CHAPTER 51: I've majored in piggyback rides, alright?

"Come on. He won't even know."

"Caleb, I said no. My shift ends in like twenty minutes and I'm pretty sure your ass can wait that much." I huff, glaring at Caleb, and cleaning the table spilled with leftover milkshake drops.

"Albert is not even here. It's not like he will know whether or not you left early." He presses on, following me like a puppy as I walk towards the kitchen entrance.

"Look, unlike you, I actually get paid per hour here. I barely earn a few dollars but I have to meet my needs, don't I? So, either wait and I'll give you ice cream or get out." I deadpan and enter the kitchen, not waiting for his response.

It's been a day since that incident in the locker room where we both...you know...kissed apparently. I obviously did not talk about it later on for an unknown reason but it seems like he wanted to. Although, he did not mind one bit when I refused to give him a hello kiss.

It's not like we are dating.

Do I want to date him?

I don't know.

Pushing those thoughts at the far back of my head, I continue serving all the milkshakes that were being ordered and soon enough, twenty minutes pass by. I steal a glance outside and notice Caleb loitering by the entrance, his hands in his pockets, his gaze trained on the ground. I sigh, grabbing a cone and dumping some ice cream on it, and leave the money on the counter.

"Here." I grin and stretch my hand towards him, holding out the ice cream like a kid. A soft smile dances on his lips as he takes it and attempts to scrutinize the flavor, no doubt.

"It's mint flavor, moron." I roll my eyes and start walking on the pavement, towards his car. Caleb strolled in the ice cream parlor around half an hour ago, all clad in a leather jacket and black jeans.

I cannot guarantee the ice creams in there did not melt from his hot aura.

Ostensibly, he wanted to figure out a way we would help Jason get out of this mess but it cannot be promised that Veronica's bitchy plans may also be revealed. I think she received the punishment she deserved from me but still, I'm eagerly waiting for karma to strike at her.

"Wait, wait," Caleb says while rushing to my side and opening the door for me. He grins at me, showcasing his chocolate-chip-covered teeth. I chuckle and get in.

"What a gentleman."

"Chivalry is not yet dead, blondie." He winks at me and quickly runs to the driver's side. A peculiar feeling flutters in my chest and I blink, reeling my thoughts back to reality.

This will be too complicated.

As soon as he starts driving, my mind goes into panic mode as I realize what way we are traveling on.

"Uh, where are we going?"

"My house. Where else?" He chuckles, luckily not noticing my tense expression, and continues bobbing his head to the music playing on the stereo system.

Spending time with him thinking of plans?

In his house?

Huh. Taking into consideration the events of the last few days, I doubt we'll do any kind of planning.

Don't get me wrong here. I like Caleb. But that's precisely the problem. My mind is constantly jabbing at me to stop entertaining the thought of him in my heart, but something in me still fails to listen despite knowing the end consequences.

This definitely cannot end well. I mean, have you seen him? The boy puts Adonis to shame. Whistle, Summer, whistle.

At one point or another, later on, he is bound to get some hot-chick Veronica-like girlfriend. Hopefully not exactly like her. We do not want another evil in this world. He'll eventually get bored of the short-term attraction slash infatuation he has with me, and run off to the next girl who sashays towards him with attitude and grace.

In fact, what is wrong with me? Why am I terming these feelings as 'liking'? No, no, no. I am just besotted with him.

Yeah. That's the word. Thank you, dictionary, for randomly throwing this word across my face when I was bored in my room.

This is what I do when I'm bored. Who the hell would be so pea-brained to like me?

Yet, this assurance I'm currently giving myself does nothing to account for the fact that I kissed him back happily back in the locker room, a day back.

Oh, who am I kidding? This is clear dilly-dallying with really, really precarious emotions.

"You planning on getting out of the car any time soon?"

I blink twice, turning my head to see Caleb holding the door open for me, his mirth-filled eyes meticulously perusing my face. I lift my lips slightly and get out of the car, walking ahead of him. My palms suddenly feel sweaty and my breathing gets uneven. Caleb soon catches up with me and before he has the chance to ask me anything, his head whips to the front, landing on a little girl standing near the doorway. Her hair stands like a bird's nest and a deep frown is etched on her face as she clutches the doll in her hand.

