If it wasn't strange enough that the most popular boy in eleventh grade was hanging out with me, it's even stranger he's hanging out with my dad. Yep, Vincent has been coming to my house every Sunday to watch football with my dad. Every time, he would bring food with him like burgers and cupcakes. I only stay with them during the game, so I can partake in the food. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to handle how weird it felt. Plus, I don't know a think about football besides the fact people play with a ball that's not shaped like a ball.

Since we came back from fall break, people have definitely noticed how Vincent is often around me. Not like he wasn't before, but people had a reasonable explanation- Vincent was trying to get close with Vivian, and I was lucky enough to take be her friend to be able to be around him too. I even thought the same thing. Since Vivian is no longer on good terms with me, but Vincent still is, people who have never talked to me before have been trying to get friendly with me.

It usually started off with a "Hey, you're Vivian's friend, right?" I would respond with "sort of" and tried to end the conversation. Usually, they did stop the conversation. However, everyday they started small talk with me. Maybe if they did that longer I would actually think they wanted to know me. It was obvious they were just trying to get into the gossip when they got impatient and asked me about Vincent after a couple of days. Whatever they asked, I just said I was his tutor. They looked unsatisfied with answer, but no matter how much they pressed me, I didn't say anything else. In school, anything you say could and will be used against you. My distrust in people have caused me to lack in making any close friends. That and I'm boring.

My phone rings and I lift my head up. It's not my lunch alarm, but a text from Vivian. Vivian? Vivian! Without hesitation, I open the text.

Vivian: Why are you telling people we're friends?

Me: I didn't say that. They asked me so I answered with sort of.

Vivian: We're not sort of friends. You stabbed me in the back. You knew I liked Vincent, but you still went after him. You could've been honest instead of using and lying to me.

Me: I didn't go after him. I promise I tried my best to set a date up between you guys.

Vivian: I saw you as a best friend and you treated me this way. I just want to be clear that you hurt me too much. We can't be friends anymore.

Me: I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you, Vivian. Can we please talk after school?

Vivian: I can't trust you anymore.

Me: I understand. I'm sorry even though my apology won't do much.

After I pressed send my face drops into my backpack. My arms cross so that the sides of my hidden. Salty tears trickle even though I shut my eyes tight with all my might hold them back. You messed everything up, Wendy. She hates you for sure now. You're an idiot. Why would you even think she would forgive you after what you did? You should've been honest. Why did you get too close to Vincent?

"Wendy, I got fries!" Vincent sings and plops down next to me. He shakes my shoulder a bit. "Wake up."

"Eat without me. I'm not hungry," I say hoarsely.

"You're never not hungry," Vincent reputes.

"Today's an exception."

"Tell me what happened."

"Nothing. I'm just not hungry." My mouth may be able to tell lies, but my stomach doesn't. A whiff of the fries are enough to make my stomach growl.

"Jeez, Wendy. Just have some."

The snot building up is too much for me to hide anymore, so I'm forced to sniffle.

"Wendy... Are you crying?"

"No, I'm just a bit sick."

"Let's stop sitting out here. It's getting too cold for you."

"I'm fine. I like it here."

There's some shuffling before I feel a jacket is draped over my shoulders.

"Vincent, it's okay. You're going to be cold."

"I'm fine."

Then, there's a sudden crash and Vincent curses. I whip my head up to see what happens. Vincent is holding a rock to the metal pole. He quickly drops it and rushes to me before I can think to lower my head again. He grips the sides of my face in his large palms.

"Finally you lift your head up."

"Vincent, thats not funny. I thought something happened," I scold and try to wiggle my head away. Vincent only holds on firmer and closely leans in to examine my face.

"You were crying," he frowns.

"It's allergies."

"You said you were sick."

"Same thing."

The residue of tears at the ducts of my eyes gather and drops. Vincent's face tightens and he wipes it away with his thumb. I pull away right after he does.

"I'm fine. Let's eat." I dig through the brown paper bag and grab a bundle of fries before cramming them into my mouth.

"Who made you cry?"

"No one. I just have allergies."

