October

Chapter Song: Comethru- Jeremy Zucker, Bea Miller.

The morning after what seemed like a hundred laps, I hopped out of the warm water and onto the damp pool deck. Luckily our pool was indoors. We used it during the school season and the year-round club team I swam for practice here once the school season ended.

I basically lived at this pool. I didn't mind though. This place used to be my escape from the world. Over the summer our coach gave me my own key to the facility to come and use whenever I wanted. The property was across the street from our school so it technically wasn't apart of school grounds.

During the summers I would usually come and teach swim lessons with a few other girls from the team. It was a fun start to our mornings and helped me get close to a few of the girls on my team. Kylie was one of them. We would usually go grab lunch after or hang around a swim some laps if we didn't feel we worked hard enough during our 5 a.m. practice.

Once I had grabbed my towel I wrapped myself into a cocoon trying to warm up. No matter how warm the water was, and humid the outside was I still found myself shivering. At least the pool was heated. I was thankful for that.

Last season the heater broke. It took about two and a half weeks to get a new heater installed. We still had to practice. I think we all got the flu after that one. We all counted it as a team bonding experience.

I was supposed to meet Cal today and work on our English essays that were due at the end of the term. I was still a little hurt by Liam from the past weekend so I didn't ask him to join. Riley had to work at the ballet studio she used so she was out. Tyler and Mason were going to a paintball thing, so they were out too.

I wasn't sure how I felt about it being just the two of us after the other night. I had to keep reminding myself that it was just Cal. The goofy guy next door that  I've known since I was a kid. He was still the same guy that cringes at people who say "libary" instead of "library".

I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text back to Cal before going to the locker rooms to change. I planned to shower at home so, I just needed to throw on some warmer clothes. Even though our locker room showers were state of the art and always clean, I tried to use them only when I had to.

Did you just want to come over to my house or do you wanna go somewhere?

Either one, it doesn't matter.

My house? 12 sharp

I smiled like an idiot at my phone as I walked out of the locker room. I didn't know why I was so excited to go to his house I had been there plenty of times. This time it felt different. Maybe because it was just him and I. I walked to my Jeep a little quicker than usual, slightly because of the dropping temperature, but also because of my excitement.

It was October but with the weather, you think it'd be December. I cranked the heat on full blast and blew warm air into my hands. I had to bite my cheek to try not to get my teeth to chatter.

I decided to drive to my favorite coffee shop before going home since it was only 10. I had two hours before my study date.

Was it a date?

He called it one, but surely he couldn't mean it. Could he? We had asked everyone else to come, so maybe it wasn't a date.

As I opened the door to the Corner Cafe the aroma of freshly brewed coffee teased me. This coffee shop was my favorite by far. It was locally owned and the walls were lined with books of every kind. It was actually the idea behind the wall in my room. The room was filled with dark wood tables and comfy plush love seats.

The owners made the pastries fresh every day and ground their own coffee. Plus the owner, an elderly woman named Mrs. Donnelly was always so sweet to me. She's the kind of woman you wish was your grandma.

My dad used to take us here for their muffins. Over the summer when I started driving I would come here more often. She would pull me aside and talk to me about anything really. I tried to spend my free time here doing homework. If it was a good day the kitchen would let me take home some extra goodies depending on how late I would stay.

I smiled at the cashier, Blake. I had English with her, she's sweet. She was also really pretty. She had gorgeous chestnut hair that was always shiny. I really didn't get how some people could have such shiny hair, but mine looked like straw. Maybe it was me.

"Hey, Blake can I get uh," I paused staring at the menu forgetting what I was actually going to order.

"The usual?" She suggested.

"No that's okay I think I want a medium pumpkin spice with almond milk, hot please." I nodded satisfied with my choice.

"Hot? Wow, I'm impressed." She finished the transaction handing me my card.

I probably shouldn't be proud that she knew all my favorite orders by heart already, but oh well.

"Gotta spice it up sometimes." I laughed at my own bad pun. "Is Mrs. Donnelly here?"

"No Saturdays are her days off but she'll be in tomorrow." She smiled, "hey is there anything going on with you and Cal. I've heard some rumors..." She trailed off.

"What kind of rumors?"

"Just that you guys were seeing each other. I don't remember exactly but a lot of people have been saying that you two were pretty cozy at Riley's party a few weeks ago."

"Oh that," I paused. Did we really look that cozy? "Nothings going on, he was just being his annoying self bugging me while I was trying to make a phone call." I shrugged it off with a laugh.

"Oh, that's a shame you guys would be cute together." She said handing me my coffee once it was finished.

"Well thank you." I sighed, "but I don't think it'll happen Liam would kill both of us." I gave her a small wave as I grabbed my coffee.

Would we be cute together? The more I thought about it the more it made sense. I don't know how exactly but it just did. Like peanut butter and jelly. Who would actually think to put the two together? I don't know but it worked.

I took a long hot shower to help relax my muscles and to hopefully calm my nerves. I decided on my favorite black leggings, a sports bra, a grey long sleeve, and my all-black Adidas. I slipped my hair into a simple ponytail. Then I added just a bit of mascara and chapstick.

He'd seen me every which way so I really didn't have to look nice, but I also didn't want to look homeless either. Since we were studying at his house I wanted to keep it casual, especially since I still wasn't sure if it was a real date or not. As I stepped up the stairs I ran straight into Liam.

