The One and Only [COMPLETED]

Chapter 25

***Picture above is of Isabel and Jacey!

And this chapter is dedicated to Skittles, because they're so great.***

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"Hey little sis."

I look up from my book to see John standing in front of me, a big grin on his face. I can't help the smile that forms out of utter happiness of seeing him smiling again.

"Hey," I respond, using my gum wrapper as a bookmark and placing my book beside me. When you're a total book nerd like me, anything becomes a bookmark. "What's up?"

John takes a seat beside me on my bed. "Well... if you must know, I'm going on a date tonight."

I immediately perk up at this, turning to face him in a silent plea to tell me more. "Ooh! You didn't tell me you were seeing another girl. I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks. I figured that the only way I can fully move on from Lindsey is if I start seeing someone else. I'm tired of being angry and upset all the time. I just want some closure, you know?"

I smile sadly at him. "Yeah, I understand. But, if I'm being honest, I must say that you're moving on pretty quickly. It's been, what, two days since you and Lindsey broke up? Don't you think it's a little soon for you to be dating again?"

John sighs, his shoulders slumping in a way that told me he had thought about this himself. "Well, yeah, but I'm sick and tired of thinking about her all the damn time," his voice begins to crack in the slightest falter. "I try and try and try to keep her off my mind, to stop thinking about the beautiful girl I once called the love of my life," he stops here, swallowing a lump I presume was forming in his throat. He looks at me now, and all I see is a vulnerable boy with a broken heart, and I think that for the first time I truly see how desperate he is to forget her. How much he loves her and hates himself for it. "I don't want to hurt anymore, Hailey. I don't want to love her anymore."

I sit there, blinking back the tears that were forming in the corners of my eyes. "John, I understand that you want to forget her, to move on. But before you do that, you have to let yourself hurt for a little bit. If you don't let yourself hurt now, then all of your future relationships will be pointless because you'll be hurting inside every day." I really hope he gets what I'm saying, because he shouldn't be moving on like this. Not so soon.

"You can't get a rainbow without the storm," I say, giving him a small smile.

He groans, flopping backwards onto my bed. "I hate life."

I chuckle, flopping down beside him. "No, you just hate the things that go along with life."

John looks over at me, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "When did you become so smart?"

I smack his arm playfully. "Shut up John, I've always been smart."

He snorts. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

And thus began my smacking him with a pillow repeatedly.

✿ ✿ ✿

That afternoon I updated Isabel and Jai about Andrew and I over a forty-five minute cell phone conversation that consisted of plenty of squeals and questions. Once it was all said and done, they came over to my house for a movie night with just us girls, and a sleepover afterwards. We're currently lying on my floor with popcorn and sleeping bags.

"You know what we should do?" Jai pipes up. "We should call Andrew."

"What?" I blush just hearing his name. Gosh, the things this boy does to me. "No, that's ludicrous."