Intertwined and Unexpected

Chapter 4: Chloe

Do I hate Amberlynn?

That's the question I feel I may never be able to answer. I'm in the bathroom, have just finished my rant, and am about to face whatever punishment Amberlynn will give out to me. I may have crossed the line chewing her out like that, but so did she back in 6th grade. That picnic.

"You know what, Chloe?" Amberlynn starts, interrupting my thinking. Her words barley entered as she continued whatever she was saying. My head was filled with those memories-- that porta-potty. I never did figure out why she tipped it over on me. Then she had to nerve to go and pretend she never did it. Yet, what I'm feeling isn't hate. I used to just feel fear when I was around her. Fear that she might go and bring something up from... before. Now I'm feeling more confused. I zone back in right as she says, smiling,

"Call me sometime. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?" What? What is that supposed to mean? Does that mean Amberlynn isn't mad? Does that mean she's actually nice? Does that mean she thinks we can start over or something? For now, I decide, I'll take it as a good thing. At least she isn't mad, or planning some revenge or whatever.

Checking my watch, I realize I still have a good ten minutes left till lunch is over. Great. More torture. I head back into the lunch room, take a huge sigh, and sit down at the closest table. Not hungry, I study where my friends are: Emma's sitting alone, and looking sad. Sad that she got me mad, I think. I can't help but feel satisfied by this-- I know, I know, I'm a terrible person. Then there's Alexi laughing loudly at something Maria just said. Finally, there's Ava. I search the blue-tiled lunchroom for Ava. It doesn't take long before I spot her. By a table filled with the jocks. At first, I think that this is a good thing-- she's maybe moving on from Brian. My hopes fall flat when I realize what's really going on.

"Hey Brian," I see Ava say casually, but I notice Ava's light blue eyes are darting, probably trying to catch any signs of him being interested in her: blushing, smiling, anything. He smiled back, but it was nothing special.

"Hey Averil," he replies.

Wait.

I squeeze my eyes shut. Please tell me I heard him wrong. But as I glance back at Ava, I know I heard right: he didn't know Ava's name. Prince Charming, Mr. Right, was too self-centered to stop and even catch Ava's name. Ava's eyes had lost their brightness and her mouth parted a soft "oh" as if she had just realized what happened. It seemed like forever before Ava could muster anything to say.

"Uh, hey... I... Uh," she stuttered, nose-diving any hope of keeping her dignity, "Igottago," she blurted quickly. I watched her rush out of the lunchroom, feeling terrible. Shouldn't I be comforting her?

Maybe I can make this right.

Yes. Maybe. Using the same confidence I had just recently used on Amberlynn, I got up and walked over to the jocks table. I quickly caught a glimpse of Henry, and my heart ached. No, stop that, I tell myself. He has a girlfriend. He has a girlfriend. Amberlynn is his girlfriend.

"Geez, what's that chic's problem?" I hear Brian ask his blonde, buzz-cut friend that is sitting next to him.That makes me mad. He doesn't care. At all.

"Listen, Brian. Her 'problem' is that you don't even know her name! Her name is Ava, not Averil, got it? And she's been being nice to you for as long as she's known you and you don't even know who she is! So why don't you finally pay attention to someone else besides yourself for once, jerk!" I'm surprised to find Brian is actually kind of embarrassed by my outburst.

"Wait... Isn't Ava Alexi's friend?" he asks, and I'm instantly relieved that it's starting to sink in for him.

"Yes," I reply more patiently now.

"Ah, man. Does this mean that Alexi's mad at me now?" Brian asks, looking discouraged. Wait. What? Is he saying what I think he is?
"Cause Alexi is like, super hot, and you don't get many like that. Ya' know what I'm saying?" Brian laughs, and so do his cronies around him.

That.

Was.

The.

Absolute.

Wrong.

Thing.

To.

Say.

To my defense, I didn't realize what I had done until after my fist had made contact with Brian's square jaw. He instantly jumps up from his seat, and holds his red jaw.

"Man, what's your problem?" Brian shouts at me. I see a teacher coming out of the corner of my eye, so I go for innocent:

"What? What are you talking about?" I ask, batting my eyes. Brian about to yell some more, but the teacher comes in and inturrupts:

"Is there something going on here?" Mr. Hamming, the 6th grade math teacher asks.

"No, Mr. Hamming," Henry blurts, and smiles at him, "nothing at all."

"Ok then, but I'll be keeping an eye on this table, you hear?" he says, but quickly walks away.

"Bro, you lied! Why'd you do that?" Brian snaps at Henry.

"Come on, Brian. Do you really want word around that you got beat up by a girl?" Henry reasons, then smiles at me. I smile back. But there isn't that usual flutter that I used to get when I saw Henry. Henry's a great guy, but it's time I got over him. I think of Ava and Alexi, and their situation. I don't want any trouble from Amberlynn. I don't want to get her mad.

Or maybe, I just want to be Ambelynn's friend.

Just maybe.

~~~

I am crazy. I am absolutely crazy. What other reason would explain why I am at Amberlynn's house? I actually walked here. After school. To ask her if she wanted to do something. Together. As in, me and her. Us.

I am crazy.

But, then again, I'm not the one blasting "Last Friday Night" and dancing wildly! I laugh, as I see her silhouette in the window shade. I jog up to her house, and ring the doorbell. I can still run. She'll just think it's some ding-dong ditchers or something. No, it's too late. Amberlynn opens the door, and I can see the shock on her face as she realizes it's me.

“Hey, Amberlynn” I say awkwardly, looking down at my feet. “Did you want to… hang out… and work… on the history paper?” Amberlynn stared at me, her eyes empty.

“You actually walked here. All the way here.” Surprise crossed her face and she ignores my suggestion.

“Um, yeah!” I said, and I realized that I should probably walk away now while I still have my dignity.

“There is such a thing as a phone. You could’ve called me, or messaged me, or emailed me, or Facebooked me…” She laughs and I'm starting to get convinced that this is a mistake.

"Naw, I'm kidding. But, we are not going to work on a paper that’s due in a month. Definitely not. We could go to the mall or the park or Walgreen's…” Amberlynn looked at me expectantly. “What do you think?”

"Sure, let's go to the mall," I say, not quite knowing what I had just gotten myself into.

Would you rather:

a) Take a chance, risk all the risks, and see what happens or

b) play it safe and avoid any risks?

My Answer: Any other day I would've chosen b, but tonight, as I go to the mall, it seems I have chosen a.