More Than Friendship

MTF(7): 13/14

0024•00•00•00
I couldn't imagine what my face must have looked like when I saw Ari walking beside Lucy. How did Lucy get to her, it's only been a week? Of course, she would take advantage of Ari's anger, but who told Lucy about our fight? The only ones that could know are the boys and the ones that lived with her. Did Ryan tell her?
"Ah,Cassandra, it's so nice to see you again."
"It is."
Lucy's smile widened,"We were just about to go to the beach, would you like to join us?"
"I'd like that.",I looked over at Annabelle who had her arm through mine,"Last time we went I didn't have enough time to get a tan."
"I can see that.", Lucy looked at my exposed skin in disgust.
Has we walked away from my best friend and Annabelle's ex-best friend I scrunched my face up at what had just happened. Lucy hated me for 'stealing' Annabelle from her and now she wanted to take Ari from me too. I'm not regretting being Annabelle's friend, but I am regretting fighting with Ari. But, I don't even know if I should be. It was hard having a fight with my best friend.
Normally, if this happened I would be on her side and yell at the boys too, but the boys were my friends too and they didn't do anything wrong. She was the one in the wrong in this situation. I shouldn't be feeling bad about this, it was her fault this was happening. I missed my best friend though and seeing her with Lucy let me know that I wouldn't be seeing my best friend for awhile. At least I have the boys and Annabelle to help me through it.
"Alex.", I grabbed his arm while we stepped into the sand," Thanks for the other day."
"It was nothing.",he pulled on my hair,"We told your uncle we'd take care of you."
I stopped walking with him and starred at his back. Is that what their friendship with me meant to them, a promise to my uncle? If it weren't for him, would they even want to be my friend? I thought that our friendship was real. I guess Ari wasn't that far off about them.
"It's not what you're thinking.", Brian swung his arm over mine," What he meant was that we take care of our own."
Richard walked up to us,"Plus, he was talking shit about you."
I smiled," Thanks, I was beginning to think this was all fake."
"We'd love you and protect you even if your uncle asked us to or not.",Brian smiled down at me.
"Cass,I ...",Ari was standing in front of us with an apologetic look on her face.
"This is her?", Brian asked," She's..."
"Not you too!", I wined has I watched Brian stare at Ari.
Ari looked back at me,"Can I talk to you?"
"Yeah.", I smiled.
Maybe, Lucy hasn't got to her yet.
"Ari! Come here, I need to talk to you real quick!", Lucy called.
"I-", Ari looked back at Brian," I have to go."
"So, what was that about?",Annabelle smirked when we sat down with the others.
"Brian has puppy dog eyes for Ari!"
The boys chuckled," Yeah, maybe it's puppy love!"
"Shut up!", Brian grumbled.
I laughed at how the boys and Annabelle teased Brian. It's cute how easily Brian blushed. Did he really like Ari that much? Shouldn't he at least have one conversation with her before deciding if he liked her or not? I guess it was another case of 'love at first sight'.
Annabelle stood up,"Let's go for a swim."
I stood up," That sounds good."
"No!", Annabelle shouted has we were both throne over one of the boys' shoulders.
It was fun to let go, but the presence of Lucy and my best friend lingered in the back of my mind. I caught myself looking back at them multiple times. Lee kept his eyes on Christy the whole time, while she watched us. Why didn't they join us? It's not like Ari and my fight effected them.
"Cass.", Ryan spoke from behind me.
"Great.", I sighed.
"I wanted to apologize for how I acted the other day."
See Ari it's not that hard.
I turned to face him,"You should be you were very rude to them- wow."
"I know.", he shook his head.
"Alex and Peter did a good job.", I was kind of proud of them.
"You don't have to rub it in."
"Well, did insult them and me."
"I know, I'm sorry."
I was impressed that Ryan had the guts to apologize for what he said about them. I couldn't tell if he really meant it, but the fact that he was apologizing at all was good enough for me. Now only if Ari had the guts to do it too. Was I being too hard on her, she is my best friend? Maybe, I should approach her first.
"So, what are you guys talking about?", Dylan and Peter stood at my sides.
"Nothing that concerns you two."
"Really?", Peter tauntingly placed his arm around me.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to keep this conversation between Cass and I."
"We do mind.", Dylan glared.
"I guess we'll talk later."
"You won't be."
"Thanks for apologizing, Ryan."
Ryan smiled at me,"You're welcome."
"Why were you talking to him?"
"He apologized to me.", I shrugged.
If I thought I was going to get away without any added drama Lucy proved me wrong. Right when we had begun packing the 'SUV' up she came to me when I was alone and said," Now we're even." I tried to ignore her, but it was hard when she was flaunting Ari in front of me. Could she really take Ari away from me? Surely, she wouldn't become Lucy's best friend, right?
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
0030•00•00•00
"Luke's one of Blake's, right?", Brian whispered.
One of Blake's?
"Yeah, I've thought of that too. When I found her I didn't think about it, but it just doesn't make sense."
"Well, she is Lenny's niece.", Richard answered.
"She doesn't show any signs though."
Signs?
"Luke's drugs is definitely a sign. She would be dead otherwise."
Drugs can kill anyone you idiot.
"Kolby's still reluctant. He's too strung up on the idea of soulmates.",Peter scoffed.
Kolby believes in soulmates? What a loser.
I walked into their den, a.k.a 'man cave', to see them all spread out playing on their electronics," Having a wifi party, huh?"
I decided I wouldn't let them know I heard their conversation. If they didn't want me knowing than it was obviously important. Which means I have to know everything of course. They shouldn't be keeping secrets from me. Again, what was the big deal about Lenny being my uncle?
"How'd you sneak up on us?"
"I've been sneaking up on my brother for years.", I smirked proud of myself.
