Splinters: Part One

Part One | 8

She didn't respond.

"What's up with you two anyway?"

She jerked her head up to me, fear gracing her face. "What do you mean?"

"You guys, like, don't like each other. Why?"

I knew Collie was scrambling for an answer to my question because she was very hesitant and reluctant. I wasn't sure if she didn't want to tell me or if she truly didn't know.

"Um, well..."

I kept my eyes on Collie, waiting for her answer, but she never came up with one.

"It's not really a big deal, you know? Just, um, some problems back in junior high."

That's not the answer I wanted. I wanted a real answer. I wanted to know why Ursanne didn't like Collie and I wanted to know why it was so bad to be friends with her. I wanted to know and Ursanne wasn't going to tell me anything.

"Like what?" I pressed.

Collie sighed. "Do we have to talk about this now? I mean, it's a good night and-"

"Hey! Collie! Pierson! Come on inside! We're about to play Never Have I Ever."

Collie took this opportunity to get out of our conversation and shouted back to Zech, "We'll be there in a second!"

Collie then turned back to me and shrugged. "It's really not a big deal, Brayden. I don't even know why she's still mad over it."

I stared at her, not sure if I should believe her words, but nonetheless, she tugged me toward the house.

"C'mon. Have you ever played Never Have I Ever?"

I shook my head.

"It'll be fun." she said lightly.

I decided to give the whole Ursanne VS Collie thing a rest and try to enjoy the party. When we entered the house again, people were all talking in their own little cliques. Andrew found us and pulled us to the living room where Zech and a few other guys were at. I noticed Taylah sitting next to Zech and glaring at me with her arms crossed.

Collie was about to take a seat on the couch until Zech stopped her.

"Collie, wait!"

"What?!" she gasped, standing up.

"Let Pierson sit there," he ordered, sounding a little weird.

I glanced at him, and then at Andrew, who seemed to have a guilty look on his face.

"Why can't I-"

"Go ahead and sit. That way, it'll be boy-boy, girl-girl."

Collie sighed and sat in the middle, saying, "You'd like that, wouldn't you."

I slowly made my way to the spot Collie was going to sit at and then dropped myself onto the soft sofa, but what I didn't expect was to hear a loud sound come from underneath me, sounding strangely like I was...

"Woah, Pierson!" Zech laughed, waving the air in front of him. "What'd you eat for dinner?"

Collie's head jerked toward me before she bit her lip, probably experiencing second-hand embarrassment.

My face heated up and I quickly shook my head. "Wait, I-, that wasn't-" I turned to Collie, begging for her to see the truth in my words. "Collie, that wasn't me."

She laughed nervously, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked away from me.

"Collie, seriously, I didn't do that!"