Thief(8)

“I’m just sitting here with your sisters,” I say against his chest. “You’re not asking for much.”

I enjoy the feeling of being pressed up against him a little more than I should. He moves back first, but stares down at me with a look of gratefulness. “Where the hell did you come from, Viola?”

Max calls Dash’s name, and he hesitantly leaves my side. I sit down next to the twins, who already look bored, but luckily, I came prepared. I pull out my arsenal, a CD Walkman, some colouring books and markers, and a book of crossword puzzles.

“Hopefully, this will keep us amused,” I say to them, grinning as they seem to appear interested. The girls keep busy while I watch Dash play. In fact, I can’t keep my eyes off him.

He’s magnetic.

And so talented.

“Why do you keep staring at my brother?” Mari asks, making me turn to her and cringe. Yeah, I hope she never repeats that.

“Because she likes him, duh,” Savannah adds, not lifting her head from the colouring book. “She wants him to be her boyfriend.”

“Well, I like you, Viola, so I guess it’s okay,” Mari decides with a serious look on her cute little face.

“Dash and I are friends,” I tell the two of them, looking between them. “I like him as a friend.”

When Savannah starts making kissy noises, I decide to take a different approach. “This is going to be our secret, right?”

They both nod.

“Girl code,” Mari says, grinning. “We won’t tell our brother how much you love him.”

Girl code? Where did they learn that from?

I scrub my hand down my face, but decide there is no point in arguing with them.

*****

Six Months Later

“I didn’t even date Jackie.” Dash groans, rubbing the back of his neck. “We kissed, once. I didn’t even take her on an official date.”

I laugh and take a bite of my carrot stick. “That’s not what I’ve heard.”

Max chuckles and puts his phone down, giving us his attention. “You know what this school is like. Everyone likes to gossip, so just ignore it.”

“We’re going to shoot some hoops after school. Do you want to come with us, Vi?” Dash asks, making Max raise his eyebrows.

“Sure,” I say, shrugging nonchalantly. “I can read while you guys play.”

“Sweet,” he says, standing up. “I have to go find my sister. I’ll see you in home ec, though.”

He leaves, and I watch him do so.

“You like him,” Max says, studying me a little too closely for my liking. “Don’t you?”

I shrug and look down at the grass, plucking some out of the ground. “I don’t know.”

“Vi,” he says, lifting my chin with his fingers. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“We’re just friends, Max,” I tell him, moving my face away. “And don’t you dare act weird or say anything to him.”

“As if I’m going to do that,” he says, looking away.

I stand up and offer him my hand. “Let’s get to class.”

*****

Dash

I walk past Savannah’s room, when I overhear her saying something to Mari. “Do you think we should tell Dash to ask Vi out? I feel like he needs help, because he’s not making a move.”

“We can’t say anything to Dash; it would violate girl code. We told Vi we wouldn’t tell Dash that she likes him, even though it’s obvious to everyone,” Mari says, sighing dramatically. “Except Dash.”

Girl code?

Does that trump them telling their big brother important information like this? They think I need dating advice from a bunch of preteen girls?

Jesus.

I open my bedroom door and consider their words. If I was to be honest with myself, the close relationship Vi has with Max is one of the reasons I haven’t asked her out or made a move yet. Max will always be her number one, and I don’t know how well I can handle that. I had no idea she’d mentioned to the girls that she likes me. What if she’s been waiting for me to make a move this entire time? I don’t want to blow my chance with her. I’m just going to have to try to learn to accept hers and Max’s relationship, and let them do them, while still finding a way to fit us into her life.

I could do that.

I smile at my sisters’ antics, shaking my head in amusement.

Viola is a one-of-a-kind girl, and it’s about time I put myself out there and make her mine.

*****

Viola

The next weekend, one of the girls from our class, Kylie, is having a party at her house. Max insisted that we go, even though I tried to get out of it, so here I am, wearing my new black skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a cute leather jacket with my Converse sneakers, in the car with Max and Dash on the way there. Dash is driving, and Max is drinking a beer in the front seat, loud music pumping from the stereo.

“Are you going to drink tonight?” Dash asks me, lowering the music and looking at me in the rear-view mirror.

“Nope, so you can if you like,” I tell him. “I’ll drive us home.”

Max jokingly offers him some of his beer.

“How long are we staying at this thing?” I ask, looking between the two of them. “And I better not be ditched the second we get into the house.”