I Shouldn't Love Him
I Shouldn’t Love Him (Book 2) – Chapter 54

LAKE

Standing under the Ferris wheel, watching it go round and round, made me sick. I did this until I lost track of Manning and Tiffany, then I crossed the path and sat on a step eating clumps of cotton candy while I waited.

A pair of ripped blue jeans stepped in front of me.

“Hey.”

I looked up into vivid crystal blue eyes that were the trademark of the very handsome and very popular Swenson brothers, Cane, Corey, and the one blocking my view, Corbin. Blond hair curled beneath a Billabong hat that sat low on his head, its stiff beak almost shading his face.

Corbin was the closest to my age. He stood with a skateboard behind his head, leaning lengthwise on his shoulders, wheels out. He had covered his stomach with stickers.

“Aren’t you going to my high school?” He asked.

Even though I was pretty sure he thought I was someone else, I nodded.

He tapped his chin.

“you have, uh, stuff. .”

Quickly, I wiped my face with my sleeve.

“THANKS.”

“And your tongue is blue.” He smiles.

“Why aren’t you at that party on Marigold?”

I sat down a bit.

“Why aren’t you

there? I’m sure all your friends are there.

“I was. It’s not much.”

Absentmindedly, he spun one of the skateboard’s wheels with a long finger. A cartoon sticker of a naked woman peeled off in the corner. “So do you

know who I am?

” I blinked at his face.

“Corbin.”

“What’s your name?”

“LAKE”

“Cool. are you skating?

I ate more of my cotton candy.

“No.”

“Surf?”

Tiffany and I had gone to a few surf camps over the years. I could barely stand. Tiffany was doing better, but she preferred dry land to sunbathe with her music player and magazines.

I figured I’d surfed more than the average teenager, so I shrugged.

“You should hang out with me and my brothers sometime.” We could use some girls in the lineup.

“Maybe.”

“Are you here alone?” »

I still didn’t know if he thought he was talking to someone else. I hadn’t seen Corbin with a specific girl that I remembered, but guys like him always had a girlfriend.

“With my sister.”

“Who is your sister?”

“Tiffany.” »

“Kaplan?” » He swung his skateboard in front of his legs and laughed.

“Yeah. Makes sense. I see the resemblance now.

I had no idea why it was funny. This happened a lot, people would replace out we were sisters and mention “the resemblance”. Whether or not it was just something people said, I usually took it as a compliment. With Corbin, I wasn’t so sure.

“How do you know Tiffany?” »

“From school. And she’s friends with my older brother.

“I’m a year below you.”

“I know.”

It was only then that my heart skipped a beat , once I realized that the most popular guy in school was actually talking to me. Corbin had noticed me. Our high school wasn’t that big, but there were hundreds of students. “I t “I’ve seen it before,” he added with a smile. “It was a nice smile, too – because he was so tanned, his teeth looked unnaturally white. Everyone knew who the Swensons were. Their father worked with mine, so the name even came up once or twice at the table. I could see why the girls liked the brothers with their perpetual surfer tans, their tall, lean muscular bodies. If I had thought much about talking to Corbin, I would have guessed it would be a goofy, mumbling, stomach butterflies kind of thing, but it wasn’t. I loved him, and I loved that he wasn’t nervous.

The Ferris wheel stopped . I tried to see around Corbin, then through his legs, past his skinned knees, but he blocked my view with the skateboard.

“We went camping together when we were kids.”

“What?”

“Young Cubs,” he said. “You know? Camp?”

I looked at him again. I remembered it, but it seemed so long ago. We were different people then. Kids.

“I’m going back this year as a junior advisor,” I said.

“Cool. I’ll be there for a day to coach a baseball game, show them how it’s done. He winked. “I’d stay longer, but I have baseball camp this week- “

That looks like fun,” I said, leaning so far to the side that I almost fell over.

“Are you looking for Tiffany? He asked.

‘She’s on the Ferris wheel.’

” Alone?”

Manning’s height betrayed them. He was at least a head taller than any adult, and in a crowd of children he bordered on giant status. “

She’s with a friend.

“Who ? Sarah? »

Manning’s eyes fixed on Corbin’s back, and he approached, Tiffany close behind.

Cotton candy made my mouth sticky. I ran my tongue over my teeth, afraid they were blue. I suddenly became aware of my breathing, of the fact that my shorts had ridden up when I was sitting.

“Good morning?” Corbin asked.

“Eh?” I asked without looking away from Manning.

Corbin checked over his shoulder just as Tiffany spotted us.

“Hey, Corbin,” Tiffany said, looking a little unbalanced in her platforms.

“Are you looking for me?”

“No.” Corbin turned to me.

“I’m just saying what’s going on with your sister.”

Tiffany grabbed Corbin’s forearm and pulled him away.

“Have you met Manning?” she asked. “He is in high school.”

