HEY EVERYONE! I MADE IT ONTO WATTY AWARDS UNDER ROMANCE :) PLEASE VOTE IF YOU THINK I SHOULD WIN OR JUST TO MAKE ME ECSTATIC - THAT'S GOOD TOO! <3
Hello to everyone out there
How are your summers going? I hope good because you only have two weeks more before school (well, most likely anyways). I know, I'm not excited either. School is boring and we hardly ever learn anything. Tedious, really. But at least you'll get to see all of your friends again, right? There is an up-side.
Anyways, here's a new chapter. Please don't hate me but it's more of a filler. Next chapter is the last chapter and it shall be uploaded on the 31st if not earlier. But most likely the 31st (just to not get your hopes up).
I hope you enjoy. You know what to do if you do... VOTE & COMMENT & FAN! :D
Yours truly,
Hannah-vo
P.S. What happens when you change your email on wattpad?
~*~
Chapter 30 – A Side Order of Explanation
The week passed in a blur. Between studying for exams, avoiding Chris, work, avoiding Chris, moving from one friend’s couch to another and avoiding Chris, Amy had almost no time left for anything else. You would think that trying to cut someone out from your life would make it slightly easier. Little did she know that running from someone only took up more effort than before.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be friends. More than anything, Amy wished she could go back to the ten seconds before her little realization and forget everything – pretend like nothing had happened, so to speak. Then they could continue to be friends without consequences. She would’ve won the bet and Chris would have to leave her alone. Of course Amy would have refused and they would have stayed best friends forever like she’d promised him. But no. She’d ruined that.
Amy couldn’t just be friends with Chris anymore. She didn’t want to watch as he moved on with his life, dated other girls or flirted with other girls or slept with other girls... she couldn’t pretend like she was happy for him when really, on the inside, she would be heartbroken.
She patted down her black blouse and bit her lip, studying everyone around her in the restaurant. There were only two families, one of a sister and her two younger sisters and one with a mother, father and their son. Amy rocked on her heels queasily, watching them for some sort of distraction.
It would be easier this way though; avoiding him. Amy wouldn’t have to explain to him what had happened between them. She wouldn’t have to confess her attraction to his strength or his sweetness, or how she loved being in his arms or kissing him even though they’d only done it once. And Amy most certainly didn’t want to watch him laugh in her face at how stupid she’d been for thinking that he’d ever liked her.
There was no way she could handle that.
“S’cuse me?” demanded a young lady with messy brown hair and light brown eyes.
They were Chris’s eye colour and Amy felt herself choke on her words with just the thought of him.
“Um, yes,” she started uneasily as she grabbed the cash register for support, “What can I get for you today?”
The girl looked up at the screen above them both and then at Amy with a stubborn scowl, “The chicken burger and a diet coke.”
Amy nodded and after telling the girl how much she owed her, she rushed off to prepare the food.
Even though this woman was quite rude, Amy didn’t mind. She was providing the exact distraction she needed from Chris. She wasn’t thinking about him. Now she was thinking about what went on a chicken burger and for how long she had to press the soda button for a cup to be filled. They might have been mundane tasks but they were a good source of temporary help nonetheless.
Amy returned to the girl, food in hand. She gave her twelve dollars and then walked off to a table, already pulling out her cell phone.
Amy sighed. Well, that was a pleasant distraction for two minutes, she thought sarcastically and yet she was very grateful.
“Amy!” someone screamed, as they entered the cafe. Amy smiled when she saw Julie.
She hadn’t hung out with Julie all week. She couldn’t. The only class they had together was math and Amy needed to study during class with exams so soon. And at lunch, Amy hid in the library. She couldn’t sit with her friend when Chris was so close, able to ask her all about what had happened between them.
Of course they’d still texted. But it just wasn’t the same.
“Jules,” she greeted, before wiping the goofy smile off her face. She wasn’t supposed to socialize on the job.
“Um, I mean,” she restarted quickly, “What can I get for you today?”
Julie crossed her arms although her foot was still tapping on the ground, shaking her a little. Her wisps of brown hair bounced up and down on her head but she didn’t look happy. She was glaring at Amy, disappointed plain across her face, “Why don’t you get me a big order of “explanation”. Or maybe a side order of “what the hell?”!”
Amy’s face scrunched up before she could stop it, “What do you mean?”
Julie reached across the bar and shook her friend with all the force she could muster, which was surprising a lot for such a little girl, “Why haven’t I seen you all week? And don’t give me the ‘I need to study’ excuse because you need to study the least out of everyone,” she stated, “And why is Chris so depressed all the time? It’s like his grandmother died or something, which I know isn’t true!” Julie continued.
Amy sighed. She did owe Julie an explanation. It wasn’t fair to keep lying to her.
“Chris is depressed?”
“Yep. Now get to explaining,” Julie commanded.
“I can’t-” Amy started just as Julie cut her off.
“What do you mean you can’t?” she yelled, “You have to! I hate seeing my best friends so sad! You can’t just keep secrets from me!” she pouted and Amy smiled slightly, unable to help herself.
