8. Parker

CHAPTER 8

Parker

A udrey’s face was pale when I slid into the booth opposite hers in the dining hall. She was wearing a thick pink headband in her hair and a white sweater covered in textured dots. I liked how she was always wearing her favorite color—like her world existed solely in shades of pink.

I expected her to be happy, all rosy cheeks and sunshine like normal.

“What’s wrong?” I set my food down in front of us. “I thought you’d be happy.”

“What?” She looked up at me, biting at her manicured thumbnail. “Oh. I am happy. It’s just…” Audrey ran her fingers through her long blonde strands before exhaling. “I ran into Duke outside the theater building.” There was a wince to her words.

I felt a growl forming low in my throat, but I did my best to clear it away. I didn’t like that guy. Something about him, about how he wouldn’t leave Audrey alone even though she’d told him no, rubbed me the wrong way. Especially when she’d admitted she’d tried to get campus safety to make him leave her alone, and they’d told her they couldn’t do anything. What the fuck was up with that? He was basically stalking her, but there wasn’t anything that could be done unless he hurt her.

Not saying anything, I waited for Audrey to continue. I needed to hear her out before I blew up about something that was none of my business.

She could take care of herself. I knew she could.

It was just that I wanted to take care of her, to be by her side. Holding her hand. That was what best friends did, right?

She blew out a breath, one that disturbed the bangs across her forehead. “I might have, sort of, accidentally… told Duke I was seeing someone.”

“Okay?” I furrowed my brows. For a split second, my stomach dropped. Was she? Was there some guy I didn’t know about? If some other guy took advantage of her?—

I didn’t let myself finish that thought.

“I’m not, ” she insisted, staring at me with a serious expression on her face. “I’m not seeing anyone. He was going on about us getting back together, and I just made it up.”

“Alright.” I shrugged, a plan forming in my mind. A way that I could keep her safe. Keep assholes like Duke away from her. Be by her side.

“Why are you being so casual about this?” Audrey raised an eyebrow.

I dipped a fry in some ketchup. “Date me.”

Audrey looked confused. “Huh?”

“You should date me. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

“What?” She grimaced. “Parker, you’re my best friend .”

“How could I forget, sunshine?” I leaned over and flicked her nose. “I’ll be your fake boyfriend,” I clarified. “So Duke leaves you alone.”

“You want to… fake date?”

“Yeah.” I went back to eating my food, knowing she needed time to process this.

She bit her lip, worrying it in between her teeth. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Her food was completely forgotten in front of her, like she was so distracted she couldn’t even remember to eat.

I’d noticed that she got so busy that she forgot to eat during the school day last semester. It was one reason I texted her and asked if she wanted to get dinner almost every night. Our schedules might not always line up for lunch, but I was making sure she got fed.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re not asking, Rosie. I’m offering. And besides, it makes sense. We’re spending all of this time together, anyway. And now I’m doing the musical with you.”

Assuming the audition went well. I still had to prove I could do it.

“How long would we even do this for?”

“Till the end of the musical, I guess.” Even if it was fake, at least I’d get to be by her side. That was what I was telling myself.

“Right. That makes sense.”

“Hey.” I rested my hand over hers, and when she looked at me, her eyes were filled with so much uncertainty. I hated that. “Are you okay?”

She shrugged, stabbing at a piece of pasta instead of responding to me.

“It’s okay if you’re not, you know,” I whispered. God knows I wasn’t okay, not after last semester. Maybe she’d understand why I wanted to help her if I told her. But I couldn’t make my mouth form the words. Not yet. It was still too raw. Too real.

“It doesn’t feel like that,” she admitted. “I feel like everyone expects me to be happy all the time.”

“You don’t have to be,” I insisted. “You don’t have to be anything with me other than yourself. You know that, right? I’m friends with you, Audrey. Not whoever people expect you to be. I like the girl who loves wearing pink but also was never afraid to play in the dirt with me when we were younger. When we were biking, you’d cry when you scraped your knees, but it never stopped you from getting back. What’s stopping you now?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured. Something was holding her back. I knew it was. What had happened to make her draw into herself? To lose the sparkle in her gorgeous violet-hued eyes? I wanted to help her get it back.

Squeezing her hand, I let go. “I’m here. Whenever you need me, I’m always here.”

“Thank you.” Audrey relaxed, dipping her head. “Can I… think about it? Your offer?” Her voice was quiet. “The fake dating thing?”

“Of course you can.”

She nodded, and then finally dug into her plate of food. I was content just to watch her. Audrey was clearly going through something, and I’d show her I was here the best way I knew how: by being by her side.

“So. About that audition,” I finally said once she’d finished eating, clearing her plate.

