Camping Fling

Brick by Brick

What did he just say? I put a bookmark on the page that I stopped at and placed the novel on the side. I was trying to meet his glare, but the sun was blinding me too much. What does he mean by us? Does he mean our friendship? Cause the last time I checked there hasn't been an us for a long time. It's been way too long if you ask me. As far as I'm concern, there was only him and I. And, no us.

"What?" I asked Jake, pretending that I didn't hear his question. Honestly, I won't know what he means by us, and probably for the best that I don't pry even more. Even so, does Jake miss our friendship? I mean, we were best friends since kindergarten, it's supposed to last.

"I said, what happened to us?" he stopped throwing the baseball and sat up straight.

UGH! Jake. Can't you be more specific? This isn't helping now? I frustratingly thought to myself. I don't understand why he has to be so cryptic.

"What do you mean Jake?" I said as I started to open my wool blanket. Preparing my bed for the night. Who knew our first night would be in an RV.

"Weren't we friends before?" He said. His voice was low, almost like he was whispering. "I mean we were best friends" he looked at me.

"We were Jake, were," I replied, making the line obvious of where we both stand. Of course, I still feel bad that we're not friends anymore. Yes, I get jealous of hearing my other friends saying that their childhood best friend is coming over. Maybe the mistake was that I choose a guy best friend, cause everyone knows that guys and girls can't be friends.

"Yeah, but why?" He sat next to me. Shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm, leg to leg. It was like I can almost hear his heart beating and he can hear mine. Like he can feel everything in me working. That's how close he sat next to me. Looks like he has out-grown the belief of girls having cooties.

I remembered back when we were in grade 1 or so, he'd always sit next to me during lunch even though the guys in our class would always yell out "COOTIES!! EWW" at me and the other girls. I remember he would  always then say to me, "I don't care if I get cooties, your my friend and we stick together." That was probably the time I realize we'll be friends for a while. Not forever though, cause high school changes people.

"You're asking me?" I said all tensed up. It was awkward sitting next to Jake this close and I didn't like it. In my world, this isn't normal. My friends would freak if they found out, considering our lunch table is on the other side of the cafeteria and theirs is outside where the sun would hit them perfectly.

"Am I suppose to know the reason?" He asked me with confusion.

"Well... I thought it was obvious."

"Obvious what?" he asked me, his voice a bit louder.

"Why were not friends anymore," I replied as I pointed him to his couch.

"Are you blaming me why we stopped speaking?" He said with a smug tone as he walked back to his couch. "You're actually blaming me for why we stopped becoming friends." He added

"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" I corrected him. He looked pissed off. I looked at him but he wouldn't even look at me now. It's not my fault he jumped to a conclusion. Like seriously I never implied anything towards him.

"But you are the reason," I added with a low voice as I covered myself with my blanket. Does he know how many times I had to ignore my longing feelings for him? How a person in your life whom you've known and talked to your whole life just suddenly stop. Old friends become strangers. That's who Jake and I are. Yes, I felt abandoned, abandoned by the person I trusted the most, the person who help me overcome my fear of swimming, by my best friend.