Friend Zone Read online

  Madison captured a sulky-looking Blue as he hopped near the bed. “With his best friend?” she asked, stroking the bunny.

  “Well, I’m not going to stay single and wait for Jack to make up his mind.”

  “But if you go out with Peter, doesn’t that make you off-limits for Jack, even if he’s into you?”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know.” Madison shrugged. “Don’t they have a bro code—‘Bros before Hoes,’ or something like that?”

  “Huh. I hadn’t thought about that.” Was she making a mistake? No, Alice couldn’t second-guess herself like this. “If they have a secret code, I know nothing about it,” she told Madison. “Anyway, it’s nothing serious with Peter. He’s just a much-needed distraction.”

  “If you say so.” Madison sounded unconvinced. “Have you decided what to wear?”

  Alice turned back toward her closet. “No. I’ve never been on a sporty date before.”

  “You can borrow my new PINK set if you want.”

  “You’re a lifesaver!” Alice jumped on her bed to hug Madison. Blue squealed in protest.

  ***

  At two p.m., Peter texted Alice he was on his way. She took the elevator to the lobby and waited for him behind the hall’s glass doors, avoiding the outside cold.

  When a tall guy jogged up the steps, she didn’t recognize Peter, not until he waved and smiled from behind the glass. Alice’s breath caught in her throat. Peter was a Jake Gyllenhaal lookalike, much better looking than she expected. She reminded herself that looks meant nothing and put her woolen gloves on before opening the door.

  “Hey, you,” she said, feeling shy.

  He gave her a quick hug and flashed her a grin. “So, did I pass the face test?”

  Alice beamed back. “You know you did.”

  He winked. “Shall we go?”

  They entered Lavietes Pavilion from a secondary access, and Peter led the way to the basketball court. He took off his jacket and beanie. Alice watched him, thinking she’d never seen a guy look that sexy in sportswear. She followed his lead and peeled off her coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, setting them on another plastic chair.

  Alice sized up the stadium; it was much bigger than she had expected. Weird that they allowed players to come in when it was closed.

  “Are you sure we’re allowed in here?” Alice asked.

  “Not really.”

  Alice glared at Peter. “What do you mean?”

  “The coach didn’t exactly give me the keys; I might’ve lifted them from him.”

  “Are you crazy?” Her mouth gaped open before she started to panic. “We could get expelled! You could get kicked off the team…”

  “Nah,” Peter said, unfazed. “I’m too good a player to kick me off. Relax; no one’s coming today. Coach Morrison gave us a free day. Last one of the season, probably.”

  Alice still wasn’t convinced about staying. “How come?”

  “We have our first game next Saturday, so no free weekends until March. The coach told us to have fun on Halloween night, rest today, and get ready to sweat on Monday.”

  Alice let his enthusiasm infect her, and she relaxed. “Did he also tell you to get blue?”

  “No, that was the team’s personal initiative.”

  Alice stared around the court. “So this is where the magic happens?”

  “Yep. Wait here.”

  Peter unlocked another door—probably a storeroom—disappeared inside, and came back bouncing an orange ball. He stopped close to her and made the ball spin on his index finger.

  “Are you trying to impress me?”

  “Are you impressed?”

  “Not yet.”

  “How about now?” Peter turned toward the right basket, bent his knees, and made the shot from half a court away.

  Holding her breath, Alice watched the ball fly across the room. It went right through the metal hoop, barely making the net move. Peter was already running after it.

  “You’re such a showoff,” she said after he came back to stand beside her. “So, how does this game work?”

  Peter bounced the ball again while he explained. “Varsity rules are different from the real thing.” Every two or three bounces, he made the ball loop between his legs in a move Alice was sure was not as easy as it looked. “Each team has five players on the court, and there’s one captain.”

  Alice smiled. “Let me guess—that’s you?”

  “You guessed right.”

  He continued with his Basketball 101, and Alice listened patiently. Peter was so passionate he could convert even an anti-sports girl like her.

