the hating game ; lrh

two

TODAY WAS NOT A good day.

"Rory!" Anna, my best (and only) friend, pokes annoyingly at my shoulder as I try to eat my lunch.

Though I had opted for a sandwich that morning, I was beginning to regret my decision. I hated the mucky aftertaste that the bread left in my mouth, and even more so the tiny seeds that stuck between my teeth due to the fact that the bread was wholegrain (thanks for that, mum). Additionally, there was an unpleasant ratio of Nutella and butter, which left an uncertain texture and taste in my mouth. In short, the whole situation was simply unpleasant.

"Ow," I respond with a frown, rubbing my arm slightly where Anna poked it. We sit perched at a bench in the courtyard, a beautiful leafy tree providing nice shade for our heated bodies, and an even more beautiful array of boys (basketball players were always a treat for the eyes) to observe. Granted, my brother's painfully annoying best friend was on the team, but he was easy to ignore given the appearance of the remainder of the team. "What?"

Anna points to the grassy, green field, an excited smile spread across her face and an all-too-familiar gleam in her eyes. "Look," she says, her hand and forefinger outstretched as she gestures to one of the players on the field.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" I respond with another question, squinting as I attempt to focus my vision on the boys that were running around the outside of the field as a warm-up for their weekly lunchtime training. Due to the fact that I was running late that morning (the blame of which would fall upon a certain black-haired boy), I had forgotten to pack my glasses, so there was little possibility that I would actually be able to see whatever Anna was trying to point out to me.

"Look," Anna repeats, pointing again in the direction of one of the boys. When I squint my eyes again for a moment and can't manage to see anything, I simply shrug my shoulders, and Anna lets out an annoyed groan, rolling her hazel eyes. "Ashton Irwin, you idiot. God, you really are blind, aren't you?"

I choose to ignore the latter of her sassy comments, and instead focus on the first half of the sentence. "What about him?" I ask, biting into my sandwich. Should've made a salad, I scold myself.

Anna gives me a look that is a strange mix of annoyed and surprised, before rolling her eyes yet again. "He likes you, you absolute dumbass!"

"He does not," I scoff, swallowing my mouthful. Ashton Irwin did not like me; he was popular, and the captain of the basketball team, and made every girl in the entire school weak at the knees. Ashton could have any girl that he wanted, and he sure as hell didn't want me.

"He does so," Anna protests, running a hand through her mid-length blonde locks. She swirls a small spoon around her berry-flavoured yoghurt, her brows raised as she speaks matter-of-factly. "Everybody knows it, too. He just doesn't want to make a move because of Calum."

I scoff yet again, confused. "What about Calum?"

Anna stops playing with her yoghurt and stares up at me with a look of complete surprise. "Because they're friends -- duh," she says, like the fact is blatantly obvious. After a moment of staring at me like I've grown two heads, her face blanks and she returns to swirling her pastel-pink snack. "It's, like, the bro code, I guess; I don't really know. I guess he has to ask Calum's permission or something before he can ask you out."

"Calum's not my dad," I point out, brows raised.

"Yeah, but him and Ashton are on, like, the same level," Anna says, looking up at me. "You know?"

"Yeah," I say with a slow nod, even though I don't know. But it's enough for Anna, because she smiles satisfactorily and returns to playing with her food once again.