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Excuse the mistakes
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I felt like Elle Woods from that one scene in Legally Blonde.
You know, the one where she’s lying in bed, crying about Warner breaking up with her, and shoving chocolates down her throat? Well, save for not having a completely pink room and peroxide blonde hair, I was Elle Woods.
I had yet to change out of my slept-in pajamas, and instead of just getting myself a bowl of ice cream, I’d taken the whole entire carton. My oily hair had been thrown up into a bun that now was half falling out, and A Walk to Remember was playing on my TV.
Guys, I am pathetic.
I hadn’t seen Parker since I kissed him, since we’d skipped school and went to the beach on Friday. He’d texted me a couple of times, but I was too embarrassed. I’d made a dumb decision by kissing him like that, and I was scared to see what he’d have to say.
Suddenly, my door banged open, making me jump and scream. Instead of a demon or serial killer entering my room, it was Zephyr, and that was definitely worse. Zephyr was the kind of girl who would tell me to stop wallowing, and judging from the annoyed look on her face, that’s the speech I was about to get.
“What are you doing, Reed?” she asked, shutting the door behind her.
“Can’t you see?” I replied, pointing at my TV with my dirty, ice cream spoon, “I’m watching romantic movies and wondering why I can’t be like Mandy Moore?”
“You mean cancer-ridden and dying?” Zephyr shot back, and before I could stop her, Zephyr grabbed my remote and turned off the TV. I let out a whine of protest, and Zephyr put her hand up to silence me. “Save it, babe. You abandoned me at dance today, so I’m in charge.”
“Yes sir,” I replied sarcastically, and I shoved another heaping spoonful of ice cream in my mouth. Apparently, that was the last of the creamy goodness, because Zephyr grabbed the spoon and carton out of my hands, and placed them on my desk.
“This isn’t North Korea, damn it!” I cried, throwing my hands up in the air, “You can’t take me TV and my ice cream and leave me with nothing!”
“I’m saving your dignity, Reed,” Zephyr stated, and she ripped my covers off of my body, “Now get up and get dressed. You’re going drive me to get some lunch, and then you’re going to tell me why the hell you look like Lindsay Lohan on a bad day.”
I paused, thinking I didn’t look that bad, and then I asked, “Are you buying?” Zephyr rolled her eyes and nodded, and I sighed. “I guess I can spare some time out of my afternoon to go to a paid lunch.”
Zephyr applauded me sarcastically as I pushed myself out of my bed. I gave her a cheeky smile, and I then grabbed some clothes from my dresser. I walked into my bathroom and quickly changed into a pair of bright green shorts and a white t-shirt. I brushed my hair back into a tight ballerina bun, and I washed my face.
“Alright,” I said, walking back into the bedroom, “Let’s go.” I grabbed my phone and car keys from my bedside table, and I followed Zephyr out of my bedroom. As I walked downstairs, I spotted my mom in the living room. Quickly, I told her I was going out, and then Zephyr and I walked outside to where the Grouch was parked.
We climbed into the Grouch, and I turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of my driveway. “Where are we going?” I asked as I reached the end of my street.
“Barney’s,” Zephyr answered, giving me an incredulous look. I should’ve known better, since Barney’s was the diner that Zephyr and I always went to. They made the best burgers and milkshakes in the world, and I was willing to fight anyone on that fact.
Five minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of Barney’s. After parking, Zephyr and I walked into the diner, and we were seated immediately.
“So,” Zephyr drawled as she slid into the booth, “Tell me why you look like utter shit today.”
“Wow, thanks,” I said sarcastically, but Zephyr just gave me an annoyed look and gestured for me to continue.
The problem, though, was that I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell her. Not because I didn’t want Zephyr to know, but because I hadn’t actually said that I was falling hard for Parker out loud. However, it was a fact, and Zephyr was the person I wanted to tell first anyways.
Before I could say anything, though, the waitress came over to take our order. “What can I get you?” she asked in a bored voice.
