Should I Stay?

Chapter 12

The boys and I have this theory that almost everything in the world can be divided into two groups.

There are people who like classical music and people who like pop. There are city people and country people. Coke drinkers. Pepsi drinkers. And there are the kind of girls who have boyfriends in high school, and the kind of girls who don't.

Niall, Zayn, Liam and I had always assumed that we both belonged to the latter category. ''Not that we'll be forty-year-old virgins or anything,'' I reassured. ''We'll just be the kinds of people who have relationships in college.''

So, it was a surprise to the boys and me when I wound up in Group A, with the boyfriended girls. At first, I tried to hide it.

After I came home from the Ed Sheeran concert, I told them the vaguest of details. I didn't mention the kissing. There was no point getting all worked up about a kiss. One kiss does not a relationship make. I'd kissed boys before, and usually by the next day the kiss was forgotten.

Except I knew that with Harry it was a big deal. I knew from the way the warmth flooded my whole body that night after he dropped me off at home, kissing me once more at my doorstep. By the way I stayed up until dawn hugging my pillow. By the way that I could not eat the next day, could not wipe the smile off my face. I recognized that the kiss was a door I had walked through. And I knew that I'd left Zayn, Liam and Niall on the other side.

After a week, and a few more stolen kisses, I knew I had to tell them. We went for coffee after school. It was May but it was pouring rain as though it were November.

''I'll buy. You want one of your froufrou drinks?'' I asked. That was another one of the categories we'd determined: people who drank plain coffee and people who drank gussied-up caffeine drinks like the mint-chip lattes Zayn and Liam ware so fond of. Niall and me were the one who always ordered a frappuccino caramel, our favorite coffee ever.

''I think I'll try the cinnamon-spice chai latte,'' Liam said, giving me a stern look that said, I will not be ashamed of my beverage selection.

''I'll just have the same as always,'' Zayn said.

Niall always went with his usuall drink so I didn't had to ask him.

I bought us our drinks and four piece of marionberry pie. I sat down next to Zayn, who was across from Liam, who sat next to Niall running the fork along the scalloped edge of the flaky crust.

''I have something to tell you lads,'' I said.

''Something about having a boyfriend?'' Zayn's voice was amused, but even though I was looking down, I could tell that he'd rolled her eyes.

''How'd you know?'' I asked, meeting his gaze

''Please. Everyone knows.'' Zayn said with the best girly voice he can do. ''It's the hottest gossip aside from the one of Melanie Farrow dropping out to have a baby.''

''It's like a Democratic presidential candidate marrying a Republican presidential candidate.'' Liam added.

''Who said anything about marrying?'' I asked.

''We're just being metaphoric," Liam said while he rolled his eyes. ''Anyhow, we know. We knew even before you knew.'' Niall told me.

''Bullshit.''

''Come on. A guy like Harry going to a Ed Sheeran concert? He was buttering you up.'' Zayn said, what made Niall and Liam cracking up in a fit of laughter.

''It's not like that,'' I said, though of course, it totally was like that.

''I just don't see why you couldn't tell us sooner,'' Liam said, while Niall was whiping away his tears.