Chapter 20- The Best Friend's Secret
-Emma-
After that amazing date with Aiden it ending with him asking me to be his girlfriend, I was on cloud nine. No one could bring me down from that, I was so freaking happy the guy I had a crush on for so damn long wanted me to be his girlfriend, now tell me you wouldn't be on cloud nine also if that happened to you? Yeah that's what I thought. When he had dropped me home that night I swear I thought I was gonna have a permanent smile plastered onto my face. When he had drove off, I bolted inside and straight up to my room and dove onto my bed whipping out my phone from my back pocket and called Amy. I had to tell her if I didn't she would kill me the next day and I would have only enjoy being Aiden's girlfriend for a few hours, plus I'm too young to die.
When she finally answered the phone after the fourth ring, I didn't give her a chance to speak after she said hello. I dove right into what happened on the date and when I was done it was silent on the other end till I heard her squeal and her voice saying she was happy for me. But I know Amy she would have automatically squeal in between it all and interrupt asking questions, but she didn't this time and I knew something was wrong, I could hear it in her voice. I wanted to ask her but before I could she told me she had to go and hung up the phone. Now that's what made me suspicious, we would usually stay on to phone for hours analyzing every detail, but something happened from the time she dropped me off for my date and the time I called her and I was going to find out exactly what happened. Mission: Find Out What Best Friend Is Hiding. Dang, that's a long mission name. Oh well. Time to find out what Amy is hiding.
Then on Monday, instead of Amy picking me up for school, Aiden did. Hey, he's the boyfriend after all isn't that what he's suppose to do? Man that sounds weird to call him my boyfriend.
"Hey, sweetheart." Aiden said as I slid into his passenger seat and leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Of course that caused me to blush and made him smirk. "Missed me?" He asked as he drove off from my house.
I scoffed as buckled my seat belt. "Me miss you? I don't think so." I said waving my hand dismissively. Aiden grabbed that same hand and planted a small kiss on the back of it.
"You know you missed me." He sending a wink in my direction and turned his attention back to the road. I felt a thick layer of red coat my cheeks and I did have to admit I did miss Aiden last night and I couldn't wait to see him the next day. Ugh don't tell me I'm gonna turn mushy like all the other girls and become like them wanting to be at my boyfriend's hip all the time. If I turn like that someone drop a piano on me. Even though I did miss Aiden, that didn't mean I was gonna tell him that.
"So I bet as soon I as drove off last night you called Amy to spill about the date." Aiden said as he pulled into the parking lot of the school. How does he know these things?
"Maybe." I said nonchalantly.
"You so did, I could see when I dropped you off that you couldn't wait to spill about everything that happened." Damn his ability to read me so easy.
"Yeah right." I rolled my eyes and open the car door to get out. I was about to slid out the car when I felt a hand grab my wrist and yanked me back. I turned back to give Aiden a piece of my mind for grabbing me like that, but before I could say anything I felt his lips crashed onto mine. It was a sweet kiss filled with passion and I melt straight into it.
Aiden pulled away and tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Well if you're afraid to say you missed me well let me say I did miss you." I smiled at that statement and place a small kiss on his lips.
"I wasn't afraid. I just didn't want to boost your ego even more." I said with a smirk and it was his turn to roll his eyes. I grabbed my bag and got out of the car the same time Aiden did, he walked over and grabbed my hand and interlaced our fingers together as we started to walk toward the front doors of the school. "See now I don't know why your considered a bad boy, when your all touchy feely, lovely dovey."
Aiden glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "It's all about the past sweetheart and I came to school sophomore year with a motorcycle and the attire of a leather jacket and combat boots and people just assumed I was a bad boy. When they heard I had a past well that definitely labeled me as a bad boy." Aiden said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Why are Matt and Derek also labeled as bad boys?" I asked curiously.
"Well for Matt it was because he was associated with me and it automatically labeled him a bad boy, don't get me wrong he has his bad moments but overall Matt is a good guy who was stamped as a bad boy."