  When Alice’s head started to spin with all the rules, Peter finally said, “That’s the basics—oh, also, you have to dribble the ball at all times. You can’t run across the court holding it. More than three steps”—he stopped the ball and made three demonstrative steps—“and you lose the play. You want to try a shot?”

  Alice suddenly felt self-conscious. “You’ll have to show me how; my last attempt was in fifth grade or something.”

  “Come here.”

  Alice joined Peter at the free-throw line, and he positioned himself close behind her. A shiver spider-walked down her spine. What have I gotten myself into?

  “Your right foot should be slightly in front,” Peter said, his warm breath trickling down her neck. As he helped her get into the right position, all Alice could focus on was how the front of his leg pressed on the back of hers as he pushed it forward.

  “Keep your weight on the balls of your feet,” Peter instructed. “And hold the ball like this.” He was a good foot taller than Alice, and he showed her how to palm the ball by holding it above her head from behind. The demonstration required him to push his chest against her back, making her skin tingle at the touch. “Here, take it.”

  Alice took the ball from him and he adjusted her hands on it.

  “Now bend your knees and push your hips backward.” He pulled gently at her waist, bringing their bodies even closer together, and Alice got body-wide goose bumps.

  He let go and circled her. “Elbow up.” Peter pushed her ball-supporting arm up about two inches.

  “You’re bossy,” Alice said, straightening.

  He chuckled. “Knees bent.”

  Alice crouched again.

  “Now do a little jump and shoot.”

  Alice gathered momentum in her knees and then straightened her body in a fluid motion, releasing the ball as her feet left the ground. The orange sphere soared up in the air and started its descent toward the rim. For one glorious moment, Alice thought it would go in. Then it bounced off the hoop and fell out of the net.

  “Almost,” she said.

  “Not bad for a first try.” Peter ran after the ball. “Here, try again.” He threw the ball at her.

  She caught it and got back into position.

  After fifteen minutes of free shooting, Alice’s arms began to hurt. She’d never realized how heavy the ball could become. “I’m tired. Can we take a break?”

  “Wait here.” Peter disappeared again and came back with a blue throw mat. He sat on it and patted the empty space next to him.

  Alice joined him. “Have you always wanted to play basketball?”

  “Not exactly, but when I turned fourteen I shot up a foot, and I think my height decided for me.”

  “How tall are you?” Alice studied him, trying to gauge his height in her head. “Six five?”

  “Six seven.”

  “Whoa.”

  Peter hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “You don’t play any sports, then?”

  “I used to do gymnastics,” Alice said. “But it was never professional or anything.”

  “You mean you used to do all those scary jumps and weird contortions?”

  “They’re not so scary once you get the hang of them.”

  “Still badass. Want to show me?”

  She s
miled. “I’m way out of practice. But I can show you a video of when I was eleven.”

  “I’d love to see it. Did you have one of those sparkly costumes on?”

  Alice blushed and changed the subject; she didn’t want Peter picturing her in a stupid costume. “How come you’re spending your last free afternoon for the next five months with me?”

  “There are worse people, no?”

  “Thank you very much.” She made to swat his shoulder playfully, but he caught her wrist and held it, pulling her toward him.

  Alice became suddenly shy under his blue gaze. Even more so when he lifted her chin with his free hand, brushed one thumb across her cheek, and kissed her. They lay back on the mat, still kissing, him on top of her.

  The loud sound of a door shutting in the distance interrupted their heated kiss.

  “Shit, someone’s here.” Peter leapt to his feet, and so did Alice.

  Peter moved faster than a leopard. He picked up the mat and ran to turn off the light. Alice collected their coats and followed Peter inside a storeroom filled with various training equipment. Peter put the mat back in place, then closed the little room’s door. They were left standing in complete darkness.

  Peter pressed a finger on her closed lips. “We have to keep quiet,” he whispered. “Whatever happens.”

