Nothing Wrong With Loving

Chapter 7: Cecily and I

The room's lights were off, the only light that was coming in was from the window, the streetlights were right outside and it was more than enough so I could make out her face. The music became a distant noise, all I could see was Cecily's grey eyes.

"Sometimes it's really hard to believe you," She whispered. Her voice was low and hesitant, not sure of herself, "You say you don't like him, yet you're always running after him and when you aren't, he is..."

I huffed and shook my head.

"How many more times do I have to tell you that Kai is my best friend, nothing more," I sighed, shaking my head. "If it was something more than that, something would've already happened by now."

"I don't know, it's never too late for a little spark." she shrugged, defying me with her eyes.

"I could say the same about you and Jake..." I told her, allowing myself to argue back, even if it was just for a little bit. "And you know what they say, sparks can set a whole city on fire."

She frowned, "I've never heard that in my life." Cecily lifted one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows, my cheeks felt hot while she struggled to keep a smile off her face. "I'm not too sure but I think it goes a little like a spark can set a forest on fire...?"

"It's basically the same thing," I thought Cecily was going to turn around, go back to the madness of the party.

But she didn't.

She stayed quiet until a snorting sound came out of her, I looked up at her to find her trying to suppress a smile, trying really hard not to laugh and I just knew that was my chance to get her to forget all about Kai.

"Come back home with me, please?" I asked her, Cecily took a good look at me and shook her head slightly, not completely sure of her answer. "Come on, Ceci, please. Kai and I are best friends, there's honestly nothing between us. I don't... he's a boy, Ceci." I whispered the last part and it seemed that was what convinced her.

"Okay, but we're just gonna talk," She pointed at me with her index finger, I tried not to smile while I nodded "Your parents?"

"My mother is at my granddad's for the weekend, it's just my dad but he's— he's not home until tomorrow, he'll get home before 3 in the afternoon, that's when my mum gets home."

"How comes?" She asked me, leading the way out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

I shook my head at the same time I shrugged, not answering. Truth was, I had no idea where my father was. He left after my mum did, kissed my forehead, told me he was coming back the next day and gave me 100 in bills of 10. I don't think he realised he had given me a 100 but I wasn't complaining. Parenting 101.

Cecily turned back and narrowed her eyes at me, I shrugged again and smiled at her, hoping she'd let it go and thankfully she did. I didn't want to tell her about it, I had to focus on the matter at hand, one issue at the time. Besides, even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell her about my parents because, in all honesty, there was nothing to say.

Cecily turned around and continued to lead the way out of Tom's house. On my way out, I heard Kai calling my name, I turned around and shook my head at him as I kept following Cecily. I would not lie, the look on his face pulled the strings of my heart and I almost hit myself for being so stupid. Kai was my friend; he had been the only real friend –aside from Cecily— that I've ever had. Why couldn't Cecily understand that? Why did she have to make me choose?

"If you want, you can go to him, you know," Cecily told me, her tone cold as ice, her eyes looking directly at me, waiting for me to hesitate, to make a wrong move. She was just testing me.