"Oh sorry." I quickly said trying to move past him. He stopped me in my tracks.

"Look Ken I'm sorry about last week" he started but quickly interrupted him.

"No it's fine I get it." I shrugged.

"But it's not Kenny you're my sister. Look I just don't want either of you getting hurt or anything. I don't know whats going on between you two but," he paused looking away rubbing his jaw.

"But?" I egged him on.

"I just don't like the idea of my best friend dating my sister okay." He admitted. "It's weird".

"No one said we were dating, or like each other for that matter." I sighed while I leaned back against our wall.

"Aren't you going to hang out with him right now?"

"To work on our essays!" I exclaimed, "I was going to invite you but I was mad at you for being a jerk." I looked at him. "Did you want to join us? You still can."

"No I'm busy," he laughed.

"So why are you making it a big deal!" I shouted.

"I just like to make you mad." He shrugged. I could see the mischief in his eyes playing against me. He was so annoying sometimes.

I pushed him against the other wall before turning to go upstairs. I only made it three steps before I felt pressure against the back of my knee causing me to fall forward. I shot my hands in front of me to catch myself before my mouth collided with the stair. Thankfully I was okay. I quickly turned around shooting daggers at Liam.

"Seriously?" I huffed.

"You started it." He smiled stepping over me leaving me behind.

"Hi, Cal!" I heard Livi sing sweetly as she opened the door.

"Hey, Livi girl nice tiara." Cal greeted her.

Liv was playing dress-up in the living room while watching Beauty and the Beast. She was going through a huge Beauty and the Beast faze. She tried to get everyone to play the Beast for her, even I had to sometimes.

Cal's back was facing me. I thought I was going to walk over to his house. Oh well, too late now.

"Can you play the Beast for me?" Livi asked him.

"You know I would love too but I have to play the Beast for your sister today she called dibs," he apologized sincerely.

"I've been betrayed." She pretended to faint on the couch.

"He'll play Prince Charming with you another day." Liam rolled his eyes at her plopping down on the couch beside her.

"Um, Liam it's the Beast, not Prince Charming." She scoffed at him as if he were an amateur. Which he was in a way, he didn't know all of the princess like I did.

"Rookies." I looked at Livi for support and got it when she giggled into her hand.

"I'll play the Beast with you tomorrow how about that?" Cal interrupted

"It's a date." She giggled again but turns towards me and stuck out her tongue.

I tapped his shoulder making him jump slightly. I quickly turned around and point my two fingers towards my eyes then towards Liv to note that I'm watching her. She repeated the movements and laughed some more. I blew a kiss at her and shut the door behind me.

"I thought I was coming to your house?" I raised my eyebrows at him as we crossed the street.

"I know but since I asked you to spend your time with me I figured I would go grab you." He shrugged. Apparently this was a usual thing for us, hanging out one on one. That's what he made it feel like.

"And they say chivalry is dead." I gave a fake laugh that caused him to tsk shaking his head at me.

It was a quick walk to his house considering he lived across the street from me. It had been some time since I've been to his house. I think the last time I came here was for his brother's graduation party.

Cal's older brother recently graduated from Penn State and got accepted into the Harvard Law program that he started this year. My dad had forced me to go to the party since they were our friends regardless of who he was dating at the time.

It's not that I hated Noelle. It's just she wasn't too keen on Riley and I around him when he was over at our house. I tried to make the effort to get to know her, but she already had her own friends. So I stopped trying to be her friend.

She would come over to my house with Cal and watch them play video games. She would just sit in the corner eyes glued to her phone. Sometimes I would come and play with them just to make her mad. It was kind of funny to hear her huff and sigh obviously wanting Cal's attention.

Either way, I tried to avoid Cal over the past year with respect for them and their relationship. Except for the occasional annoyance. I couldn't help myself it was a little fun to watch her squirm. I just didn't want to cause any real problems between them. At least I hoped I never had.

Walking through the door I realized not much had changed since May. The pictures of Nolan and Cal still lined the walls throughout the years. Showing photos of them taking a bath together as toddlers, school photos, family vacation photos, you name it. You could see straight into the kitchen from the doorway, because of the open floor plan. It was all open, but very cozy. It never seemed as stiff as Cal always made it out to be.

"No one is home." He shut the door behind me.

Oh.

"What?" He furrowed his eyebrows together. "Did you think I wanted to hook up with you or something?"

What did he just say? I mean the guys always made comments like that towards me, but never just when it was the two of us. I could feel my cheeks get warms so I dropped my head to the floor.

Breathe.

"Uh..." Was all I was able to get out. Clearly I was dumbstruck by him saying we were going to hook up.

"Ken I told you that so you don't freak out, not because I'm trying to get into your pants." He laughed rubbing the back of his head.

I sighed in relief. It's not that I wouldn't want to hook up with him, because don't get me wrong I probably would if given the chance. It just didn't seem right to me. Plus I barely started having decent conversations with him, I didn't want to ruin it just yet. That was of course if Liam never found out.

"Where are we doing homework?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"We can work in here, the kitchen, my room, you name it. Whatever you're comfortable with."

"Your room is okay." I let him guide me up the stairs although I knew exactly where to go.

"Oh, and Kenny," he stopped mid stairway.

"Yes?" I stopped myself waiting for what he'll say next.

"I, at least have to buy you dinner first. My mom didn't raise a caveman." He winked at me.