  “What do you mean?” she hissed, starting to panic.

  He brushed his lips against her ear. “Only that if I tickle you, you can’t scream.” He moved his fingers to her sides and Alice suppressed a giggle, pressing her mouth to his chest. “Quiet,” he ordered.

  They heard muffled voices coming from the main court, and Peter stopped tickling her. It was scary and exciting, especially when Peter pushed Alice against the vertical pile of mats and left a trail of kisses down her neck. Alice pulled herself up to kiss him on the mouth, completely forgetting the people outside.

  She wasn’t sure how long they stayed locked in the cramped storeroom, wrapped around each other. But she suspected their kisses lasted well beyond the moment the voices outside went gone quiet.

  “I think it’s safe to go out,” Peter whispered in her ear. “But let me check first.”

  He moved away from her and used his phone as a torch to find the handle. He pulled the door open, letting in a sliver of faint light.

  “I think we’re good,” Peter said, opening the door completely. “But we’d better go.”

  They hastily threw on their coats and snuck out of the pavilion by the same door they’d used to get in. Outside, it was already dark. Alice checked her watch; time with Peter had flown by again. They grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then Peter walked her back to her building.

  Alice stepped up onto the first step leading to the entrance door. “This way I’m only half a foot shorter than you,” she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. Peter wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Have I earned a next date?” he asked.

  “You get points for the basketball lesson, but lose some for almost getting us caught.” She paused. “However, you do get bonuses for your kissing-in-the-dark skills.”

  No more encouragement was needed for him to demonstrate those skills again.

  “Was that a yes?” he asked after the kiss.

  “Yeah.” Alice nodded. “What should we do next? Break into the library at night?”

  “How about something homier?”

  “Like what?”

  “Dinner, prepared by yours truly?”

  Alice was surprised. “You can cook?”

  Peter winked. “One of my other secret skills.”

  “I’d love to.” Alice smiled. “When?”

  “Ah.” Peter scratched his head. “Between classes and practice, I’m conscripted until next Sunday. Early dinner?”

  “It’s a date.” Alice smashed an imaginary gavel on an imaginary bench. “Sunday sounds great, and I have a busy week too.”

  Peter’s eyes sparkled with another idea. “Hey,” he said. “We play McGill Saturday night—why don’t you come to watch the game?”

  Alice really hated sports, but how could she say no? “Okay. Do I have to get tickets?”

  “This one’s free admission,” Peter said. “Just arrive early to get decent seats.”

  “Will do,” Alice said. He was cooking her dinner; she could endure one game. And she would force Haley and Madison to go with her so she wouldn’t be alone and bored the whole time.

  “I’m counting on it,” he said.

  Alice gave him another kiss. Then she hopped up the steps and hurried inside her building, feeling giddier than she deemed wise.

  Ten

  Jack

  Jack was ten minutes late for his nine a.m. Organic Chemistry class, despite the fact that he’d changed at top speed after practice and ran here straight from the gym. Luckily, the professor had his back turned to the class as he wrote today’s lesson plan on the board, allowing Jack to sneak in undetected.

  As he jogged down the stairs of the classroom, Jack’s muscles ached and his mood was at an all-time low. Coach Morrison wanted to kick off the season with a victory against McGill, resulting in a particularly nasty workout. But it was the short chat with Peter beforehand that left Jack the sorest. As they changed in the locker room, the captain had given him the highlights of his date with Ice the day before. Jack had barely heard anything the coach said all practice, too busy imagining Alice and Peter locked together in that dark storeroom.

  He paused halfway down the stairs and searched for the back of Alice’s head in the crowded lecture hall. It took him a minute to recognize her as the brunette sitting in their usual spot two rows from the front. The color change was doing weird things to him. He’d never thought he preferred brunettes over blondes or redheads. Yet for Ice, Jack was sure he preferred her as a brunette. He hopped down the steps and took his spot next to her.

