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much as I do. He’s cool.” Alec looks away and starts scrubbing the boat again, his blond hair hanging in his face. He’s still been working at The Village and if I’m being honest, I guess it’s not that he hangs out with Brandon all the time , but it’s different. Alec has never ditched me for a guest before, though I guess he’s right. They are both obsessed with football and we don’t get a lot of people close to our age that would want to hang out and play as much as Brandon does.
    Still, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to tease him. “ He’s cool . You sound like you’re in awe of him!” Which in a way makes sense considering Brandon is supposed to be really good. Nathaniel says there’s no doubt he’ll play college ball.
    As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. Alec grabs the hose and turns it my way.
    “No! Alec you better not!” I’m wearing a plain tank top and cut off shorts like I always am, and a pair of flip-flops. None of these articles will hold up well against a hose assault.
    Alec steps closer.
    “I said no, Alec Andrews!”
    It really gets him when I add in his last name like that. Alec pulls the trigger to douse me in water. I scream and stick my hand in the bucket, ridiculously trying to fling water at him with a soppy sponge. Alec laughs when I give up and try to take cover. I turn to run and don’t make it very far before I’m crashing into someone. I bounce off of whoever it is, assuming it’s Dad who is going to freak out because Alec and I are playing around instead of working, but as soon as a pair of hands come out to catch me, I know it’s not Dad.
    It’s Nathaniel.
    Alec stops spraying and I stand there with Nathaniel’s hands on my arms. I shiver and hope he thinks it’s from being wet when really it’s because he could totally be letting me go by now and he’s not.
    “What are you guys doing?” Nathaniel asks. I'm a total sucker for the backward way he wears his hat.
    “Workin’,” I say, which is sort of silly because it’s obvious we’re not. My eyes take him in and I realize his t-shirt is all wet. “You’re all wet. Crap. I’m sorry.”
    At that, he laughs. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one who’s all wet.”
    His eyes trace down my body and I can’t help but look down, too. Oh my God! My white tank top is sticking to my embarrassingly small boobs. You can see my bra through it. I pull away from him and bump into Alec, who I totally forgot was there.
    “Chill, Charlie,” Alec says.
    Pulling away from him, I cross my arms over my chest.
    Nathaniel looks at me, then Alec, and back to me again. I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking, wishing his eyes or his face would tell me something.
    “I came to see if you guys want to do something,” Nathaniel says.
    “Yes,” I say at the same time Alec says, “We’re working.”
    “Didn’t look like it to me.” Nathaniel raises his eyebrows. There isn't a chance to reply because Brandon and Sadie Ann walk up. They’ve been hanging out a lot over the past month. She brags about it all the time. It’s so hard for me not to tell her about my nights spent with Nathaniel, but I don’t.
    And it’s obvious she doesn’t like how much time he spends doing guy stuff with Alec.
    Brandon is the one who speaks. “Sadie said there’s a spot everyone goes to watch the movies at the drive-in? Maybe we can get a big group together to go.”
    “I’ll call some people,” Alec says, right as Sadie replies, “I didn’t know we were inviting other people, too.” She crosses her arms in the way she does when she’s trying to get what she wants. It usually works.
    “Aw, come on, beautiful. It’ll be fun.” Brandon pulls her to him and wraps his arms around her. He nuzzles her neck and I’m pretty sure, for the first time, someone other than Sadie is going to get his or her way.
    I’m shocked when Alec steps closer to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. It’s something we’ve