"And Derek?" I asked.
Aiden sighed. "Derek, well, he has a past of his own. Just because Derek is nice to you and Amy that doesn't mean he's nice to everyone else, Emma and no I'm not gonna tell you because that's his own story to tell." Damn and I was kind of hoping for Aiden to spill a little about Derek's past, but I understand why. It is Derek's story to tell and when he's ready he will open up to someone even if that person is not me. At least my curiosity is at ease because now I know there is more to Derek then this bad boy who is a nice guy after all.
"So instead of calling you Mr. Bad Boy, can I call you Mr. Softie?" I asked in a sweet voice and Aiden just glared at me.
"I am not soft." Aiden said defending himself. I went to poke his stomach with my free hand to show him how soft he was, but my finger almost went all the way back because of how hard his stomach was.
"What the hell?" I said holding my throbbing finger. "Do you have an iron vest underneath your shirt?" I asked looking down at my finger. My poor finger.
Aiden smirked at me. "I told you I wasn't soft and no sweetheart that's all muscle which is a six pack if you have heard of it before."
I rolled my eyes at him. "I could care less about what's underneath your shirt, but you almost broke my finger." I said holding up my finger with a pout on my lips.
Aiden grabbed my hand and place a soft kiss on the side of my finger. "Better?" He asked with a small smile.
"Much." I said with a grin.
~~~
When I entered my first class, I noticed Amy wasn't there and I had to admit that I was getting a bit worried. First she acts weird on the phone now she's not here. Something is definitely up. So I decided to do what any best friend would do in this situation, after class was finished I walked out of the school and all the way to Amy's house, which was about a ten minute walk. I had to check on her to make sure she's alright and wasn't kidnapped by a gang of monkeys who want to make her their queen.
When I got closer to the Johnson's house I noticed everyone's car was gone except for Amy's. I walked onto the path that led to their back door and looked underneath their potted plant to see a key that opens the door. Being best friends with Amy for so long allows me to know everything around the house, even the hidden key. I eased opened the door careful not to make a sound and walked inside. I walked past the kitchen and into the living room area where the staircase was. I walked up the stairs and towards her room and just when I was about to turn the knob to open the door, it swung open and I froze.
"What are you doing here?" I heard a tired voice said.
I looked up to see a very exhausted Amy, her dark brown hair was up in a messy bun, there were dark bags under her eye from lack of sleep and her clothes were wrinkled. "To check up on my best friend who wasn't in school today which left me in the wrath of Mr. Gray." I said pushing pass her and walked into her room.
Amy turned around and closed her door. "Yeah sorry, I wasn't up for it today." She shrugged her shoulders and plopped down on her bed.
"You weren't up for it?" I questioned with a raise eyebrow. "Ames you never missed a day of school not even when you were sick like a dog and now you're telling me that you weren't 'up for it'?" Amy nodded. "I don't believe that. I haven't heard from you all weekend long and you didn't come to school this morning. So care to share what's going on?"
"I think I'm deeply infatuated with someone." Amy said looking down on her comforter playing with the ends.
"Who?" I asked leaning in a bit closer.
"Aiden" she breathed out and looked up at me. I froze, Aiden? My Aiden? Amy likes Aiden? Since when!? I was left speechless, and I bet my jaw hit the ground. How am I suppose to respond to that? Amy likes Aiden, my boyfriend. What the hell?
I glanced back to Amy and saw that her face was dead serious, but then it morphed into a huge grin. "I'm only messing with you Em. I only did that because you broke into my house."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in and slapped her arm. "I can't believe you did that." I said giving her a pointed look. "And I didn't 'break into' your house. I used that key under the potted plant by your back door."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "Emma, that's breaking in."
"Yeah, whatever." I said waving my hand dismissively. "So what are you hiding from me, Amy?" I said seriously this time.
"I'm not hiding anything." She said confidently, but I could tell it was cover up.
