Repair me

13. Invite me

"Can you at least pretend you're having a good time?" Mina poked me in the arm with her spoon, her voice half playful, half chastising.

"I'm sorry," I shook my head at myself, I knew I must be walking around with the grumpiest expression on my face but I couldn't wipe it off.  The only thing on my mind was ways to get Nico to forgive me and be back to the way we were.

"It must be really bad if frozen yogurt can't cheer you up," Mina teased lightly. We'd gone to get frozen yogurt together after school as a distraction and were now pacing the streets around Ainsley High while I stirred my yogurt into a slushy mess as I pondered.

"I'm sorry I know I'm being miserable," I sighed heavily, "I feel like an awful friend, all I ever do is complain but I just can't get this thing with Nico off my mind."

"So my distraction didn't work," Mina accepted.

"I'm enjoying it though," I held up a spoonful of the now watery yogurt.

Mina fixed me with her you-can't-fool-me stare, "you haven't had more than one bite."

"But I'm sure if I did I'd like it," I tried with a winning smile but Mina only rolled her eyes at me.

"There's no point beating yourself up over it, whatever's going on is in Nico's head, he needs to sort himself out and to do that you need to give him space and time. Don't push him, just treat him how you always have," Mina advised wisely.

"I know you're right," I breathed out through my nose, "but that doesn't make me any less upset about it."

"It will all work out in the end I'm sure of it," Mina laid a hand on my arm. The conviction in her voice had me believing her; at least for a moment.

"Okay," I agreed, "now let's talk about you, enough of me whining."

"What about me?" Mina shrugged spooning her strawberry yogurt into her mouth.

"How's things with Connor?"

"The same I guess, we're fine," Mina got that same glow in her eyes and slight flush to her cheeks whenever she spoke about Connor. Even though she didn't always gush about him I could see how much she cared for him all over her face.

"We're fine," I mimicked her while dramatically fanning myself.

"Stop!" Mina elbowed me gently, "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Something that will make me so jealous of your perfect happy relationship," I grinned playfully.

"It's not perfect," Mina fixed me with a look, "but you're right about the happy bit."

"As long as you're happy then it's fine with me," I nodded assuredly.

We turned the corner onto the street right in front of Ainsley High where coming directly towards us were a small group of boys from our year, some of whom I vaguely recognised from a couple of my classes. They were moving as a pack with that swagger boys carry when they're part of a group. Mina and I moved to one side to allow them to pass by us on the sidewalk.

As they sauntered past one of the boys knocked into my arm lightly,

"Sorry!" He cried loudly spinning around to face me and brush his hand down my arm to soften the area where he'd gently skimmed me.

"It's alright," I stumbled out surprised by his dramatic reaction to barely touching me.

"I'm Jon," he introduced himself with a wide open smile, clearly his reaction had been a guise for something else.

"Cara," I returned amicably.

"Jon," one of his friends who I recognised from my calculus class prodded Jon's arm and threw me an apologetic look, "I'm sorry he's new here."

"Yeah and I'm introducing myself to this pretty girl," Jon objected brushing his friends arm off him.

"She has a boyfriend," Jon's friend, Neil I think he was called, informed Jon with an exasperated sigh.

I felt my mouth fall open slightly as I stared at Neil taking in what he'd said;

"Oh sorry," Jon mumbled not looking sorry at all, "my bad."

"It's okay," I mumbled, "but I don't actually have a boyfriend."

Neil and a couple of the boys around him blinked at me, blank expressions across their faces.

"But the boys at Kings Bridge who drop you at school?" Neil questioned looking lost.

"Are my friends," I finished for him.

"Well it was lovely to get introduced Cara," Jon grinned smugly crossing his arms over his chest to flex them, "I'd love to do this again sometime."

"There's a football game on Friday," Neil blurted out before I had the chance to decline, "we're all on the team, you should come and watch. I mean, if you want to," he pulled off the last line with an unbothered shrug.

"I'll see," I nodded noncommittally.

"See you around Cara," Jon gave a cheery wave over one shoulder as he swaggered away with the rest of the boys, a couple of whom glanced back over their shoulders at us.

"Can you believe that?" I demanded to Mina who had watched the entire interaction with a bemused expression.

"You're doomed now," she warned me, "those boys are going to be persistent now they know you're available."

"They were just being friendly," I shrugged, although I knew Jon was definitely not just interested in being friends. Mina gave me a hard look that told me she knew I knew the truth.

"It will be fine," I waved it off with a dismissive flick of my hand, "I'm not going to the football game anyway."

Apologies for the late update I've been on holiday for a week with not a single second spare for writing. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! More on its way soon.

Alby
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