Perfect for You(5)

“I figured it’s a beautiful day and your last day of freedom before tryouts. You deserve a little fun.” He shuts my door and walks around to his side, getting in the seat next to me. “Plus,” he eyes me in the sexiest way possible, “I have a feeling you look amazing in a two-piece.”

That’s it. I’m a goner. I have to get out of this car. Right. Now.

Noah starts the engine and peels out. Dad’s going to freak if there are tire marks on his driveway. I quickly fasten my seat belt. Ash likes to drive fast, but nothing like this. “Too fast for you?” Noah asks.

Definitely, and not just his driving. All of this. His sudden interest in me. Us hanging out together.

“Are you trying to set a record or something?” I laugh. God, I hope he can’t tell how uncomfortable I am.

He licks his lips, and I melt into my seat. I have to stop looking at him like this. He’s not Derrick. He’s not here to make me feel better about being cheated on two years ago. And what I’m doing now is almost as bad. Sure, I haven’t kissed Noah or done anything else with him, but I’m convinced he’s not thinking this is just two friends going to the water park together. This is a date. At least in his mind.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?” Noah turns to meet my eyes.

I’ve totally zoned out. “Oh, sorry. I spaced for a minute.”

“Thinking about Ash?”

I relax a little when he mentions Ash. He’s acknowledging that I have a boyfriend, so maybe I’m freaking out over nothing. “Um, kind of. I promised I’d go watch the Football Challenge tonight.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll have you back in plenty of time.”

Even though he’s saying all the right things—friendly things—I have to be sure he sees this as an innocent outing. I can’t spend the entire day with him, wondering if he thinks this is a date. It will drive me crazy. “Why did you ask me to come with you today?”

He shrugs. “I thought it would be fun.”

Fun in a “two friends hanging out for the day” kind of way or fun in a “making out under the waterfall” kind of way? “So, we’re just having fun…as friends. Is that it?” Boy, I sound like a dork.

He laughs, a soft laugh that brings out the dimple on his cheek. “Do you always question things this much?”

Yes. “Do you have a favorite ride?” I ask, changing the subject from my extreme lameness to the water park.

“Tube Mountain, definitely.”

My eyes light up. “I love that one! Grayson and I always race to the bottom.”

“She’s the one you were playing tennis with, right?” Wow, he really does live in his own little popular bubble.

“Yeah.”

He nods. “You hang out with some interesting people.”

What does that mean? I wait for him to continue, hoping he’ll explain what he means in a way that’s not totally insulting to me and my friends.

“I didn’t mean to offend you. It actually says a lot about you. You don’t discriminate.”

“I don’t discriminate?” I twist in my seat to see him better. I’m trying to get some sort of read off his expression, but his eyes are glued to the road, and he’s not giving anything away.

“Yeah. You don’t care if someone is a jock, a nerd, or part of the popular crowd.”

No, I don’t. “I like having friends who are different. They’re more fun to be around.”

“Yeah, but you don’t fit into their groups. That must be tough. Not really belonging anywhere.”

“I think I fit in with the tennis crowd.”

“I’m part of the tennis crowd, and we only started talking a week ago.” He still isn’t looking at me, and I don’t know what to make of any of this.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying it’s nice that you care more about the person than what group they belong to, but that kind of leaves you the odd girl out.”

He does have a point. I’m not friends with any of Grayson’s other friends. They’re all into art—painting, sculpting, that kind of stuff. Not at all my thing. And Ash’s friends are all football players and cheerleaders. I don’t fit in there either. The tennis girls are great, but outside of the courts, we don’t hang out.

“You okay?” Noah asks.

“Yeah. I guess I never really looked at it that way. It makes sense though.”

“If you want a crowd to hang with, I can help you.” He turns slightly, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

“You mean hang out with you and your friends?”

“May as well aim for the top, right?” There’s that confidence again. He knows I want what he’s offering. “If you’re going to choose a crowd, it should be the best.”

“So, are you inducting me into your group or something? Is that what this is?” I can’t deny I’m tempted. Being part of the popular crowd would make senior year a lot more memorable.

“I guess you could look at it that way.” His dimple is back. “I’ll steer you in the right direction. Show you who you should stop spending so much time with.”

“Grayson?” I can’t ditch Gray, not even to be part of Noah’s clique.