How to Trust Someone

Chapter 13 - Garrett

"...in that janitor's closet over there."

That's when I'm scared my hormones would start raging. But they don't. I thank the gods of teenage body functions, and remind myself to sacrifice something to them when I get home.

I open my mouth to deny her, this supermodel of a high schooler, but I'm interrupted.

"Actually," a very familiar voice chirps, "he's with me."

I know the voice, but I can't believe it. I look down at who's next to me, and sure enough, it's Liz.

Holy shit.

The bombshell looks shocked, her eyes darting between Liz and me. She even raises a finger at us. I feel Liz's scrawny arm wrap around mine confidently. My impulsive response is to pull her closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Liz give me a strange look, and my face heats up when I realize what I've just done. I scoot over, away from her.

She's faking it. Right. Why wouldn't she be?

"Sorry Lina," Liz says apologetically. "See you around?"

The girl - Lina, apparently - looks like she's still in a surprised daze. She looks over at Liz, forces a smile, and nods. Without another word, she turns away to go to lunch. For a while, Liz and I stand there, watching her walk away, still arm in arm. I'm the first to break the silence.

"What," I say, removing my arm from Liz's, "was that?"

I see that Liz's normally big hazel eyes are narrowed in the direction Lina walked off in. Her stare is hard and heavy and she looks like she's just about ready to burn something down. I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at her.

"That, Garrett, was the school skank," Liz tells me, matter-of-factly. I roll my eyes.

"Wow, really? I would've never guessed," I reply sarcastically. I shake my head at her.

"Then?" Liz says, raising an eyebrow at me. I smirk.

"I didn't mean that," I clarify, pointing in Lina's direction. "I meant this."

To show Liz what I mean, I wrap my arm around hers. Suddenly, Liz's eyes widen at me, and she blinks and turns away sheepishly. Right now, I just want to hug her and tell her she shouldn't be so shy. But obviously, I can't do that.

"I was saving your butt," she mumbles. I chuckle, surprising myself by pulling her the tiniest bit closer. With Liz, I feel like I can act without judgement.

"From what, exactly?" I ask. "If you ask me, I was far from needing to be saved."

At this, Liz's head whips around, her auburn hair flipping with it. She yanks her arm out of my grasp and scoffs.

"Well heck, then go get her back!" she says dramatically, throwing her hands into the air. I cover my mouth with my hand to hold in my laughter.

"No, no, I'm just wondering. What was there to be saved from?" I say, involuntarily grinning at Liz. I hope she realizes how amused I am.

"Chlamydia," she says bluntly, "and Mono. Lina has a history of both."

I can't hold in my laughter anymore. I start cracking up, completely thrown off by hearing Liz be so blunt. It's so out of character for her that I can't help it.

"Don't laugh! It's true!" she exclaims. "And believe me, she'll still be after you."

"That rhymed," I say when I sober up a bit. Liz shoots me a look.

"Really, Garrett? I'm being serious," she replies. I nod, setting my jaw, trying to keep from laughing again.

"Yeah, me too," I say. Liz rolls her eyes.

"Either you tell her you're not interested, or you get a girlfriend as or more intimidating than her," she tells me. "It's up to you."

"How about you?" I ask, trying to stay nonchalant. Liz chokes on air.

"What about me?" she squeaks. I feel disappointment in the pit of my stomach. I guess she can't even stand the thought of even being the least bit involved with me in that way. I purse my lips, feeling awkward now.

"I meant, you know, you could have, uh, pretended to be my girlfriend," I say, changing my story. "Like what you did just now, but uh, maybe, um, possibly long-term."

I look down at my shoes, shoving my hands into my pockets. I can't even stand to look at Liz right now. She must be laughing at me, or making some sort of disgusted face. Humiliation heats my face.

"Garrett?"

I clench my jaw and barely look up at Liz. She looks confused and a little of something else, but I can't really tell what it is. When I see her face, it hits me for the first time. Not only do I like her, but I freakin' trust her. And it's so ironic. So, so ironic.

"I'd love to help you out, but Brandon's already asked me out."

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Wow. Three months without uploading. New record for me.

I'M SORRY. I know I say it every time, and I'm wearing it out. It's like when you say a word over and over again, and it's stops sounding like a word. I guess the same idea could be applied here. Maybe. Possibly.

Anyway. I'm so thankful for the fans that gave me the little push I needed to get back to writing. You're all the best! :D

I think I'm going to make a schedule for myself to dictate when I should write. I should make it a goal for myself to upload at least once a week. Does that sound reasonable? Hmu and let me know ~ LOL

In other news, I've been to quite a few concerts these past few months. Tonight, I'm going to see Title Fight, and the guy I kind of sort of have a crush on is going to be there, and just aldskfjasldkfjalkj I hope I don't make a fool of myself x.x

Okay, enough rambling. Thanks for reading, beautiful people! <3