My Coach's Daughter

Chapter 6: Parker

I'm being ridiculous, right? I shouldn't be feeling jealous of Winnie going on a possible date. She said that it wasn't a date. That it was just some tutoring gig that she had. But would she really tell me the truth if she was going on one? Especially after what happened this morning.

I am ashamed of myself and even more embarrassed that I somehow thought pancakes could possibly make things better between us.

I thought girls liked it when guys cooked for them? I think I might be a little off in knowing exactly what girls like and want.

I'm not a relationship guy. Never have been. That's why it's so confusing to me why I'm trying so hard to make things right with her. To her, maybe cooking isn't a big deal, but to me, it is a huge deal. I've never cooked for anyone in my life. I barely cook for myself. But that's how badly I wanted to make it right with her.

I'm starting to realize that maybe making things right with her might not be an option. Maybe it's for the best. How she left this morning made me feel that she was going to continue to be civil with me and that she had no intention of getting her brother involved. I dont see him actually doing anything if he did find out. I think he would be almsot glad that i wasn't giving his sister attention. Honestly, that's probably why Winnie would rather act the way that she is towards me.

She might be civil with me, but i don't think it will ever go back to the way it was like the other night. I stood up for her, and i think she might have thought we were friends then. Now we will never be, and it will be better this way. I can just go back to not caring and go about my days like i did before we became roommates. Should be easy.

I nibbled at the few pancakes that i had made. I wasn't even hungry anymore. I guess technically, i wasn't really before. I only made them try to make amends with Winnie.

What's even more infuriating was that i wanted to go down to the schools library and actually see if she was actually there tutoring and not on a date. I think i might have if Cole and Wes hadn't shown up.

They were both looking at me like I've grown two heads.

Wes grabbed one of the forks that was on the counter and stabbed at my pancake. I didn't even think of it before now that i had two plates out with two sets of silverwear. Wes was giving me a look, and i couldn't quite meet his eye. You cooked?...You dont cook.....The real question is who are you cooking for and please say it's for a chick?"

Well, this was awkward. Real f*****g awkward. I had to lie. "Yeah, she ditched. Had something last minute come up."

Wes patted me on the back. "You must really like her if you're cooking for her."

Cole took a bite of my pancake. "Yeah, maybe it's a good thing she ditched your ass. These pancakes are undercooked. Hopefully, you're hotter than her so she can overlook that you're trying to poison her."

I shoved him on his shoulder. "Shut the f**k up. I have never seen you cook either. Are you honestly telling me that you would be able to cook something better?"

Cole was shaking his head. "I can cook pasta and tacos. Girls love tacos. Thats better than your doughy ass pancakes."

I mumbled under breath. "I can fricken cook tacos too."

I hate to admit this, but he's right. Girls do love tacos. Maybe making tacos tonight will make things less weird between us.

Im giving myself whiplash for how back and forth i am with this. It's just tacos. Maybe she won't read too much into it, and we can just go back to being friends or whatever it is we were before. I just really didn't like how different she was this morning after the whole running thing. I hated it, and the more i sat here and thought about it, the more guilty i was feeling. I guess letting this go isn't really an option.

I grabbed my wallet out of my room and headed toward the door. I heard Wes shout from behind me . "Where the hell are you going?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Cole mentioning tacos made me want them. Im getting stuff for tonight. Are you guys in?"

Cole ran to my side. "Hell yeah. I'll go with you to the store and make sure you actually get the right shit."

I smacked the back of his head. "Im not an i***t. I know how to cook tacos."

Wes followed us out the door. "I'll go with you guys, but im not fricken helping. I feel like three men in the kitchen might be a little weird."

I shook my head at him. "It's not like we're getting matching aprons. It will be fine."

Cole put out his bottom lip out and was fake pouting. "What if i wanted the matching aprons? I think the three of us could pull it off."

These two are idots. I think this would work out better having them inovlved. That way, in case Winnie decides to be all weird, it won't be so obvious that i was cooking for her."

I instantly regretted letting the guys go with me to the store. They wouldn't stop drilling me with questions about the supposed girl i was willing to cook for.

Cole was only asking about the dirty details, like if we hooked up or what her cup size was? He was way too curious about the color of her hair. Wes being Wes was asking more in-depth questions about where we met and what we had in common. They were quesions i really didn't have the answers to. On impulse, I answered Cole's, i mentioned she had black hair, and I regretted it instantly because Cole just had to open his big mouth. He snorted. "It isn't Winnie, is it?"

He was joking, but what Wes said next made me feel even more guilty. "Ha, very funny, Cole. Parker would never do that to me. There's thousands of black haired girls at the school. Did you really have to bring my sister and the one person he would never date or be in to?"

I was so relieved that i was driving and that he couldn't see my face because I looked sickly white, and I felt it. It was just enough to knock some sense back into me. I had to stop whatever I was doing. Im not even sure i knew exactly what im trying to do. All i know is now that I've actually talked and seen her in a knew light. I'm having a hell of a time getting her out of my mind. She's the only girl i've had this issue with. Of course, it had to be the girl that's off limits.

We pulled up to the grocery store, and the questions finally stopped. One hundred and fifty dollars later, and way more than just ingredients for tacos, we finally left.

The three of us played hours of Call of Duty and Halo to pass time before we could start dinner. It had been hours, and i mean hours since Winnie left for her tutoring session. Im really starting to think that she actually lied about it.

Her own brother didn't seem to be freaking out about here whereabouts, so why should I?

It got to the point where i was running out of excuses in why we couldn't start dinner. I had no choice now. Both my friends were getting suspicious of me, and it's not like their really is anything going on between Winnie and I. I just found her cute and funny, and thats where it ended, so i guess technically, i wouldn't have to lie about anything if they asked if something was going on between us.

Cole and i made the damn tacos, and the three of us ate the damn tacos, and she never showed. It was a little after seven before she came walking through the front door with flushed cheeks and grinning from ear to ear. She had to have been on a date. She was far too happy to look like that if she was only tutoring.

Her brother noticed her mood as well. I think we were in agreement that we both didn't like it. Wes was scowling at her. "Where the hell are you coming from?"

Her smile never faded. She completely overlooked her brothers facial expressions. "Tutoring."

She skipped off to her room, not saying another word, and i have to admit i hated it. This gave me the extra boost to go out and find my own date.