Friend Zone Read online

  Peter gave him the once-over. “Yo, my man, you’re late,” he complained. “I need you to get blue and do my back. The lady doctor keeping you busy?”

  “The lady doctor was fired,” Jack said, closing the door behind his friend. It was another lady giving him pause.

  “Already? What happened?”

  “She drove me an hour out of the city to show me the beautiful sunset, tell me she loved me, and announce she was ready to move our relationship to the next level.” Jack raised his hand sarcastically.

  “Ouch!”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. I had the worst night yesterday.” And the worst day, today. What the hell, Ice! Jack shook his head.

  Peter took his headshake for disappointment about the doctor. “Come on, my man,” he said. “Tonight we’re going to find you a hot nurse to replace the doctor and cure your soul. Now put on your white shorts and let’s get blue.”

  ***

  The Smurf costumes were a rousing success. It was impossible for them to move around the party without being the center of attention. Twenty tall guys were hard to miss in a crowd already—paint them blue, and it became impossible. The ladies seemed to love the idea; the guys scored extra points for daring and originality.

  Jack dodged a girl who was pushing through the crowd, sloshing her drink over anyone not fast enough to get out of her way. As she scurried by, Jack noticed the girl’s face was smeared with blue paint. At least one of his teammates had already scored. Jack poured himself a beer from a huge keg and took position next to Peter in a corner that offered a strategic view of the house.

  From his vantage point, he spotted a group of three girls with potential: a blonde and two brunettes. The ladies had their backs turned, but the rear view did not call for complaints. The blonde was dressed in a short, airy dress, which looked more like a babydoll shirt. She had little white wings strapped to her back. An angel. One brunette was clad in a tight, glittery black jumpsuit with only one shoulder strap. From her bottom sprouted a tail she’d laced around one wrist for support, and she had kitten ears. Meow. The last girl was wearing a short, sequined red dress and had tiny red horns on the top of her head. Hell-o. Jack had a good feeling about the trio.

  He nudged Peter. “Angel, devil, or hellcat?”

  The captain whistled. “I’ll take the kitty catty.”

  A pang of disappointment stabbed Jack’s chest; he would’ve chosen the kitten, too. Never mind. Angel or devil? As they scoped out their targets, a dude in an unoriginal vampire costume approached the girls and left a minute later with the she-devil. “I’ll take the angel, then,” Jack said.

  “Let’s see the faces first,” Peter cautioned.

  Jack stared as the angel spun around; she was pretty and looked familiar. Where had he seen her? Realization hit him a second before the black kitty turned around and they locked eyes. It was Ice.

  Five

  Alice

  Alice turned her head and met a pair of dark eyes. She pursed her lips, trying not to smile. Jack was a Smurf—genius. His blue face was a mask of surprise—he obviously hadn’t expected her to be here.

  She whispered in Madison’s ear, then dragged her roommate toward Jack and his fellow blue friend—from his impressive height, another basketball player—to say hello. Alice stopped in front of Jack and smiled. He blinked, stunned. He was gaping at her tight costume and not speaking.

  “Hi,” Alice said.

  “Hi.” Jack’s jaw tensed and his eyes became wary. “Why are you here?”

  It was time to let him know she could play oh so cool.

  “Most Kappa Kappa Gammas came here tonight.” Alice casually wrapped her hair to the side, leaving her bare shoulder and neck exposed. “At least, the cool gang did.”

  “My man,” the blue friend butted into the conversation. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

  With all the blue paint covering him, Alice couldn’t tell much about the second Smurf’s looks. Just that he was super-tall, ripped, and had popping blue eyes.

  “Peter, Alice,” Jack said without enthusiasm. “Alice, Peter.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Alice said. “I’d shake your hand, but I’m afraid of turning blue.” She turned around to introduce Madison, but her roommate was already chatting with another Smurf. “How many Smurfs are there?”

  “The entire team,” Peter said.

  “You play basketball with Jack?”