“Cool.” Corbin dropped the skateboard on the ground and planted a big, chunky Airwalk sneaker on it to keep it from rolling. “I should go back to my friends. We will be surfing Huntington Pier all next week, Lake. South side, in the morning. If you want to come and watch.

I waved. “See you.”

Manning watched Corbin skate by, his eyes narrowed. “Who was it?”

“Corbin Swenson,” Tiffany and I responded at the same time.

“What did he want?” » Manning asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m just saying hello.”

Tiffany tightened her ponytail. “Are you friends?”

Tiffany and Manning towered over me. Just coming off a carnival ride, neither of them looked very happy. Had they fought? I could almost convince myself that I had heard something like jealousy in Manning’s questions earlier. I pulled my knees to my chest. “I wouldn’t say friends, more acquaintances.”

“Oh.” Tiffany sat next to me on the stairs. “I went out with his brother once. I always thought Corbin had a crush on me.

This was a typical thing for Tiffany to assume. “SO?”

“So keep in mind that some guys might look at you and see me.”

“Sense?”

She brushed some of my hair away from my neck, glancing at Manning as if checking to see if she should continue. “You and I are different. I cut classes. I went to bonfires on the beach, I drank, smoked weed. I

wanted to relax in the feeling of Tiffany’s fingers in my hair, but I was afraid an insult would come. “And?” “

And you do your homework for fun.”

I made a face. “No.”

“Don’t be naive. Corbin is a nice guy, but he can have any girl he wants, which means he probably does. He’s a heartbreaker.

Maybe I was focusing too much on school, and maybe I had no idea about boys like Tiffany thought. But I didn’t want Manning to know. “I’m not as innocent as you think,” I said. Tiffany laughed and hugged me by

the side. “Yes, you are.”

Well, she was right. I had had an embarrassing experience – less so, even, than my friends, and they were gentle compared to most of the girls at my school.

“L “Innocence is good,” Manning said, sounding funny, like his teeth were gritted. “She has the rest of her life for the holidays. For punks like this guy.

Tiffany ruffled my hair like I was her child, not her high school-aged sister. “What should we ride next, Manning?” “Want that stuffed animal?” He asked.

His eyes lit up. “Do you really think you can win it?”

I tasted metal. It was like I wasn’t even there. They acted like they were my babysitters. I should have paid more attention to the guys Tiffany had dated in the past. How long did it take for him to lose interest and move on to the next one? To me, Manning seemed as untouchable as the shiny celebrities plastered on Tiffany’s wall, so why was she able to touch him?

Manning and Tiffany turned toward the stand with the stuffed animals, ignoring me. As long as I sat there, being my calm, innocent self, they could move on with their lives.

I stood up, wiping the dirt from the seat of my shorts. “I’m going to see if Corbin wants to ride the Ferris wheel with me.”

Manning turned around first. “What?”

“I said-”

“I heard you.” He glanced at the ride and then at me. “I thought you were scared.”

“I was, but you said I could do it, so I think I’m ready.” I wasn’t ready. Don’t go alone, and if I wasn’t riding with Manning, I might as well be alone.

Manning’s expression didn’t change, but he cracked a knuckle. “Maybe it’s better to wait.”

I crossed my arms over myself. When Manning ignored me, everything hurt, but when he looked me straight in the eye, like now, the contents of my stomach spilled out, as if my insides were doing acrobatics. ” I will do it now. With Corbin.

“You like him,” Tiffany teased. “I don’t blame you. All Swensons are totally beautiful. Manning placed a firm hand on my shoulder, physically holding me where I stood. “I will go with you.”

I tilted my head. I had no intention of stalking Corbin – maybe he wasn’t as intimidating as I thought, but I wasn’t about to approach one of the most popular guys in the school for a kid’s ride. Manning didn’t want me to do it, though, and fighting with him was better than being ignored by him. ” You already left. With Tiffany. Remember?”

His hand warmed the entire left side of my body. Judging by the expression on his face, the sarcasm of my comment did not amuse him. “Do you want to ride it or not?” “

Yes . With Corbin.

Manning shook his head. “You’re too young to be alone with someone their age…”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Tiffany beat me to it. “It’s a Ferris wheel, not Seven Minutes in Heaven. Don’t you remember being sixteen?”

“So good.

He looked at me for a moment, then pulled me to his side with a strong, heavy arm around my shoulders. It wasn’t an intimate gesture. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took a page from Tiffany’s book and ruffled my hair. Yet here I was pressed against him, surrounded by his soapy scent, his h*p against my side, his huge hand squeezing my shoulder.

“I’ll win you a prize,” he said. “Whatever you want. Pick it, and I’ll get it for you. No matter how big it is.” He no longer looked angry, or jealous, or even cautious, and that was a first. Was Is this how Tiffany always got what she wanted from men – by doing what they told her not to do? “Really?” I asked.

