Eventually, Nat told Alex what his true intentions were. He didn’t want to go through the whole night with his own brother thinking he was a complete imbecile.
After Nat’s plan was Alex-approved, the guys arrived, ready to celebrate the survival of their first day of school. Not long after, Rosalina came, followed closely by Trent. Apparently, Trent’s car was in the shop and Rosalina had given him a ride.
Already, Nat felt a frown tugging at his mouth, but he made sure to keep a smile on his face; Nat couldn’t form a convoluted friendship with Trent if he was frowning all the time.
Once everyone had settled on the couch, Alex started the movie.
It wasn’t as though Nat wasn’t enjoying himself; being surrounded by his best friends meant that boredom wasn’t an option. However, there were two things in the room and kept him from staying focused on the movie.
The first was, of course, Rosalina. He had always found it hard to focus with her around, and this went without exception. As she sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, Nat found that he had to force himself not to get lost in the moment.
Nat’s other distraction was sitting on the other side of Rosalina, much too close for comfort.
Trent wasn’t actually doing anything objectionable. He watched the movie, laughed when everyone else laughed, and quoted all the lines that he knew; it was as if he was just one of the guys. However, the fact that Trent had decided to sit next to Rosalina was enough incentive for Nat to keep his guard up. He wasn’t going to show any open hostility, but he was going to keep Trent in his sights at all times. Nat was going to kill his rival with kindness, and he was going to enjoy every second of it.
Little did he know how ridiculous his plan truly was. It made sense in his mind, though, and that was good enough for him.
After a surprisingly enjoyable time watching the movie, the group fell silent as the credits rolled by. They were having fun but quickly fell victim to one of those “Now what?” moments. The credits finished and the DVD switched back to the menu screen. A fly buzzed harmlessly across the room. One of the guys let out a small cough.
An expected knock on the door finally brought an end to the awkward silence.
“Oh, thank God,” Trent sighed. No one had noticed him holding his breath. He then noticed the strange looks everyone was giving him and smiled. “I hate silence. It makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs.”
“That’s why he likes hanging around the journalism room,” Rosalina explained. “It’s always so noisy in there. I can’t stand the noise, which is why I’m glad I have an office so I can get a moment’s peace.”
He shrugged. “To each his own.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Or her own,” he grinned sheepishly. Following the questioning glances from the rest of the guys, he explained. “She’s my boss. I can’t make her mad.” Trent winked and readjusted his cap.
Everyone shared a quick laugh as Craig entered, well-dressed and sharp as always. “Hey, guys. What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, really,” Trent answered. “So what are you doing here, big guy? You mess up the date already?”
Craig gave his little brother a punch on the arm. “No. Jesse said she’d be ready in a few minutes.”
Alex’s eyes immediately darkened at the mentioning of the date, but he said nothing.
Rosalina grinned, still under the impression that everyone was having a good time. “So I guess you’re stuck here with us for a little while, huh, Craig?”
“It seems so. This is looking a bit dull for a party, though. Has school hit you that hard already?”
“Don’t remind us,” Thomas groaned.
“Sorry, frosh. You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Trent joked.
Rosalina took out her cell phone and checked the time. “Speaking of school, though, we better get going. Am I giving you a ride, Trent?”
“Yes, unless you want me to walk.” As if on cue, his cell phone went off and he checked the name on the screen and smiled. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back.”
He and Rosalina had a quick conversation with their eyes, a playful grin stretching across her face as well. The rest of the guys looked over at Nat, curious to see his reaction. Not surprisingly, his disbelieving gaze was drilling into the boy’s back as he left the room. The guys couldn’t blame him, though.
They would have been angry, too, if Trenton Grace had just winked at their girlfriend.
