The promise. [Short Chapters]

Chapter Seven.

While the walk in the rain was fun and gave Josh and I an opportunity to be stereotypically cute-coupley, something we rarely ever got to do, my inner heat sensors were on the rampage. After Price caught us splashing around in the puddles outside of the main office, she pointlessly read us the riot act and sent us back up to our dorms for the night, which I wasn't too put off by, since I was cold, wet, and exhausted from the stroll.

After a considerably long shower, I stepped back into the room with nothing but a towel covering my body and sneered at my un-made-up, boyish reflection in Ella's damn mirror again, feeling stupidly inadequate. I plucked a photo from the side of the mirror and cradled it in my palms, my warm, still-damp fingers leaving the slightest traces of fog over the faces of Ella, Max, Josh, and myself -- tall, gorgeous Ella pushing wide-eyed, adorable Max into lovely, bewildered Josh, staring at tiny, awkward, pale, weird me. I put the picture back where it was before, then shot my reflection a dirty look before turning away to change without having to stare at any more of my scrawny body while I changed into pyjama pants and one of Josh's hoodies. I didn't even bother to dry my hair, I was so exhausted, so I just plopped myself down in bed, snuggling under the covers, pulling them over my head, and almost instantly falling into a light sleep.

Until the door slammed open. I shuddered under the duvet from partially from the shock of the abrupt crash of the door, but mostly from the fear that the slam was an angry Max. I stayed still, hoping whoever it was wouldn't notice me underneath the stack of blankets, but I felt the cold air strike my face as they were so rudely slid off of me. I blinked rapidly to get my eyes used to the light before finding myself staring at a very confused looking Ella. Her blue eyes were wide and looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Ell's," I spoke, my fear turning to sympathy, "what's wrong?"

Ella purposely fell to the floor, sitting with her legs out in an awkward position and her arms hopelessly draping by her sides. The look on her face was exasperated and upset as she stared at nothing in particular. Her gaze was focused somewhere past my shoulder, but I could still tell that her words were aimed at me.

"We kissed. We... kissed."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do go on, compadre."

"Max," Ella clarified, as if I didn't already know who she was just with. "We were finishing the diorama for our English project, and as he's leaning over to stick bloody Hamlet in his castle, his face gets dangerously close to mine and he just... presses his lips to mine."

I practically rolled out of my bed in shock. "Wait, what in the hell? Max kissed you? You mean I've been hiding my relationship with Josh for a month because I thought he'd be pissed, and he just kisses you?"

Ella groaned and flopped backwards. "Yeah, yeah, he's a hypocrite and whatever, but can we please just dissect his motives before his moral character?"

I chuckled and tossed my pillow at her before scrambling to retrieve it for a snuggle. "Fine. What happened after?"

"We both stared at each other and at the same time decided it was time to retire for the night. I've never seen him look so confused."

I felt bad and all, watching my best friend all but crumple on the floor in front of me, but I couldn't fully focus. Part of me was annoyed at Max for breaking the rule that had been torturing me for the last month, but most of me was still focusing on what I'd been thinking about before I laid down in bed. I'd had a lump in my throat ever since Josh made the tour announcement. I was happy for him, actually ecstatic was a better word, but at the same time, I knew that the band's big break could spell the end of the safe bubble of a relationship Josh and I had. At Hamilton, the selection of girls was limited. Josh, being Josh, had either dated them all, or they were Ella or, well, Jenny Kline. Josh even dated Isabelle before she started to hang out with us, which, now that I think about it, may be a factor in the reason I was never as fond of her as I should have been.

But my point is that Josh, my Josh, was going to be on display for thousands of screaming Paramore fans. I knew Josh like the back of my hand, which meant that I knew he was a flirt at heart. He'd never cheat, but he'd flirt like hell. With the attention of an arena full of girls likely much prettier than I was, it was bound to happen. And I will be the first to admit that I was jealous as hell.

"What do you think of it, Lo?"

In my mindless bawwing over my life, I seemed to have forgotten that Ella was bawwing over her own to me. Luckily, though, before I could formulate a half-assed answer to the story I hadn't been listening to, two sharp knocks came at the door. Being as I was still in bed and Ella was closer to it, she was the one to stand up and peek through the peephole. She visibly deflated as she saw who it was, and turned to me, mouthing,"Max."

I groaned. I really wanted to talk to Josh, but with Max looming in the entrance to our dorm, it would be just a bit suspicious to pass him on my way, so I decided to pretend that I was sleeping. I snatched my phone and buried my head under the covers shortly before Ella answered the door. Soon after, the hum of their muffled voices filled the room, but I wasn't focused on it. My attention was on my phone in my hands. I typed a message and let my thumb hover over the send button momentarily, reasoning with myself.

Don't send it, my head urged, it's a horrendous idea.

By the time I'd chickened out of sending the text, I realized the steady mumble of Ella and Max's voice had died out. I poked my head out from underneath my duvet only to see Ella's back to the wall, Max's eager lips attached to hers and his hands all over her body.

As if it wasn't going to be a weird enough night.