Honesty is the Best Policy – Chapter 3

This chapter finally earns its T rating for language.

This starts off following Kia and Yvonne after tryouts when Viola tells them to wait for her in Sebastian's room.

(Line Break Malfunction)

Standing outside room 232, Kia and Yvonne were pounding on the door.

"Sebastian, open up! We aren't Monique. Open the door! Sebastian!"

"Sebastian Hastings! If you don't open this door right now, Viola will kick your ass later! I mean it!"

A minute later, Andrew and Toby walked around the corner of their hallway. They were surprised to see the girls hitting the door so hard. "Sebastian!"

Toby laughed, causing the girls to whirl around to see them. "I don't think Sebastian is going to open that door."

Yvonne was slightly impatient, "Well, why not? Did you see him in the halls or something?"

Now Andrew was laughing. "Definite "or something." Sebastian doesn't have the keys to our room." To make his point, he slid his key into the lock and opened the door. "But if you want to come in, be our guest." Kia smiled at him and walked in, not noticing Yvonne stayed in the hall.

She turned to Andrew. "So, which one is your bed?" He grinned and pointed to the bed nearest the window. She sprawled across it, never breaking eye contact with Andrew. "The black and white combo is classic. Comfy mattress." She rolled over and punched the pillow. "Soft and fluffy. My favorite. I approve of your bed." Andrew's eyes widened and he gulped. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of innuendo. He almost had a heart attack when Kia patted a spot next to her. He carefully sat next to her, trying his best not to touch her, knowing he might lose control if he discovered her skin was as soft as it looked. That went out the window about five seconds later, when she grabbed his hand and pulled him so they were laying next to each other.

"Duke is the one that is supposed to have trouble talking to girls. Not me; never me. What can I say that won't make me sound like an idiot?" "You played really well today."

He loved the soft smile that spread across Kia's face. "Thank you. You guys were amazing too. It was nice to have real competition. And thanks times a thousand for allowing us to try out. That was more than our own school did. Soccer is so important to us that the thought of being unable to play was unbearable. It meant a lot to me that you would believe that a girl could play at the same level as a boy."

"I couldn't believe that the coach at Cornwall could discriminate against you and then say he was quoting science. It obviously isn't true. You ran circles around us today." Andrew was unconsciously playing with Kia's hair.

She had just opened her mouth when…

(Line Break Malfunction)

Yvonne was just standing there looking at the boy standing in the hallway. She didn't really like him. He had laughed at her. Twice. If there was one thing she really hated, it was when people she didn't know laughed at her. "If that isn't Sebastian's room, which one is?"

He pointed down the hall. "Next door. Number 234." She nodded and walked away. "Wait!" She stopped and slowly turned. "I'm Toby." He stuck out his hand to shake hers.

She shook it saying, "Yvonne." The second he let go, she hurried off to Sebastian's room. As a rule, she didn't date soccer players, especially not ones that laughed at her, so Yvonne was doing her best to deny the tingles she felt when she touched his hand. "I'm not going to make that mistake again. Once caught, twice careful. Besides that was probably static electricity." She knocked on the door to room 234, which opened to reveal - "Sebastian!" She gave him a huge hug. "I missed you!"

He laughed hugging her back. "Vona, It's been two days! How were tryouts?" Sebastian had decided long ago that Yvonne needed a nickname that rhymed with Kia and Viola. The only one he thought of was Vona, which sounded so odd that he was the only person who used it. He looked over Yvonne's shoulder and saw Toby. "Hey! Come on in." He frowned a little bit, confused, when Toby glared at him.

"We made first string!"

"That's good, right?" Yvonne hit him.

"Don't be stupid, Seb. You know as much about soccer as we do, even if you don't play due to your true love of guitar."

He chuckled. "I know. I was kidding. Congratulations! Where are Kia and my darling sister?"

"Viola is talking to the coach about something and Kia is next door with Andrew."

Sebastian turned to Toby. "You left Andrew alone with a girl in his room?" Toby nodded. "I'm going to go get her."