"You're lying to me. Ames just tell me what's going on. I'm worried." I pleaded.
She sighed. "Um, something happened Friday night after I dropped you off."
"Go on." I added.
"After I dropped you off I came straight home since I had nothing to do and I was the only one home. I decided to watch some movie and pig out in junk food. Half way through the first movie my doorbell rang, I went to answer it and right in front of me stood Matt Ryder." I raised an eyebrow at that, but I let her continue. "He said he came for the jacket he forgot one day he had came over to work on the project, I knew he was telling the truth because his jacket was still sitting on my desk and I forgot to tell him he left it so I let him in and went upstairs to get his jacket. I gave him his jacket and I decided to be civil with him for once so I asked if he wanted to watch the rest of the movie with. I only asked because I'll be seeing him more often because you and Aiden are dating so I though why not try and be friends with him. He was heisted at first but when I told him we should try and get along for the sake of you guys he agreed and stayed to watch the movie with me. I had to say I was enjoying his company and we were getting along at the end of the first movie so we decided to watch a second movie. He suggested a scary movie and me not wanting to look like a wuss in front of him agreed."
"Err Ames, you get scared very easily when you watch those movies. You even get nightmares." I said.
"I know that." She said giving me a pointed look. "But I wasn't about to let him know that so we picked a scary movie and put it in. I sat on the couch next to him but not to close. Halfway through the movie I was so into it that I didn't notice Matt had gotten up from the couch until he popped up from behind it and scared me half to death. I wanted to kill him and I guess when he saw that look on my face he ran to the kitchen and took off after him, I chased him around my house until we ended back into the living room. I was so close to him that grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him down which made him fall and made me fall with him. I fell on top of him and we started laughing at our stupidity and I started to tell him off in between laugh, but then he suddenly stopped his laughing and started to lean in closer to me and ugh I don't know I leaned in to and we um, kissed." I gapped at her. Holy crap.
"How was it?" I asked her.
She looked down and started to play with the end of comforter. "It was amazing." She said softly. "I never felt like that before it was like sparks were flying all over the place."
"What happened after you guys kissed?"
"After we pulled away from each other, Matt helped me off the floor and I could tell he was acting weird so he made an excuse about having to do something for him mom and he left."
"Do you like him?" I asked her.
"I don't know. Maybe? I think I do, ugh Emma I don't know. That's what I've been thinking about all weekend. I might have feeling for him, I just don't know if he feels the same and I don't want to face him after that if he doesn't feel the same."
"Is that the reason why you didn't come to school today?" She nodded. "Ames, I'm pretty sure Matt feels the same about you. Don't be afraid to express your feelings to him because I'm sure he's crazy about you." I said.
"How can you be so sure?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"A little birdy told me." I said with a smirk.
"I'm guessing that little birdy was Aiden." She asked and I nodded. "Uh I just don't know if I should tell him Em. What if I get nervous and freeze up? I don't want to look like a fool in front of him."
When she said that, a thought came to my mind. "I have a plan to help you with that." I said with a smirk on my face.
"What do you have in mind?" she asked skeptically.
"Nothing to big, just something to boost your confidence a little in front of him."
Amy sighed. "Fine, I'm trusting you with this." she said giving me the 'look.'
"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed." I said with a smile.
~~~
Amy and I decided to go out for some ice cream at my favorite diner in the afternoon and trust me I should know good ice cream since I'm kind of a food addict. I have to say I didn't really have a plan for Amy's confidence. I just wanted to get the two together so they could finally talk and I needed the help of Aiden for that. He had texted me asking me where I was and I told him I was at Amy and that I needed his help to get Matt and her together alone, when he asked why I just told him I would tell him later when we meet up. Amy had no idea that Matt would be at the diner and the only way to get her there was to tell her that I would treat her to it just to make her feel better. When she agreed I made her get dolled up a bit so she could at least look good while talking to Matt, when she asked why I told it would divert the attention away from the huge dark bags under her eyes, great friend right?
