Chapter 2.

Dad woke me up at 8:00 this morning, leaving me with very little sleep. I had gotten home just a little before midnight, as the guys had promised my dad, but I didn't actually fall asleep until about 4:00. After I got home last night, Tae had kept me up messaging me on Facebook. She had asked for my number, but since I don't have texting on my phone, I just added her on Facebook.

We had talked about everything, and she had filled me in on most of the people in our grade. Tae, as I predicted was super outgoing and friends with just about everyone.

Prior to our 4 hour long conversation on Facebook, Tae and I also had some fun at Dairy Queen, where we had stopped for ice cream. She made everything way less awkward than I had anticipated by choosing to sit away from the two boys.

Tae and I really seemed to click as friends. She was the first person I'd talked to and had a lot in common with. Of course, she was also one of the first people I'd talked to who was about my age. I hadn't really had many opportunities to make friends.

Tae's dad is overprotective too. Turns out, her father is Rick, the police officer that my dad threatened to have escort me to the game if I wasn't back in time. Tae said he'd be just as bad as my dad if it weren't for Zach. Her dad trusts Zach to keep her out of trouble.

From what I'd gathered from everything she'd told me, Tae and Zach were super close. It was the kind of brother-sister friendship that had always made me wish I had a brother or sister. Zach had even agreed to help Tae keep Cade a secret from their dad, since apparently he would fly off the handle if he found out Tae was dating. I could definitely relate.

I slowly made my way to the kitchen, where my dad already had breakfast on the table. Eggs, bacon, toast, and a glass of orange juice--it smelled amazing. Dad's cooking never failed to make my taste buds happy. I just wished he was around more and actually had time to cook.

"Good morning honey," Dad said with a warm smile. He was seated at the table with a newspaper in one hand, and a cup of hot coffee in the other. "Did you have fun last night with Tae?"

I smiled back at him, taking my seat at the table. The eggs on the plate in front of me smelled heavenly. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun. Tae is really cool," I answered. I wasn't sure if he was talking about the game, or going for ice cream afterwards. Either way, my answer was pretty much the same.

Dad laid the newspaper on the table and smiled. He seemed to like the fact that Tae and I were getting along well. "That's great. I'm glad to hear that. Tae will be a good influence on you." He paused a minute, thinking. "Only, don't get any ideas about a boyfriend. You're too young for that kind of thing. I don't care if all the other kids are doing it. You're 15 years old. You have other things in life you should be focusing on. I don't understand why Rick lets Tae have a boyfriend"

"Dad, stop it. It's not a big deal," I insisted.

"Promise me, Lilly," he said, holding my gaze.

I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. This was incredibly awkward and unnecessary. "Whatever. I promise," I mumbled.

Dad smiled, apparently glad to have that out of the way. "So what did you think of the game last night?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, umm," I laughed awkwardly. I had watched the game and attempted to like it, but I didn't understand any of it. Watching a game in person instead of on T.V. didn't make it any easier to understand. "It wasn't bad. I didn't understand anything that happened, but from what I could tell, they all seemed to play well. You won, anyways."

Dad smirked. "It's nice to hear you understand football more than you ever have."

I smiled and looked down at the food on my plate. Dad and I never discussed football. Ever. He knew it wasn't really my thing, and that I couldn't possibly have cared less. I'd tried to enjoy football, but it just didn't entertain me. That being said, last night had actually been surprisingly fun.

"So what did you and Tae talk about?" Dad asked, changing the subject. I wasn't sure I wanted to have this discussion with him. Tae and I hadn't talked about anything bad, per se, but that didn't mean I wanted to share every detail with him.

We talked about who the hottest guys in school were, I thought to myself. Tae was already trying to give me a lay of land before school started. She had made it perfectly clear that she wanted me to have a boyfriend so we could double date in the future. As if my dad would ever let that happen.

I laughed, taking a small bite of my eggs. They tasted even better than they smelled--if that was even possible. I swallowed hard before responding. "Oh. Umm...we just kind of got to know each other."

Dad nodded, not pressing any further. He picked up his newspaper again before asking his next question. "I see. So what did you think of Luke and Zach?" he asks, trying to act casual but failing miserably. I try to suppress a groan. Apparently, Dad was still kind of freaked out that Luke had put his arm around me last night. As if Luke would ever actually want to date me. Luke, the hot, popular, talented quarterback. He wouldn't give me the time of day, even if I wanted him to. Which I didn't. Well, not really, anyways.

I paused. Why was he asking me this? Was it some kind of trick question or something? On one hand, they were Dad's two favorite players, so he probably wanted to me to like them. On the other hand, they were guys, and if he thought I liked them too much, he might bench them for the season. Talk about a loaded question.

