Take Over

Chapter Nine

            Winter break went by too fast. I had wanted it to last or have something happen at the school so that we couldn't go back for a while, but I still had to go back after the short week. The holidays and my family kept me busy enough. I only talked to Bella a handful of times – surprisingly enough, she reached out to me a couple of those times. We didn't talk about the Take Over. We just gossiped as though there was no rift between us. We didn't hang out in person though.

Brad and I only saw each other once. He came over the day after Christmas to exchange gifts. He didn't stay long because he apparently had something to do with Darren and Jay. I didn't hear from him much after that.

I didn't talk to Simon at all. I had wondered if I should have reached out to him, especially since he was the only one on my side now, but I never did. He didn't bother to reach out to me either, so I just assumed the holidays kept him pretty busy and that was that. I didn't want to be reminded of the Take Over or school anyway.

The first day back to school was awkward. I thought I was numb from the rumors, but everyone watched me as I walked by. I didn't hear any whispers which made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. I wondered if there was a new rumor going around about me. If there was, I didn't want to know about it.

Lunch was the worst. I ended up eating by myself at our usual table. For some reason, no one showed up, not even Simon. I didn't know where anyone was and I hadn't heard from anyone. It was hard to focus on my lunch as embarrassment set in. People kept pointing to me. It wasn't hard to miss that the girlfriend of the most popular boy in school was all alone.

The rest of the day was hard too. My group members for a project in my English class were ignoring me. Apparently, they had tried to kick me out of the group. Since they couldn't give our teacher a good reason why she declined their request.

When I got home from school, I dragged my body all the way up the stairs and I threw myself onto my bed. It had been a long and tiring day. My classes were going well and my grades were fine, it was just the people making me drain.

I laid down in bed, belly-flopping onto my blankets. I pressed my face into my pillow. I had to lift my head a little in order to breath, but I kept face-planting anyway for the dramatic effect of it all.

When my computer beeped, I lifted my head. Was that Simon? I leaped out of bed and over to my desk. I accepted the video chat invite without reading it.

"You're alive!" Brad grinned through the computer screen throwing his arms into the air.

Well, this was a new low.

"We haven't talked in a while, how have you been?" he asked still grinning.

I glared at him.

"What?" he frowned.

"Don't you think you should know the answer to that?" I grumbled. "You've been ignoring me all school year and now you want to know how I am?"

"I've been busy, what can I say? I told you at Christmas I couldn't wait until May so we could hang out again." Brad shrugged. How could he not see anything wrong with that?

"I'm hanging up," I rolled my eyes reaching for the X.

"Do you know where Simon is?" Brad asked heaving a sigh.

"No," I said suddenly intrigued. "I haven't seen any of you. Where were you at lunch?"

"We were making Take Over plans away from prying eyes." Brad replied simply. "Simon wasn't at school, I wasn't sure if you had talked to him."

"Why would I have talked to him?" I asked, my face growing warm. I barely talked to any of them now and, as far as Brad knew, Simon was still on his side. So I shouldn't have been talking to him anyway.

Brad opened his mouth to retaliate but shook his head. "Okay, fair enough. That's all I wanted to know."

I saw him reach for his computer mouse assuming he would log off the chat. "Wait," I blurted.

He paused and stared at me.

What did I want to say to him? Did I have anything to say at all?

"I miss you," I stated. I was angry at him, but he was my best friend. I did miss him.

Brad frowned. He looked off camera and sighed. I didn't know why he wasn't responding or at least saying he missed me too. Well, I guess I knew that answer.

"I mean," I cleared my throat, "We used to hang out every day or at least text each other every day. Now you've been so busy with the Take Over we've barely looked at each other. It's crazy."

He still wouldn't look at me. I wished this conversation was done in person, but this was the best I could do for now. However, I knew Brad hated these kinds of conversations. Still, I needed to tell him how I felt.

"Are we going to break up?" I finally asked.

Part of me didn't want to break up with him. We had been together for four years. He was my best friend and we had a lot of fun and laughs together.

The other part of me did want to break up. I didn't understand how he could throw away four years together like he was now. How could he ignore me so much and not want to be with me? He simply didn't take the relationship seriously anymore.

Brad looked at me with wide eyes. "No, I don't think so. Do you think we are...?" he said his voice shaking.

I shook my head. "I think we will if you don't start pulling your weight in this relationship."

I knew it was a two-way street. I very well could have been reaching out to him these few months and I haven't. In the beginning, I did, but I can take a hint when I'm not wanted.

"I do--" Brad stopped himself and looked away again. He let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. But everyone is counting on me. The entire school is counting on me. You have no idea how hard that is to handle."

"I don't, but you got yourself into this mess. You can still do the right thing and--"

"I have to go through with this now. Do you really think I can back out of the whole thing with the entire school riding on my back?" Brad looked at me again, glaring at me now.

"Well--"

"They'd do the Take Over without me. I'd be the laughing stalk who didn't have the guts to go through with the plan. They'd get all the credit for it! The Take Over is going to make history and I'm its leader!" Brad raised his voice.

I frowned. "You'd rather that than be with your girlfriend?"

"No," Brad sighed. "This is just something I need to do. I got myself into this and I have to follow through with it. I understand your decision to not be a part of it, but we can't be together until it's over. I'm sorry."

I opened my mouth to respond, but he logged off.