"Did someone mess with you? Did they say something to you?"

"No. Nothing happened. Here." I shove fries into Vincent's mouth to shut him up. He stares at me for a while before reluctantly and slowing chewing.

"My mom wants to invite you to dinner. Thanks to you I've been getting straight A's."

"I didn't really help. You're just naturally smart." My compliments seems to overjoy Vincent, who gives me a wide smile and leans his head closer towards mine.

"Anyways, you have to go. You don't want to piss off your teacher by blowing her off."

"I don't know," I sigh.

"I already told my mom you said yes. She wants you to come for New Years Eve."

I groan, which sends Vincent into a chuckle. I forget that his jacket is still slung over me, and all he has on is a t-shirt.

"Vincent, put this on." I shove the jacket towards him, but he refuses.

"I'm fine."

"It's cold out."

"I don't feel it. Since you do, you wear it," he defiantly rejects.

"Look, you have goosebumps." I grab his arms and run my fingers over his biceps to prove he has bumps on them. I freeze when I realize how awkward it looks, and I quickly retract my hands.

Vincent smiles at me while I shyly look away. "Anyways, wait for me inside the cafeteria. It's too cold outside." Vincent crumples the paper bag and tosses it into the green dumpster.

"Don't you have track practice?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to be freezing outside."

"It's fine. I need fresh air anyways."

"Well, in that case, promise me you'll wear my jacket." Vincent finally slips his jacket back on.

My phone alarm rings simultaneously with the school bell. "Let's get to class."

"I'll take that as an okay then."

My fingers curl my under my sleeves to keep warm. The wind blows from my left, so I'm forced to tuck my hair behind my ears. Otherwise, it would fly in front of my face. The track team finally starts to file outside after changing. Vincent has his backpack and jacket with him as he jogs up the bleachers towards me. He sets his backpack next to mine and slings his jacket behind me, holding it up my the collars.

"Arms."

"I can put it on myself." I try to take the jacket from him, but Vincent persists. In defeat, I slip my arms into the sleeves while Vincent holds the jacket for me. He kneels down to zip up it up while the track team looks in amusement. "Vincent, hurry. Your coach is going to blame me if you're not there when he starts practice."

Vincent stands up and smiles at me with a sense of accomplishment. "There are gummy bears in my backpack." He runs off, looking back a me for a bit before joining the rest of the track team.

I nibble on the gummy bears while I trace Vincent on the track with my eyes. The two girls from last time sit down next to me.

"Wendy, right?" says the one who was trying to ask Vincent out last time.

"Yeah."

"I'm Ally. My friend's Mia."

"Hey," says Mia.

"Hi," I respond in a monotone voice.

"I didn't realize it was you who was Vivian's friend. Sorry what I said last time," Ally explains.

"I wasn't any of my business."

"You didn't say anything to Vincent, right?"

"It wasn't my business to tell."

"So we're cool, right?"

"Sure."

"I was only joking about asking Vincent out. I'm actually dating Bryan."

"He's the really tall basketball player. You know him right?" Mia adds.

"I don't really talk to him," I bluntly admit.

"Anyways, you should hang out with us sometime. Mia and I are having a double date with our boyfriends. You should join us with Vincent."

"I'm only Vincent's friend." It's obvious they used the invitation to indirectly ask me about Vincent.

"Oh really? Sorry, I saw him put his jacket on you so I assumed..."

"Me too. You guys are always together," Mia chides in.

"Vincent's was just joking around." I try to ignore them by eating gummy bears.

"You must be dating someone then." Mia continues the conversation.

"Nope."

"Really? You're so pretty though," Ally forcefully gasps. Funny, last week they were just calling me ugly. Besides, if a guy likes me only because I was pretty, I'd rather not have a boyfriend.

"Not really."

"We're serious. You're naturally cute. You just gotta show it. Maybe we can give you a makeover," Mia suggests.

"No, thanks."

I see Ally and Mia roll their eyes in annoyance of my constant rejection. I may be socially awkward, but I'm not an idiot. They're only being nice to me because they realized how close Vincent has gotten to me. After all, you keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

"Anyways, you and Vincent should come along on our double date anyways. Just think of it as friends hanging out," Ally persists.