Yvonne grabbed his hand. "No, you aren't. Kia won't let him do anything she doesn't want him to."

"I know. That's what worries me." Just then the door opened and a blonde girl walked in. She took one look at Yvonne and Sebastian's entwined hands before running out of the room. "Shit! Olivia! Wait!" Sebastian took off after her, leaving Yvonne and Toby alone in awkward silence again.

Toby tried to break it. "How do you know Sebastian?"

Yvonne didn't look at him when she answered. "Kia, Viola, and I have been friends since second grade. Sebastian and Viola are twins. After ten years, Sebastian became a big brother to all of us. He's always been our number one fan at games. I guess he's going to need a new shirt for games. Freshman year we made him a blue jersey that says, "Go #'s 11, 12, and 13!" I guess he needs a red one with our new numbers for games here."

(Line Break Malfunction)

"Olivia! Please wait!" Sebastian finally caught up to her and grabbed her hand. He saw that she was crying. He wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Can I explain? That was one of Viola's best friends. I have known Yvonne since we were seven. There has never been any romance going on between us. Her and Kia are like my sisters. I wouldn't ever date them, just like I wouldn't ever date Viola. She was stopping me from acting on my big brother tendencies and rescuing Kia from Andrew. Please don't cry."

Next thing he knew, Olivia was in his arms, crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I just thought that I made another mistake. Michael had been cheating on me and I found out when I walked into his dorm room. I was afraid history was repeating itself. I'm so so sorry for assuming."

"You don't have to apologize for anything. I understand. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." He held her until her tears stopped. "There. All better, now? Do you want to go back?" Olivia nodded. She grabbed Sebastian's hand and they started walking back to his dorm.

(Line Break Malfunction)

Viola was a little confused. Duke didn't seem to have any problems talking to her when they were arguing over who got the captaincy, but, with that resolved he was back to stuttering. Maybe he would be better on familiar territory. "So how long have you been playing soccer?"

He smiled at her. "Longer than I can remember. My dad moved here from England when he was younger. Soccer was his passion. He had me playing as soon as I was bigger than the ball. When my parents divorced, my mother tried to get me to stop playing, but I wouldn't. We don't really get along very well anymore."

"I know what you mean. My mom doesn't understand soccer. She's never been to one of my games, not even when we played in the state championships last year. She always wanted me to be her perfect little lady. My dad is too self-absorbed to really care. I see him maybe once a month. I'm glad I have Sebastian, otherwise I would have been really lonely growing up."

"My dad and I are pretty close. He calls once a week to see how I've been and just to talk. My mother just forces me to appear at her Junior League events every so often." Duke was amazed at how easy it was to talk to Viola. He still stuttered every so often but for the most part their conversation was flowing.

Viola looked at him, surprised. "Your mom's in Junior League? So is mine. We must have been forced into different events over the years. She's actually making me do the whole Debutante Ball this year. I'm dreading it especially when she finds out that I broke up with Justin and no longer have an escort."

"Justin?"

Viola nodded. "Justin Drayton. I broke up with him after he agreed with Coach Pistonek that girls couldn't beat boys in soccer."

"I bet they are going to feel really stupid in two weeks when you kick their asses."

Viola didn't really feel like talking about Cornwall, so she decided to steer the conversation back to safer territory. "Do you have to go to the Carnival on Saturday?"

Duke nodded. "Yeah but thankfully I don't have to work it. What about you?"

Viola grimaced. "I have a thirty minute shift at the Kissing Booth. Apparently, every debutante has to work it. I really really don't want to go. It's disgusting!"

Duke wasn't quite thinking when he put his arm around Viola. "It can't be that bad."

"Are you kidding? How would you feel having to kiss anybody who buys a ticket?" Duke might not have noticed where his arm was but Viola certainly did, and she liked it. She was beginning to really like Duke. He was so nice about sharing his captaincy plus, he was cute.

He smiled at her. "Okay, I see your point. That could be really gross."

They had walked all the way to the dorm hallway by now. Viola got to her brother's room and turned the handle to walk in when…