Chapter 2
Alexis' POV
I give him a huge smile as he walks up on stage, that boy... I snap out of my thoughts immediately as he begins to speak.
"Hello, I'm Travis and my poetry piece tonight is titled Falling Love. I'd like to dedicate this to a close friend out in the audience tonight, I'm so thankful you've been here with me through everything." He pauses for a moment to take a breath, and I hear myself 'awww' because I realize he has written me a poem. "I love you." He says a moment later and I see his cheeks blush slightly. My heart immediately begins to race, and a huge smile crosses my face. He loves... Me? Me... Alexis? His best friend? I almost faint as he begins to speak his poem... It's a love poem. My brow furrows as he looks to the other side of the room, no where near me. Why isn't he looking at me?
I follow his line of vision until I see a girl from our school in the direct path of it. I think her name is... Penelope? She's a popular that I don't care too much for, so when Trev keeps his eyes on her throughout the entire poem, I realize he doesn't love me... He loves her. I guess that shouldn't surprise me... I mean, who could love this? I feel tears begin to form in my eyes as my heart practically falls out of my chest. I glance down at the black dress I had put on earlier tonight. It went down to my mid-thigh, and I had actually felt beautiful leaving my house, but now, it's tainted with the bitter memory of when I realized my best friend and I could never be together. I bite my lip as I realize I can't be just his friend. I need it to be all or nothing. I grab a pen from my bag and begin to scribble on a napkin, and within thirty seconds, I have the first stanza written. Fourty five seconds later, I have the second, and by the time they call me forward onto the stage, I've written the entire poem that I'll perform tonight.
"Hello, I'm Alexis Sumers, and my piece, I suppose, could also be dedicated to a friend in this room. It's title is Tough Love." Ironic enough? I think bitterly to myself as I begin to recite my poem. As the last few words fall bitterly from my lips, I pull them together with a grim smile. I had let my eyes pierce his the entire time, and I could see his brows furrowed in confusion from across the shop. Did he honestly not know what he had done? No, he must know. I bet he's just playing innocent. I walk numbly down the steps, walking right past our table and outside to wait by Trevor's car grudgingly. I would have prefered to call someone to pick me up, but of course I left my phone at home.
"You did great tonight, Alex." I hear Trevor say from behind me happily, obviously trying to see if anything was wrong.
"Thanks," I say quietly in a bored tone. I climb in his car the instant he unlocks it, and he begins to drive us home in silence.
"Okay, what did I do?" He finally asks, his voice filling the tense silence of the car.
"Nothing, Trevor." I say tiredly, flicking my eyes to look out the dark window at the barely visible trees. "I just... don't feel well." I finished lamely, my excuse could be seen through easily.
"I thought you felt the same way." I heard him mutter quietly as he stared intently at the dark road. I felt my eyebrows crease together. The same? How does he feel? He obviously doesn't feel anything for me, he likes Penelope.
The ironic thing? I was just waiting for this day to come. I mean, Trev isn't just absolutely gorgeous, but he's a great guy. I find him incredibly cute too...
Oh my God. I cradle my face in my hands. I just called my best friend... Cute?!
"Alexis?" I hear Trevor's anxious voice ask from across the car.
"Yeah?" I ask, patting my cheeks feverishly.
"I didn't mean to embarass you, I'm sorry." I looked over at him to see him nibbling on his bottom lip.
"How could you expect me to not be... disappointed? I mean, you didn't even tell me you felt that way," I calculate my words slowly, trying to make the jealousy I feel towards Penelope unapparent.
"I'm sorry, I guess I should've done that differently. I thought this way would be more romantic... So, what do you think of my... Confession?" I see him look over at me curiously.
"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled about your infatuation with Penelope, but I guess if you like her, I like her." I lied through me teeth. I don't think, 'Trevor, I want to tear her apart limb from limb,' would be a good response.
"Penelope?" His eye brows shot up, "What does she have to do with anything about us?"
"The fact that you like her... She was the person you dedicated the poem to, right?" I asked, totally confused now. 'Us?' The way he worded that sentence... I enjoyed way too much. Okay, now I'm just imagining things, there's no way he loves me.
"No, Alexis, she wasn't the person I wrote that poem to." He seemed to be close to bursting into laughter.
"Well who was it then?" I ask, my heart feeling lighter. Maybe... I have a chance?
"If you don't already know, then you aren't ready to know yet." He said cryptically as he parked the car in front of his house. "See you tomorrow Alex?"
"Yeah... Later Trav." I reply and grab my bag from the back seat of the car before promptly walking to my house.
I lay on my bed and stare at my glow-in-the-dark star embellished ceiling. The stars Tav and I had pain stakingly glued up there years ago... See?! I sigh at myself in frustration, I can't even go five minutes without thinking of him.
I bite my lip as the though forms in my head... I'm in love with my best friend. My stomach does a flip, and there's a chance, albeit small, that he loves me back. I shake my head and think to myself unceremoniously Alexis Sumers, shut the heck up and go to sleep.
{Author's Note} Hey guys, I'd really appreciate it if you could find the time to leave me feedback and tell me what you think. <3 Nik
