Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

IVY

I couldn't get Max out of my head.

My cheeks burned every time I thought about someone seeing us, but I kept convincing myself maybe if anyone saw it or recorded it, we could play it off as we did it as a show as opposed to what really happened. We crossed the boundary and I wasn't sure there was even any going back from it.

We went back to his place, took a shower, and he dropped me off in my apartment like the perfect gentleman. As usual, he messaged me good night and in the morning sent a text asking about my day. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with him.

Ever since our last picnic, he was acting strange.

"Earth to Ivy!" Kaia shook me with a little more force than needed. "Where were your thoughts?"

I shook my head. "What were you saying about Halloween?"

"Tristan and I are dating," she announced. "I was telling you about our hot and steamy sex at the party, but you totally zoned out."

"Wait, what?" I stared at her. Tristan Edwins was the most obnoxious, annoying idiot after Ander. I knew Kaia was crushing after him since Ander and I were together, but they never happened before. "How?"

"I don't know. What matters is that he finally decided we were meant to be, and it was totally worth the wait."

"He called you ugly," I reminded her of the time we double dated. "And boring."

"Ander did the same to you." Kaia rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make him a bad person."

"You're comparing him to Ander, my ex. The one who cheated on me with my sister among other things," I said, my voice a bit more on edge than I would have liked.

"Chill, Poison Ivy, he only cheated on you because you didn't give him enough sex," she pushed it under the rug like it didn't matter.

"Don't call me like that. I told you I don't like that nickname. You know damn well why they made it up."

"Sorry." She reached out to hug me, and I patted her back carefully. My defenses were suddenly up and I was confused and hurt with my best friend's behavior. "You know how long I wanted to date Tristan..."

"I do."

"All I want from you is a little... understanding. You know how he is, how their crew is. I just want to... fit in for now."

I nodded, but I couldn't shake the feeling of wondering what was it that made him change his mind and what Kaia had to give up to win him.

And somewhere deep down I hoped it wasn't our friendship.

As I watched the Titans practice, some drills they ran with Max shouting, my attention shifted from my laptop to the guys. It felt so natural sitting there and watching them. Never for one second did I feel like I didn't belong there. They welcomed me with open arms.

Max stopped close by to grab a sip of water and waved at me. Both Dex and Maddox followed along.

"Sorry for crashing," I apologized after declining his invite, but then changing my mind. "I needed some space."

"Take all the space you need," he said, pointing around the empty stadium, and before I knew it, he stepped over the small gate and taking the steps by two made it up to me. "Everything okay?"

"It will be." I nodded, sadness still clutching my chest from my earlier conversation with Kaia. We hadn't talked since she told me she was dating Tristan, but I'd seen her around campus with my sister and the rest of the soccer crew. "Did Derek and Kaia ever hook up?"

"Yeah, first day at the bar, when we met. Why? Did something happen?"

"She is now dating Ander's best friend, and she's been wanting to date him for a long time. It just feels... weird. She was adamant I go for you, this whole thing was actually her idea. I thought she wanted to help, but these last few days I've been thinking. What did I really accomplish by fake-dating you?"

Max remained silent as he watched me, his eyes narrowed.

"I mean you're a great friend and I love hanging out with you and your friends. I wish I attended Hillview instead of Westpoint. But this whole thing started with me wanting revenge, which is... stupid. I would never get back with Ander. Not in a million years."

"Is it possible you are only now seeing his true colors?" Max asked. "And that up until couple of days ago, if he wanted to get back with you, you would have gone for it?"

I wanted to say no, but the words got stuck in me. "Maybe?"

"When we first talked, you were heartbroken and angry. You didn't stop to evaluate his problematic behavior, the things he said to you and how he treated you. I can see how he behaves with Daisy. I could see the sheer terror in your eyes when Daisy told you he is moody to the point that I had to go and lose a stupid beer pong game."

"I said I was sorry over it."

"That's the problem. You're sorry because you think I'm upset for the loss. I couldn't give two flying shits that he is going around telling everyone he beat me in beer pong. I'm not defined by his words. But you are. I watched you the past few months being shocked with my behavior, you tease me of being a gentleman. I'm not, trust me, I'm not further from it, and if we ever get to that point, you will see it. But I have manners and I respect you. That's the key difference. I was trying to show you what a normal relationship would look like if it wasn't fake. Because you deserve someone who will open the door for you, surprise you with flowers, take you on dates and respect you. Someone who does that not out of obligation but because they want to see your eyes light up."

Emotions clogged my throat as I listened to his words.

"But you need to believe that you deserve it."

I nodded slowly as his words sank in.

"The truth was always in front of you, it just took you longer to realize it. Ander was and continues to be what we in call a real piece of shit ."

That got me to croak out a choked laugh and Max grinned.

"Now, if you want to break up with me, because you finally realized... I might be heartbroken over it," he teased with a smile. My heart jumped in my chest and the idea of breaking up with him still sounded too real, painful and not something I wanted to do.

