Take Me As I Am (Completed)

Chapter Forty-Six

Dedication to every single one of you, who's ever read, commented or voted on any of the chapters. Whether you loved it or you just read it to procrastinate school (I totally understand that.) I love you!

 ~ This is the last official chapter for Take Me As I Am. BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END. SERIOUSLY. I NEED YOU TO READ IT IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS TO AL. I swear, if you ask me 'but wait who does she end up with' after this chapter, I will be frustrated. You need to read the author's note. One of my major pet peeves is having to repeat myself over and over again to different people. So yeah. AUTHORS NOTE. REALLY IMPORTANT. READ IT. ~

Chapter Forty-Six:

My talk with Niall had me thinking - not just about change but about how everything seemed to be 'defined'. The word girly described someone who enjoyed makeup, hair, fangirling, the color pink and gossiped about boys. The word tomboy automatically brought to mind a girl who played video games, didn't wear dresses, liked hanging out with guys, liked sports. Why?

Why couldn't a girl feel comfortable being who she was without a label getting stamped to her forehead? 

I still didn't like dresses, I still loved beating everyone in NBA2k13, I loved kicking and hitting things with sticks... Yet somehow, during this show, I had lost my label of 'tomboy' to a few of my friends. Why was that? Simply because I had learned to be more trusting and let a few of my walls down? 

I didn't even know why I felt so upset with being told I was changing. Maybe it was because I had known one certain thing for most of my life, that when it started to change, I wanted to deny it and say I was exactly the same. But then I would be lying.

"There you are! I've looked everywhere and I couldn't find you," Nick proclaimed when he saw me the Tuesday after I had gotten back from Florida. A bead of sweat was glistening on his forehead, so I knew his words were true.

"Why? I thought I was becoming too girly for you?" I snapped out, not wanting anything to do with him. I had forgiven Caleb and Devin, but Nick had taken it too far.

"Listen-"

"I'm not listening to your bullcrap, Nick. You're turning into an older version of Elijah." It might have been harsh, but the silence had been killing me the past week. The blank stares, the obvious discomfort, how he wouldn't own up to his mistake. I had waited for an apology, or an explanation. But now it was too late. He had waited a week and after everything I had learned about myself, I knew I didn't need this. I didn't need something else in my life to make me lose my trust in everyone again.

"I'm never going to be an Elijah!" Nick's facial expression took on one of pure surprise and hurt. "Al. Give me a minute to explain everything."

"Why should I? You turned on me the second I started to learn more about myself. That's not what best friends do." I crossed my arms and stared off towards the school building. It seemed so normal with the teenagers wandering in and out of the building, all completely clueless as to the struggles in my life - as I was clueless to the struggles in theirs.