Senior Standoff | RETIRED VERSION

You Love Her - Bonus Chapter

Blood splatters and groans, button smashing and Finn's angry swears at the screen; all of it made the soundtrack of the evening while I was tucked into the corner of the cheap, poorly-made couch. Citizens screamed. Finn screamed. I kept my eyes on my phone. My thumb idly slid across the screen, from picture to picture, my eyes following each one with focus. My chest felt heavy.

"Did you see that? I just got both of those assholes in one hit," Finn said.

I didn't even glance up. "Yeah, it was awesome."

"Oh my God."

I didn't see it as Finn put down the controller or reached over for my phone. As soon as his hand crossed the screen, I pulled it back. He didn't need to see this.

"Dude, what the hell?" I snapped, holding my phone close to my chest.

"I have never seen you like this," Finn said.

"What are you talking about?" Using my thumb, I clicked off the screen, not daring to let Finn in range.

"You've been out of it all night, just staring at your phone, and now I realize it's because you've been stalking Aspen's Instagram. Asher. Come on. What are you doing?"

Feeling my blood pressure rise, I tried to force the embarrassment away. Busted. I'd been hoping Finn would be too focused on his game to notice.

"I'm just... looking at some pictures. So what?" I asked.

Finn patted around the couch cushions until he found the remote. The television screen went black. With the atmosphere growing more uncomfortable with each passing second, I slipped my phone into my pocket.

"You've been a total pussy, and because of it, you're dicking around this girl that you're completely in love with," Finn said.

Part of me knew that. But having it pointed out just made it like a shot in the gut.

"I've never wanted a girlfriend. Relationships have always been shitty for me," I admitted. Memories of girls I'd been with in the past raced by. I hated them. Every one of them.

Finn smirked.

"What?" I asked.

"The girlfriend thing is what you're getting defensive over, not that I said you're completely in love with her."

"Finn."

"Are you going to fight me on it?"

"No."

Finn stood up and walked to the kitchen, coming back with two cans of beer. He tossed one through the air. I caught it above my head with both my hands.

"Listen, you don't have to date her if you don't want to. That's up to you. Just answer me this: does the thought of her being with someone else bother you?"

The number that Chad the Impaler gave her intruded my head. I swallowed. The bile that rose left a bitter taste in my throat.

"It makes me sick to my stomach."

"So you just expect her to stick around for you?"

"No."

"You are in love with her. If you don't do something about it, eventually she's going to have enough of this bullshit and move on. There will be other Chad the Impalers, and she's going to say yes because she's going to be tired of waiting for your ass to decide it's ready. You are going to be sick to your stomach all the time. All those Instagram photos you're stalking will have her new boyfriend in them, and you're going to hate yourself that you let her go because you were scared."

"I don't even know how to be a good boyfriend. She deserves the best guy in the world, and I can really be a piece of shit."

"Yeah, well, for whatever reason she decided she wants you, so."

My fingers tapped on the side of my beer can. A vibration shuttered in my pocket. I pulled my phone out and opened the notification, a Snapchat video from AyyFaust328. Without thinking, I tapped the screen.

"Asherrrrr," she said, her face close to the screen, voice trying to be hushed. She giggled. Liv's face was barely in the frame beside hers. "I'm kinda high right now. Liv got brownies." They both started giggling again about nothing. "Oh, God, I'm fucking high."

The video ended. Before Finn could say anything, another video came through.

"I'm a fucking dooooggggg!" she exclaimed, a puppy filter over her face. I didn't even realize it when a smile took over my face.

"You corrupted that poor girl," Finn said.

I chuckled. "Yeah, a little." A sigh escaped my lips. "She's adorable. What do I do?"

I looked over towards Finn. This was so far out of my area of expertise I couldn't even begin to pretend I knew anything about it.

"Well, first, you hope that she forgives you for being a total fuckboy. And, if she does, just ask her the fuck out already."

Gnawing on my cheek, I said, "I can't believe I'm actually going to do this."

"I can't believe you were stalking her Instagram."

"Dude, fuck off."

Finn grabbed his controller off the table. He sang, "Asher's got a girlfriend" while turning the TV back on. Meanwhile, I had another silly Snapchat from Aspen.

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If you have any other scenes you want to see as a bonus chapter, let me know!  

Also, my new story, Singles, will have its first chapter posted soon.  Feel free to go check that one out!