When One Player Meets Another...

When One Player Meets Another It Becomes One Hell of a Game (Chapter 5)

"Deanna..." I said, my eyes dragging over to the clock, "I have to go." I brought my eyes back for a longing stare at my bag, which Deanna still wouldn't give back to me. "You don't have to." She said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes," I tried to explain, as gently as I could, "I do. I don't have a choice, Max's parents are coming tonight."

"So if they weren't coming, you wouldn't go?" Deanna snapped, her eyes glittering with unmasked furry. I blinked. I had never seen Deanna so mad, and I decided to choose my words carefully.

"Well no..."

"Exactly!" Deanna cried, and I flinched. Obviously, I hadn't chosen my words carefully. "Deanna," I softly trying calm her, "it's OK."

"No it's not okay!" Deanna shrieked. "You know it yourself, you have a choice, and you're... you're..." she looked up at the ceiling as though the answers might be spelled out there for only her to see, and maybe it was, for when she lowered her head the fire was gone and in a whisper she said, "You're making the wrong one."

I let out a sigh. "Deanna," I said quietly, my eyes downcast. "I've made a lot of wrong choices... what's one more going to hurt?"

"It's already hurting you." Deanna said softly, and I looked up at her questioningly. She looked at me, and with a sigh of her own, said at regular volume, "Ten bucks says when you walk out of here, you're going to walk like a prisoner who's heading to their death."

I glowered at her, "Am not." Not now. I'd make sure to have an extra skip in my step, just for her to see. I didn't know she'd had noticed that kind of thing, I had to be more careful.

"Not now that I've told you." Deanna spat back, plopping the bag down on the bed, she crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not doing this to be mean," she said, gesturing at the bag with a quick head jerk, "I'm doing this because I'm worried about you."

Her voice grew soft as she said, "Summer, the only thing I can think of that's worse than losing you, is seeing you lose yourself."

"I am not losing myself!" I cried out, and Deanna yelled back, "Yes you are! When did ever fight over stupid things like this, before you started dating Max? WHEN?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. My mind was blank. When had we last fought like this? When had we started to fight like this? When I started dating Max and only then.

"Max," Deanna continued, "brings out the worst in you. He brings out the worst in me with a slight brush of the shoulders and you've had to breathe in that toxic air of his for YEARS! And look what it's done to you! You lost Molly as a friend, you have a short temper and... and... you're not happy anymore."

That last part made me look up at her. "I'm happy!" I tried to console her, but the words came out sounding fake and forced, which was exactly what they were.

Deanna shook her head with a faint smile. "Summer, I'm not your best friend for nothing. The smiles you give your family, the kids at school, even me... they're all fake. But..." Deanna trailed off softly, her head twisting around, as she looked out the window behind her, behind the headboard of her bed.

"But what?" I asked, and it seemed like forever before Deanna finally turned her head back around and looked at me with serious eyes. "You're not going to like this, because you were never one to take chances but... this is good for you, so I need you to at least consider it."

"OK." I would consider it; I owed Deanna that much with all I put her through. She swallowed nervously, before she parted her lips and said, "Summer, accept Will's offer, please."

"What?" I said, taken back for a moment about how she knew about starbucks. "Do what he said at lunch, break up with Max, and go out with him." I blinked. Oh, lunch.

"Please Summer, do it. I think the reason Max hates Will so much, is because he knows, like everyone, that... that smile you gave Will, it was real! He makes you happy for some unknown reason, when so little does. Go out with him. I miss my best friend." Deanna babbled on, and I could feel tears prick my eyes.

Is that what Max had driven me to? Deanna to? Asking me to go out with another player for the only chance of my happiness? I hated him, and one day Max would pay. He would.

But not today.

"I'll think about it... but seriously Deanna I have to go." I said pointing at the bag. Deanna uncrossed her arms, and gingerly passed it to me. As I stood up and walked towards the door, Deanna called out after me, "Summer?"

"Yeah?"

"Did anything I just said to you have any affect at all?" Her voice sounded so desperate, and it was then that I realized I was lucky to have a friend like her who cared so much.

I turned around, my hand resting on the cold metal doorknob as I turned to her, "Only time will tell..." I trailed off, twisting the doorknob, pulling the door open so I could step outside.

"Oh and Summer," Deanna called after me, and I turned around once more, "Yeah?"

She hesitated, and then her voice came strong and clear, "I didn't call him Mr. Right, to be funny or by coincidence. I didn't say that, to cheer you up. I meant it Summer. So don't be stupid and let him get away ok?"

I stood frozen for a moment, my head felt like it was pounding, I couldn't think straight, and maybe that was why I quietly whispered, "I won't."

It was quiet enough, that Deanna could only ask, "What?" But I didn't answer her; I just walked out the door, head held high, into the battlefield of relationships and high school, with a skip in my step just for her to see.

<End of Chapter 5>

No chapter 5.5 because nothing I have to say from either of their POVS is important to the plot, thus I would be babbling. Anyways, there's more coming hopefully soon, because this chapter was supposed to be longer, but then I thought I'd just cut it off here because that's a better ending.

So how was it? Feedback please?

Remember to vote (#2 on the Watty Awards Romance! AHHHH!!!), and thanks for everything guys!

Faerie_Writer