They are both extremely good looking.

I felt my cheeks heat up at the thought. I would never tell my dad that. As overprotective as he is, he'd probably never let me go anywhere near a football field again. Actually, he would probably even try to pull me out of public school and just hire a tutor to help me with online school.

"They seem nice," I finally say, exhaling loudly. I still wasn't sure how to answer that question. It seemed like a trick--like he wanted me to say that I thought they were attractive so he could ground me or something.

Dad chuckled and stood up, grabbing his plate and walking over to the sink. "They're some great guys. The whole football team is actually." He set his plates in the sink before turning around. A goofy grin spread over his face, and he waited to see if I had anything to say.

I remained silent.

"Just don't go getting any ideas about them," Dad warned. "I know you've been doing online school and don't get out much, so you don't know what high school boys are like. They want a fling, not a serious relationship. And you're too young for either. So there will be absolutely no dating. If I even catch wind of you dating any guy, even one on the football team, I'll send you to an all-girls private school."

I groaned. "Dad, come on. I'm not a little kid anymore. You have to start letting me make some decisions on my own at some point. I need a little bit of independance."

"No, what you need is to respect the ground rules. If you respect my rules, I'll respect you, and maybe we'll talk about giving you a few more privileges. You talk back to me, or try to sneak around and hide things from me, and break my rules, and you will lose every privilege you already take for granted. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Dad," I mumbled. Clearly, he was serious. I was half-afraid that if he thought I was getting too close to any guys or too wild with my friends, he would hire Mrs. Binkins to be my permanent escort.

I grabbed my plate off the table and set it in the sink, retreating to my room before I said something rude. It was Saturday today...only 2 days until my first day of school. Come Monday, I would make friends and have a life--and nothing my father threatened was going to stop me.

_____________

Later that afternoon, I was sitting on my bed, scrolling through pictures on Facebook, when my Dad knocked on my door.

"Hey, I'm heading to the school to get some paperwork. I thought maybe you might want to come and see the school. I could give you a tour, show you where your classes are," he said.

I knew it was a peace offering, an apology of sorts for being so intense earlier. I felt bad saying no, since I knew my dad really did care, even if I wished he was a little less intense sometimes. "Sure," I called, pulling on my shoes and grabbing my bag.

When we pulled into the school parking lot, there were only a few other cars there. I guess most people didn't actually want to be at school when they didn't have to be.

Dad made a beeline for his office, promising to show me around the school after he was done with his paperwork. I sighed and leaned against the wall outside his office. He promised he'd only be like 5 minutes. 10 at the most.

I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the ground. What was I supposed to do for 5 minutes? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs? I wished Dad would let me have a smartphone. Or at least texting. Maybe then I could be talking to Tae, instead of waiting here, bored out of my mind. Instead, I just stared vacantly down the hallway, wondering which classrooms I would have classes in come Monday.

"Hey there--Lilly, isn't it?"

I jumped about three feet in the air, turning to see who was talking to me. The guy looked vaguely familiar. His dark brown hair was whipped up into a cute messy look. With his gray hoodie and black track pants, I couldn't help but admire how cute he was. I knew he was one of Dad's football players, one of the important ones that does something with the football. Tae's brother's friend. Luke.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said. "Is Coach in there?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he is." It took everything in me not to stutter. Play it cool, Lilly, I thought frantically. Don't let him know you don't talk to cute guys. You don't want him to think you're a loser.

"Alright, thanks," Luke said with a smile that showed off perfectly straight, white teeth. He turned and walked into my dad's office.

Well, that was fun, I thought sarcastically. It was weird hearing Luke call my dad Coach. I mean, I knew he was called Coach by all of his players, and pretty much anyone else at the school who cared at all about sports, but I'd never actually heard someone call him that. That was going to take some getting used to, especially since everyone at this school knew a side of my dad I'd never seen.

A long sigh left my lips, and I started fiddling with my charm bracelet. I was feeling a little jittery after my encounter with Luke, and I couldn't help but wonder why he was here. What are the odds that he would be here?

I hoped I wouldn't have to talk to him again. I didn't have any experience talking to guys who were my age. With how socially awkward I am, I'd probably get red in the face and stutter no matter what boy I talked to. A popular, outgoing, hot guy like Luke? I didn't stand a chance.

A minute or two passed before I heard the door click open. My heart skipped a few beats in anticipation. Was it Luke? Or my dad?