“Can I get a cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake?” I asked, and the waitress wrote down my order without so much as a second glance at me. She took Zephyr’s order, which was identical to mine, save for her ordering a vanilla milkshake, and then we were left alone once more.
“Okay,” Zephyr said, refocusing on me, “Now spill everything.”
“I’m falling for Parker,” I blurted, and I was surprised at how good it felt.
“What?” Zephyr breathed, her eyes growing wide, “I thought your whole dating thing was fake.”
“It is,” I replied, placing my chin in my hands, “I didn’t have any feelings for him at first, which was why it was perfect for Parker to be my fake boyfriend, but he’s just… I don’t know, but there’s something different about him.”
“You know you sound like a twelve-year-old girl, right?” Zephyr replied, grinning in amusement.
“I don’t sound any different than you did when you met Vance, so just shut up,” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest defensively.
“Point taken, ,” Zephyr said, tipping her head to the side, “and for the record, I already knew that you liked Parker as more than a friend.”
“Really?” I asked, and Zephyr nodded. She started to say something, but our waitress interrupted and brought us our milkshakes. As I took a long sip of the chocolate heavenly-ness, I looked at Zephyr expectantly.
“I’ve known since I noticed the way you looked at him,” Zephyr stated with a shrug.
It was funny, but Zephyr wasn’t the first person to tell me that. Hannah and Taryn had as well, but that was before I had started to officially think that I liked Parker. Other people might have seen it as well, which just made me think that I’d liked Parker even before I knew it.
I really hoped that he liked me back.
*
Being parked outside of Maya’s house was the last thing I’d thought I’d be doing.
I’d dropped Zephyr back off at her house about ten minutes ago, but instead of driving back home, I found myself pulling onto Maya’s street. I knew she was home because her bedroom light was on, and Maya was a freak about turning off lights in vacant rooms. She’d flipped out on me on more than one occasion because I hadn’t turned off my bedroom light on the way out.
If I told you I didn’t know why I was at Maya’s house, I’d be lying. I knew exactly why I was here, and I knew exactly what I wanted to say to her. I wanted to clear the air between Maya and me, and I wanted to tell her the truth. That didn’t mean I was going to be nearly as close a friend to her as I had been before, since, you know, the girl had stabbed me in the back as soon as she had the chance.
I let out a deep breath and climbed out of my car. I stepped up onto the curb and walked across her front lawn to the front door. With only a small hesitation, I knocked on the front door, since I knew the doorbell was broken and yet to be fixed, and waited nervously.
A few minutes later, I heard the sound of footsteps, and then the door was unlocked and opened to reveal Maya’s mom. “Hey Reed!” she said, grinning, “I haven’t seen you over here in a while.”
“Yeah,” I replied, smiling, “I’ve been pretty busy.” Obviously, Maya hadn’t told her mom that we were pretty much not talking, save for the occasional snide comment, and I wasn’t going to tell the woman either. “Is Maya in?” I asked, balling up my hand into a fist behind my back.
“Yes,” Maya’s mom said, talking a step back and gesturing for me to come in, “She’s in her room, so you can just go right up.”
“Thanks,” I said, nodding at Maya’s mom, and then I stepped inside and hurried up the stairs. I walked down the hallway to Maya’s bedroom door, which was closed. I knocked on it twice and waited for her reply.
“Come in,” Maya called, sounding distracted.
Without identifying myself, I pushed open her door and stepped inside Maya’s bedroom. She was sitting at her desk, typing something on her computer, and her back was to me. “What’s up, Mom?” Maya called over her shoulder, and she didn’t turn around.
“Not much,” I replied, with a shrug, and that’s when Maya froze and stopped typing. Slowly, she swiveled around in her office chair.
“What the hell are you doing here, Reed?” she demanded, but her voice was more surprised than nasty.
“Look,” I said, folding my arms over my chest lazily, “We need to talk.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Maya scoffed, turning her nose up in the air.
“Great,” I said, plopping down on her bed without an invitation, “That means you can just listen without interrupting.” Maya started to protest, but then she stopped herself. Instead, she painted a tense frown on her face and crossed her arms over her chest tightly. I took that as an okay to continue.