"Can we keep dating?" I asked carefully. "Just until Christmas. We can break up before my birthday in January."

"That's a shitty time to break up, it would make me look like an asshole. Why don't we stick with it until March? I should have a secure spot on the National Team by then and anyway my focus will shift."

"You know Christmas means my parents, you, me and Daisy. And Daisy means... "

"Sanchez. I'm a big boy. I can handle Christmas with him after we kick them out of the Championship this weekend."

"Excited?" I wiggled my brows. "I'm sure you will win."

"Aarons, if you are done charming your girlfriend, get your ass to the field!" Coach shouted from below, the Titans already gathered around him.

"I'm not really done." Max flashed me a grin.

"It wasn't a request, Aarons!"

I chuckled, ducking my head, as Max threw a panicked look over his shoulder at me and quickly ran down the stairs. Once he was back on the field, I lifted my laptop screen back up and stared at my little research project called Thalia, because I wanted to make sure Max doesn't miss out on his well-deserved National Team invitation.

He deserved it more than anything. I watched him prioritize gym over sleep even when I was with him. I experienced all the extra effort he put in outside of trainings and my heart broke a little with every day he kept on waiting anxiously by his phone, checking in with his team and coaches to see when the announcement will come.

"I don't need to remind you that if you loose on Saturday the season ends for us and the Lions, will move into finals. There is no room for errors. We are playing home, on our own pitch, you all better bring your A games. No distraction. It has been a strong season so far, but one game can change everything."

Their Coach lacked talent for motivational speeches and looking at the faces of the team every one of them felt it too. My eyes landed on Max, his messy hair falling over his eyes as stood there with his arms crossed, biceps flexing.

"Do not miss!" Coach went on, clearly not reading the room and Dex rolled his eyes. "And take all the necessary risks, but not too much."

Max shook his head and pushed his fingers through the messy strands.

"We've never lost a Championship, let's not start this year."

A few guys snickered as Coach clapped and walked away.

"Dismissed."

"Worst motivational speech ever," Maddox muttered. "That guy needs some training."

I let out a short laugh before burying my face back into the laptop. Thalia was plain boring. Liked every post Max posted, commented on everything. She wanted to be noticed and become an influencer but she was trying too hard. Honestly, I didn't get how her dad didn't see it. But I guess parental love and all.

"What are you doing here?" A girl appeared next to me. Her hair was braided into one long braid, and she was wearing an oversized sweater dress with knee-high boots. Her freckled, heart-shaped face was morphed into a concerned grimace. "Aren't you a Lion? Are you stealing our strategy?"

I furrowed my brows and closed my laptop. "I'm Max's girlfriend."

"You're dating Sanchez's ex?" she screamed and turned toward the team who were gathering their stuff to leave.

Max rolled his eyes and swiftly joined us on the stands.

"Nice to see you too, Sunshine."

"Sunshine? Really, Max?" She sighed but gave him a hug. "Bet you missed me."

"We missed your big mouth," Derek said, climbing the stairs.

"Funny you say that." The girl laughed, and her eyes flashed to Maddox arriving last before returned to me. "Is anyone going to fill me in?"

"Fill you in on what?" I muttered, suddenly annoyed.

Max sighed. "Blossom, this is Nova. Coach Parker's one and only daughter."

"She's a true nightmare," Derek added as he wrapped his arm around her.

"More like a hurricane," Maddox corrected with a smirk.

Nova chuckled. "Yeah, still doesn't explain why she is here."

"Can you be nice?" Max stared at her. "She is on our team."

"We like her," Derek said with a grin, and Maddox nodded.

"I leave for a couple of months and this is what you do." She shook her head with a dramatic sigh before bursting into a laugh. "Sorry, I'm messing with you. I'm Nova, a drama major."

"Of course you are." I chuckled dryly. "I'm Ivy, a computer science and marketing major."

"Great. I was in Canada recording a TV show over the past few months. We just wrapped so that's why I'm so out of the loop with all the gossip."

"It's not like we weren't updating you in the group chat," Derek muttered. "You wound me."

"Took you all but three minutes to brag about the TV show," Maddox remarked, staring at his watch. "That must be a new record."

Nova grimaced. "We should grab dinner."

"You guys totally should," Max agreed, hugging me to himself. I scrunched my nose from the smell radiating from him but didn't pull away. "Blossom and I have plans."

"Sex doesn't count as plans," Nova objected, her pleading green eyes turning to me. "I would love to get to know you."

"You were hostile," Maddox reminded her. "Max is protective. They'll get over it."

"I was just being me." She looked like a little sad puppy with her lip turned down and I could see why she landed a TV show. She had on point facial expressions. "Please?"

I glanced at Max and he was already shaking his head. "Ugh, you will regret it, Blossom. Trust me."