Walking into the diner with Amy, my eyes scanned the surrounding booths to see if I spotted Aiden. I heard my name being called at the right of me and I turned my attention to see who it was, it was Aiden of course with Matt sitting across from him and Derek sitting next to him. I felt a punch hit my arm and I turned to Amy and raised my eyebrow at her. "What was that for?" I asked.
"I knew we weren't just going out for ice cream, you just wanted me to meet up with Matt." She whispered yelled at me.
"That's the plan. Now come on lets go over there." I grabbed her hand and tugged her over to where the boys were.
"Hey guys." I greeted them with a smile.
"Hey" Aiden and Derek said grinning at me, Matt didn't say anything he just avoided eye contact with Amy.
"So I heard the big news." Derek said and I raised an eyebrow at him. "You and this idiot are finally together." He said punching Aiden in the arm.
"Yeah we are." I said with a small smile.
"I'm glad, you guys deserve each other." He said with a smile but I could still see sadness in his eyes and that made my heart ache just a bit for him. "Well, you should at least sit next to your boyfriend." Derek said getting up from his spot and gesturing for me to sit there and I did. "I got to go anyways my mom needs me to pick something up from the grocery store. I catch you guys later." He said to us and we all said goodbye to him. Amy was still standing awkwardly next to the booth and I gestured for her to sit next to Matt and she did. They avoided eye contact to each other and I have to admit it was getting a bit awkward sitting there with all that tension and I decided to break the tension with one question.
"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" I asked them. They all looked at me weirdly, hey I had to break the tension somehow plus I'm in the mood for ice cream. I guess Aiden was catching on to what I was doing so he answered first.
"Err I have to say that my ultimate favorite is chocolate almond." Aiden said.
"Yum, I love that one but my favorite is cookie dough." I added.
"Gross." I heard a voice said. I turned my attention over to the voice and it was Matt. "Cookie dough is not made for ice cream or to even eat raw, it's made to be made into warm cookies."
"See! That's what I've been telling her all along." Amy said. Ladies and Gentleman that's how you break the ice. After that, we began arguing about cookie dough and how it could be ate raw and still taste amazing. Matt and Amy were on a team and Aiden was with me, well that's because he has to be since he is my boyfriend and also he agreed with. See I knew I picked the right guy.
After we spend a good twenty minutes arguing about that, Matt and Amy seem to be their normal self and were talking to one another more. I could tell that Amy really likes Matt and that feeling was mutual with him. I decided it was time to leave them by themselves so they could talk more in depth and maybe share their feelings. "Hey guys, Aiden and I are gonna get going now." I said to them and they had the nerve to ignore me and continue their conversation or I guess they were into their conversation too much to notice. Aiden nudged me to slide out of the booth and so I did, he grabbed my hand.
"Leave them alone, let them talk." He whispered into my ear and I nodded. "I proud of you though for getting them to speak to one another and I knew why you did it because Matt had came over and told me the same night it happened."
"And you didn't tell me?" I asked
"It wasn't my place to say anything and I knew Amy would have told you anyways." He said and I rolled my eyes at him. This idiot knew all along. "But good job. Now let's leave them alone." Aiden said kissing the side of my head. I lead us through the busy diner crowd and to the glass doors.
"You know you still could have told me." I said.
"I could have, but I didn't." Aiden said with a smirk holding the door open.
"Your so me-." I started to say until I felt something hit me on my shoulder.
"Oh I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." A girl's voice said.
I looked up to see a blonde haired girl with curly hair and blue eyes. She looked very pretty with her tan skin and model like body. "It's okay." I said with smile. The blonde girl looked up at me to and offered me a smile of her own and then looked at the side of me. The smile was replaced with shocked looked.
"Aiden?" The blonde girl asked.
I guess Aiden wasn't really paying attention until his name was called and he also looked up and shocked look was written on his face. "Mia." Aiden said.
Mia? Aiden's childhood friend?
What is she doing here?