The High Road

It wasn’t worth it. Zoe was trying to get under my skin. She’d been like that ever since freshman year. It was like she was trying to usurp my title as Kaylee’s best friend. The best way to combat it was to show I didn’t give a shit. So I gave my best, ‘whatever you say,’ shrug and left it at that.

“Come on Zoe. No need to be mean,” Kaylee said. It wasn’t the first time she’d come to my defense. She’d been like that since middle school. Quick to jump to my aid whenever she deemed I needed it—which in her mind, was more often than I actually needed. It was something like having an overprotective older sister. Considering I already had one of those, I didn’t need or want a second one.

“What? I’m just saying if he worked out like a normal guy, he’d be popular. It’s for his own good! If Liam can do it, Scott certainly can.”

Kaylee didn’t look convinced, her gaze not leaving her friend as she fixed her with a look. “Oh no,” Liam said, holding his hands up as he found himself being pulled into the conversation. “You leave me out of this.”

“You know, she’s right,” Abby said, giving me a scrutinizing look. More than a few heads bobbed up and down. Heat rose in my cheeks as I suddenly found the entire varsity team examining me like a work of art and couldn’t decide whether they were impressed by what they saw, or repulsed.

“I don’t know. I kinda like the bookish type.” My eyes swung over to the girl sitting diagonal to me. There was a hungry glint in Ellie’s eyes as she leaned forward to prop her chin atop her fist.

Zoe rolled her eyes. “You’ve always had weird taste in men.”

Ellie shrugged, her brown curls shifting with the move. “I like what I like.” Her eyes never left me, a silent offer being made. How unbelievably simple. Just like that, I could spend the rest of lunch in the infirmary screwing her brains out. Any other guy would have taken her up on the offer. Ellie was certainly above average. Most of the girls on the team were. I’d be a fool to turn her down.

Yet I had no interest in that. No, it wasn’t a lack of interest, it was the who rather than the what.

I was surrounded by gorgeous women, yet I was only interested in one.

My eyes slid away from Ellie’s suggestive gaze, effectively declining her offer.

Leaning forward over her half-eaten meal, Zoe got my attention. “I’ve been thinking, Scott, are you a virgin?”

It took every ounce of my willpower to remain stoic, even as I felt the temperature of the room increase around me. Before I could answer, several of the girls snickered and laughed at her question.

“What are you talking about Zoe? Of course he isn’t,” Abby said. “Kaylee and him have been friends since middle school.” She turned to the blond with teal highlights. “I bet you’ve screwed countless times over the years.”

Kaylee shook her head. “We haven’t.”

“Seriously?” Abby wasn’t the only one surprised. It looked like everyone at the table except maybe Liam was floored by the revelation. “Holy shit. Are you a virgin?”

My mind raced, trying to find a way out of the quagmire I found myself in. “So what if I am?”

God that was lame, even by my standards.

The entire table was silent as they just stared at me. Horrifying, my brain went completely to shit. Beside me, Liam gave a short snort.

That snort saved my life.

“Fuck me,” Abby said, settling back in her chair with a sigh. “You damn near had me there.”

“I think he had all of us,” Ellie said with a laugh. “I could never say that with such a straight face.”

“Really now, a virgin in their senior year? How ridiculous is that? I can’t believe you almost fell for that.” I glanced over at my friend as if he’d lost his mind. Feeling my chest tighten, I glanced over at Kaylee. Head tilted slightly, curiosity danced across her features.

“Okay, now I’m curious,” Zoe said, leaning forward. “I need a name. I don’t know too many girls with standards that low.”

“Hey!” Ellie cried out after a second pause. Chuckles from the group followed.

Using the distraction to my advantage, I shot a glare towards Liam. He’d only made things worse.

“Only know one for sure, and that’s my sister. So, fuck you Zoe.”

Zoe eyed me suspiciously. “Convenient.”

Liam shrugged. “I mean, he’s over all the time. Her bed is a lot more comfortable than the couch.” His lies were so smooth, even I believed them.

“So you wouldn’t mind if I asked her?”

“Sure.”

Kaylee finally spoke up. “Really Zoe? You got a name. That’s more than he needed to share.”

“Yeah, lay off the guy,” Ellie said.

To my surprise, Zoe seemed to let it go. “Fine, fine. I get it.”

“So about this weekend,” Abby said, getting the attention of the table. I collapsed back in my chair, breathing a sigh of relief. Looking up, I found Kaylee still looking at me, her eyes boring into me. Coughing uncomfortably, I looked down at my tray and picked at the remaining food.

Fading into the background, I blocked out the buzz of conversation. My heart was still racing at that close call. It was easy to forget I had a lot to lose. One wrong word could harm more than just me. If Liam hadn’t saved my ass… Well, I owed him one.

That said, I really needed to talk to him about that. He might have saved me then, but what was going to happen if Zoe followed through and actually asked his sister? She was friends with my sister, so I wasn’t entirely out of the woods yet.