  “What did I miss?” he asked.

  “Not much.” Ice didn’t turn to look at him, nor did she stop taking notes. “We’re just getting started on multi-step organic synthesis. Did you have breakfast?”

  “No,” Jack whispered. “The coach kept us until the last minute.”

  Ice abandoned her notepad to reach into her bag and take out an energy bar. This was why she was his best friend. She always carried around a supply of energy bars for him, exactly for days like this. Okay, so Ice was acting normal, showing no hard feelings over Saturday. But Jack couldn’t relax—even if he’d dodged an uncomfortable conversation about the library, Ice’s date with Peter was still bugging him.

  “Here.” She also handed him a silver thermos. “There’s some coffee left. It shouldn’t be cold yet.”

  “You’re a life saver.”

  Technically speaking, food and drinks weren’t allowed in class, but the rule was widely overlooked around campus. Especially where coffee was concerned.

  Jack finished his breakfast and tried to follow the lecture. Ice was pretending nothing had happened, and Jack wanted to pretend, too. He wanted to keep his mouth shut but found he couldn’t. “Did you have fun yesterday?” he asked.

  Alice finally turned toward him with a sharp look. Yeah, dark hair definitely suited her best; it brought out her eyes. She studied his face for a few seconds before speaking. “If you’re asking, I guess you already know.”

  True. They hadn’t spoken after the party, and she hadn’t told him she was going on a date with Peter. She must’ve guessed Peter had told him.

  “Yeah, Peter mentioned your date this morning.”

  Professor Procter raised his voice pointedly.

  Alice scribbled something on her notepad and edged it toward Jack.

  Talk later. Deal?

  As he read, she underlined the writing twice. A final statement.

  Jack mouthed, “Deal,” and took out his Organic Chemistry book, determined to finally concentrate on the lesson. He could talk to her between classes.

  H
e had to wait until their lunch break to broach the Peter subject again. They had a morning full of lectures, and after each one ended, Alice was out of her seat, down the stairs, and by the door in seconds. She’d done her best to avoid talking to him. But as they walked toward the cafeteria, she had no escape.

  “So,” he started, “you moved on pretty quickly from Ethan.”

  “Not as quick as you, apparently.”

  “Meaning?”

  Alice gave him that seething look again. “Did you have fun taking off all that blue paint?”

  Touché. She knew about the nurse. Becky had to have a flaw, right? She wasn’t a morning-after drama queen, but she had a big mouth.

  “I never said I was in love with Lori,” Jack said, trying to justify his actions.

  “Neither was I with Ethan,” Ice countered.

  “Okay, but you were serious about him.”

  “My bad.”

  Jack let out an exasperated, “Come on, Ice.”

  “What?” She played dumb.

  “You’re always serious when you date.”

  “So?”

  “So you shouldn’t date guys like Peter—or myself, for that matter.”

  Ice stopped walking. “Why do you have a problem with him?”

  “He’s not good when it comes to girls, trust me on this.”

  “He’s been perfectly nice to me.”

  “It’s only been two days.”

  “Well, you’d better get used to it.” Alice positively glowered at him. “I’m coming to the game Saturday, and we have another date Sunday.”

  “What?” Jack asked, shocked. “You’ve never come to a game before.”

  “You never asked.”

  “Because I know you hate sports.”

  “I don’t hate sports,” Alice said. “I don’t particularly enjoy them, but it doesn’t mean I can’t watch a game. It was fun playing yesterday.”

  “You had fun playing basketball, or you had fun in the storeroom?” Jack inwardly cringed at how petty he sounded.

  “Both, if you really have to know,” she hissed.

  “You’re making a mistake.”

  “Listen, Jack.” Alice rolled her eyes. “Your objections have been duly noted. But right now I like Peter, he makes me feel good, and I want to feel good. I need to. So I’ll keep dating him. If or when he does something I don’t like, I’ll stop. End of story.”