Chapter 11: Fleur

FLEUR

Chapter

Eleven

Ididn't know you could both want to cheer for something and also loathe it. Van is a god on the field. I've been to a few games over the years because of the paper. I never stayed for the whole thing, and often I watched game tape if something needed to be covered.

It is football. Sure, our school is good at it, but they're out there throwing a pigskin around. Let's just say it's really not my thing. Or it wasn't until I actually watched Van play. He made it look like a goddamn art. It has also oddly turned me on watching him move on the field.

I enjoyed it the first few plays. I might have even relished it when he pointed at me and everyone turned to look who had Van's attention. Sure, whispers of our fake relationship might have started to spread, and not for a lack of trying on Van's part. That's for sure. Right now, he is center stage and is really letting everyone see it. He has a whole captivated audience that treats football and the players like gods, so he's taking the opportunity.

A small part of me started to enjoy it. Not that I'd ever admit that. I'd even let out a few cheers. Then Bubbles Anderson sat one row up and over from us. That killed it all. My entire mood shifted.

I don't like jealousy. Especially when it comes to girls being jealous over a boy, but it was eating me up. Each score Van made, I wanted to cheer for him. Then I wanted to throat punch him after hearing Bubbles go on about her plans and the party after the game. I was trying with everything I had to keep my composure, but she was slowly encouraging the green-eyed monster to the surface.

"I'm telling you Van wasn't doing that for Bubbles." Sadie tries to whisper to me as we exit the stands after listening to Bubbles go on about how much Van must want her. How he put extra effort in today so he could make sure to score the win.

Sure, I could have gotten in her face over my pretend boyfriend. But I knew that wasn't going to work. Plus, if Van thinks I'm going to fight girls off him, he's got another thing coming. It's one thing to say I'm his girl, but he can peel his little groupies off himself.

It's not my responsibility to manage Van's fan club. Especially girls like Bubbles. No thanks. Van should have nipped all of this in the bud and not let it get to this level. Again, it's not my problem. I honestly want nothing to do with this. I never should have agreed to pretending to be his girl. It was stupid.

I've seen how my mom acts with men. I hate it, and I know it's not something I'll ever do. Besides, Van hasn't even given me any inkling of a story. This whole thing is pointless. In fact, all it is doing is stirring up a whole lot of feelings inside of me that I don't want to deal with.

"Can you help me here?" Sadie elbows Dunc. That's really not helping. Seeing the one boy in school that no girl could land fall head over heels in love isn't something I want to have to stare at. Even though they're adorable.

They are a stark reminder that I'll never have something real like they do. I know this football game is the last place Dunc wanted to be, but he is here for Sadie.

"What? Van isn't into Bubble." Dunc shrugs.

"It's Bubbles." I correct Dunc, not sure if he really doesn't remember her name, but it's what Sadie has been calling her, so he's going with it. I wouldn't be shocked if he truly doesn't remember.

"Who gives a shit?" Dunc pulls Sadie more into his side. "Are you cold?" Sadie rolls her eyes at him, but I don't miss the small smile that plays on her lips.

"Honey!" someone calls. We all turn to see a woman waving at us all. She has two men in tow. I recall them from Van and Sadie's party, and I know it's all their parents. One of the men has Sadie's eyes, so I'm guessing that's her dad, and the other man has to be Dunc and Van's father.

"Yeah, so my mom might have found out about you," Sadie tells me under her breath. I can see how her eyes light up talking about her mom. It's sweet how she took her in as her own. I've got a birth mom that drives me insane.

"Found out what?" I'm not ready to meet any parents. I've mentally purchased a one-way ticket out of whatever Van and I have going on already.

"You know." Sadie shrugs.

"No, I don't know," I hiss back, surmising from her reaction that she's talking about my fake relationship with Van.

"Is this her? I remember your stunning red hair from the party. It's beautiful. I'm Van and Sadie's mom." She pulls me in for a hug before I can respond. Before I know what's happening, I'm embracing her as well. What the heck? "I hear you're dating Van."

"Maybe."

"Oh." Her smile falters. "The men in this family can be?—"

"Possessive." Both Van's dad and Dunc speak at the same time.

"That's one way to describe it." She laughs.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, but I have to get going." I know I'm being rude, but I'm all over the place, and I hate it. Van's mom looks way too excited to meet me.

As confusing as their whole family is looking in from the outside, they're still well, a family. One with issues, but it's obvious that they love each other, and I don't need any more attachments to this. It's sticky enough as it is.

I don't even make it down the bleachers before Sadie has my elbow. "We're your ride," she reminds me. How the hell did I forgot that?

"Besides, we're going to the after-party," Dunc chimes in.

"Dunc, when have either of us gone to the after-party?" I ask. I've heard many girls over the years complain he never went. He's always been too cool for school, if that's really a thing.

"I don't know, but fuck." He runs his hand through his hair. "I'm handing you over to Van, not taking you back to your place."

"Handing me over?" I scoff.

"We can take her home if that's what she wants." Sadie glares at Dunc.

"I'm not taking her home." For once, Dunc rebuffs Sadie.

"What the hell!" Sadie hisses at him.

"I saw the way that fuck was looking at her. Not taking her there. I'll hand her to Van." Dunc's face grows serious. I swallow, thinking back to my mom's boyfriend. I'd gotten so wrapped up in all this it somehow slipped my mind. That's because Van takes up too many of my thoughts.

"Fine. I'll go to the party." I give. "If you take me." The last thing I am going to do right now is be handed over to Van.

For all I know, Bubbles has her hands full of him already.