"Sounds fun," Vincent joins in. He reaches for his water bottle takes a few gulps.

"Yeah, Wendy," Mia agrees.

"I'm busy this weekend," I lie. My plans are to watch cooking shows while I share a salad with Wilbur. I fear that metabolism is going to slow eventually and my eating habits are going to start catching up to my slender figure. It's been a long time since I haven't had homework, and I don't intend to waste my free-time with people I barely know or like.

"We'll be there. Tell Sam to text me where you guys are going." With that, Vincent's gone to continue practice.

"We'll see you Saturday then." They finally leave.

By the time I finish the gummy bears, Vincent finishes practice and we go to eat ice cream, despite how chilly it was.

I couldn't sleep Friday night. Vincent and I have always hung out. I see him in my classes, at lunch, after school, and on Sunday's. But, for some odd reason, I was so nervous for today. I naturally wore up early for once, which is as rare as me rejecting food. I paced around my room looking for the right outfit for the first time. I carefully brushed and parted my hair. I put on body spray. What is going on with me? Why am I acting like this?

A wave of guilt washed over me when I thought about Vivian. What if she misunderstands? Will she hate me even more? Does she already hate me beyond measure? I couldn't help but read her text over and over. Where did I go wrong in apologizing? What should I have said instead?

I didn't even hear the doorbell ring, but Vincent came in my room while I was busy thinking. Dad must've let him in. I thought Vincent was early until I realized it was already two o'clock.

"What are you doing?" He sits next to me.

I quickly shut off my phone. "Nothing. Just mindlessly looking at stuff while waiting."

"Cool, you ready to go?"

"Sure. Where are we going?"

"To canoe at a lake. Maybe you want to change into shorts so your pants don't get wet."

I didn't notice before, but Vincent was in shorts and a shirt. I thought it was cold out but after inspection through my window, the weather actually looks nice.

"Give me a minute." I rummage through my drawers to find a pair of shorts I haven't worn once before quickly changing into them in the bathroom. Luckily, they still fit, the hem a bit below my mid-thigh. I stopped for a bit before walking out. No one besides my family has seen me in anything but jeans before. Exposing my legs for once is out of my comfort zone. I decided to deal with it anyways because the feeling of wet jeans clinging to me is the worse.

Vincent decided to drive us on his motorcycle. It's gotten less awkward for me to hug him, but my chest still hammers slightly. I'm surprised Dad didn't scold Vincent for bringing a vehicle most parents consider unsafe. Instead, he told Vincent to get me home by ten o'clock.

We got to the lake after twenty minutes. Ally, Mia, and their boyfriends were already there. I recognize one of them as Sam, since I see him at track practice everyday.

"You guys are finally here." Ally is the first to greet us.

"Hey," Vincent says to them.

"Oh, you're bleacher girl," Sam says to me.

"Yeah. You're on the track team, right?"

"Yep."

"This is Wendy," Vincent introduces.

"The team has been wonder what your girlfriend's name was this whole time," Sam chuckles.

"Sam, they're only friends," Mia corrects.

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense now. We thought it was wierd- never mind."

"We haven't met before. I'm Bryan."

"Nice to meet you," I quietly reply. Nothing has happened yet, but my stomach is already twisting. Is it too late to ditch?

"We should go rent the canoes. One for each pair right?" Ally asks.

"Sure." Mia goes with her.

"I should go and pay for our's," I say to Vincent. He intercepts me.

"Don't worry about it." He leaves and Sam follows him to pay too. I'm left with Bryan, who suprising play doesn't follow them. I avoid eye contact by staring at the ground while I kick around the sand.

"So, you're that chick everyone's been talking about."

"What do you mean?" I keep my eyes on the ground and use the toes of my shoes to draw lines.

"The one who's been flirting with Vincent."

My ears burn. "We're only friends."

"Since we just met, we might as well be honest with each other."

"I don't get what you're trying to say." I finally lift my head to glare at him.