  “Yeah, headed for the NBA next year, hopefully.” He made a cute, no-biggies face.

  Alice noticed Jack fidgeting uneasily at Peter mentioning the NBA. Ah, the notorious NBA line. Alice had heard of this guy: Peter Wells was Jack’s preferred wingman, and the NBA reference was his favorite pickup line. Peter was hitting on her and Jack didn’t like it. Perfect!

  “The NBA, wow, how cool!” she said, playing along.

  “Hi, Alice.” Becky, a fellow Kappa Kappa Gamma dressed as a sexy nurse, stopped next to her. “Fraternizing with the Smurfs?”

  “Becky, meet Jack, fellow Chemistry student and the only non-nerd guy in my class, and Peter, future NBA star,” Alice introduced, trying to keep her eyes from wandering from their faces to their painted-but-still-very-visible six-packs.

  “Hi,” Becky said. “The house is full of Smurfs.”

  “Yep, the Crimson all came as Smurfs,” Alice said. “So, whose idea was it?” she asked Peter.

  “It was a team decision.”

  “It’s brilliant,” Becky said, openly staring at the generous amount of muscle on display.

  “So, Becky, is it? My friend here”—Peter patted Jack on one shoulder—“needs some nursing back to life. He’s recovering from an injured heart.”

  “Is he now?” Becky peered at Jack, then at Alice, as if she was silently asking, “Is he cool?”

  The sultriness in Becky’s voice made Alice’s skin prickle with ugly emotions: irritation, jealousy, pain, and anger. But she disciplined her features, trying to appear neutral. If Becky ended up sleeping with Jack tonight, she’d be forgotten by morning. It was more important for Alice to act unconcerned.

  “Jack’s a darling,” Alice said aloud, then leaned toward Becky to whisper in her ear, “If you’re looking for a night’s fun.” She tilted her head and winked at Jack, then continued speaking to Becky in hushed tones. “Don’t expect anything serious from him.” The sisterly code of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the more general girl code, demanded she warn Becky of what to expect.

  The information didn’t seem to bother Becky. She turned toward Jack once again, saying, “I’m out of juice.” She shook the empty red cup she was holding. “Why don’t we go get another drink?”

  He chugged whatever was left of his beer and shrugged. “Sure.”

  As they walked away, Jack peered over his shoulder, catching Alice’s eye. Confusion at her attitude was written all over his face. Then they were gone, and Alice was alone with Peter. Madison had disappeared with the other Smurf.

  “You’re a junior?” Peter asked.

  “Yes. You?”

  “Senior. And your concentration is Chemistry?”

  “Yep.”

  “Whoa, tough. You’re a smart girl, then.”

  “Were you hoping for dumb?”

  “No.” He shot her a grin, his teeth too white next to the blue lips. “I like a challenge.”

  “What’s your major?”

  “Econ. But hopefully, I won’t need it—”

  “Yeah, I know…” She waved him off. “Not with the NBA knocking on your door soon.” Now that Jack was gone, she didn’t have to pretend she cared about an alleged future career as a pro athlete.

  “You’re not into basketball?”

  “Not a sports fan in general.”

  “Ouch.”

  “What? Did I ruin your best pickup line?” Alice smiled to soften the blow.

  “Touché. Are you from around here?”

  “No, I’m originally from
Philly. You?”

  “Florida. Small town near Orlando.”

  Alice studied him for a few seconds. “I’m trying to imagine your face without the blue paint.”

  “Careful with that, I’m told I’m devastatingly handsome.”

  “And modest, too.”

  “You really have no idea how I look? Haven’t you been to a game? Not even once to see Jack play?”

  “No. Jack knows I don’t care about sports.” He also didn’t want her anywhere near his teammates, she suspected. “I don’t even know the rules. I get you guys have to throw the ball inside the basket, but that’s about it.”

  Peter chuckled. “I guess in the end that’s all that really matters. You should give basketball a shot. It’s a beautiful game.” He winked. “If you want, I can explain the basics to you.”

