Colby
The morning sunlight poured through my window, pulling me from my slumber. I groaned and held my head, feeling exhausted from the previous night’s events.
As I slowly sat up in bed, I made my way to the curtains, intending to close them fully. But as I reached for the fabric, I caught sight of Allison on the other side of the window, sipping coffee, her back turned to me.
My heart skipped a beat as I watched her, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. Despite the tiredness weighing on me, the sight of her filled me with a warmth that spread throughout my body. It was moments like this that made it clear to me-I still had those fucking feelings for Allison.
I stood there, silently admiring her from afar, not wanting to interrupt her peaceful morning. But deep down, I couldn’t help but pray that she would feel the same way one day, leaving that Jayden! Fuck!
Just as I was about to retreat from the window, Allison suddenly turned around, catching me off guard. My heart skipped another beat, and I felt a rush of nervousness wash over me. I wanted to hide, but it was too late-she was already smiling and waving at me.
“Hey Colby!” she greeted, her voice carrying through the window.
I forced a smile and managed a small wave in response. “Hey, Allison,” I whispered, hoping she couldn’t sense the nerves in my voice.
“How was your night?” she asked, her smile still bright and warm.
I swallowed hard, my mind instantly going back to the events that had transpired between Sally and me. “It was fine,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “How about yours?”
Allison sighed, her smile fading slightly. “Tiring, to be honest.”
Concerned, I asked, “What happened? Why was your night so tiring?”
She laughed, her eyes sparkling despite her exhaustion. “Oh, I was just chatting with Jayden all night. He wouldn’t let me go to bed on time!”
My face fell, and I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. It was still hard and painful to know and hear about Allison spending so much time with Jayden, but I had to act like it didn’t bother me.
I forced a smile and said, “Oh, well, that’ll do it! But I’d better get going. I have practice soon.”
She nodded, understanding. “Okay, bye Colby!”
I nodded back and quickly closed the curtains fully, trying to hide the emotions that were threatening to show on my face. I took a deep breath, trying to push away the feeling of disappointment that lingered in my chest.
After finishing my morning routine-brushing my teeth, taking a shower, and getting dressed-I grabbed my bag with all my things and headed downstairs. Stella was there, smiling at me and gesturing towards the kitchen table. “Come and eat breakfast,” she said.
Reluctantly, I sat down and took a few bites, my mind still preoccupied with my earlier encounter with Allison. In an attempt to make conversation, I asked Stella about my dad. “Oh, he’s already left for work,” she replied.
“Oh, right,” I said, nodding absently as I continued to pick at my breakfast. My thoughts were still on Allison and Jayden, and I found it difficult to focus on the present moment. What the fuck is wrong with you, Colby Banks? She can never ever be yours so stop thinking already!
“I’m done,” I announced after a few minutes, pushing my plate away. “Thanks for the food. It was cool.”
“My pleasure,” Stella replied, wearing that usual smile.
In my thoughts, I couldn’t help but feel a lingering resentment towards her, even after all this time. Her smile seemed faker than my best friend’s veneers. But I tried to push those thoughts aside as I left the house and hailed a taxi to take me to the school field.
When I arrived, Coach greeted me with a smile. “Colby, good to see you! I hope you’ve settled whatever you were feeling last night.”
Oh right, I did. Well, almost did.
“Anyway, Go ahead and join the others for a warm-up run,” he said, giving me a slight tap on my shoulder.
I nodded, changed into my team t-shirt, and started running alongside the other players. The sun beat down on my back as I focused on putting one foot in front of the other, pushing all thoughts of Allison and Stella out of my mind for the time being.
As I ran, I felt someone fall into step beside me. It was Harry, my best friend and fellow player, flashing those unnaturally white veneers of his in a grin. “Hey Colby,” he panted.
“What’s up, Harry?” I replied, maintaining my pace.
Harry leaned in closer, whispering, “It’s about your sister.”
“Yvonne?” I asked.
“No, her,” he said, pointing across the field to Sally, who was busy with the cheerleading squad.
“What about her?” I asked, starting to slow down as confusion crept in.
Harry’s smile widened. “Can you hook me up with her? She’s so pretty.”
I stopped running altogether, staring at Harry in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
Harry shrugged, still smiling. “I have feelings for her, Colby.”
I felt my emotions swirl, unable to make sense of what was happening. Did my best friend really just confess his feelings for my step-sister, who also happened to be the girl I had just messed around with the night before? She’s the one that I’m going to ruin dude and there’s no way that I would allow you to date my ruins.
Anyway, why the hell is my head spinning as if I’m struggling to process the information?
Harry, oblivious to my inner turmoil, pressed on. “So, what do you say, man? Are you going to help me?”
I sighed, picked up my pace, and shouted over my shoulder, “Not in a million years!”
Harry looked taken aback, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to ask me to help him pursue Sally. It was bad enough that I was dealing with my own complicated feelings for her-I certainly didn’t need my best friend complicating things even further.