The Player's Game {Book #1 of the Popular Boys series}

17: Friendships

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I had managed to get the day off school as my mum had left extremely early in the morning, so I was wallowing in my pit of a bed. Sad I know, but I couldn't face him not today especially since Lindsay couldn't control her little minions since she had gone on a trip to see her grandparents in Wales, which meant her bitch squad would take full advantage of having no 'leader' or whatever.

So I was lying in bed crying over the forbidden boy I shouldn't have fallen for. The player. You know the saying, you can take the player out of the game but you can't take the game out of the player, even temporarily. I was angry, not at him but at myself because I did what I promised I would never do. I fell for the player. I was another one of those whiny, annoying, irritating girls who cry over the boy with no heart.

I guess you could say I had next to no sleep as every time I drifted his body pushed against Hailey's. I couldn't hate her, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't, because whatever she did with him I already had, and she will be just another name on his long list of girls.

I turned on the TV and flicked through the channels. Channel 1, This Morning talking about someone's romantic proposal, channel 2 some gross programme about cooking for your lover, yuck! Even the music channel had songs on like Love Story and Marry You. Kill me now! I switched off and groaned deciding to go downstairs and grab some cereal. Coco Pops, you can't go wrong with Coco Pops.

Whilst I was crunching on it, I heard something or someone open my door. Leaving my bowl on the table I grabbed a knife quietly and crept towards the door slowly just to see Holly, Samuel and Charlie at the door.

"I hate you guys." I said putting the knife down carefully on the table whilst glaring at them.

"No you don't because I brought hot chocolate." She grinned passing my a Starbucks take out cup. I took it smiling and took a gulp before almost spitting it out.

"This is coffee! I hate coffee!" I almost growled. She knew I hated it with a passion as well. I realised I was being incredibly harsh on them all and turned apologetic. "Sorry."

"Sorry that was my latte. Apparently it's good for your pores." I smiled as she gingerly swapped round the cups so I had my hot chocolate.

"Eugh! It's gone soggy!" I spat the cereal back out in the bowl and shoved it on the side next to the sink. "Why is life so bad?" I ground out almost shedding a tear but I didn't want my friends worrying and I didn't want to cry any more so I held them all in.

"Come on, we're going upstairs." Holly dragged everyone up and got us all squashed up on my bed shoving Despicable Me on because 'it was funny'. But I knew her intentions were to get my mind off any kind of romance if possible so I pretended to watch the movie to make her happy. I laughed when the other laughed making sure it seemed like it wasn't forced and that I wasn't thinking about Hunter throughout the movie.

All the way through the morning she shoved on light, happy movies and thought she was getting me out of my gloom but even in the back of her mind I think she knew it was working. She persevered trying to get me to crack a true smile but with no success.

When Charlie and Samuel left at lunchtime because I forced them to, as they couldn't afford any more absences, Holly decided it was time to have a serious chat about everything that had happened.

"I'm sorry!" She burst. A guilty look spread over her face when Barbie: The Nutcracker finally ended. I looked over at her with an incredibly confused look.

"What do you mean? For what?" I mumbled resting my head on her shoulder.

"I mean I'm sorry... for everything. I'm sorry for forcing you into the deal. I'm sorry for making you go through with it. I'm sorry for realising you were falling for him and not stopping you. I'm sorry. It's just every time I saw him kiss you and hug you hold your hand you'd have a goofy grin on your face like he was what you wanted most. Every time he stood up for you, you would look at him like he was your world. Every time you saw him you stared with a glazed over look. But you didn't realise. You never realised." She rushed it out nervously.

I raised my eyebrows at this information. I hadn't realised, not even once. "It's fine. If you had mentioned anything I probably wouldn't have believed you. It's fine, seriously. All I want from you is you. I need my best friends. Or at least the one that can afford to skip school for a couple of days."

We hugged and then put a rom-com on much to Holly's discretion. They were my favourite and all I wanted to do was have a good laugh at others failing relationships, that was all I was allowed to see as Holly refused to let me see the happy relationship bits.

She left just after my mum made us eat tuna pasta bake but I wasn't complaining it was my favourite. I think she knew there was something wrong but she knew when I wanted to tell her I would.

"Bye Hun." Holly hugged me tightly. "Now, no crying! And you are coming back tomorrow and put a brave face on and pretend he didn't hurt you and make him feel like shit. And I have the perfect idea."