Getting Over You

hello mason

He was running his hand through his hair furiously as he clenched his jaw. I felt bad that Dean was being subjected to this childish behavior. Tyler was only going after Dean because of me. 

"Dean, I'm so sorry. I have no idea why he's doing that," I said, feeling guilty. 

"I think I do," Dean said, clenching his jaw again, looking even more angry. I tried to get him to explain himself but he wouldn't. 

I shrugged it off before getting out of the car. I closed the door and tried to wave but he was already pulling away. That was weird. 

***

The next few days flew by. Dean and I still hung out but occasionally he would act different. I couldn't really figure out why but I knew it had something to do with football because he'd always act a little different after practice. 

Soon, it was Thursday. Elle and I decided to go to the library after school to work on a project. 

"So," Elle said as she typed on the computer. "Are you ready to talk about what happened Friday?" 

I sighed, knowing this conversation was coming eventually. I had to tell her, I couldn't keep avoiding it. 

"Yes," I said softly. 

I took a deep breath and then I told her everything, starting from the moment Logan picked me up to the moment the sun rose while I was at the beach with Dean. When I finished, I looked over at her face and her jaw was dropped. 

"Oh my god," Elle said. "I always knew Tyler was a piece of shit but this is just insane. I can't believe I actually thought he was a good person."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sometimes things aren't always as they seem," I said softly. 

"Dean's such a good guy. I'm so glad you found someone who truly likes you," Elle said as she continued typing. 

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, confused. 

"Well it's clear that he really likes you," Elle said slowly.

"You mean he likes me as a friend, right?" I asked, hesitantly. 

"Uh... sure," Elle said, shaking her head before turning back to focus on her work. 

"I don't need another guy in my life. After Logan and Tyler, I'm swearing off boys. The relationship I'm focusing on is the one with myself," I said, sitting back in my chair.  

"Mhm," Elle said, chuckling. 

"It's true!" I said, smiling. "I'm done with boys." 

"Yeah, ok," Elle said, rolling her eyes as she smiled. 

A few minutes later, I felt someone's presence behind me. Right before I was about to turn around to look, I felt two hands touching my sides, squeezing. I spazzed immediately and turned around. 

"Rude! You know I'm ticklish there," I said as I smacked Dean's arm. 

"Ow!" Dean exclaimed as he rubbed his arm, pretending to be hurt. "So what are we working on here?"

He came and sat down next to me. I noticed there was a guy standing behind him. He was tall, about the same size as Dean, and definitely built. He had light brown hair like Dean, but his skin wasn't as tan. He looked familiar but I didn't know why. 

"Hey," he said. "I'm Mason."

"Hey," I said, smiling. "I'm Alana and this is Elle."

Elle smiled and waved before focusing on her work. Mason sat down next to Noah and smiled. 

"Mason's on the team with me," Dean said, smiling before turning to face Mason. "Alana's brother's the captain, Noah."

"Oh! Of course! That's why you looked familiar. I must've seen you a few times at the football parties at my house," I said. 

"Yeah, Noah's a cool guy. I've hung out with him a couple of times," Mason said with a smile. 

We talked for a while before Dean spoke. 

"Hey guys, I have to go. I have plans for tonight," Dean said with a smile. 

"Oh yeah, you have a date right?" Mason asked, looking at Dean as he stood up. 

"Yeah," Dean said with a small smile. He looked over at me. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, that's ok. You go focus on your date. Maybe Noah can drive me," I said. 

"I can drive you home," Mason offered. "I live in that neighborhood." 

"Ok great," Dean said. "Well I'll see you guys later."

"Good luck Dean," Elle and I said as he walked away. 

While Elle finished her part of the project, Mason and I talked about school. It turned out that we were in the same 2nd and 6th period classes. We bonded over our hatred for physics and I was really enjoying myself. He seemed really nice and definitely cute. 

It started to get late so we all packed our things up. We headed out of the library and down the hall to the front door. Elle and I said goodbye before we parted ways. I headed over to Mason's car with him and we got in the car, driving away.