Invisible String

it all started with an innocent crush

"Shannon?" I was getting ready to go home after my fourth practice when I heard Cari calling me from the inside of the locker room.

"Yes?"

"Can I walk home with you today? Tyler has this thing and he won't be able to take me home so I thought we could walk together since we live so close." That was a surprise. I always walked home after practice. It wasn't that far and I liked to walk that time of the day, it always brought me peace and comfort and made me feel good and relaxed. But Cari always had her boyfriend waiting for her the minute she walked out of the gym on his black Ford Raptor truck with the most stupid smirk on his face, with the arrogance of someone who would think they were the most amazing creature that ever walked on earth. Watch her running to his arms every time used to make me feel nauseous. And I really tried to make me believe that my nausea was because the dude was an idiot and thought too much of himself, not because of the fact that deep down I wanted to be the one wrapping my arms around Cari's waist every time.

"So can I ask you why your boyfriend is not taking you home anymore after practice?" I asked when we left the gym and started walking home together for the third week in a row.

"He started working with his dad and only leaves after 6PM so our schedules didn't match."

"Oh, right." I said just to say something, but in my mind all I could think was the classic scenario of the rich dad trying to fix their children and make them follow their steps but not really succeeding at it and only making them hate him even more.

"Speaking about boyfriends, are you interested in anyone from school yet?" I almost gasped when she asked me that. I remember feeling my heart beating so fast that I thought I was about to fall dead in the middle of the street in that exact moment. I wasn't expecting that at all. "I can give you a hand if you want."

"I'm good, thanks." I said as I tried to control my emotions.

"Really? I've heard Spencer is single now, he's kinda cute, I can give him some hints if you want."

"I'm not really interested to be honest. Not right now."

"Why? Something happened?"

"No, nothing. I'm just trying to focus on other stuff right now." Yeah, I was trying to focus on not having dirty thoughts about my childhood best friend, who was right there by my side making me the most uncomfortable questions about boys who I couldn't care less about, no big deal.

"Ok miss 'too busy to date', let me know when you change your mind."

"Sure." I said faking a smile.

"Are you coming to Hayley's party tomorrow?"

"Uhmm, I wasn't really invited to it so..."

"What do you mean? Everyone from the team is invited."

"Oh, really? I didn't know that."

"We've been talking about it for the last two weeks, were you even there?"

"I didn't know it worked that way, I thought I needed to be personally invited or something like that."

"No Shan." Her laugh and the way my nickname sounded in her raspy voice hypnotized me for a second. "Of course not. If you are on the team you're automatically invited."

"Oh shit, I'm too slow for those things, I don't really know how it works to be honest, sorry."

"You're gonna get used to it soon. Someone is always throwing a party in that school, it's almost ridiculous."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"So? You're coming?

"I don't think so, I've been a little behind on some classes, there are some subjects that were not discussed in my old school that I now kind of need to learn on my own and let's say that I'm not very good at it, so I need to run against the clock before everything accumulates and the problem becomes even bigger. "

"I can help you with that. What classes are you behind?"

"History, geography, science, maths... fuck, pretty much all of them."

"Oh girl, you're screwed."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"Well, I happen to be very good at all of these so I think it's my duty to help my childhood best friend to win this battle, so I'm gonna help you out."

"You really don't need to bother Cari, I'm sure you have other stuff to worry about."

"Yeah, some nights I actually do, but not on wednesdays though. Meet me at my house at seven? Is that good for you?"

"I mean, yeah, but..."

"Okay then, that's settled."

"Are you sure? I can be really dumb sometimes."

"I like challenges."

And just like that I signed up for having one on one classes with my prohibited crush. I still don't know what I was thinking back then until this day. Who in their right state of mind agrees to be locked alone in a room with the girl you're starting to catch feelings for knowing they would never think of you that way? You would think only a masochist would accept to do something like that. And I'm not disagreeing with you. Because soon I would find out that masochist was a very good term to describe me back in the day. Ever heard the expression 'hurts so good'?

"I don't know how I can pay you back, I'm not very good at anything to be honest."

"Come to the party, have some fun, I promise everyone is a lot nicer than you probably are thinking, you're gonna like it."

"Okay then, you convinced me. Do you think it's okay if I invite Rachel and Jess?"

"Of course, take whoever you want."