“Look, I’m not apologizing,” I stated, making that point clear. “However, I am making the effort to clear the air between us. Parker and I aren’t actually dating.” Maya’s angry, hostile expression changed to one of complete confusion, and I sighed.
“Parker and I were fake dating so that my mom would get off of my back about boyfriends,” I explained. “We weren’t supposed to be fake dating at school, but Parker changed the terms of our agreement so that Triss would stop asking to get back together.”
“Oh,” Maya whispered, realization hitting her. She slapped her hand over her mouth and uttered a muffled, “Oh my God!”
“Yeah,” I said, seeing that she finally saw how quick to get angry she’d been, “I was going to tell you, but you told me I was an inconsiderate bitch. Then, just to make things worse, you allied yourself with one of the nastiest people I know. You did it to hurt me.”
“Reed,” Maya whispered, “Oh my God, Reed, I’m so sorry!”
“Next time, don’t be so quick to stab your so-called best friend in the back,” I replied. I’d meant to sound hardened and tough when I said that, but Maya had really hurt me, and the words came out slightly choked up and emotional.
“I can’t believe I put condoms in your locker,” Maya said, shaking her head to try and get rid of the memory.
“Maybe I deserve for you to call me an inconsiderate bitch,” I thought out loud, throwing my hands up in the air, “Because I’ve fallen for Parker, and you like him.”
“My crush was never, ever serious enough to excuse what I did to you, and you shouldn’t apologize for liking Parker,” Maya said, standing up, “I’m really sorry, and I hope you’re willing to forgive me and be my friend again.”
“I do forgive you,” I replied, nodding once, “I know you were just hurt and lashing out, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. I hope we’ll stay friends in the future, but we won’t be nearly as close as we were, seeing as you were pretty quick to stab me in the back.”
Maya looked pained, but what I’d said was the truth. “I understand,” she said quietly, nodding once and swallowing audibly.
I stood up from Maya’s bed, and crossed over to her bedroom door. I’d said what I’d come here to say, and I was ready to go back home and throw myself into my warm cocoon of teenage angst.
“I’ll see you at school,” I said, stepping into the hallway, “Hopefully, you’ll go back to dressing like yourself instead of like Triss.” I heard Maya laugh nervously as I hopped down the stairs, and I waved goodbye to Maya’s mom as I walked out the front door.
I climbed into the Grouch and peeled away from the curb, and five minutes later, I was back at my home. I parked and hurried up the front walk, and I let myself in the front door. However, just as I put my foot on the stairs, my mom called out to me.
“Reed!”
“Yes?” I replied, turning around reluctantly.
“I just wanted to let you know that Lorraine’s nephew, Jace, is going to be arriving in a few days,” my mom said. “I’ve already volunteered for you to show him around school.”
“Mom, I—”
“You’re not getting out of it, Reed,” my mom said harshly, “no matter how much you protest. Jace is coming over to meet you next Tuesday evening, and I expect you to be really friendly.”
Oh, how fantastic. Parker was coming over after school on Tuesday to finish up the baby egg project, since our final presentation was the next Monday. That meant that Tuesday was just going to be jam-packed with awkward situations and conversations.
“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” I asked, taking in my mom’s hard-lined expression.
“Nope,” she replied, and then she turned and walked into the living room.
I couldn’t even muster up the energy to groan or roll my eyes, or anything along those lines. So, I just turned and walked back up the stairs. I pushed into my room, and without even attempting to take off my shoes, I collapsed face-first onto my bed.
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So?!? I finally updated!!!
What do you guys think about the way Reed handled things with Maya? I was writing the situation as I would've handled it, and I personally don't think I could be as close with someone before as I had been after if they'd done something like Maya had with Triss.
The song on the side is Not Your Fault by AWOLNATION. It's so amazingly good!
I don't know when the next update is going to be, but I hope it's soon. Also, in case you didn't see my message, my story "Coming Home" is going to be PUBLISHED in a literary magazine!!! I'm so excited!
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