Too Keen For Me

Chapter 8: All This Growth

Song is for the start of the chapter!

Enjoy!

Darla H

A laugh bubbled up from Zoe's throat as I tripped over my feet a few weeks later. Thankfully, I caught myself before I fell to the ground. "Goodness, you're the klutziest person I've ever met," Zoe said as she wiped a tear from her dark green eyes, finding humor in this.

Brushing myself off, I threw her a look. "Hey, watch it."

Slowly the middle school came into view as we set off to find Everly and give her a snack before her after school cheer practice.

"So how are you feeling?" I asked, referring to the breakup between Camden and Zoe that just happened earlier today. Even though I wasn't around to see, the entire school seemed to know about it.

She shrugged at me indifferently, hinting that she was handling it better than I thought she would. "You were right. Camden's a dick," she said simply. "I was done with his games."

For support, I wrapped my arm around her and smiled. Thank goodness he was out of the picture. Now I had my best friend back. "I'm proud of you."

She nodded with a smile. "Thanks. You know what I'm proud of?"

My eyebrows rose in confusion. "What?"

"You, I think you sat and listened to a full pop song without gagging during lunch today," she said with a chuckle.

That song that Zoe played wasn't that bad. I even found myself tapping to the beat. After all the songs I listened to on recommendations from Miles, I think his music taste was rubbing off on me. Turns out daily song exchanges were useful for something. "Looks like I'm growing too."

"I want to know your secret."

Miles was my secret; he was the main reason for this growth. Every day for the past two weeks, Miles and I had shared songs. The rule was that we had to listen to the song in its entirety then share our honest thoughts. It was forcing me to grow my music tastes. "Miles and I share music every day with each other."

Zoe laughed as if it was a joke. "You're serious? So you're in a music club with Kit Keen?"

When she put it that way, I guess I was. "You can call him Miles, you know that right?" I said to her as the middle school grew closer. Kit seemed like someone so unattainable, but Miles, he was someone real. I knew Miles, but Kit, I knew nothing about him. I had never seen that side of him and honestly, I didn't care to, since I liked Miles more.

Miles and I had been hanging out for almost three weeks now, and as the days passed, our friendship grew closer. Who knew one trip to the hospital could build something so unique and fantastic? We looked at the other as someone to confide in. He was my wingman, and I was his. Miles was just as much of a friend as Zoe was to me and I wouldn't change that for the world.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. I just can't get over that you two are friends."

We were an odd pair, but it worked for us. But honestly, I couldn't believe it either. I still didn't understand why he was interested in hanging out when my forms of entertainment were going to the mall, cinema, or park. I was boring; however, he hadn't gotten bored yet.

By now, the novelty of me hanging out with Kit Keen had died down at school. Some people didn't even believe that it was me in the photo, convinced I was making all of this up for attention. Isaac was the one spearheading this nugget of gossip. I would be lying if I said I wasn't hurt that Isaac would do this to me, but then again, I knew him and what he could do.