. "Who the hell is he, calling you love? He's not Australian."

"As opposed to Princess," I retort. "And I'm not into him. I just met him."

He gives me a look. "Your cheeks are bright red, Amelia."

I shake my head. "You're being ridiculous. Did you drink too much, Zack?"

He walks ahead then pauses and I almost smack into his back. Suddenly, he turns around and looks at me.

"We're all on the Titanic and there's only one raft. Who would you save?"

I blink. "You can't be serious."

"Me or him?" he asks.

I cross my arms, giving him a look. He continues to stare back, unaffected. The tops of his cheekbones are tinged pink, which is the only explanation I can think of for this.

"You really wanna know?" I ask.

He arches an eyebrow.

"Fine," I say. We lock eyes. "Obviously, I would choose... him."

Zack frowns at me as I burst into laughter. "Wow," he says. "You just met the guy and you're gonna let me drown for him. I saw the way he was touching those turntables." He shakes his head. "Your mistake."

"You asked me for an honest answer," I say, pressing my lips together to hold back a smile.

"Well, for the record, if it was you and him drowning, I'd save him over you, too."

I roll my eyes. "Cute."

We arrive at the cars and he shakes his head at me one final time before slipping away.

---

A couple of days later, my phone lights up with a text from Drew. I tell him that I'm not looking for a relationship right now. He replies that that's fine and invites me over to his apartment where he will cook "the best home-cooked meal I'll ever have."

Ever since the whole ordeal with Marcus, it's hard for me to go to anyone's house alone- let alone a guy's house. He offers hiking, which seems like a setup for me to get murdered. We settle on flying kites. That's a new one.

It's not a date per se but I still want to look nice. I run around my room, finishing a full face of makeup, and it's not bad. There's still some time so I figure I might as well take this one time I look nice and take a few pictures. Hell, I'll even post one.

I stick my phone in my pocket once I get to the park. Drew is already there in casual clothing and a baseball cap with two kites in his hand. It's oddly wholesome compared to the scene yesterday.

"Hi," he says. His eye contact is so intense, I have to focus to keep it. "You look nice."

"Thank you," I say, accepting the kite from him. He's explaining something about the kites when my phone buzzes with a notification from The Ex.

It's a reply to the selfie: Who's this? Can't be you.

"I'm going to kill him," I mutter as I aggressively type back an angry message.

Drew stops, his hands frozen on the kite. "Wow," he says. "First date and I'm already being targeted. I thought we'd at least get to lunch first." Then he catches himself. "I mean, first hangout. As platonic friends."

"I'm sorry," I say, shutting my phone off and stuffing it in my pocket. "I hate when people go on their phones when we're hanging out. I promise it's off now."

He shrugs. "No worries," he says. "But let me guess. It was your ex?"

"He just likes to annoy me for fun," I say. "It's like he becomes a kid when I-" My voice cuts off when I realize I'm doing it again. Talking about him.

I can practically see Daniel chastising me for "losing the game."

"Never mind," I say. "So do you fly kites often?"

"Actually, I've never flown one before," he says, unwinding the string. He flashes a grin. "I bet I can still get mine to fly higher than yours, though."

I laugh a little. "I've never flown one either. My parents weren't the type to take me out to the park and fly kites."

His eyes brighten. "In that case, ignore everything I just said. I am a kite expert."

He walks closer to me and starts to unwind the kite string. I don't protest when our fingers brush but it doesn't go further than that. Pretty soon, my Hello Kitty kite is flying in the sky.

I stare up at it and my lips pull into a grin. It looks like Hello Kitty can touch the clouds.

I don't know what comes over me but it's like I'm a kid. Except it's the life I never experienced. I grab the string and start to sprint, watching as Hello Kitty makes a spiral in the air. Giggles spill out of me as I spin and run.

They're quickly cut off when Hello Kitty gets stuck in a tree and a branch stabs through her small intestine.

My mouth falls open as I stare at the broken kite. Man, I really can't do anything without messing up.

"Drew," I start. "I'm so sorry. I'll pay you back for the kite I-"

"Forget it," he says, voice soft. His eyes are like pools of chocolate and it feels like something gets caught in my throat. He looks at me straight. "It was worth it to see you smile like that."

My hands fall to my side. He sounds so genuine that it almost pains my heart. I look back at Hello Kitty, wondering if I could climb up a tree. If Zack was here, he could probably get it. He'd roll his eyes and complain about it but then I'd blink and Hello Kitty would be in my hands, hole in her chest and all.

Drew walks over and stares at Hello Kitty like she's a piece of art in a museum.

"I guess you win," I say weakly, staring up at his kite. It's Star Wars. Baby Yoda flaps in the wind.

Drew raises an eyebrow and he winds it back. "Do I get a prize?"

I smile. "I did murder Hello Kitty. What do you want?"

He steps forward and I feel my breath catch. "This isn't a date," I blurt out.

He blinks at me then smiles. "I'm not going to kiss you," he says. "Though I'm flattered that's where your mind's at."

I shake my head. "I'm sorry. I just... I get confused by signals sometimes." My mind flickers to Marcus. "I thought it's best if I made myself clear."

"Well, I'm not going to kiss you," he repeats. He purses his lips slightly. "Not when you're still thinking about your ex."

He looks at me as if waiting for me to agree.

"He's just a really big part of my life," I say finally. "I'm working on it."

"I get it," Drew says. "First love, right?"

"He's awful," I say. "Really. It's just the timing-"

"Like I said, I get it," he says. "But if there's a chance, I don't mind the occasional competition."

I smirk. "I can tell."

"And you know what they say. The best way to get over someone is to get under-"

"Okay," I interrupt with a smile. "Do you still wanna grab lunch?"

"With you?" he says. His smile widens. "Anytime. Any place."