An hour and a half later, we were all in one of the best Italian restaurants in town ordering our weight in garlic bread, bruschetta and pizza. Nova was chatting happily with another girl who was someone's girlfriend and suddenly this whole new world opened up to me.

The girlfriends of the team.

Besides Nova, there was Brooklyn who was Liam's high school sweetheart and they made the cutest couple. Brooklyn's friend Paige was seeing Alfie, the funniest and most genuine goalie I had ever met. And then there was Rosalie who was Aaron's little sister, a freshman currently, but seemed to be good friends with the girls.

They were all sweet and welcoming me into their little group of supporting soccer girls.

Max's hand squeezed my knee as I laughed at a story Brooklyn was telling us about Liam and the paintball game they had over the weekend. Liam was showing off his bruises on his arm allowing his friends to tease him about it.

"Are you having fun or regretting it?" Max asked, leaning close to me. His pine scented cologne hit my nose and I inhaled it deeply. I loved how he smelled after showering.

"Loving it," I replied honestly. "They are all so nice."

"Wait until you get to know them better."

"Max," Nova called his name from the other side of the table. "How does it feel introducing her to us? You now made it official."

"It was official," he replied curtly with a small grin. "Just because I didn't subject her to the pain of talking to you doesn't mean we weren't real."

"You did always come up with excuses," Paige reminded him, but I hadn't recalled any invite being extended to me for any dinner or hang out with girls. We only ever hung out with the guys.

Both Derek and Maddox shot their friend a look that told me this was a serious boundary of not introducing the fake girlfriend to the girls, and I understood where he was coming from. We weren't supposed to last. This was only temporary and while the guys weren't going to get attached to me emotionally, some of these girls might if we hung out and became friends.

"I like her more than Thalia." Nova snickered. "She was a total bitch. Super controlling, selfish and manipulative. Not much has changed... other than Max learned how to pick a girlfriend."

"Very funny." Max fake-laughed but I saw his eyes light up with happiness being surrounded by his closest friends.

"Don't worry." Rosalie leaned into me. "Nova is always super hyper. I've seen her only twice and am still not used to it. But they keep telling me she will grow on me. Still waiting for that to happen."

I chuckled. "I'm not even sure what's the big story behind all this," I motioned around the table.

"Nova and Brooklyn were instant besties the moment they met at the first soccer game freshman year. Paige was Brooklyn's roommate who was dragged along. Guess Nova being the Coach's daughter and Brooklyn being with Liam just created their own little group. I only know bits and pieces of what I picked up since August, so I'm happy to have someone equally new next to me."

"Thanks," I offered a grin, but the pang in my chest kept reminding me of Daisy. Even their smiles were similar. Or at least my sister's pre-Ander personality as I called it. "Anything else I should be aware?"

Rosalie pretended to think. "No, not really. I'm not familiar with anything. I know some of the other guys join sometimes, like last time Nico came and he is a totally douchebag, but I think it started as a thing for girls to bond."

"Yes." Brooklyn leaned over Liam to join in our conversation. "We are like the committee that gets to decide if girlfriends are worth it."

Paige added with a laugh. "We might be scary."

She was anything but scary with her strawberry blonde hair and baby blue eyes. She looked like a real-life doll especially with the Southern accent.

"Doubt it," I shrugged. "Maybe the guys are just bad at getting girls."

They all chuckled.

"True." Nova lifted her coke glass to me and drank. "If you have any single girlfriends, you can bring them. We can purge the Lion out of them and turn them into Titans."

I almost offered to bring Kaia, but then I remembered she was dating Tristan and she was full on Lioness.

"You could bring the cutie." Derek wiggled his brows. "Would give her another round."

"She's actually dating Tristan." I winced as the words came out.

Derek's face went blank, and it was Max who touched my back in a soothing gesture. "The co-captain? The defender?"

"Edwins."

Someone let out a low whistle. "He's an ass."

"When did this happen?" Derek asked, confused. "She was literally booty calling me four days ago."

"Around Halloween," I guessed with a shrug. "What do you mean she was booty calling you?"

"What would I mean?" He rolled his eyes, picking up his phone to read out loud. "Hey, Dex! Wanna come over for Netflix and Chill? Wink face, eggplant emoji, water drops emoji."

That didn't sound like Kaia, but at the same time it sounded like her.

"She is madly in love with Tristan, she would never risk losing him."

Glancing at my own phone, I checked when the last message exchange was between us and since Halloween, the only real conversation we had were about groceries and bills.

"She sounds like a lost cause." Nova's voice snapped me back to reality as Max's hand moved in a slow circling motion on my back. "You need new friends, and lucky for you, we're here."

I managed to force out a smile, but the words to thank her burned in the back of my throat as tears clouded my vision. It didn't hit me until that exact moment how awfully alone I really was. Losing all my friendship I'd built over the past two years and being stuck in a fake relationship.