Because of Him

45

          Needless to say, two days later, I was back at school and Logan wasn't. I visited him everyday he stayed home from school but had strict instructions from Emmie and Mindy concerning physical contact. To their surprise, Logan and I were okay with that.

          After I expressed to Logan exactly why it was hard for me to tell him how I felt about him, I decided to open up completely and tell him about the other details I had never talked about before. Like how my friends made terrible mistakes, but I was the girl who killed her parents and instead of being there for me they stopped talking to me altogether. How my ex-boyfriend broke up with me for being "crazy" and dated my best friend. How Emmie was the only family that visited me at the hospital and took custody of me because the rest of my family blamed me for everything, and that was really why I didn't go to my uncle's funeral in Florida with Emmie.

          I told him that I never went back to the lot where my house stood because there was nothing but burnt cement, and I couldn't bear to look at it, and how no one knew it was me who threw the candle and started the fire. How I've lived with the guilt ever since.

          After that, our relationship had developed into something less physical, and more emotional. Now he knew everything about me. He was the only one who knew all the things I was hiding and insecure of, but he made me feel beautiful and loved, even with my flaws.

          Logan and I were really only teenagers, but we weren't just another high school couple anymore. I think at some point we realized we saw a potential future with each other.

          And at the time I didn't know just how dangerous that actually was.

          "Hey, what are you doing later tonight?" Faith asked me as we walked to lunch one day. "Maybe you and Emmie can come over and meet my new mother?"

          I smiled at her proposition. "I would love that, but I promised Mindy we would watch a movie with her tonight."

          "Oh, quality time with your future mother-in-law I see? How sweet!"

          I shoved her to the side and threw a playful glare at her. "Shut up."

          We reached our table and everyone besides Logan was already sitting down and talking to each other obnoxiously—the way teenage boys usually do.

          "Hey, girls, I have a question." Cole started, and immediately, we knew this would be interesting. "Say one of us dated this girl, and now this person is interested in her best friend. Would it be wrong to go for her?"

          "Ugh, the fact that you'd even consider it." Faith frowned at him in disgust.

         "Of course you don't go for it." I replied dryly.

         "Hey, don't get mad at me—it was Andrew's question."

          We all turned to Andrew, who the whole time was sitting quietly. His eyes slowly traveled over to us, and he smiled guilty.

          "Andrew!" I gasped exasperatedly. "I thought you were better than that."

          "Better than what?"

          We turned to see Logan walk up to the table with his tray. He sat down beside me with a curious smile on his lips.

          "Andrew here wants to date his ex-girlfriend's best friend." I informed Logan, looking at Andrew with judging eyes (playfully, of course).

          "Dude," Logan looked over at Andrew in disbelief. "Come on."

          Andrew sulked in his seat, half guilty, half disappointed. "It was just a question." He muttered and he picked at his food.