The Game of Love
Thinking and More Thinking
I let out a long sigh as I turned over in bed. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Max had said about Kris, and I don’t know why.
I also couldn’t stop thinking about Sidney. I don’t know what it was but there was something about him. I felt the need to talk to him. To have a real conversation with him. To be as comfortable with him as Peyton seemed to be. I wanted to get to know him beyond what other people saw, but that was just my need to be liked by everyone taking over.
I stared up at the ceiling, kicking the covers off of me and looking at the clock. 6:05. Might as well get up. I got up and opened the door walking to kitchen finding the lights turned on. I saw Peyton sitting by the counter looking down at her cup of coffee.
“Hey, couldn’t sleep either?”
She looked up at me shaking her head. “Sadly, no.” She poured coffee into another cup and handed it to me. “Why couldn’t you sleep?”
I put sugar and cream into my cup thinking of what to say. I couldn’t tell her the reason I wasn’t able to sleep was because thoughts of Kris and Sidney were occupying my mind. I shrugged. “Just thinking.” I sipped my coffee cautiously. “What about you?”
“Same. So what do you think we’re going to do today, assuming the guys are going to want to hang out.”
“I’m not sure. I just know I don’t really have the energy to be running around trying to keep up with Max.”
She nodded drinking her coffee. “Yeah.” She paused for a moment before saying, “Is something going on between you and Kris?”
Peyton smirked a bit at how genuinely surprised my expression was. “What are you talking about?”
“Is something going on with you two?”
“Why would you ask that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just seems like he has a thing for you. And you aren’t necessarily pulling away or anything.”
I looked at her for a moment before sighing. “Max got to you didn’t he?”
“He might’ve mentioned it.”
“When?”
She immediately sat up straight and looked down. “That’s not important. So, answer my question.”
My whole body stiffened as I searched for the words to say. If I lied, she’d be able to tell. The thought of something going on between Kris and me made my stomach churn. I had no idea what I felt. “I don’t know,” I answered genuinely confused.
Peyton gave me a weird look. “How could you not know?”
“By not knowing. I can sort of tell he gets a bit nervous around me and is always trying to constantly make conversation with me. I just don’t know how I feel about it... or him.”
“Is that all?”
Yes. That and this whole Sidney thing, which I didn’t even know what to call. I sighed. “Yes.”
“What about Sidney?”
I looked up at her, my eyes widened a bit. Maybe I said my thoughts out loud and hadn’t noticed.
A small laugh escaped her lips. “Come on Brooke. I know you. You didn’t honestly think I didn’t notice how you look at him when no one’s looking and smirk. Because I did.” She grinned.
“Maybe I did.” I mumbled downing the rest of my coffee. I cringed at how hot it made my throat feel.
“Brooke, what’s going on?”
I looked at her as she gave me a warm look. There was no point in lying to her. She knows me too well and would eventually figure everything out. I walked over to the couch, sitting and throwing my head back, moaning. “I don’t know! I don’t know what’s going on! Being around these guys who act different from anyone we know is just making me weirded out I guess. It still doesn't explain why I can't stop thinking about them though. I'm being really over dramatic.”
She came over and sat next to me. “Just try to explain.”
I took in a deep breath. “I can see that Kris may have a crush on me, which is hard to imagine considering who he is and how he can have almost any girl. And I’ll admit he is cute and slightly charming. But, there’s also something about Sidney. I have the feeling like I should talk to him. I want to talk to him, and I’m not entirely sure why.” I groaned. "I think that one stare he gave me made me fall under some unexplainable cure or something. They're just so tall and-"
"Gorgeous?" She chimed in. I let out a weak laugh and rested my head on her shoulder.
She stayed silent for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. She finally let out a long sigh and spoke. “Want to know what I think?” She didn’t wait for me to respond. “I think that you have grown an infatuation with Kris because he’s nice to you, and you being as naïve and sweet as you are, are confusing it with real feelings. And with Sidney, I think that you’re attracted to him because he’s so quiet and just looking at him because you've never seen anything like him has made you have a small crush. But I think that with him you may have some real feelings. Oh and I think he likes you too. I catch everything, so whenever you’d talk with Kris, he looked as if he wanted to punch him. He also looks at you when you’re by yourself and just smiles, which I personally think is creepy, but, hey, that's just me."
My jaw dropped and my eyes were about to come out of my head. Did she really just say that? Did Sidney really look at me? My expression quickly grew serious thinking if she had a point in everything she said. I stared at her not knowing what to say.
There was a knock at the door and Peyton looked at me as if I should know who that was.
She got up and went to open the door. Huddling through the door came Marc, Max and Jordan. I sighed looking at the floor.
“What are you guys doing here so early?” Peyton stepped aside letting them through.
Max opened the box of donuts he had and took one. “Well we wanted to hang out but if we went out in the middle of the day, we would’ve never seen you guys.” He swallowed a bite. “So we decided to come earlier. Plus that way we get to spend more time with you.”
Jordan and Marc came over to me. “Uh, Peyton, is she okay?” Marc looked at me.
“Yeah, she’s fine. Brooke say hi to everyone else.”
I looked up. “Who?” She stepped aside and through the door came Sidney and Kris. I bent down and buried my hands in my face letting out a long sigh.
