Blind Ambition

ADRIEN'S POV

Thank God I found an excuse to be mad at Garrett. Now I can avoid him without him getting confused. It's going to be all weird and awkward between us now, I just know it, but I had to do it. 

"Hey Adrien, who were you with a while ago in the restaurant? The 2 Filipino guys?" Ashlyn asked. 

"Why?" Oh, so she's speaking to me again?

"They're really hot and I'm pretty sure they don't like you," she said frankly. "Do you know their numbers?"

"What the hell? You're going out with Garrett," I said. Plus, I don't want my cousins to get near this monster. 

"Yeah, but he went out with you. Who says I can't go out with other boys, too?"

"For the record, it wasn't a date."

"Yeah right, whatever. I just need their numbers."

I tried to come up with an excuse. "They're my cousins and they each have a girlfriend. You have no chance."

"Well, if husbands can be stolen, why not boyfriends?" she said mischievously. 

"I don't have their numbers. We just saw each other by accident," I told her. 

"Hm, too bad. They were really hot." She then went to sleep. 

I stared at the lamp, apalled. Does Garrett deserve to be treated this way by this girl? No, he doesn't. And I'm helping her. Which makes me a bad person. Ugh. 

I laid in bed that night, thinking. I thought of how Garrett would react if he found out that I was lying, that Ashlyn wasn't really who she and I said she was, and that I only said it to save myself. I thought of these weird things going on in my heart and in my head. The thought of just giving this all up so he won't get hurt even entered my mind. 

If you asked me 2 days from now if I would ever like someone, I'd definitely laugh at you and say never. But now, I'm not really sure. 

The next morning, we had to go to soundcheck early. There were already some people to watch us perform soundcheck. John gladly talked to them and even played a full song for them. I watched Garrett carefully, just in case he does something completely idiotic and stupid and hurts himself again. Ashlyn also performed a song, and so did Travis, the singer of We The Kings. 

"Adrien," Justin and Pat said. "Is there something wrong between you and Garrett?" they asked during lunch. Garrett was seated on the other end of the table, with Ashlyn. 

"None," I said. 

"Then why are you avoiding him?" Justin asked. 

"I'm not avoiding him. He's with Ashlyn so it wouldn't look good for his band and ours if he hangs out with girls other than his girlfriend. I mean if I were Ashlyn, I'd get mad."

"No you won't. You're not a possessive bitch like her," Justin said. 

"That's not the point."

"Then what is? You obviously like each other, then why are you lying to yourselves?"

"We're not lying to ourselves!" I said. "And we certainly don't like each other."

"Come on Adrien. Don't be stupid."

"I don't like him," I said sternly. 

"Then who were you looking at a while ago during soundcheck? To whom were your eyes glued to?"

Garrett. "Nobody," I said. 

"Really. If I recall, you were watching a certain bass player pretty closely, right, Pat?" he said. 

Pat nodded and smiled. 

"That doesn't prove that I have feelings for him."

"So you do like him!" Justin said triumphantly. 

"I never said that! I just said that hypothetically."

"You are such a liar," he said before continuing to shove all the food to his mouth. No wonder I also eat like a pig, it's in our blood. 

I turned towards him. "You know, Justin, you sound like a girl. I mean, boys don't say half the things you say," I told him. 

"Don't change the subject. And us boys know how to be sensitive and corny sometimes," Justin said. 

"He's right. There are a lot of things you girls don't know about us," Pat added. 

I scratched my nape, rested my chin on my hand and shrugged. 

"So what do we do now?" Pat asked. 

"We won't do anything. Just don't do anything about it, okay. Ashlyn and Garrett obviously like each other, and that's because of me. If I liked Garrett, I wouldn't have set them up in the first place."

"You only did 'cause you were blackmailed," Justin said. 

"And I told you, Garrett likes you," Pat insisted. 

"Well, who's to say that he doesn't like Ashlyn? I mean look at them," I said, motioning to them. Ashlyn was laughing and smiling while Garrett seemed to be deep in thought. "See?"

"Nope, no, I don't see it," Justin retorted. 

"For all I know, Garrett might just be thinking about you," Pat suggested. 

I sighed. "Just let it go. This is my business, not yours," I said in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry, just trying to help," Justin said. 

I didn't eat a lot that day. I was too preoccupied by this whole Garrett thing. What Pat said was probably a lie, since I don't think anyone would like a weirdo like me. What I was afraid of was what I was starting to feel for him.