"Hey Dallas, come on in hun."

Spencer's Mom invites me into her sweet little cottage via the back door on Wednesday evening. It smells like home cooking and lavender. The quaint kitchen has floral wallpaper and retro appliances. There are jars of home baking on the countertop and the small wooden kitchen table still has remnants of what was probably a delicious dinner laid out.

I shut the back door and follow her through to the living room which follows a floral and vintage style theme. To be quite honest this sort of style is not how I'd decorate my own house, but Camilla pulls it off flawlessly. She pushes her hand through her long pin-straight black hair and gestures at the corridor.

"Spencer is in her room, fretting about this date." She rolls her eyes with subtle disapproval. "Go on in and help her get a grip, won't you darlin."

"Sure thing M'am. I'm on it." I laugh lightly at her impatience for teenage peril and head down the corridor towards Spencer's bedroom.

Unlike the rest of the house, her room is decorated with a more modern theme. Her walls are painted cream with a lavender feature wall. She's got a simple bedspread to match and a set of white side table drawers on either side. Her chest of drawers is the same style from IKEA and some decorative canvases with generic prints are scattered tastefully on the walls.

She stands in her double closet, running her hands through her hair with a stressed-out expression etched in her features.

"Hey," I shut the door behind me and fall back on to her bed, "what's the problem?"

"I don't know what to wear!" she snaps. "Why did I agree to this."

"Chill out Spence." I roll onto my stomach and lean up on my elbows. "He's a really sweet guy. You can wear anything."

"Okay, I have to go out with him after you've been out with him." She puts her hand on her hip and cocks a brow. "Do you know what kind of pressure that puts on me? You're a hot, blonde cheerleader. I can't compete!"

I'd decided that I needed to be honest with Grayson about how I felt. So I'd sent him a text and politely explained that while I find him very sweet, I couldn't agree to a second date. He'd understood and I'd suggested that he give Spencer a shot. So I sent him her number and they'd arranged to have dinner at the diner tonight.

It was a little beyond me why they chose the middle of the week to go out. But each to their own.

"Spencer, you're gorgeous. Don't give me any of that." I narrow my eyes and dare her to argue. She pouts and then turns around, shuffling through the coat hangers like a frenzied maniac. "You must have some idea about what you want to wear?"

"I was thinking about that black high waist skirt with my purple blouse?" She bites her lip, waiting on approval for the look.

"Hmm na," I shake my head, "too formal. It's dinner at the diner. What about" - I stand up and walk towards the closet - "your boyfriend jeans with this blouse."

I pull a white blouse from one of the hangers and hand it to her. She thinks about the combo for a minute and then nods her head, picking the boyfriend jeans up off the floor and dashing towards the door.

"I'll be back in a sec!"

After she's disappeared to the bathroom I sit down on her bed and laugh at her little meltdown. It's sort of adorable and I must admit that I occasionally crave the first date jitters that come with the whole experience of dating. My time will come I suppose.

I slip my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and run through the notifications on my home screen while I wait. A tinder notification catches my attention so I unlock the phone and open the app.

I have a new match from one Drayton Lahey.

"Oh my God," I mumble to myself with amusement as I open his profile.

Naturally his photo is a shirtless picture of him in his back yard. He's flexing his muscles with a pair of aviators on and the picture alone is enough to make me chortle. But his bio is what really sets me off.

Just putting myself on the radar of one blonde cheerleader who may need her itch scratched. She rides the hell out of my motorbike so I'm sure she can ride the hell outta me. 😉

I burst out laughing and accept the match, immediately typing out a message. I also notice that he's set his location as Castle Pines and the irony doesn't evade me.

Really?! You've joined tinder?! 😂

Much to my surprise his response is quick and I do my best to rid the images of him sitting around waiting for my reply. 

After Emily's threat on Monday I'd decided against saying anything to Drayton. I figured his 'secret' was his business and if it was something he didn't want to share then there was nothing I could do about that. As long as I kept my mouth shut about Emily and his uncle, kept my head down and kept out Emily's way then she wouldn't blab it all over school and ruin Dray and mines new friendship. I'd essentially pretended to act as though nothing had happened at all. I also decided to keep my interactions with Drayton at school, as low key as possible. Just to appease the devil's daughter.

So far so good.

I open his message and read it as Spencer comes shuffling into the room.

I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about. I've already had like 106 matches.

"What are you smiling about?" Spencer gives me a sideways glance as I look up from my phone.

"Oh just - - a meme," I roll my eyes and quickly type out a reply.

Of course you have. 🙄 Any potential candidates? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Standing up, I throw the phone on to the bed and give Spencer an approving once over. She's tucked the loose blouse into the front of her jeans, leaving the rest to drape stylishly over her bum and hips.

"That looks really nice!" I compliment as she slips a pair of black ballet flats on.

"You think?"

