Side Note: I Think I Love You (Side Notes Book 1) - COMPLETE

Chapter 2 - Ian

"Okay, when did I say I would be doing all the work?" My best friend and team captain, Braiden James, asks as he spills a bucket of bright green paint onto his designated parking spot. I'm standing right next to him while my own parking spot dries. I had only finished the first coat and had a general idea of what I would be painting.

"You didn't," his girlfriend, Sophia Castro answers as she fans herself. Summer is the equivalent of hell's sauna, especially in Santa Barbara. It's worse because instead of the dry heat that surrounds Texas, it's humid as hell in the West Coast. But maybe that's because Santa Barbara is a beach town and beaches tend to be humid. At least it's only Labor Day.

Yet who's idea was it for us to paint the parking spots after school starts back up?

"Still." BJ wipes the sweat from his forehead and turns to me. "Kind of glad we didn't have a two-a-day, right Bale?"

I nod, grabbing a water bottle and basically chugging it. For someone who has lived in two of the hottest places in the country, I sure hate the heat. But summer means no school and making the most out of it.

And it's coming to an end. Thank GOD.

"Can you guys believe it?" Sophia asks as she hops onto the top of the trunk. "Senior year began a month ago. And you have your first away game of the season coming up."

"Yeah," Braiden says. "It's hard to believe that this is our last year."

"And that we still have so much to do. Like, pull the ultimate senior prank, set Ian up on an actual date, get nominated for homecoming king and—"

"Hold on there, Castro," I interrupt. "You lost me at 'set Ian up on an actual date.' Why the hell do I need to go on a date?" I've done crazier things in my time that I would not like to name but dating has been the craziest thing that I haven't done and probably will not.

At least, not randomly.

"High school is a matter of trial and error and this is literally the best time to start dating when you get the chance." She places her hands on her hips as an attempt to be assertive. "You know, for someone who is always up to trying new things, you seem so against it."

"Because dating is my one exception," I tell her. I've seen the fallout of dating and love—it's not pretty. Sure, BJ and Sophia are also the exceptions to this because I swear they've been giving each other puppy-dog eyes since they started dating, probably even before.

Grabbing my bucket of paint and a brush, I get back to painting my spot. "Besides, even if I was up for it, there aren't many girls who I'd be interested in."

"Man, your standards are too high." BJ isn't exactly one to sugarcoat things. "Besides, you can literally have any single girl you'd like."

Well, not everyone.

"I should set you up with Rue," Sophia says, brown eyes bright. "I can totally see you two together. She's just your type."

"What do you mean by that?" I raise a brow. Last I checked, I don't have a type. Sort of. And not having a type means that I don't have any standards. Wait, that's a lie. I do have my limits.

"She'd totally want to go out with you." She winks before grabbing a thick paintbrush and dipping it into the bright yellow paint bucket. "It's obvious to anyone with eyes."

Rue Barlow is one of Sophie's best friends and the co-captain of the cheer team. I've talked to Rue a few times, made out with her at a party or two but I've never been interested in going on a date with her. That hasn't changed at all.

"Guessing by the look on his face," BJ chuckles. "He didn't know. Are you sure your eyes are fine? You have four of them."

I flip him off, even though his back is turned towards me.