She told me

Chapter 25

Peyton's alive. That's the first thing they tell me when I walk back to the ambulance with Mia. Something about them getting there in time to save her. I don't really process much past the fact that she's alive.

They ask me if I want to accompany her to the hospital but one look at Mia's face makes me realise that it wouldn't be a great idea to leave her alone right now. She tries to look unbothered, but I can see that her hands are still trembling. Besides, I really needed to call my parents.

As soon as the ambulance speeds off, I turn to Mia, "I don't suppose you were kidnapped after you got out of your car at the graveyard?"

She gives me a dirty look which gives me my answer, walking it is.

As we exit the front gate of the cemetery, I take out my phone and try to switch it on. The screen remains black which means its either broken or dead which is weird considering I used it to make a call ten minutes ago.

"You good?" Mia asks suddenly, "maybe you should have gone to the hospital with the paramedics".

"I'm fine" I say, "nothing an aspirin won't fix".

She nods, "I'm sorry".

"About what?"

"Everything"

"Well, you did warn me about Peyton so that's on me, how did you know anyway?"

She looks away, "I didn't, I just didn't like how much you guys were hanging out".

My head has started to hurt again, and I don't think much before I blurt out, "so you were jealous huh?"

"I wasn't jealous, okay? Its just that you essentially replaced me with her".

"Oh, like you replaced me with Kevin?" I wince, "wait, that doesn't sound right, you replaced him with me".

"I didn't replace anyone" she sounds irritated, "he was my best friend back in high school and you're.... you"

"Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if you stopped speaking in riddles all the time".

She huffs but she doesn't sound annoyed anymore, "you're different, you're not Kevin".

"I think a lot of people would disagree, apparently we look the same and we walk the same and the difference between us was supposed to be that he deals drugs, and I don't but apparently he doesn't either which means...."

"God, I like you okay".

I raise an eyebrow, "and you don't like him?"

For a minute I think she's going to punch me, "not in the way I like you, you idiot".

"That's not the way to talk to a guy you like".

"You're the worst, you know that? I have terrible terrible taste in men".

"Wait wait wait" I chuckle, "is that why you were so mean to Peyton?"

She shakes her head, "if you didn't already have a possible concussion, I would give you one".

"Wait, you actually seriously like me?"

"No, I don't actually seriously like you, well here's where I get off".

I look around confused, "your house is at least five minutes away".

"Not if I run" with that she takes off while I'm still trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about.

When I reach home, the front door is wide open and for a minute I feel a sense of dread. Then my mom comes running out and before I can say anything, pulls me into a hug. Since she essentially has me trapped, there's nothing much I can do except wait for her to be done with it. That's when my dad barrels out of the house and joins in. I stand still as my mom goes on saying something I genuinely cannot decipher, through her tears. Then my dad leads me to the car, gently shoves me in and closes the door.