The Societies Newest Member

Chapter 5

As the days continue to pass I notice that I have connected with each of my new friends on a different level. When I was with Emma we just sat around reading books and talking about them. I felt like a girl with her, like a normal teenage girl with her friend.

With Kara, I felt more like a mother, but that's exactly what she needed. Someone who wouldn't step down to her fear tactics and tell her the truth even if she didn't want to hear it. She was vicious sometimes, said things that actually hurt me, but when I stuck it out and crack her shell I found the real Kara actually endearing.

With Dash, I was a bro, a wing woman, a friend. He often got us into the most mischievous situations and I imagined him to trickster incarnate. He bet on things he probably shouldn't. Being friends with Dash was like being friends with a more female obsessed Weasley twin. It was fun, if a bit dangerous, but at the end of the day he only had the best intentions.

In Jordi I found a brother. I'd never had siblings, but a brother was what I would've wanted if I'd had the choice. Jordi was like that brother, I'd wished for. He was sweet, if a bit immature at times. He could have a bit of a temper and hold a bit of a grudge, but he would listen to reason if you just gave him time to cool off. It was also really nice to be able to speak Spanish with someone other than my family. Most of my friends preferred to be Americanized, and while I didn't mind that I also loved my heritage and wanted to celebrate it as well. With Jordi I got that chance.

Then there was Leo, who I somehow began to spend most of my time with. I'd often find myself wandering to his room when I had nothing else to do. We would just talk, sometimes for hours before either of us realized how long we'd been together.

I found that my feelings for Leo were unclear. With everyone else I found where I belonged, but with Leo everything was a bit confusing. I wanted his friendship, but every now and then he'd look at me and that feeling would come back to my heart and mess everything up.

I wanted life to be as simple as it could be in the hospital. I was trying hard to avoid anything more complicated than it needed to be. My feelings for Leo were challenging that. They were much more complicated than I wanted them to be. Unfortunately I was about to find the situation could only get more complicated from here.

I was wandering in the directions of Leo and Jordi's room as usual a week after the piano incident when I overheard Leo and Emma talking. I thought I ought to turn and walk away, or at least make myself known, but like any nosy person I didn't.

"I just think you and I were always too different to work." I heard Emma saying.

"We were, but I want you as my friend." Leo responds.

"I want you as my friend too." Emma says and I think she may be smiling. "Besides, I think we both found people we can move on with."

"What do you mean?" Leo's voice is thick with confusion.

"Well, I really like Jordi and I think I'm going to give it a chance."

"Okay, but you said 'we both'. I don't have anybody." Ouch, that hurt in a way it shouldn't have.

"Are you being serious, Leo?" I guess he nodded. "You clearly have feelings for Piper." I freeze, barely breathing.

"No I don't, we're just friends. We even talked about it."

"You surprised her with her piano. You've never done anything that sweet for anyone, not even me when we were dating." Emma says, with a tone that said she couldn't believe how thick he was being.

"Yeah, but I just wanted her to be happy."

"Exactly."

"I don't have feelings for Piper. She definitely doesn't have feelings for me; she has a guy back home that things are confusing with. She just wants a friend." Leo defends.