I also couldn’t stop thinking about Sidney. I don’t know what it was but there was something about him. I felt the need to talk to him. To have a real conversation with him. To be as comfortable with him as Peyton seemed to be. I wanted to get to know him beyond what other people saw, but that was just my need to be liked by everyone taking over.
I stared up at the ceiling, kicking the covers off of me and looking at the clock. 6:05. Might as well get up. I got up and opened the door walking to kitchen finding the lights turned on. I saw Peyton sitting by the counter looking down at her cup of coffee.
“Hey, couldn’t sleep either?”
She looked up at me shaking her head. “Sadly, no.” She poured coffee into another cup and handed it to me. “Why couldn’t you sleep?”
I put sugar and cream into my cup thinking of what to say. I couldn’t tell her the reason I wasn’t able to sleep was because thoughts of Kris and Sidney were occupying my mind. I shrugged. “Just thinking.” I sipped my coffee cautiously. “What about you?”
“Same. So what do you think we’re going to do today, assuming the guys are going to want to hang out.”
“I’m not sure. I just know I don’t really have the energy to be running around trying to keep up with Max.”
She nodded drinking her coffee. “Yeah.” She paused for a moment before saying, “Is something going on between you and Kris?”
Peyton smirked a bit at how genuinely surprised my expression was. “What are you talking about?”
“Is something going on with you two?”
“Why would you ask that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just seems like he has a thing for you. And you aren’t necessarily pulling away or anything.”
I looked at her for a moment before sighing. “Max got to you didn’t he?”
“He might’ve mentioned it.”
“When?”
She immediately sat up straight and looked down. “That’s not important. So, answer my question.”
My whole body stiffened as I searched for the words to say. If I lied, she’d be able to tell. The thought of something going on between Kris and me made my stomach churn. I had no idea what I felt. “I don’t know,” I answered genuinely confused.
Peyton gave me a weird look. “How could you not know?”
“By not knowing. I can sort of tell he gets a bit nervous around me and is always trying to constantly make conversation with me. I just don’t know how I feel about it... or him.”
“Is that all?”
Yes. That and this whole Sidney thing, which I didn’t even know what to call. I sighed. “Yes.”
“What about Sidney?”
I looked up at her, my eyes widened a bit. Maybe I said my thoughts out loud and hadn’t noticed.
A small laugh escaped her lips. “Come on Brooke. I know you. You didn’t honestly think I didn’t notice how you look at him when no one’s looking and smirk. Because I did.” She grinned.
“Maybe I did.” I mumbled downing the rest of my coffee. I cringed at how hot it made my throat feel.
“Brooke, what’s going on?”
I looked at her as she gave me a warm look. There was no point in lying to her. She knows me too well and would eventually figure everything out. I walked over to the couch, sitting and throwing my head back, moaning. “I don’t know! I don’t know what’s going on! Being around these guys who act different from anyone we know is just making me weirded out I guess. It still doesn't explain why I can't stop thinking about them though. I'm being really over dramatic.”
She came over and sat next to me. “Just try to explain.”
I took in a deep breath. “I can see that Kris may have a crush on me, which is hard to imagine considering who he is and how he can have almost any girl. And I’ll admit he is cute and slightly charming. But, there’s also something about Sidney. I have the feeling like I should talk to him. I want to talk to him, and I’m not entirely sure why.” I groaned. "I think that one stare he gave me made me fall under some unexplainable cure or something. They're just so tall and-"
"Gorgeous?" She chimed in. I let out a weak laugh and rested my head on her shoulder.
She stayed silent for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. She finally let out a long sigh and spoke. “Want to know what I think?” She didn’t wait for me to respond. “I think that you have grown an infatuation with Kris because he’s nice to you, and you being as naïve and sweet as you are, are confusing it with real feelings. And with Sidney, I think that you’re attracted to him because he’s so quiet and just looking at him because you've never seen anything like him has made you have a small crush. But I think that with him you may have some real feelings. Oh and I think he likes you too. I catch everything, so whenever you’d talk with Kris, he looked as if he wanted to punch him. He also looks at you when you’re by yourself and just smiles, which I personally think is creepy, but, hey, that's just me."
My jaw dropped and my eyes were about to come out of my head. Did she really just say that? Did Sidney really look at me? My expression quickly grew serious thinking if she had a point in everything she said. I stared at her not knowing what to say.
There was a knock at the door and Peyton looked at me as if I should know who that was.
She got up and went to open the door. Huddling through the door came Marc, Max and Jordan. I sighed looking at the floor.
“What are you guys doing here so early?” Peyton stepped aside letting them through.
Max opened the box of donuts he had and took one. “Well we wanted to hang out but if we went out in the middle of the day, we would’ve never seen you guys.” He swallowed a bite. “So we decided to come earlier. Plus that way we get to spend more time with you.”
Jordan and Marc came over to me. “Uh, Peyton, is she okay?” Marc looked at me.
“Yeah, she’s fine. Brooke say hi to everyone else.”
I looked up. “Who?” She stepped aside and through the door came Sidney and Kris. I bent down and buried my hands in my face letting out a long sigh.
Notes
Another chapter to come today! Please, comment and rate. I'm going to keep begging you and being annoying about.Be prepared.
Ahh please continue this it's really good!
2/5/21