"Lucy." Caleb breaths and cautiously approaches her, waving meekly at her. I raise my eyebrows, clearly amused at the setting in front of me. Is Caleb afraid...?

I stifle in my laughter as Lucy swats his hand away and turns away from him. Her narrowed eyes slowly land on me and I gulp – I don't know why. She steadily walks towards me and stops a few inches away from me. She looks at me through her bangs and crosses her arms.

"Who are you?"

I warily look at Caleb for any kind of help but he just shrugs and bites his lip.

"Hi. I'm Summer. Your name is Lucy, right? Er...you have a really pretty name." I crouch down and extend my hand, smiling at her.

"Are you Caleb's girlfriend?"

I laugh and look at him, shaking my head. "No, honey. I make very good decisions. Caleb," I point at him while a familiar smile grows on both siblings' faces, "is not my boyfriend."

"Okay. I like you, Summer. And your name is really pretty too. I love summer, you know!" She grins widely, holding my hand and shaking it vigorously. I chuckle as she pulls me in, Caleb following shortly.

I look around the foyer as Lucy continues to drag me like her doll, but I don't mind it one bit; Caleb's scowling face is quite the droll performance. I cringe at the screechy sound my tatty shoes are making whilst scraping against the granite floor and heave a sigh of relief once we make it to the living room. Last time I came here during the party, it was in the banquet hall which is located in another part of the mansion, as Caleb informed me. A wide stairway stands majestically on my left as I enter, rich mahogany covering its handrails. Comfortable-looking couches, with plush light blue pillows, surround a large glass table.

Lucy takes me up the stairs until we reach the top and take the right corridor. She leads me up to her room which is clearly visible by the wooden name sign on her door. The room is typical pink – just as I doubted at the beginning. Caleb smirks at my grimacing face as I take in the surroundings and I throw him a glare before turning to ask Lucy why she brought me here.

"Do you want to play with me, Summer? Caleb's last girlfriend was very mean when I asked her. That's why I don't like his girlfriends." Lucy scowls as she picks up a bag of toys and sits cross-legged on her white fluffy carpet.

"Girlfriends, huh?" I smirk and cross my arms, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You're such a liar!" He exclaims. "I have only had one. And it is over anyways."

"Don't call me a liar, Callie. You promised you would play with me and you never came yesterday." Lucy pouts and crosses her arms, turning away from her brother. I guffaw at her nickname for Caleb and he growls at me before walking over and picking her up in his arms.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It won't happen again. I promise." He kisses her forehead and gives her the most adorable smile and I swear, I feel like my heart is at its melting point.

"Give me a piggyback ride, Callie. Please!" She grins, pinching Caleb's nose and earning an eye roll from him before he agrees and puts her on her bed. She quickly jumps on him and soon enough, the room is filled with childish squeals and screams.

And no, not from Lucy.

"Piggyback rides? Really? That is quite different, Anderson." I muse after he is done giving Lucy the ride of her life. We stand near the doorway, leaning on opposite sides.

"Hey, I've majored in piggyback rides, alright? I'll have you know I'm quite the best." He smirks and runs a hand through his hair, knowingly or unknowingly flexing his biceps in front of me. I find myself staring a tad too long until the little angel hops towards me and pulls me down on her carpet.

"Play with me, Summer."

"Uh, what are we playing?"

"My dolls. Obviously. You're so funny." She cheekily laughs while I laugh like I'm choking on a piece of paper.

She wants me...to play with dolls...? Someone who never even touched dolls in her childhood or associated herself with the color pink?

Bizarre.

I turn to Caleb, widening my eyes and mouthing 'help', glaring at him as he chuckles to himself and bangs the door exaggeratingly.

"Dress her up, Summer. Look, I have a pink, blue and yellow dress as well. Which one do you like?" Her innocent doe eyes stare back at me in actual curiosity and I blink like a fool.

"Uh...blue?" I grimace and notice Caleb wiping away fake tears. Oh, he is so dead.