"Definitely!" I nod. I think she's perfection. I would switch with her without hesitation. Her long legs, bone structure. Her hair and complexion. Ah. Lesbo moment. "Just remember to be yourself and he'll think you're amazing!"

While we wait for Grayson to pick Spencer up, we sit on the bed, playing on our phones and my attention goes back to the tinder conversation as I read Dray's latest response.

Na no candidates just yet. Besides I don't really trust girls that use this app. They're probably all weird looking and have cat fetishes.

I'm not particularly keen on Spencer prying into the conversation so I do my best not to laugh, which is harder than I imagined.

I use tinder! 😧 Am I weird looking with a cat fetish?

Well you definitely aren't weird looking 😏 as for the cat fetish. I dunno. I wouldn't be surprised.

I don't have a cat fetish dick head. Have you seen Grayson today? Is he excited about the date?

Have I seen the best friend that lives under the same roof as me? Yeah we were just braiding each other's hair and talking about how special tonight's going to be.

Are you always such a sarcastic asshole?

Relatively often.

The doorbell rings and Spencer's head whips towards the noise that I imagine sounds like a blaring beacon of horror, so her face would suggest anyway.

"Why are you so nervous Spence?" I stand up and gesture for her to follow.

"It's a for-real date!" she says with a weak voice as we walk down the corridor. "I dunno it's just - scary!"

"Grayson is a gem. Trust me. You'll have a good time. Even if there's no spark, it won't be awful. He's just too nice."

I don't give her any more time to argue, pulling the front door open to reveal Grayson who looks surprised to see me. He's dressed in a denim jacket and a pair of slim fit, black cargos.

"Oh hey Dallas." He gives me a small smile and although he said that everything was fine on the phone, he seems a little awkward. "How are you?"

"Yeah I'm good." I return his smile and then his eyes travel behind me to Spencer who's nervously peering over my shoulder.

"Spencer right?" Grayson smiles, pointing at her.

"Uh, yeah hey." She comes out from behind me and drops down on to the doorstep, doing her best to exude confidence. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Grayson gives her a wide smile, the same one that he'd regarded me with not even a week ago. I don't feel jealous though, he seems to have a sweet affectionate side and I'd be thrilled if Spencer got to be on the receiving end of it. "Should we get going?"

"Yeah for sure." Spencer leans behind me and calls out goodbye to her Mom as she shuts the door and Grayson starts heading down the footpath.

"He's so fucking hot!" she whisper squeals beside my ear before she takes off after him.

I watch them like a proud mother hen as they climb into the jeep and drive away. Satisfied that I've done a good thing - well I hope I have - I head to my car and decide to go home and get some cheer practice in before it gets too dark.

When I pull up in front of the house three minutes later my heart flies into my throat at the sight of a police cruiser parked in the driveway. My immediate thought is Nathan and I barely get the car turned off before I'm sprinting towards the house in a mild panic.

I all but kick the door down as I head inside, relief flooding through me when I spot him sitting, unharmed on the couch. But a different emotion takes place when he looks up and his eyes zero in on me with a frustrated glare. I then notice the police officer who had taken my statement on Friday night, standing a few feet away with an awkward smile masking what I assume is discomfort.

"Why didn't you tell me someone tried to assault you at that party?" Nathan speaks in a low tone with his hands clasped together in front of his chin.

Shît.

"It was nothing Nathan." I shut the front door and walk further in. "Seriously. I mean I broke his nose.. so that's cool - right?"

I'm hoping for him to get up and high five me or congratulate my act of self-defence but instead he springs to his feet with a look of rage across his face.

"Who is he? Do you know? Because I'm gonna fucking ki-"

"Woah woah" - the officer holds up his hands to halt Nathan's sentence - "don't threaten anyone's life in my presence young man. I can't un-hear that stuff. I get it, I do. You wanna protect your sister. But wait until I leave."

Nathan sighs loudly as he rubs his face. I feel a little guilty for not telling him the truth, but this is why I hadn't in the first place. He's a hothead, especially when it comes to my safety. He's not the most authoritative guardian but he'll always do whatever he can to ensure that I'm safe.

"Miss Bryan," the officer steps in front of me and smiles kindly, "I just wanted to update you. We found the offender and he was issued an official warning. That's all the action we can take at this point due to the fact that no assault actually took place. But he's on our radar now and if anyone else lays similar complaints or he gives you any more trouble then we'll bring him in for further action."

"Seems a little fucked up that nothing happens to this creep until it's too late and he's already raped some innocent girl," Nathan spits with anger. "Maybe something should be done about him before it's too late! Rather than waiting!"

"I understand Nathan," the officer doesn't take offence to his outburst but instead gives him a sympathetic smile and nods his head, almost in agreement, "but this is the way it is. Stay safe while you're out and about okay Miss Bryan. And don't hesitate to call if you need us again."

