The Improbable Clause of Missing You

Chapter Sixteen

                 

Chapter Sixteen

16:

"Thanks for coming, guys." I whispered. Then shook my head. That sounds so weird. Everything about this is so unnatural. I'm so nervous, and I don't even know why. Why is it so hard for me to just articulate it to them normally?

Since when did our friendship become like this?

"You're so weird, Hayley." A voice said. I turned to see Frankie. I offered a smile, to which she only stared stonily back.

Yikes.

"Have you seen Quinn yet?" I asked, in an attempt to keep the conversation flowing.

"Here I am," she chimed, as she ran up to us. "What's up?"

"I broke up with Owen," I murmured, with no prelude.

No one said anything. No "that was a good move", or worse still, "that was a bad move."

Then Frankie broke the silence. "I can't believe it. You finally got your shit together."

Hurt registered on my face, taking in the biting way she said it. But then again, it was true, I suppose.

"Sorry, I know how much you both liked him," I apologised. Because I was angry at Owen, but I wouldn't tarnish his reputation.

Frankie's shoulder tensed, and she set her jaw to look at me. She looked almost regal. "I really liked you guys together. My OTP. Until I didn't. He treated you like crap, and I was angry because that wasn't the way it used to be. He didn't use to treat you so much like shit. And it made me angry to see you take it, my god, it pissed me off so much. Then you were, I hate to say it, equally as bad. You and Sebastian!"

She paused from her (hurtful) tirade, sighing as she looked at me. "I'm glad you're okay now. But I hope you broke up with him because it wasn't working out between you two, not because of Sebastian."

"Yea, it was. Sebastian... Is just a friend. I think I'll stay off guys for a while," I replied softly.

"Good," she said. "I can't stand to see you slowly being devastated more and more each time Owen looked at you."

I was pulled into a big hug, "I'm sorry."

"So am I," I replied. "Thanks... for the wake up call."

Quinn stood silently, watching us with a somewhat bemused expression. "I'm glad the cold war is over, but there's a problem coming from 6 o'clock, so we should leave right now."

"Owen?" I asked, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder.

"Owen. Let's get out of here," Frankie said, pulling us towards the canteen without looking back.

I had my sister back.

At lunch, it was easy to fall back into our habitual cheerful chatter. Owen was sitting by his table with two girls by either side, falling over themselves to listen to his every word. Once in a while, I could feel them glance back, right where I was sitting.