  “It’s too loud in here to concentrate on a game’s rules.”

  “Rain check for tomorrow?”

  Now he was playing a whole different ball game, but why not play along? If she really wanted to make Jack jealous, Peter would do the trick, and he might be a little treat for her self-esteem, too. She needed someone to look at her in a way that made her feel beautiful. Desirable. And Peter had definitely mastered that particular skill.

  “How about you grab me a drink for now?” she asked.

  “What are you having?”

  “Beer.”

  “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  Peter disappeared behind a corner and was back in a couple of minutes with two blue cups in his hands. He offered her one, saying, “Want to move upstairs? It’s too noisy to talk down here.”

  Dangerous question.

  “Sure,” Alice said.

  Dangerous answer.

  She followed him up the stairs, half-curious, half-worried to see if he would try to take her into a room. But Peter stopped at the top of the stairs and sat on a carpeted step. Alice sat next to him, keeping a safe distance.

  “I don’t bite,” he said.

  “But you stain.” She bumped her cup into his. “Cheers.”

  “To what?”

  “To an evening with a blue guy.” She raised her cup, and they both drank.

  “Would you get terribly mad if I got some paint on you?”

  Alice held his burning gaze. “It depends where.”

  He took the cup from her hands and set it alongside his on the landing. “How about on your lips?”

  “You can try.” She smiled. “I promise I’ll keep my claws in.”

  Careful not to touch her in any other way, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

  The kiss was gentler than Alice expected. And when it was over, it left her wanting more.

  “Is my face blue?” she asked.

  “Looks like you have dark lipstick on. Listen, I’m over this party. Did you drive here?”

  “No, walked. You?”

  “Yeah, me too. Can I walk you home?”

  “Let me check with my roommates.”

  Alice fished her phone out of the small clutch strapped across her torso to text Madison and Haley. Neither texted back.

  “I’m afraid my roommates have gone to visit the Smurfs’ village,” Alice said. “We can go if you want; I just have to grab my jacket, I left it downstairs. You came bare-chested in this cold?”

  “Hah, no. I left my hoodie in a room.” Peter sprang up and offered her a hand. “I’ll go grab it and meet you by the door.”

  Alice ignored the blue hand and stood up on her own. “Cool. See you downstairs.”

  Peter let his hand drop and gave her a peck on the lips before hurrying down the corridor.

  Alice hopped down the stairs and mercifully found her jacket on its hanger, undamaged. It was always a gamble to leave outerwear unsupervised at house parties; there was a good chance you’d never see it again. As she was pulling on her jacket, Alice caught a flash of white and blue out of the corner of her eye.

  She turned around, saying, “You were quick.”

  But she didn’t find the Smurf she was expecting staring back at her. She found Jack.

  Six

  Jack

  “Your face is half blue,” Jack said, swiping a thumb from the corner of Alice’s mouth down toward her jaw. The blue paint on her lips made him positively murderous.

  “And now I imagine you’ve made it worse,” Ice replied defiantly.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Peter is walking me home.”

  “Ice, don’t.” Jack stepped forward but stopped as she backtracked. “I get you’re mad at me for what happened today—”

  She cut him off. “This has nothing to do with you.”

  “Don’t bullshit me.”

  “I’m not.” Ice stared him down. “Earlier… I was upset about Ethan dumping me. Now I want to blow off steam, and Peter’s a charmer. What’s your problem?”

  Yeah. What was his problem? He’d seen her date before, no problema. He was cool, happy even, with her dating other guys. But not Peter. Mister NBA was the problem. Why? Jack wasn’t sure, but he knew he didn’t want Alice to have anything to do with his captain.

  “He’s not… What I mean is, I’ve told you how Peter is with girls. Why would you go home with him?”

  “To have fun?” Ice challenged. “Relax! I’m not shopping for a husband.”

  “Ice, don’t be like that.”

  Alice narrowed her eyes. “Be like what, exactly?”