I see the officer out and reluctantly turn around to face Nathan who is still in a tiff it would seem. His eyes are narrow, his mouth set in a hard line as he runs his thumb along his eyebrow.

"What a fucking joke," he hisses after a moment. "Don't bother going to those idiots if this ever happens again" - he exhales deeply and meets my eyes - "I'll deal with the little prick myself."

"Why does everyone immediately want to resort to physical violence," I mumble as I shift my weight.

"Because that way, these dirty little creeps might actually learn a lesson. What's a damn warning gonna do?!"

I don't bother arguing because I know that he has a point and no matter what I say, his opinion on the matter won't change. He sighs at my silence and rests his hands on his hips.

"Are you okay Dallas?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I smile at his genuine concern. "I just wanna forget about it, ya know."

"Yeah I understand." He steps forward and pulls me into a tight hug. "I'm here for you kiddo. Anytime okay."

"Thanks Nathan."

• • •

"It's a little bit of an injustice that you get to skip a day of school and travel out of town just because you can do a backflip."

Spencer and I are sitting on the curb outside the school gates while the bus idles for the away game tonight. There's still a few football players that haven't been marked present and the cheerleaders are flittering around taking selfies in front of the bus.

"I wouldn't mind missing all of this." I shrug. "It's really not as thrilling as it sounds."

"Mhmm, sure," she cocks her brow with a sly smile, "I'm sure going away and staying in the same hotel as Drayton isn't exciting to you at all."

I glance in the direction of her gaze and spot Drayton leaning against the brick wall that surrounds the school. He's chatting casually to a couple of his friends with his backpack slung across his shoulder.

"Drayton's presence makes absolutely no difference to this trip." I roll my eyes. "I cheer at the game and then I spend the rest of the time in my hotel room."

"Yeah but things are different this year. You guys are friends. And don't think I haven't noticed the cute little smiles that you get when he texts you."

"He's an idiot. That's what's funny." I deny her accusations to save face. The truth is I've come to enjoy his friendship and the banter that passes between us. But hell will freeze over before I admit to her... or me, that it's anything more.

Spencer's phone chimes and ultimately saves me from further inquisitions. A wide grin spreads from cheek to cheek at whatever she's reading and I assume that it's Grayson. They hit it off on Wednesday, much to my relief. I wouldn't have wanted to be responsible for a bad date. But they seem to be really into each other. The texting back and forth hasn't let up and Spencer can't stop gushing about how sweet and hot she finds him. Matchmaking can be a risky part to play but so far it's paying off and I'm glad to see that she's happy.

"Alright everyone," our school sports coach calls out from beside the bus doors. Spencer stands up and I reluctantly follow suit. "Everyone on! Tick your name off as you board the bus!"

"Have fun!" Spencer gives me a quick hug. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"What wouldn't you do!?" I laugh lightly. She gives me a wink and then skips away through the school gates.

"You sitting with me Bryan?" A strong arm lops itself over my shoulder as I'm ticking my name off the clipboard in the coach's hand. He gives me an appreciative nod before Drayton leans in and does the same.

"Uh na." I move out of his embrace, a little afraid that Emily may be watching. Even if she isn't, the girl has eyes everywhere. "Sit with your buddies."

His brows knit together in confusion which ultimately just confuses me because why would he want to sit with me in the first place. He doesn't get the chance to respond though because he's soon bombarded with excited testosterone-filled teenage boys who drag him inside the bus as they hoot and holler, heading straight for the back seats.

When I get on the bus I move down the aisle in hopes that I can find a seat that isn't taken already. But the only spots available are ones that are next to someone else.

"You can come sit here cheer pear." Austin, a linebacker pats the seat next to him with a devious grin. The boys in this school are absolute animals and none of them actually have brains between their ears. They all function on penis power. It's abhorrent.

My eyes flicker to Drayton with a little pang of regret for not taking up his offer, but he's not even glancing in my direction. Instead, he's leaning over the back of his seat, engaged in a very hushed conversation with Becca Reed. She's twisting her long raven curls between her fingers as her lips turn up in a flirtatious smile.

"Yeah fine," I mumble to Austin and slide into the seat beside him. Not wanting to give him the chance to strike up a conversation, I shove my earphones in and turn Spotify on at a volume that won't allow me to hear his mind-numbing chit chat.

I'm not jealous that Dray seems to be flirting with another girl. That would be outrageous. Yet it seems to make me a little irrationally angry and I have the slightest urge to wax her eyebrows clean off. But I stand by the fact that it's not jealousy.

It can't be.

Austin starts poking me in the shoulder and waving his hand in front of my face. So I reluctantly remove the earphones and wait for him to elaborate.

"So uh, do you wanna key to my room tonight?" He tousles his wavy brown hair and gives me seductive wink to which I can only respond in a throaty disgruntled noise.

It's beyond me why guys think a line like that will actually work. The next three hours are clearly going to be unbearable and at this point, I can only see the trip getting worse from here.