One Choice (Hogan Brothers 2)

Having no idea where her friends were dragging her to, Hayes didn’t know how to dress. Perusing her closet again, she debated on what to wear. If she dressed in something flirty and sexy, Dustin would think she were interested. He was a good guy, but she didn’t feel towards him the way he did her. Though, Alyssa thought it would be a perfect chance for them to get to know each other. On the other hand, Hayes didn’t think her standard attire of running sweats and a tank was appropriate, either.

Deciding her dark-wash ripped jeans, black off-the-shoulder sweater, and ankle booties would be friendly enough, she quickly changed just as the doorbell rang announcing Lys’s arrival.

Rushing down the stairs while wrapping her hair into a bun on top of her head, she answered the door somewhat filled with anticipation.

“Dang girl, you clean up good.” Lys whistled when she opened the door.

Looking down her body, she didn’t see it. She looked like her normal self. “Uhh, thanks?” She didn’t’ mean to pose it as a question.

“The guys are in the car waiting. Let’s go!” Before Hayes could say anything, Lys was racing back to the car.

“I’m leaving!” she called to her parents.

“Have fun, Hayes.” Her mom rounded the corner from the living room, a real smile plastered on her face for once.

“Call if you need us to come get you,” her dad yelled from his seat in the other room as well.

“Bye,” she said again, walking out the door on the way to the waiting car.

Blowing out a breath, she almost wished her parents wouldn’t let her go. She wasn’t in the mood to do whatever it was they had planned. And going with a boy she had no interest in sunk her spirit into the dark pits of hell.

“Hey there, Hayes.” Dustin’s smooth drawl followed by a tipsy stance drew a smile from her lips. The moron was half way to stupid already.

“Start early?” she asked, climbing in the back seat with Lys.

“How you doing, girl?” Brett asked her. He was a nice enough guy. Didn’t seem to be out to get laid as much as possible like so many others in their school.

“Good, Brett. How’s practice going?” He was training much harder this year after receiving a full football scholarship to Notre Dame as a running back. There were a ton of statistics that she had been given when he found out. Sadly, she remembered none of them. Just smile and nod was her motto when it came to certain sports.

“Real good.” His smile was full of pride.

As they sped off to whatever event they were going to, Dustin stuck his head out the window and started hootin’ and hollerin’. He sounded like a fool, and she desperately wanted to roll the window up with his head sticking out.

“Don’t even think about it,” Lys whispered, obviously seeing what she was thinking.

Sitting back with her arms crossed, Hayes pretended to pout. “Fine, but if he gets grabby, I reserve the right to kick his ass.” It wasn’t a negotiation, it was fact. She had no interest in boys. Especially the ones from school.

With the exception of Brett, they were all immature, little weasels who cared more about spread legs than spreadsheets. They didn’t want to know you, they wanted inside you. She couldn’t get with that.

On the heel of that thought came a memory of Levi.

Older. Sweeter. Smarter.

His jaw had to be made of the finest stone Michelangelo could sculpt from, looking the way he did. The two times she saw him, his face was covered in a light scruff. Just enough to say, “I’m clean, but I don’t care that I have a day’s worth of growth on my face.”

He was cocky, too. Knew what he wanted and didn’t seem to play around.

Except…

With her.

Sh

e got the sense that he was attracted but a little pissed off about it.

Not that she could blame him, she was in the same boat. If there were one person that could change her leaving as soon as the last bell of the year rang, she had a feeling it would be Levi.

“Here we are!” Dustin yelled, climbing from the front seat of Brett’s car.