ORIGINALLY WRITTEN: SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2016
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Mondays always suck.
Like no matter how good of a day you have and how perfect everything goes, it still sucks. Well, at least it does if you attend high school and your best friend hates you.
Currently, I'm standing at my locker, staring wistfully in Griff's direction. I'd given him the weekend to calm down and forgive me, yet he still never called or texted. I still don't know if I'm allowed to talk to him or what. But I'm going to try anyway because all this waiting and watching is making my chest ache.
I watch carefully as Wes leaves Griff's locker and Griff leans down to get his textbook for first period. Taking this as my cue to talk to him because Wes has finally left him alone, I slam my locker door shut and approach him. Please don't walk away, please don't walk away.
"Hey, Griffyn," I start as I near him.
His stiffens and straightens up, glancing at me briefly before averting his eyes. Oh, so that's how it's going to be.
"Come on, I need to talk to you."
He ignores me as he continues getting his stuff together. I watch him gather his books as I wait until he's done and when he is, he shuts his locker door and tries to walk off without a word. Oh, no you don't.
I grab his arm to pull him to a stop, not willing to let him get away from me. "Hey, what the-- I'm trying to talk to you here."
Griff whirls around on me and looks annoyed. "And I'm trying to catch up to Wes before class starts." He glances on my hand wrapped around his arm and shakes it off. "And you say I'm clingy."
He turns and walks off, leaving me there, completely stricken. "Wait, when did I say that? Griff, I never said that!"
He doesn't answer.
"Psstt. Psssttt!" I keep trying to get Griff's attention in American History, but he won't listen. I'm starting to get very annoyed at him. Like, what senior acts this immature? "PSSST!"
I few students look over, giving me worried looks while others look excited for another spat over talking during class. The last time I tried to talk in Mrs. Mallory's class, I got stuck with cleaning the bathrooms for detention. Not very fun if I do say so myself.
"Griffyn Lee Rivers," I whisper sternly, fiercely.
Finally, he looks over and gives me an exasperated look.
I take this as my cue to continue. "Look I'm so sorry about Friday night. Carolina told me it was a girl's night. I didn't know anything about her having anyone else over. I left as soon as I could. And I was pissed at Carolina if that's any consolation. Can you please forgive me?"
Griff snorts and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, it sure sounds like you're mad at Carolina. Wasn't she your ride this morning?"
I gulp, feeling guilty.
He smiles bitterly at my hesitation to answer. "That's what I thought."
He turns to face the front of the classroom again, leaving me to my thoughts.
I stare at the back of his head for so long, that I'm startled when he turns back to me again. His grey eyes meet mine. "And that's not even what this is about anymore. It's not about Carolina, it's about you and me. And the fact that our friendship may be nearing it's end. And not because of me, but because of you."
My mouth falls open in shock as he turns back to face the front once again.
"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" I say, but a little too loudly, as Mrs. Mallory pauses her lesson and narrows her eyes on me.
The entire class turns to look at me, worry and eagerness mixed into their expressions. Griffyn doesn't even turn around.
"Ms. Bailey, what did I say about talking in my class?"
My cheeks heat in anger at her for calling me out and embarrassing me, for Carolina ruining every chance I get to make things up and be friends with Griffyn again, and anger at Griffyn for being so confusing and making me feel things that I shouldn't be feeling for my best friend.
"I don't know, Mrs. Mallory. Maybe you can remind me in detention, because I'm about to remind you of what I did the last time you called me out."
I stand up with a scowl on my face and grab my stuff. Then I flip her off and walk out of class, not even looking behind me. I can't stand to see Griffyn's face right now without feeling like crap.
After a very eventful detention where Mrs. Mallory ran an anger management group I was forced to attend, I decide to stop by the Rivers' house.
Parker answers the door.
I open my mouth and start talking before she can even get a word in. "Parker, tell me what I did! I told him, I explained to him what Carolina did and how I didn't know about the party and he's still mad something else. Please tell me, Park. What else did I do?"
Parker shakes her head at me, looking disappointed and mad.
She's not going to tell me.