Shane scrunched his brows,"You have a brother?"
"I thought you said you were an only child.", Alex accused.
"I said I wanted the relationship you and Shane have not that I didn't have a sibling myself."
"What's wrong with your relationship with your brother?", Brian asked worried.
"Does he pick on you?", Peter glared.
"Is he hot?", Annabelle questioned eagerly.
I laughed,"He was sent to my grandfather's for a couple years now."
The boys' faces glazed over.
"Why was he sent?"
I shrugged," My dad said that he could teach him things that he didn't have time to teach him about."
The boys' faces glazed over again.
"That's strange."
"Is he hot?"
"He's my brother.", I shrugged," Of course he's hot, I can't hog all the good genes now can I?"
I missed my brother for the longest time. Eventually, some how I had made him the enemy has time passed. Has kids we were close, but has soon as he was sent to my grandfather's five years ago he stopped calling. It felt like he had cut me off from his life. In return I mentally cut him off has my brother.
Did he even miss me? My father said that the only reason he never called was because he was too busy with our grandfather. I didn't care though in my eyes he didn't attempt to contact me at all. I was his little sister damn it the least he could do was pick up the phone and call me. I'd be just has happy if he chose to write me letters instead, but he didn't. So, the spoiled brat in me refused to acknowledge that he was my brother.
I was jealous whenever I saw Shane and Alex bonding. Why couldn't I have that? Before my brother left we had that too, but he never even looked over his shoulder. But, now I had more than one brother and I was thankful. If my brother hadn't left this is how I would imagine we would be. He would defend me like they did, he would comfort me when I had boy troubles like they did, and he would jokingly pick on me like they did. I might not have a biological brother, but now I had brothers and two sisters.
"Are you going to finish that cone?"
Dylan sighed," I swear if I didn't love you, I'd hate you. Who takes a man's food from him?"
I bit into the cone," Me, duh."
"Obviously, but why can't you take Alex's or even Brian's!?", he wined.
"It's not the same.", I smiled up at him.
"Whatever.", he put his arm around me and directed me farther down the board walk.
I looked over at the peer we had passed,"We should jump off of that."
He looked at the peer and then back at me,"Yeah, sure."
"Let's do it now! There's hardly anyone around!"
He sighed," But, it's only you and me, what if you get hurt?"
"I won't get hurt!", I put my hand on his chest," Please!"
"Cassy."
"I'll buy you a sundae after!"
"Just once-"
"Yes!"
I stood at the edge of the peer with my toes hanging off the side. Dylan was warning me of what I should and shouldn't do , but I wasn't paying attention to him. I was watching the waves beneath us. The air felt different here, calmer. It didn't fool me though, I know this is dangerous. My heart pounded in my chest with every breath I took. I could do this.
"Cassy!", Dylan yelled has I jumped off without him.
The water hit me like a slap in the face. I was surrounded by the cold waves moving around me. They were dragging me slightly further down, but I didn't panic. If I panicked I could get myself killed. Dylan would bring me back to life just to kill me himself if I got myself killed.
It was hard to take control of the direction my body moved. I warned myself not to panic, but the loud panic bells in my head were louder. I moved my arms out in front of me and propelled my body forward. My legs were kicking harder with every passing moment I had under the water. My lungs and a sharp pain in my leg begging me to stop, but I kept going.
"You're so stupid, Cassy!"
I laughed humorously,"It was fun though."
"Fun!?", Dylan screamed has he placed me in the passenger seat of Richard's car.
Dylan had a right to be angry. He didn't want me to do it for this exact reason, but how would I know there'd be fish hooks at the bottom. I was going to use that excuse for later when he yells at me for being 'stupid'. I admit it was stupid of me, but it was kind of fun. The horrible pain in my leg wasn't fun, but the experience was.
Now, I can say that I jumped off a peer. I just had to convince the boys to let me go cliff diving next. It'd be hard considering what just happened, but I'd warm them up to the idea. I've always wanted to do that ever since I saw a girl do it in a movie when I was younger. It was sort of like a bucket list.
"What happened!?", Richard yelled has I was carried into the house.
"We let you take her out for ice cream and you return with her having a gash in her leg!"
"Where's her clothes!?"
I laughed the my clenched teeth," I'm fine. It's just a cut."
Brian pulled on my leg,"Ahh!"
"What the hell man!?"
"It's not just a scratch."
"Why's it steaming?", Shane asked confused.
The boy's faces glazed over.
I tried to catch my breath,"It's nothing."
"No, it's not! I should have never let you convince me to let you do it!"
"You let her!"
"Calm down, the hook was probably silver. It's nothing I can't handle."
"Silver?"
"Yeah, I'm allergic. My dad says it's genetic."
Dylan picked me up off the couch,"We need to clean it and then you need to take a shower."
"You're not taking her! Last time we trusted you with her you brought her back like this.", Peter took me from Dylan.
I sighed has Peter turned the water on in his shower," Cleaning it won't do much."
"I have to.", He poured rubbing alcohol in it.
"Fuck!"
"See.", he smirked.
"It'll be gone by tomorrow."
"No, it won't. You don't have to act tough.", he mimicked me.
"Hey!", I punched him," I don't sound like that."
"Okay, if you say so."
"I do."
He stood me up," Now, let's get you into the shower."
"Peter, I can shower myself."
He looked at me with a smirk on his face," I know."
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
AN| Was the steaming too much? I mean skin can burn,but it can't steam. I thought that adding steam (or should I have said smoke?) made the moment more of a WTF moment.

•Would you forgive Ari?

•Does Ari have a right to be upset?

•Done anything reckless lately?

∞READ∞
★VOTE★
∞COMMENT∞