Dad popped his head out, looking at me on the ground. "That doesn't look very comfortable," he observed wryley.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, what else was I supposed to do? I was waiting for you. Are you almost done?" I asked.

"Yeah, about that. I'm going to be a little longer than I thought. I've got a few things that I need to print off, so I might be awhile. But don't worry, Luke's graciously agreed to show you around for me, so you don't have to wait here."

My heart stopped and my eyes widened in surprise. My dad, the control freak, was going to trust me alone with a hot guy? What strange, parallel universe had I fallen into? "Umm... okay?" I responded belatedly.

Dad chuckled, not seeming to notice how uncomfortable I was. Or if he did notice, he didn't care. Instead, he opened the door fully, letting Luke step out before closing the door behind him.

I sat there, quietly hyperventilating, while Luke looked down at me, a small smile playing across his lips. Great. He thinks I'm amusing. Again..

I pressed my back firmly against the wall, trying to avoid eye contact. Why were his eyes so mesmerizing? Their warm brown seemed to magnetically draw my gaze to his own, even when I didn't want to. My cheeks felt like they were burning up, which probably meant I was turning cherry red. Ughh, why was I so awkward?

I didn't say anything. I seemed to have lost the ability to speak or act like a rational human being. Why Luke? Why couldn't I have run into Tae here? Or Zach? Or literally anyone else in the entire universe who would make me feel less awkward than Luke?

After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, Luke knelt down to my level, a sly grin on his face. I gulped. "Cat got your tongue?" he teased.

"What? No--umm--I just--" The words quickly rushed out of my mouth, but I was too flustered to finish my sentence. Instead, my face just turned even redder, if that was possible.

I literally felt like the most awkward person in the entire world. I changed my mind. Maybe public school wasn't such a good idea after all, if I couldn't handle a simple conversation with a cute guy. I was doomed. I would move to the mountains and become a hermit. That ought to make my dad happy.

Luke chuckled. "I promise I don't bite, Lilly. Not hard, at least."

I bit my lip, attempting to find words to say that would make me sound like a normal human being and not an awkward social reject. I looked away from him, playing with my bracelet. The motion always seemed to soothe me, even when I was at my most awkward.

"I know," I said, finally managing to find words. My voice sounded like a weak little kid, but it was marginally better than inarticulate babbling and blushing bright red. "We-...well Tae and I-...you guys-"

I struggled to find the right words to say. This was not how I imagined my first real conversation with a cute guy going. I was struggling like a fish out of water. Get ahold of yourself, Lilly!

Luke's lips curved into a smirk as he offered me his hand. "Come on. I'll show you around."

I looked at his hand in confusion for several seconds before it finally clicked. He was offering his hand to help me up. Of course. What else would be doing? Duh, Lilly.

As he helped me to my feet, I was drawn into his warm brown eyes again. Seriously, how were his eyes that mesmerizing?

Luke led me down the hallway, pointing out a classroom in the middle of the hallway. "This is Mrs. King's classroom. She teaches public speaking. It's a required course for all students, but you better hope you're not in it this semester. You'd have to speak in front of an entire class full of students, not just one person. And you'd probably have to work up to that," he said, winking at me.

He was teasing me. I didn't think I could handle him teasing me. I felt myself tensing up, and tried desperately not to revert to my previous awkwardness.

The expression on Luke's face changed from an amused smirk to a comforting smile. "Hey, I was just teasing," he said, holding out his hand to me.

Touching his hand made me feel even more awkward than I already was. I didn't even think that was possible. I tried to pull my hand back, but Luke held it firmly, squeezing it gently. Something about the feel of his hand and mine was comforting, even while my stomach filled with butterflies.

"Come on," he told me. "I'll give you the full tour. I know all the trade secrets by now. After all, I am a senior."

I laughed, and this time, my laugh was genuine. I didn't sound like a scared kid. I looked up at him, shoving my nerves away. "Eh--Maybe I could trust you. At least until someone better comes along."

Luke gave a half-hearted smile and resumed walking, pulling gently on my hand. "Let's get back to the tour then."

If I wanted to make a good impression come Monday, then I should start by not making a complete fool of myself in front of Luke. Well, at least not any more than I already had. Luke was smart, cute, a senior, and he was on the football team, which practically made him high school royalty. If he liked me, it would mean instant popularity. I would be part of the 'In' crowd. If we dated--

I shook my head. No, that was silly. Luke was a senior. It's not like I would have any classes with him. After today, he wouldn't even know I existed. Besides, my dad wouldn't let Luke anywhere near me if he knew I liked him like that. I was better off not going there. But in my heart, I already had. 

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Thank you for reading! I hope you are all enjoying!

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