Tears start to form in my eyes. "Please, Park."
Parker bites her lip. "Fine. I'll show you, but I'm still not happy with you."
I nod a million times yes and follow her inside and up to her brother's room. It's empty. "Where's Griff?"
"He's at his baseball game. He was going to invited you when he saw you this weekend, but... well, things happened."
I bit my lip, another wave of guilt washing over me as I survey his room. It's not too messy, but not clean either. Just how I remembered it.
Parker walks over to his computer desk and starts to log onto his computer. I follow her and watch over her shoulder as she goes to his email and clicks the inbox.
Parker looks up at me over her shoulder. "This email was sent to most of the high school."
From: Anonymous
To: grivers@gmail.com, wesgraham@hotmail.com, carolina12@gmail.com, + 213 others
Looks like Carson and her friends have a real problem with her guy friend, Griffyn Rivers.
audio attached: 2048576vid
I bite my lip nervously and narrow my eyes when Parker clicks on a recording attached to the email.
Then it starts.
"Okay, so yesterday I texted Griff and told him that I wouldn't be able to hang out with-- Okay Carolina, are you even listening?"
I gasp and cover my mouth with my hand as my voice speaks up.
"Sorry, one sec...Okay, now go."
"Okay, well, as I was saying, yesterday I texted Griffyn and told him I wouldn't be able to hang out because I was having a girls' night with you all. Turns out it wasn't, um, a girls' night. And, well, Griff found out."
"Whoops." A gasp comes from the speakers.
"Apparently he's mad at me, even though I didn't know it was a party--"
"It wasn't a party, though. Just a get together."
"Well, same difference."
"Oh god, oh god, oh god." I mutter as the recording continues. I sneak a glance at Parker who's eying me hardly, judging my reaction. "This is not happening."
"Not really."
"Whatever. I'm just trying to say it wasn't the girls' night I promised him was gunna happen. And so he got mad. And apparently he's resorted to ignoring me! I called him and his sister multiple times and they wouldn't pick up. Ugh. So I walked over to their house to talk and Parker answers the door and tells me he doesn't want to talk to me, then shuts the door in my face."
"That's rough."
"I know!"
"Well, I know I don't have a Burn Book like Mean Girls, but you could just rant aloud to us about it."
"I mean, we can be all supportive of your angry mood and everything. I'll even shout mean words with you."
"NO, no, no, no, no!" I cry out and collapse onto Griffyn's bed. Covering my face with my hands. Who would do this? Who would record all four of us at our worst?
"Ugh, he's just so... ugh! Like, for some reason, he gets so moody whenever you all are brought up. Oh, I don't know, it's like he's jealous that I'm friends with you or something!"
"So jealous!"
"And he's way overprotective all the time--"
"Way overprotective!"
"--And then there's how he says I've "changed" this summer when he's probably changed more. I mean, since when does someone get that hot in three months?"
"So hot!"
"Um, Penelope, that one was probably not one to shout out."
"Right."
"Anyway, God, he's so frustrating it just stresses me out. And he's not only moody when you all are brought up. He's moody all the time. It seems whenever I'm around him, I have to tread lightly. I can never just be completely relaxed around him and do whatever I want for too long. Every so often, his mood changes dramatically and it's not fun to deal with. It may have to do with his own problems, but I have problems too! Ones he doesn't know about, so he shouldn't have any right to act that way around me!"
Tears start to stream down my face as I look at Parker in shame. I can't believe that Griff and her listened to all that. How could I be so rude? I knew I shouldn't have ranted like that about him. He's a great person and I knew I'd regret talking about him as soon as the words left my mouth. And now he's heard them and I'm not sure if he'll ever forgive me. Especially since that was sent to over half the high school.
"He sounds clingy."
"Oh you have no idea. I feel like he constantly hangs around at every second."
The recording ends and the room settles into silence.
"So now you know," Parker says as she stands up, breaking the silence. "Now I'd like you to leave."
Completely embarrassed and broken and guilty, I hang my head and walk out of his room, down the stairs, and out of the house without a word. Without a fight.
Because I knew...
I would've kicked me out too.
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