Her lips tilted up in her first genuine smile of the evening.

And I did my best to distract her from thoughts of Duke, from anything that would take away from that smile on her face.

When was the last time I’d sung in front of an audience? Never .

But here I was. Standing in front of the director for the musical, Audrey’s professor—also the head of the theater department—auditioning to be in the show.

I had no fucking idea what I was doing. None. But how hard could it be, really? Maybe I’d never had professional voice lessons like Audrey, but I’d been in plays as a kid. And I’d been around for her lessons. Surely, I’d picked up a few things over the years.

Otherwise, all of that singing in the shower was for nothing.

Last night, I’d stayed up late, practicing the song I’d selected with Audrey’s help. If any of the guys in the lacrosse house had noticed that I’d been listening to the same song on repeat, they hadn’t commented on it. Even if they had, I’d deny it.

Fuck, I was an idiot. For offering to be Audrey’s fake boyfriend. For volunteering to prance around this stage and perform in a musical. How was I going to balance all of this?

No distractions. Coach’s voice ran through my mind. This was a giant fucking distraction, and I knew it.

But the way Audrey was smiling up at me as I stood in front of them… it was all worth it.

Maybe it was because of all my time playing lacrosse, but I didn’t have an ounce of nerves as I stood on stage, looking out across the room. Of course, it was empty, save for my best girl sitting in the front row with her director, but I knew better than anyone what performance anxiety could do to an athlete.

Still, I was out of my element. This wasn’t the same as running across the field or trying to get the ball in the net. And yet, I knew it was more important.

Not to me, but to the girl sitting in the front row, who was looking at me like I hung the moon in the sky. For her, I’d do it. I’d do anything. What she didn’t know was that she was my sunshine. The reason I looked forward to each day. Ever since she’d come back into my life, that had been the case.

So I sang.

I sang like I did when I was a child, sitting next to Audrey at the piano, back when we were carefree and without a care in the world.

“Thank you, Parker,” the woman sitting in the front row next to my best friend said with a smile as the song ended. “That was great. Now, why don’t you two sing something together?” Professor Woods looked between Audrey and me. “That way, I can get a feel for the chemistry you’ll have on stage together.”

I looked at Audrey, the question in my eyes. Do you want to do this?

Yes, hers seemed to say back as she joined me on stage, rushing over to the girl who sat at the piano accompanying us. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I knew she was telling her what song to play.

“What are we singing?” I whispered to her as she stood across from me.

Audrey smiled, extending her hand. Wordlessly, I took it, the warmth of her palm relaxing me. “Ready?” she murmured, and I nodded.

The first few bars played, and I instantly recognized the tune.

Of course.

Of course, she’d picked this song.

I couldn’t look away from her. Not as she sang the first few words. God, she sounded like an angel. Looked like one, too, with the stage lights casting a perfect halo above her head, illuminating her blonde hair.

When we finished, we stepped off the stage behind the curtains.

“How’d I do?” I asked, running my fingers through my hair.

Audrey grinned. “You were great.”

“So were you.” I nudged her with my shoulder.

She gnawed on her lower lip. “Are you really sure you’re okay doing this? It’s not too much?”

“Audrey.” I laughed. “Don’t go trying to get rid of me already. I’m in, okay? I won’t let you down.”

Her voice was hardly more than a whisper when she responded, “I know.”

“Shit.” I looked at my watch. “I gotta get to practice. Coach is going to kill me.”

Audrey winced. “Have you told him yet?” There was a frown on her face. Like she knew what I was doing. Delaying the inevitable. But she couldn’t know the real reason I was avoiding the conversation. After all, I hadn’t told her my stipulations for transferring onto the team. The shit I’d gotten into last year.

I cleared my throat. “No. I was planning on doing it today.”

“You got this.” She gave me a thumbs up. “You got this, Parker. Have a good practice.”

With a wave, I headed off in a jog towards the field, hoping like hell I wouldn’t be late.

“Hey, Coach.”

“Maxwell.” He had his arms crossed over his chest as I rushed into the locker room to change. “You’re late.”

“I know, I’m sorry—it won’t happen again.”

Coach dipped his head. “Remember what we said? No distractions?”

I cleared my throat. I needed to tell him about the musical. That I’d done all of this for Audrey as a favor. But nothing came out. “Right,” I finally said. “I know.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not a distraction, I promise. Just doing a favor for a friend.”

After studying me for a moment, he dipped his head, heading out to the practice field.

I pulled off my sweater and dropped it onto the bench. My jeans quickly followed as I dressed in all of my gear.

There was one thing I knew for sure—this was going to be a long season.