Ineffable, ᴘᴇᴛᴇʀ ᴋᴀᴠɪɴsᴋʏ (editing)

AFTER PARTY

''What?''

''What, what?'' Lara Jean suddenly looked confused. 

''You said you knew-''

''I don't know anything.'' She tried to turn her back on Rita but she grabbed her wrist. ''OKAY.'' Lara Jean sighed.  ''Peter confided to me to have feelings for you long before you knew it. He was always looking out for you, defending you to Gen what earned him some pretty bad fights with her, let me tel you. And yes sometimes it got to him but it's normal.'' LJ said with widened eyes. ''He kept going on about how you just understood him and how Gen could never hope to but he was also scared, scared to leave something that was certain and adventure on a new thing and afford to lose you.You can't blame him for being scared, it's not really something voluntary.''

''W-'' Rita tried to speak but Lara Jean was enjoying her monologue.

''Rita I know you think he was inconsiderate of your feelings and that deliberately wanted to hurt you but he is a mess for that. He feels like he failed either way.'' Rita felt nauseated.

''When you ignored him he came to me desperate out his mind asking for help and he got into the club just to speak to you, he doesn't even like theatre an he was the most excited I've seen him just because you were too.. The kid talked about you like you put the stars in the sky every time you were gone, he has so much affection for you. He was happy for you and Alec when I told him and if that doesn't say a lot about him..'' Lj placed a strand of Rita's curly hair behind her ear. ''Don't push him away. Peter really is not the mean one here and neither are you. You two are amazing friends, fix it.''   Lara Jean had her way with words and they made Rita's brain  twirl in tumult.

''I feel such a bitch.'' She confessed covering her face. ''I not once stopped to think about his feelings, and-''

''Peter's coming over to help us clean- What's with those faces?'' Isaac asked raising an eyebrow. Lara Jean eyed Rita carefully.

''Nothing. Eight hands are better than six!'' She switched her from to a smile.

The half hour Peter took to knock on the door was excruciating. Rita knew she wanted to apologise but how, she didn't how.  She moved with delay from room to room, her body was mid-reset, and the aspirin she had taken wasn't working wonders on her pains.

She just wanted to lay down and sleep for a week straight, she couldn't handle the guilt boiling inside her chest, she hated to hurt people, more so when it was someone she was extremely found of.

''What a party eh?'' She heard behind her as she picked up red cups from the back garden's landscape. ''You look like you need help here.'' Peter said starting to mimic her actions.

His face was fresh and clean, there were no tears of despair rolling down his cheeks anymore and the tinted under eyes he held were numbed probably by the sleep he had sponsored by the intoxication. He smiled at her and it only made her feel worst. Of course the bright soul standing in front of her wanted nothing but her happiness, how could she have been so selfish? She stood frozen for too long, so long Peter had to awkwardly refresh his smile. She didn't know what to say and how to act.

''Yeah.'' She managed to weirdly put out, handing him a black trash bag for himself. ''I need some hands.''

''I don't even remember anything.'' He laughed.