Compositions of Us

11 · The Bus Route Disclosure

There wasn't a second that passed before Mikaela clarified, "We didn't do it though. I couldn't. You know I'm not ready yet. When I told Trevor, he got all upset and annoyed that he just left me there. He hasn't been talking to me at all lately, and I've been seeing him with other girls. Olivia, was it wrong of me to say no? I mean, we have been dating for two years, but I'm still not ready."

As I listened to my friend, this sensation of anger was brewing inside of me. If I kept this up, I might explode like a volcano. What made me even more upset was capturing how Mikaela contemplated if her decision was wrong. 

I tried my best to control my voice from raising because of Trevor's stupidity. "Mikaela, of course not. I don't care if he's been dating you for two, five, ten years! If Trevor really likes you, he wouldn't be angry or push you to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. It just makes me so mad that he's making you feel like it's your fault even though it's not. Tell me why I seem more upset than you?"

Mikaela let out an embarrassed chuckle. "You know how much I like Trevor, right? I can't stay mad at him."

"And you understand how much I love you, right? Trevor is being selfish. That's the last thing I want my best friend to deal with. You know, if Eric heard about this, he would —"

"Don't tell Eric or anyone."

I rose an eyebrow before I questioned why.

She fiddled with the trimming of her burgundy cheer bag and pursed her lips. "Eric doesn't like Trevor to begin with, and he hasn't been the friendliest to me lately. I don't even know what I did wrong, but please don't tell him."

That's because Eric has a big, fat crush on you, the thought urged to be spoken about.

In the end, I respected Mikaela's request because it wasn't my place to say. Once I agreed, Mikaela hovered over to hug me. As I embraced her back, she thanked me for listening and insisted that she could manage the situation. Even though I wanted to crush Trevor into pieces, the only thing I could do was offer my support to Mikaela. I didn't want to force help upon her, but she always knew that I would be there whether or not she needed me.

When we pulled away from the hug, Mikaela gave me a smile. "Thanks again. I really got to go to practice now."

I still bought up, "Can I still kick Trevor's ass for giving you such a shitty Valentine's Day?"

Mikaela let out a more happier laugh. Her mood became evidently brighter than earlier.

"That's why you're my best friend, Olivia."

                                                     +        +        +

After a successful day at the photo lab, I thanked my photography teacher, Mrs. Garfield, for allowing a few of us an extra hour in the dark room. Once I gathered my belongings, I greeted her and my classmates a farewell before walking outside. 

It was still bright, but the mild February wind welcomed me with its cool touch. Glancing at the time from the clock tower, I had thirty minutes until the next bus arrived. Since I had no other place in mind, I ended up walking to the bus stop which was a few blocks from my school to wait there.

Approaching the bus stop, I sat down and leaned back against the plastic backing of the makeshift bench. Though the bench wasn't the comfiest, at least there were still seats. For the mean time, I shuffled through my portfolio to make sure that I had everything in order.