"Yay! Perfect."

The next few minutes pass by in utter agony and torment. Never have I ever imagined my 17-year-old self to dress up dolls and brush their tangled hair.

I think I just puked in my mouth.

"What's wrong with him?" Lucy points to Caleb, who seems to be having a hard time controlling his laughter. He continues to laugh boisterously while banging the door with his hands and shaking his head.

"I think he forgot to take his mental stability pills today morning," I state, waiting for his reaction. His laughter dies out and he gives me a dry look.

"What is that?"

"Nothing, honey. It just means your brother's head does not work properly."

"Really?" Her eyes widen as she looks at Caleb while tilting her head.

"Absolutely."

"Shut up! I'm gonna go...get some food." Caleb mutters before running away from the room, leaving me amidst stupid dolls and an adorable girl whose heart I could not bear to break. And so, I continue playing with her and agreeing to everything she says for a few more minutes until she decides she is hungry and I tell her we can go downstairs to see what her crazy brother is up to.

We trot down the stairs, spotting Caleb in the kitchen making sandwiches. Lucy runs in and takes a seat on one of the small bar stools placed near the counter.

"Done with playing Barbie, blondie?" Caleb smirks as he squirts some ketchup on the sandwich and hands it to Lucy.

"Shut up, Callie." I grin at his transformative expression – from a smirk to a scowl.

"That better remain in between the four walls of this house."

"Oh, I don't know about that. This secret is just too interesting to not share." I nudge his shoulder before picking up a slice of a cucumber and tossing it in my mouth.

"Summer." He groans and slaps his forehead. "How about we make a deal?"

"Only if I find it interesting."

"I'll make you the best sandwich you've ever had, and that nickname stays between the three of us." He replies and I pretend to think about it before nodding eagerly.

I am kind of hungry. But like, when am I not?

"So, I was thinking..." Caleb starts after a few minutes of silence, expertly dicing some tomatoes.

"About?"

"What to do about Veronica." He says and steals a glance at my face before quickly returning his gaze on the knife.

I sigh, knowing this topic had to emerge. I mean, this is the actual reason I'm in his house in the first place, right?

"I don't know. How the hell are we supposed to prove Jason innocent? You saw how Coach talked to me that day? That idiot – no offense – brushed me off like I was an annoying bug." I scoff and clench my fists as I reminisce what Coach lectured me on.

You were selected for this team for two reasons. And you just lost the first.

"Yeah, I agree with the fact that it was not right on his part for him to talk to you like that. But if you look at it this way, he does not know anything. For him, this is another student like Zander who was found with drugs." Caleb reasons and I nod along distractedly. All that he said is true but there is still something just odd about the entire matter.

"Wait..." Caleb drops his knife and furrows his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Does Jason share any classes with Veronica?"

"Not that I know of. I mean, he is in his final year so they both completely different classes. Wait, where are you going with this?"

"There is a CCTV camera outside Coach's office," Caleb states, his eyes widening a fraction.

"And...?"

"Think, blondie. The boys' locker room is right next to Coach's office. And Coach gathered us all in the morning which means Jason did not attend class so no one would have even planted drugs on him. That means, someone, placed those drugs in his sports bag, when it was in the locker room."

"Which has all been captured by the CCTV camera!" I finish and clap, suddenly aware of the increasing amount of hope rising in my mind right now. This can either turn out well and go as planned or become even a bigger mess if it does not work out. But this sudden sliver of hope lifts my spirits as the happy thought of Jason getting back into the team, invades my mind once again.

"Damn right. We just need to find a way to get the record for that day and bam! We succeed." He grins and hands me my sandwich. As soon as I bite in, different tangy and spicy flavors hit my taste buds and I let out a groan of admiration.

"This is hands down the best sandwich I've ever had, Anderson." I shake my head, amazed at his mind-blowing skills at making such a simple food.

"So, we have a deal?" He leans across the counter and grins, resting his elbows on the counter.

"Deal."

***

Keep showing love to these two idiots while they continue bickering 😂♥

As usual, keep voting and commenting :)