Robin Daniels [Daniels - One of the Girls (Friendzone #1)

ROBIN DANIELS

Table of Contents

Published by Bluefields

Copyright 2019 by Robin Daniels

Edition 1.0

Edited by Jennifer Henkes ( www.literallyjen.com )

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

ALSO BY ROBIN DANIELS

YOUNG ADULT

Perfectly Oblivious

Perfectly You

Perfectly Summer

Perfectly Misunderstood

Fate & Fortune

Kismet & Karma

NEW ADULT

Millionaire B&B

Chapter 1

Im in love with Amelia Ashlocksame as a hundred other guys at Roosevelt High School. Like all those poor schmucks, she barely knows I exist. I gave myself a pep talk in the mirror this morning, the same one Ive spouted regularly since ninth grade, telling my reflection that today is the day. I will talk to her. But as I took my traditional seat at the far end of her lunch table, I knew the pep talk wasnt enough.

Its not that Im a loser. I play on the schools championship football team. I have lots of friends, get excellent grades. I think most girls consider me pretty good looking: blond hair, blue eyes, straight teethbetter-than-average muscles. To top it off, Im nice. Thats me, Nick Moody, all-around decent guy. Unfortunately, none of this is enough to land me anywhere on Mia Ashlocks radar.

Hey, Nick, I think youre drooling. Sean snickered. Hed been my best friend since freshman tryouts, when we both got interminably benched because our football skills were lacking. We bonded over being second-string to the best quarterback and running back in the great state of Pennsylvania. Now, we were inseparable.

Shut up, man, I replied, wiping at the corner of my mouth anyway.

Sean followed my gaze to the opposite side of our long, narrow table. Being on the football team technically made Mia and me part of the same crowd. However, not being hero-worshiped by the entire community put us on different ends of the spectrum. Mia was the most beautiful girl in school, and like all high school clichs, she was the head cheerleader. Even worse, she was dating the star quarterback.

Its senior year, Sean said. Last chance to do something.

You think I dont know that? I frowned and tore my eyes away from the cheer squad. Theres not much I can do about it. Shes still dating Anderson.

So what? Go bust that trash up. Hes an idiot. He doesnt deserve her.

I snorted. While I agree, I dont think picking a fight with Anderson will win me points with Mia. Or Coach.

Boy. Sean picked the onions off his hamburger before biting into it. You dont know jack about girls. They love it when dudes fight over them.

I gave him a flat look. Says the guy whos never had a steady girlfriend.

He held up his index finger and spoke through a mouthful of food. Player by choice.

Player my butt, I muttered before starting in on my own lunch.

Speaking of players, you think well see any field time this year?

Humph. I grunted. The only way thats happening is if Anderson and Whitman both get injured.

Sean looked thoughtful as he chugged his chocolate milk. It could happen. Maybe theyll crash into each other during a handoff. Double concussions. Out for the season.

I smiled at the thought. Guess I wasnt that nice after all. And maybe Mia will dump Anderson, then walk straight over here and ask me to Homecoming. My sarcasm wasnt lost on Sean. He rolled his eyes at me.

We continued to eat silently. I was staring at the quad through the large wall of windows, when out of the blue, Sean shook his head in disgust. I cant believe the old man wont even play his own grandson.

I crushed my soda can and shot it at the trash bin across the aisle. It hit the rim and fell in. Im not the best.

It was the truth, and Id accepted it a long time ago. At any other school in the conference, Id be good enough to start. It was pure bad luck that I got stuck at the same institution as Cole Anderson. I couldnt even be mad. If I were the coach, Id play Anderson, too. He was being scouted by Division I schools. Between him and Jackson Whitman, the Roosevelt Ravens had a good chance at being state champs this year.

Still, sometimes the truth hurt. I was forced to ride the pine by my own grandfather. Rich Moody was a football legend around here. Hed been head coach at Roosevelt since my father was in high school, over twenty-five years ago. Hed won four state championships, seventeen conference championships, and helped countless players receive football scholarships. People moved into the Roosevelt district just to play for him.

But wheres the loyalty? Sean continued. Doesnt he want you to be successful?

I sighed. Not as much as he wants to win.

Thats jacked up.

Thats my life, I replied with resignation.

Grandpa played football in college. Out of five children, my father was his only son. Dad followed in Grandpas footsteps, right down to playing at the same university, Penn State. Dad might have been good enough to go pro, but he had a career-ending injury his junior year. Thats when he met my mom, the rock-star gymnast who was majoring in sports medicine. She was the student medic working that night. After icing his knee for twenty minutes, they knew it was meant to be.

My parents had three kidstwo daughters, then me. I have twelve cousins, all of whom are girls. As the only son of the only son in a family full of women, I had a legacy to uphold. From an early age, football was life.

Truth be told, I didnt care about the sport the way my father and grandfather did. It wasnt my dream. I had no aspirations to play in college, much less the NFL. I used to enjoy it more, but one can only handle being a tackle dummy for so long. I kept playing because I didnt want to desert Sean, who, despite his second-string status, still loved the game.

And because my family would shun me if I quit.

Sean always knew when Id had enough football talk and changed the subject. Okay, back to Mia. You want me to start a rumor that Andersons cheating on her?

He probably is. I grunted. I saw him getting cozy with Sarah Litman at T.J.s party last week while Mia was on vacation in California. Sean cocked an eyebrow at me. Errthats where I heard someone say she was

I wasnt a stalker. I swear. I just took a vested interest in the life of the girl I liked. Which was more than I could say for her stupid boyfriend, who barely paid attention to her except when he was trying to cop a feel or cram his tongue down her throat.

More reason to start a rumor, Sean argued, then reached for the brownie my mom had packed in my lunch. Are you going to eat that?

I swatted at him. Hands off.

Why dont you ever bring extra for me? You know how I feel about your moms brownies.

My lips curled into a snarl. I know how you feel about my mom in general.

Sean smirked. If your parents relationship ever goes belly-up, Ill be first in line to console her.