  “This is not you. Come on, I’m taking you home.” Jack made to grab her elbow, but she recoiled. He wasn’t sure if it was to avoid his touch, the body paint, or both.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you. You’ve made it clear you’re only interested in being my friend, and guess what? I don’t need a friend tonight, I need a man.”

  As if on cue, a hand slapped his shoulder. “My man!” Peter said. “Keeping my lady company? Where did you put your nurse?”

  “She had to go to the bathroom,” Jack replied, stiffening. All of a sudden, Peter had become the most irritating person he knew, with his swagger and his constant my man-ing.

  “Might take the lady some time. I just passed the door and there’s a line,” Peter informed him. “I’m taking off.” Peter leaned in and added in a low voice, “And I hope this kitten doesn’t have claws. Then again, that could be fun too.”

  Jack felt an impulse to throttle his friend. Instead, he made an effort to stay calm. “The party’s just started and you’re going home already?”

  “It’s not that great of a party,” Alice interrupted. “We’re going. If you see Madison or Haley, can you tell them I went home? I’ve texted them, but just in case…”

  “Sure.” Jack shrugged. Alice pushed past him to get out. Unable to stop her, Jack tugged Peter’s arm and whispered in his ear, “Be nice to her. She’s a friend.”

  Peter gave him a foxy smile. “Hey, I’m always nice to the ladies.”

  Peter made to follow Alice, but Jack held him back. “I’m serious.”

  “Chill, my man. I’ll treat her with white gloves.”

  Reluctantly, Jack let him go. He cringed as he watched Peter wrap one arm around Alice’s shoulders as they headed for the door. She never looked back.

  Suddenly, the party seemed incredibly dull. All Jack wanted was to go home and wash off the body paint that had dried hard on his skin and now stretched and pulled with every movement he made. But going home alone wasn’t an option. He’d be stuck thinking about Alice and Peter together. Jack shook the image away. He was overreacting. Ice never slept with anyone on a first date, let alone after a trashy party. She might be mad at him, but she wasn’t going to sleep with Peter tonight. And Peter didn’t like it when girls didn’t sleep with him on the first night. He didn’t have the patience to wait. The whole thing would blow up before it even started. Jack had nothing to worry about.

  Jack marched to the bar, popped a Jell-O shot in his mouth, and
then another. He searched the countertop for a clean cup, filled it with ice from the fridge, poured himself an unhealthy amount of vodka, and topped up the cup with a splash of lemon soda.

  “There you are,” the nurse said. Jack couldn’t remember her name. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  “I was just mixing myself a drink. You want something?”

  “What are you having?” She stole the cup from him and grimaced after taking a sip. “Blech, too strong for me.” She gave the cup back. “But I’ll do a Jell-O shot. You want one?”

  “Sure.” Jack dropped his too-strong drink on the counter and took the shot, his third in as many minutes.

  Ready for the alcohol to kick in, Jack waited for the nurse to put down her glass before he cupped her face to kiss her. As he moved one hand to her back to pull her closer, she grabbed both his hands and kept them away from her body.

  “You’ll make me blue,” she said, pulling away from him.

  “You’re already blue,” he said, looking at her lips and thinking at once of another set of blue-stained lips.

  The nurse giggled and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Jack swallowed another shot and gave one to her as well.

  “The Smurfs idea is cool, but it can’t be comfortable,” she said.

  “It was a much cooler costume in theory. But this blue paint is getting really itchy.”

  “We should wash it off,” the nurse said suggestively.

  “We?”

  “Unless you prefer to shower alone.”

  “I don’t.” Jack downed another shot and gestured toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He grabbed his old sweatshirt from under a couple of dudes sitting on the couch and guided the nurse to the front of the house.

  Outside, when the cold night air hit his face, Jack paused. He threw a side-glance at the girl walking next to him. What was he doing? He could go home and shower alone, instead of sleeping with the umpteenth girl who meant nothing to him and whose name he couldn’t even remember. Maybe it was time to straighten his head, be serious with someone he really cared about. Ice.