Dare You to Hate Me

When I asked DJ why everyone switched spots, he’d simply shrugged and told me, “The team is a family. Where one goes, we all go.”

And even though I have a feeling it’s more than DJ’s friends taking his lead on the change up, I don’t let myself think about it harder than necessary, including who the outside influencer is.

By the time I’m in a pair of decent leggings without any holes and a sweatshirt that I bought on sale at the campus store, a few of my housemates are setting up the kitchen with drinks for the party. They pay me no attention when I emerge from my room, so I offer them a meaningless wave, and meet the three people who actually seem to want me around by the front door.

Malvin’s is one of the three pizzerias in Lindon, and also the priciest. The brick building sits between a hair salon and thrift shop that I’ve spent more money in than I like to admit. But Raine isn’t wrong when she says it’s the best, which makes me feel less guilty about Caleb paying for a meat lover pie that I dive into once the busty waitress sets it down on the stand, shooting the two boys a wink despite Raine and I sitting here.

“So,” DJ says, popping a piece of sausage into his mouth. Raine giggled earlier when she saw what I was wearing, saying I matched the dirty blond currently staring me down. “Are you hung up on our tight end or do I stand a chance at all?”

I choke on the piece of pepperoni I’m swallowing, grabbing ahold of the water Raine passes me as she glares at the team’s wide receiver.

He shrugs at her innocently. “I’m asking a fair question. Griff barely says a word to anyone but your boy toy here— Oh, don’t give me that look, Anders. You’re a long-term boy toy, but still a boy toy. Anyway, Griff only tells Caleb here shit. So I’m in the dark wondering what your deal is.”

I set down my pizza and try not to let the heat spread from where it prickles the back of my neck. “There is no deal.”

Even Caleb chuckles at that, but I refrain from glaring in his direction.

Raine passes me a napkin before grabbing one for herself. “Ignore DJ. He’s just being nosey. He’s like a puppy. Totally innocent.”

“Until he starts chewing the drywall and pissing on the rug,” Caleb remarks, flashing his teammate an amused smile.

The boy beside me grumbles, “I’ve done neither of those things.”

“But the stray you took in did,” Raine reminds him. I watch the three of them go back and forth on the matter in amusement. By the time I’m done with my first slice of pizza, I’ve learned that DJ is a big softy—especially when it comes to animals.

“…scratches everywhere. Gran always told me I was more of a dog person and I guess that thing knew when I tried smuggling it in from the cold. I was trying to do the right thing, but maybe it had a family somewhere in Boston it wanted to get back to.”

I snort over his troubled feline story. It’s sweet he wants to help animals, but it sounds like he’s batting zero for any of the attempts being successful. “Maybe you should flash them that pretty boy smile of yours and they’ll retract their claws.”

A sly half-smirk stretches across his face as he leans toward me. “But the claws are the best part, Ives. Haven’t you figured out by now that I like a little sass?”

“Oh, brother,” Caleb groans, throwing a balled-up napkin at him.

Raine picks up her water, her eyes widening from over the plastic Coke cup at something behind me. Before I can figure out what, a hand comes down on my shoulder and squeezes once, the faintest scent of cinnamon wafts around me, bringing me back to a lot of happier times.

“Just got your text, man,” Aiden says, hand still on my shoulder as he towers over me. He must be close because I can feel his body heat radiating into my back.

Caleb gives me a sheepish smile when I eye him knowingly. He quickly looks away and gestures toward the empty chair at the end. “We just finished eating but take what’s left. I don’t think we were planning to leave anytime soon.”

“Actually, I—” My voice gets cut off with a yelp when Aiden drags my chair with his foot closer to the empty one and drops down beside me. I glare at him while Caleb fails at hiding an amused snort. “Was that necessary?”

Aiden simply shrugs and reaches for one of the few remaining slices on the tray.

I make a face. “You hate meat lovers.”

“No, I don’t.” To prove it, he takes a hearty bite while I watch with surprised eyes. “I only used to say that because you always liked the boring shit.”

“No, I didn’t!”

He deadpans. “Yes, you did.”

“No.”

Skepticism cements his hard features as he lowers his slice. “The shitty ass Hawaiian pizza doesn’t count. You only ate two bites before you threw it away when you thought nobody was looking.”

I feel other sets of eyes on us and try ignoring them. “Well…” I have nothing to say to that, so I sink down slightly in my seat. One of my few birthday parties growing up was tropical themed, so I begged my mother to order a Hawaiian pizza. She told me I wouldn’t like it and that I’d waste money when she’d have to throw it away. When I realized it tasted like shit, I had to hide what I did with the rest of it so she wouldn’t get mad.

Aiden grins and takes another bite of his pizza, victory evident in his eyes. I glance at Caleb. “Thanks again for the food. It saved me from heating up leftovers.”