7. Attention

God, I must be crazy to involve Adrian.

I could've asked him to drag me anywhere, but I just had to choose a narrow alley.

Adrian made a desperate attempt at making eye contact as all I could do was turn my head, so I didn't have to look at him. "Can I now know the real reason why you decided to drag me to an alley?"

Our eyes met for a split second before we burst out in laughter. This is what our bond had always been like. He was the annoying best friend of my even more so annoying brother, and I wouldn't even touch him with a ten-foot pole.

"It's about Jayden Cruz, isn't it?" Adrian clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "And here I was—thinking I really had a chance."

At times I felt bad for ignoring at his hopeless attempts because, in a way, he meant a lot to me, and I did not want to hurt his feelings. I hadn't exactly rejected him, so he must've misread my signals all along.

"Adrian…we can't—"

"But you can with Jayden." He frowned. I stressed for a second, realizing he was aware of my true intentions. Adrian had always been good at observing others and must've sensed my odd behavior.

"Adrian." I tried playing it off. "You're like a brother to me…Maison's other half—"

The boy scoffed. "Cruz seems like trouble…and you've been through more than enough trouble last year."

"I know, I know," I whispered, thinking back at my horrible ex. Maybe Adrian was too overprotective, but he had every right to be.

Jayden Cruz was indeed trouble, and the stunt he pulled at the diner had proved it all.

Adrian's ice-blue eyes bored straight into mine, making me even more anxious than before. If we were talking about looks, Jayden and Adrian were a perfect contrast.

Adrian had skin as pale as snow and platinum blonde hair that almost looked like white in the sun. Mitsuki and I would often joke around about how he did not look anything like my perfect type, but anyone with a decent set of eyes could still see that he was blessed with good looks.

"You deserve better than what you're aiming for, Myah."

"I know." I sighed dramatically. "It's not like I can compete with Lydia anyway."

I had no one to confide in, so Adrian would do for now.

"That's not it. I think you're better than her in every aspect!" Adrian exclaimed. He lowered his head, embarrassed.

"He and that girl…I heard they got a long history." Adrian changed the subject. "I care about you…a lot—and I do not want to see you get hurt."

Long history? I couldn't help but wonder exactly how long of a history those two had. It was apparently enough for Jayden to end this so-called fling.

"So, how long until we can leave this place?"

I grabbed Adrian by his arm. "It'll take a while!" I spoke. "So please wait!"

"Wait?" Adrian chuckled. "I can do that."

It didn't even take a minute for Adrian to start another conversation. He had always been talkative. "How are your classes?" He asked this time. "I heard you have art with Noah?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh, please don't mention it."

"He's not bothering you, is he?"

"No, why would he?"

Adrian gave me a look. Of course he knew my ex and his former teammate a lot better than I did.

"Well, just give me a call if he does try something." He cut me some slack.

"Will do." I nodded. "And I think we can go now."

The following weeks after were as dull as they could be. Just as if we had never met, Jayden Cruz didn't stare at me, talk to me, or even breathe near me.

Once in a while, I would take a glance at him and Lydia and couldn't help but wonder what his reason might've been for the sudden change in his behavior.

Was he focused on making it through the league, or was I just some kind of challenge for him?

I had often wondered whether dad or Alex scolded him, but that was unlikely. If that were the case, he wouldn't even be in the squad anymore, star player or not.

"Baby, what do you think about this dress?" Mom posed in front of the mirror. After being dragged to the mall, I had no choice but to sit back and watch her fashion haul.

If my mom, Marina Goodwin, wasn't at the clinic for a botox treatment or some other procedure—you could find her at every possible boutique you could think of in town.

"It's nice, mom." I sighed before checking my phone. At times I was hoping for a surprise message from Jayden, but each time it was Adrian instead.

Adrian had always been a goofball who felt obligated to send me every meme he came across, and I had to admit, I found it kind of cute. Even though I was still not interested, the effort was definitely there—and no guy had ever given me that much attention.

"And?" Mom turned to me. "Did you make the cheer squad?"

"I don't know, mom." I rolled my eyes. "It wasn't Naomi texting me. It was Adrian."

Trying out for cheer was perhaps the worst decision I ever made, but it was the only way to keep an eye on Jayden and Lydia. I couldn't do anything to stop my obsessive behavior, and I somehow felt the need to get my heart broken even more.

Hell, I couldn't even do a cartwheel, but I was willing enough to practice one, just so I could be around Jayden.

"So, what's going on between you and Adrian?" Mom asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Are you guys hooking up?"

For some reason, she had never been able to draw a line between us and treated me like a close friend instead of a daughter.

I pulled a disgusted look and shook my head. "I would never."

"Too bad." Mom shrugged. "I think he's cute."

"He is, but it's still not happening." I spoke. "And dad wouldn't allow it anyway. You know his rules."

After a long day of shopping, I had pushed through my tiredness and forced myself to watch the late-night football practice. I used a poor excuse about spending time with dad, but secretly I just wanted to be near Jayden.

"Good practice today, guys!" Dad held his usual speech. "Keep up the good work!"

All the guys cheered, exiting the field while I got up from the bleachers. Even if it was for a split second, it seemed like Jayden's eyes searched for mine, but seconds later, he had already disappeared.

If only he could give me a minute of his time…

"Hey, beautiful." I heard a familiar voice. I turned to look at Adrian, who ruffled his hand through my hair. "I thought you didn't like stinky guys running around the field."

I put on a disgusted face and mimicked his words in a childish tone as he held me down in an innocent headlock. "No, really, what are you doing here?" He asked.

Just as I was about to give him an answer, we were interrupted by a loud cough.

"Coach!" Adrian freed me from his grip and stepped back.

"Larusso," Dad spoke sternly. Whether Adrian was my brother's best friend or someone we'd known for years didn't matter to him. He made it clear that none of the guys were allowed to touch me.

"I think it's time for you to head back, son." Dad patted his back, leading him down the stairs and leaving me behind.

Well, if this was his reaction to Adrian touching me with less than a finger—I didn't want to know what his response would be after hearing I slept with the star player.

Even then, I could not stay away from Jayden Cruz.

Not having any further business, I made my way to the campus parking lot with many thoughts going through my head.

Why wouldn't Jayden Cruz talk to me?

Why had I not heard back about tryouts?

Why—

God, what was that smell?

Disgusted, I stared at a group of students eating chicken wings and covered my mouth with my hand. "God, that's disgusting."

I fastened my pace and tried my hardest to reach the building but made a quick detour to the public restrooms. Whatever was threatening to come out, I couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Move!" I pushed several students away, finally reaching the restroom. I did not waste any time and threw my head above the toilet seat as all the food from today left my mouth.

What was happening to me?

Still shocked, I coughed to get the dirty taste out of my mouth.

"Are you okay?" A voice spoke, pulling my hair behind my ears into a ponytail.

"I-I think I am," I replied, still startled. "Thank y—"

I widened my eyes and stepped back as my eyes met Jayden's. What was he doing here? Did he follow me?

Embarrassed, I looked away. I had gone above and beyond to make myself presentable, just in case he felt like talking to me, only for him to see me like this.

"I-I-I—" I stuttered, unable to find my words.

"You don't look great." Jayden shot me a suspicious look. "I'll walk you home. Let's go."