“What is your favorite animal? Frogs?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. When we were kids, my friends and I used to catch and release toads on the street, but I wasn’t a kid anymore. “Whose favorite animal is a frog?” They are slimy.

He shrugged one shoulder and dragged me with him to a game of hitting. “So, nothing slimy then.”

Manning called the carnie, was hit with three baseballs and missed the target three times.

I smiled at his effort. That alone was worth being happy about. “It’s okay if…”

“No it’s not. I promised.” Manning called the man back. “Another round.”

I almost missed Tiffany’s look, but when I caught it, I almost told her to take a hike. Meet up with Corbin Swenson, his number one admirer Being the center of Manning’s attention was as exhilarating as I thought it would be, and I didn’t want to share the spotlight.

However, Tiffany turned away on her own, leaving us to go talk to the man manning the booth.

Just as I turned around, Manning stepped back and threw the ball in a perfect line. It bounced off the cardboard around the target.

“These games are rigged,” he muttered.

“Don’t worry,” I said.

“I’m worried,” he teased. At least I thought he was joking. He spoke lightly but also focused intently on the target. Maybe something was worrying him.Preparing for his second throw, the sleeve of his t-shirt rode up his bicep. The skin there was whiter than the rest of his arm, smoother. His muscles strained the fabric.

Tiffany glanced at us.

Manning missed. “God d-” His neck reddened and after a deep breath, he grabbed the third baseball. He threw it so hard that everyone jumped when it hit the target. Manning wiped his hairline with his sleeve and nodded. “Here we go.”

The attendant barely looked away from Tiffany. “Pick one on this side,” he said, pointing to a wall with small stuffed animals and toys.

“What if I want a bigger one?” Manning asked.

“You must hit the target twice.”

“I don’t want any bigger ones,” I said immediately, approaching Manning. I looked at him, proud. I had never seen anyone hit the target directly, not even my father, and he had played this game before.

“Are you sure?” He asked. “Because I’m going to…”

“I’m sure.

My cheeks reddened. “I don’t name my stuffed animals.”

He passed it to me. “I think you should.”

I hugged him to my chest. Put on the spot, I couldn’t think of anything clever. “Well, it’s a bird, so… Bird?” “Birdy,” he repeated, looking into my eyes. He ran a thumb over the stuffed toy’s head, his knuckles brushing the neckline. of my shirt, the upper curve of my chest. He didn’t seem to notice, but I shivered. “Are you cold, Birdy?”

He fit perfectly in my arms, the first thing a boy ever given me – and not just a boy. Manning. “Birdy is hot.” ​​I nodded. “Birdy is perfect. Thanks.”

“To welcome.”

“Look what I won.” Tiffany strutted, her arms barely meeting in the middle of a giraffe as tall as her. She smiles. “And I didn’t even have to throw a single ball.”

“Are you going to carry this thing all over the park?” Manning asked. “We’ll have to buy him his own ticket.”

She laughed. “Of course not. It’s as big as me. You are.” She pushed it toward Manning, who tucked it under his arm, looking a lot less annoyed than I did.

When I glanced at the Ferris wheel, Manning noticed it. “Do you still want me to take you?”

I curled my fingers into Birdy’s soft, velvety fur. I couldn’t have been happier. “No it’s OK.”

Tiffany took Manning’s free arm and guided him, letting me follow. “Thank you for taking care of her,” she whispered out loud. “My dad will love you for this.”

“Dad” I asked. “Are you going to introduce them?”

“No” Tiffany looked at me, then at Manning. “Well, maybe.” Will you, Manning?

“What would I do?”

“Meet my parents. She squeezed his elbow. “Could you come to dinner.”Manning, at the table? With Dad? Tiffany had already brought home two guys – an older man who owned a tanning booth and a guy with dreadlocks. Neither had lasted a week after dinner. Dad didn’t even like Tiffany’s friends, much less her boyfriends. He did everything he could to make them feel small, and Tiffany knew it.

“I don’t think he should,” I said.

“Don’t be rude,” Tiffany said.

“But you know how Dad is.”

“How?” Manning asked.

I recited my mother’s apology to Dad every time he insulted someone. “People just don’t understand his sense of humor.”

“Manning can handle it,” Tiffany said, running her fingers over the giraffe’s neck. ” You can not ? »

Tiffany’s words from the other night came back to me. The construction workers pissed off Dad, and she loved it. Maybe she even wanted it.

“Is everything okay with you?” Manning asked me.

“Why should she care?” Tiffany asked.

“Because I’m going to dinner with your family, and she’s a whole quarter of it.”

“You want to come?” I asked.

He looked at me. “It might be a good idea to meet your parents.”

He told me, not Tiffany. He wanted to meet my parents. And although I should have felt uncomfortable, the idea that Manning was interested in my life had the opposite effect.

It made my heart soar.