“I meant I can’t tell you right now. Can we meet after my shift is done?” she asked with a little playful eye roll aimed at Julie. She probably could have just told her right there, but Amy thought that maybe she might be able to keep her stupidity a secret for a little bit longer, at least while she had the opportunity to think of a reason for why she couldn’t have lunch with them.
Maybe when they actually did meet up, Amy might have a better excuse. But it was unlikely. She was just going to have to tell Julie all about the way she was humiliated by the guy she loved and how she couldn’t hang out with them anymore because she didn’t want to be around him. Yeah, that was it. Sounded totally logical, right?
***
It was now after work and Amy still hadn’t come up with an excuse believable enough to explain why she and Chris were being awkward and distant.
Swallowing her humiliation, Amy walked towards where Julie was sitting, nursing a latte. They’d chosen to meet at Starbucks right after her shift ended and so here they were.
Amy plopped down into the chair and bit her lip, looking directly at Julie as if deciding whether she would be able to summon the courage to tell her or not. It wasn’t the easiest thing to retell how the guy she’d fallen in love with didn’t love her back. And even though Amy was trying her best to move on, it still pained her to relive it.
Julie frowned and put her cup down. She was wearing a red t-shirt and some short shorts and as she crossed her legs, Amy wished that she were that confident to show so much skin.
“Well?” Julie asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
“Um,” Amy stuttered. She blushed, “Just the other day, uh, we – kissed?” she said, as if it were a question.
Julie’s frown immediately turned upwards as she reached over the table and punched Amy lightly in the arm in congratulations, “No way! That’s awesome!”
Amy gave a weak smile. The worst was yet to come, “Yeah. He was actually the guy from the closet,” she added warily, gnawing on her lip.
Julie squealed excitedly, “No way! Oh my god, you guys are in love!”
Amy shrugged, “No.”
“What do you mean no?” Julie said, her voice holding only exasperation.
“He did it for our bet.”
Julie reached over the table, her eyes soft and comforting, “I’m sure he did it for more than that. I see the way he always acts around you and the way he looks at you when you aren’t looking. I can tell her likes you, Ames.”
Amy yanked her head up. She was sick of people filling her with false hope, “No, he doesn’t. Otherwise he wouldn’t have said “I guess I won then?”” she quoted with a deep voice, “And then let me walk off crying. People who like other people don’t do that.”
Julie’s mouth formed an “oh” before she could help herself.
“Maybe he was just joking?” Julie asked calmly. But Amy could see the happiness deflating from her eyes.
“No. Otherwise he would have followed me and explained.”
“I’m sure he had a reason!” she defended, “I know when someone has a crush. I always know when they like someone and Chris was really obvious about it too. Amy, I know he likes you. This is just stupid.”
Amy shrugged. The words were coming out much easier now. It wasn’t like she was going through it again. It was like she was trying to convince Julie of what had happened. It had turned from a rerun into a statement.
“I know he doesn’t. He would have tried to talk to me by now.”
“Oh, you mean like at lunch or after school?” she asked, “Because I know you’re always around to talk then.”
The sarcasm was so thick in her voice that Amy felt like she was choking on it. It was true that she hadn’t given Chris a fair chance to explain. But what if he said that he didn’t like her and that he just wanted to be friends? Amy didn’t want to hear that. That’s why she couldn’t bear to see him unless she was confident that he was there to express his endless love for her.
“I just don’t want to hear that he wants to stay friends,” Amy argued, “I can’t deal with that.”
Julie nodded understandingly, “But what if he doesn’t want to be friends? What if he wants to be more?” she asked.
‘What if’s – the conditions that haunted you throughout your life. Amy grimaced.
Amy shook her head, “He doesn’t.”
“How do you know?” Julie asked persuasively.
“Because guys like him, don’t like girls like me. Guys like him end up with girls like Melissa - not nerdy socially awkward girls he meets because they’re too prude to kiss him,” Amy stated stubbornly.
Julie looked shell shocked, “Is that what you think?” When Amy nodded, Julie’s jaw clenched. Just from that action, Amy was certain that Julie was about to go on a long rant, “Are you crazy? Guys like what? Hot, popular, charismatic athletes don’t end up with girls like you - girls who are smart and loving and pretty? Melissa was a horrible person that he used for sex and for his reputation. She’s got nothing on you,” Julie stage whispered. If they hadn’t been in a public area, Julie would have easily been screaming. Thank god that they were; Amy didn’t think her ears could’ve handled the ambush, “Maybe shallow guys will do that because, yes, she is really pretty and, yeah, they all want the same thing. But Chris isn’t like that and if you just talked to him and let him explain for himself, you know that he would tell you he loves you!”
Amy shook her head. She wanted to believe Julie but the facts were clear. Chris dated Melissa and he rejected Amy; he’d done things with Melissa and he’d barely kissed Amy; didn’t that prove anything?
“Just give him a chance,” Julie said, “Please? I don’t want to see my best friends sad anymore.”
Amy didn’t want to give in but she did. When Chris wanted to explain, she would listen. He would tell her that he just wanted to be friends and she would nod and smile like everything was fine. Because that’s just what friends did.