“Apparently he’d rather owe me,” Isaac said. “I’m earning a hundred bucks on this.”
“A hundred bucks?” I asked in shock. “What’s this stupid bet anyway?”
“That Cole and Alex won’t be able to get through dinner without fighting over you,” Isaac explained.
“And?” I asked, not knowing if I wanted to hear the rest.
“I said they wouldn’t last five minutes,” Danny responded quietly.
“Wonderful,” I said, sinking into my seat. “Just wonderful.”
“At least they will both be happy,” Nathan said, trying to look on the bright side of things. “Well, for a little bit.”
He was right. Cole and Alex would both be happy to find that they were sitting next to me. However, they would quickly get fed up with each other. The worst part was that I was going to be stuck in the middle.
“Well, what about me?” I whined. Didn’t I deserve to be happy too?
“What about you?” Alex asked, coming up behind me. Leaning down, he pecked me on the cheek.
“Nothing,” I grumbled as he kissed me again.
“Um, barf. Not at the dinner table, please,” Cole said, turning up next to Alex. He sat down and let out a large belch. “Man, I’m hungry.”
“What a gentleman,” I said, shaking my head in disgust.
“Oh, sorry. Didn’t know I was in the presence of any ladies,” Cole shot back.
“Hey!” Alex said. “Don’t be mean to my girlfriend.”
“I was just joking. Chill. And do you have to keep calling her that, or are you afraid she might forget?”
“Come on, guys,” I said, trying to stop the fight. But it didn’t matter; everyone knew it was going to happen. I could already see the anticipation on Isaac’s face, and Danny’s eyes were glued to his watch.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Alex demanded as his face flushed red.
“Nothing,” Cole drawled. “I’m just pointing out that Jackie is a person, not a thing,”
“Boys!” I cried, looking back and forth between the two.
Cole looked calm and under control, but beneath his smooth exterior, I could tell he was aggravated. Alex, on the other hand, looked like a volcano on the verge of activity. Unconsciously his fingers had wrapped around the fork resting on his napkin, and as he squeezed the thin strip of metal, the color drained from his knuckles. I kept an eye on the utensil in his hand, afraid of what might happen if he snapped.
“Just shut up, Cole,” Alex hissed.
“Shut up?” Cole snickered. “That’s a good one. I’ll have to remember it. I bet your girlfriend can’t wait for you to defend her in a fight.”
“Guys, please stop,” I begged.
I risked a quick glance at the head table. Mr. Walter had just stood up with champagne glass in hand. He was about to give a speech about the bride and groom, and all the horrible possibilities of what would occur if Cole and Alex didn’t cool down were running through my head. Worst case scenario: the boys get into a fistfight in the middle of their father’s speech and ruin Will and Haley’s wedding.
“At least I have one,” Alex replied, looking smug.
Cole narrowed his eyes at his brother, and I gave up. Alex had officially pushed Cole too far, and there was no stopping either of them now.
“Is that a challenge?” he hissed.
“Suck it!” Danny whispered to his cousin with a smile on his face. “That was exactly three minutes. I want my money in cash.”
“Damn,” Isaac said, shaking his head and pulling out his wallet. “I’ve been on a losing streak lately.”
Alex didn’t respond to Cole, except to flip him off.
“Fine,” Cole said, smiling evilly. “But don’t blame me when your girl’s in my arms.”
“Cole!” I shouted angrily before giving him a hefty kick in the shin from under the table, but he didn’t even seem to notice my attempt to bruise him. Instead, he and his brother continued their stare-down.
“Well,” Nathan said, turning to Danny. “What a great way to start the reception.”
“Yeah,” Isaac said with a smile. “We haven’t even gotten our salads yet.”
***
As dinner progressed, Alex and Cole became increasingly annoying.
“Jackie, would you like me to get you something from the bar?” Cole asked, turning to me.
“What are you trying to do, get her drunk?” Alex said. Since his fight with Cole, there had been a frown permanently etched onto his forehead.
“No, I was just trying to be nice,” Cole said, holding his hands up in defense.
“Is that what happened last time you got her a drink?” he asked, referring to the time Cole and I skipped school.
“Guys, cut it out,” I said for the millionth time. I put a hand on Alex’s leg to try and calm him down. “A glass of red wine would be great,” I told Cole. If the rest of the night was going to continue like this, I needed something to calm myself down.
“Classy,” Isaac said, getting up to go with Cole. “I like it.”
“Anything for you?” Cole asked Danny.