"You have have benefits right? Friends with benefits?"

"No," I sternly respond.

"I mean, he wouldn't hang out with someone like you for no reason."

"You're right. I don't know why he hangs out with me, but it's not because of what you think."

"You know, I'm starting to understand Vincent." Bryan steps closer to me and I back away. "Maybe it's because you used to be always around Vivian that you didn't look as hot. But now, you don't look too bad."

"Mind your own business and focus on your girlfriend," I warn. I'm fuming as I storm off away from the group. I find a tree to hide behind and try to collect myself. I don't usually get upset by what people say, but his words disgust me, making my stomach tie into knots.

"Wendy." Vincent jogs up to me. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed some shade."

"Do you want me to buy you a hat?" Vincent turns to get me one, but I stop him by tugging on his shirt.

"No, I'm fine now. Let's go." We meet up with the others again and I try to avoid being near Bryan. He acts like nothing happened.

Vincent helps me get onto the canoe first before climbing in. Immediately, I start to paddle away as far as I can.

"Woah, Wendy. I didn't realize you were this strong." I look at Vincent confused. His paddle still sat in the canoe, untouched by the water. We were already further than the others, even though we were the last to get in.

"Did I paddle all the way here myself?"

"Yep," he chuckles in astonishment. "Did you canoe before?"

"Nope, my first time."

"I'm impressed, Wendy."

"Thanks." I feel I could finally breathe again now that it's just Vincent and me.

"Why did you go so far from the others?"

"I don't know, just felt like being alone."

"With me?" Vincent grins. My face heats from the realization of my words.

Vincent suddenly has a boost of energy and he starts to paddle us even further away.

"Vincent."

"Huh?"

"Why do you hang out with me?"

Vincent looks at me in surprise. I guess it's because I've never been this direct with him before.

"Isn't it obvious why?"

"Why?"

"Cause I like you."

"Yeah,but I'm not that like-able. I'm so boring. Wouldn't you rather hang out with Carson and Logan and Luke?"

"Wendy, you're still dense."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought it was clear how I felt about you after fall break."

The memory of the hike rushes to my cheeks and reddens them.

"Why though?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of girls who would treat you better than I do. You guys would suit each other better. Like Vivi-"

"Wendy, I don't need a reason to like you. I just do. I feel great when I'm around you. Like I can say anything and do anything and just be myself. No one treats me better than you do."

I'm embarrassed from my question, so I avoid continuing the conversation and start to paddle again.

"Did someone say something to bother you?"

I'm silent for a while. "No."

"Well, whatever you hear at school, don't listen to them. I know it's hard to, but don't."

"I know." I force a smile to reassure Vincent and he smiles back.

Once our two hours of renting time was up, we went back to shore. The others decided to swim. Vincent and I didn't bring any change of clothes, so we chose to walk and dip our feet into the water instead. We were twenty meters away from the group until we stopped.

"Next time, we should go by ourselves," Vincent suggests.

"Yeah," I agree, which surprises Vincent. He slyly smiles and walks up besides me, snatching up my hand spans holding it.

"Vincent!"

"My hand's cold."

"Then out it in your pocket." As I said that, I realize Vincent was only wearing a shirt. However the weather was nice. For some reason, I didn't resist anymore and we kept walking like that.

We walked for an hour, and it took us another hour to round back. By then, the others we already changed and drying off at a picnic table. Our hands were so used to each other, we almost forgot to let go before rejoining the group. I had to be the one to unlace our fingers since Vincent seemed like he had no plans of letting go anytime soon. Friends walk around holding hands, right? It's completely normal...right.

I've seen Olivia and Evelyn do it, but they might not be the best example of simple friends. I haven't even had the chance to ask them about their relationship since Wren told me about the possibly of them being more than friends. Then again, I'm no longer in the position to.

"Ready to go eat?" Ally asks, looking directly at Vincent.

"Sure."

"Let's go to a diner I know. It's nearby and they serve breakfast for dinner," Sam suggests.

"Sounds great!" Mia agrees and gives Sam a quick kiss.