Chapter Twenty-Eight
Today was my favorite day of the week: Saturday.
It was the day that I could sleep in as late as I wanted and not have to worry about waking up early for school. I could also be as lazy as I wanted. I didn't have to dress up or do my makeup, and most importantly, I didn't have to get out of bed if I didn't feel like it.
That was why I was sitting cross-legged on my bed, holding a pint of chocolate ice cream in one hand and holding the largest spoon I could find in the other. My laptop was placed in front of me as I watched The Vow on Netflix and drooled over Channing Tatum.
My phone starting ringing from beside me. I looked down at the caller ID and placing it between my cheek and my shoulder, a sly smile stretched across my face.
"Am I the bestest friend ever or the bestest friend ever?" I dug my spoon into the bin of ice cream and stuffed it into my mouth.
"You're the worst."
"I think you mean best."
"I can't believe you," She laughed, "and I can't believe I didn't catch on!"
"You weren't supposed to, so thanks for your cooperation." I said smiling smugly. "Do you wanna come over? You can tell me all about this magnificent date of yours over ice cream and Channing Tatum."
"I'll be there in five minutes."
She wasn't kidding. I thought to myself as the doorbell rang five minutes later. I skipped down the stairs and walked to the door, swinging it open. Faith stood there with the widest smile stretched from ear to ear. She lifted her hands, a plastic bag in each. There were two pints of ice cream in the first bag and five boxes of candy in the second.
It would be a miracle if we didn't gain ten pounds in the next few hours. But who cared?
"You read my mind." I grinned cheerily, stepping to the side to let her in. I closed the door behind her, and together, we climbed up the stairs. "I think you're officially the bestest friend ever."
"I think that's you, my friend." Faith sighed in content as we strolled into my room. I turned and smiled at her smugly, knowing I was, indeed, the bestest friend ever.
I went over to sit on my bed while Faith kicked her shoes off at the door. I placed my pint of chocolate ice cream back on my lap and turned my body to face Faith once she sat down.
"So, how did the date go?" I asked, with wide, excited eyes.
She looked down at her ice cream, smiling shyly. "It was just amazing; everything I could have possibly wished for. We couldn't even eat our dinner because we were so busy talking -- it felt like we had known each other for ever, and we were both so comfortable together. When we finally left the restaurant and once he had dropped me off at home, he told me that he had fun and that I looked beautiful." She looked up at me and bit her lip. "He said that he wanted to take me out again, but this time, he didn't want me to get all dressed up because he thought I looked prettier in t-shirts and jeans."
I clamped a hand over my mouth, hoping I could contain the girly squeal that was itching to bubble out.
"Yeah, that was me when he said that." She laughed, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. When her laughter died down, she smiled sincerely at me. "Thank you, Lauren. I don't think you know how much it means to me."
"That's what best friends are for." I smiled.
"So," she said, quickly changing the subject, "I heard Logan was in on this, too. Did you guys happen to hang out while we were on our date?"
And suddenly, I wished we were talking about something else.
I stuffed another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth nervously. "Yeah, we did, actually. It was really fun." After swallowing more chocolate ice cream, I exhaled frustratingly. "Oh, who am I kidding? It was horrible!" I swung the spoon around, sending chunks of ice cream flying into the air.
"What happened?" She frowned. "Is this about him not liking you?"
"Yes.. No.. I don't know!"
I was hysterical. Probably because it was that time of the month. Which was probably the reason I was eating a pint of chocolate ice cream and watching sappy, romantic movies on Netflix.
"It's just.. It feels like he's leading me on. He tried to kiss me the same day he told me he didn't like me; he's constantly looking at my lips all of a sudden, and—"
"Wait, wait," she closed her eyes, "he tried to kiss you?"
"Yeah," I nodded and a roll of my eyes accompanied it, "long story, short – he was right behind me and when I turned around, I stumbled and he caught me. We were really close to each other and we both started to lean in.."
"Oh, no, Lauren. Please tell me you didn't let him kiss you."
"I didn't. I turned away before anything could happen." I paused, looking down at the bin of ice cream. "He's just.. so confusing. And yesterday, oh God, yesterday."
"What? What happened yesterday?" Faith asked, hungry for details.
"After you went into the restaurant, we went to the park and we were lying down on the grass, just looking up at the stars. I felt his eyes on me, so I turned and he was giving me this look, and it made me mad because he doesn't like me, yet he's sending all these different signals and messing with my head."
I shoved my spoon into my ice cream angrily.
Faith's eyes were watching me apologetically, and I noticed how they quickly became angry. "You know what? I'm going to march right to his house and—"
"No!" I whisper-yelled, feeling my eyes widen. "Please don't say or do anything."
"But—"
"Anything."
Instead of fighting me, she pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. "Fine."
"Thank you." I said, breathing a sigh of relieve. I couldn't even imagine what would happen if Faith confronted Logan about everything. He surely would find out my feelings for him, which would only complicate things even more.
We sat in silence for a moment, just eating our ice cream, until Faith spoke again.
"Lauren, what if he's doing all that stuff because he likes you?"
I have her a blank look. "He doesn't—"
"--like you, I get it." She finished for me with a roll of her eyes. "But what if he's just saying that?"
I narrowed my eyes skeptically.
"I mean, what if he just says he doesn't like you because he thinks you don't like him?"
I frowned in thought. I was always the one who stopped us and it was also always me who turned away. My heart skipped a beat. Before I knew it, I was shaking my head. The hope that had rushed through my veins was now long gone.
"He doesn't like me."
Faith's eyes softened and she reached over, placing her hand on my arm. "Lauren—"
She was cut off my the ringing of my phone. I picked it up and glanced down at the screen, freezing in my tracks. Just reading his name gave me butterflies.
"It's Logan." I said, looking up at her. "Should I answer?"
She did a one shoulder shrug and I took that as a yes.
Accepting the call, I placed the phone up to my ear. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hey," I imitated, glancing up at Faith uneasily.
"Are you doing anything later tonight?"
My eyes grew wide, and I glanced at Faith. What? She mouthed, her face showing a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and concern.
"Um, I'm pretty sure I'm free." I started slowly. "Why?"
"Well, the guys and I were going to have a bonfire at Tyler and Thomas' house since their parents are out of town for the weekend. We wanted to know if you and Faith could come?"
Bonfire.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun." I said, trying to mask the anxiety swirling in my chest. "Around what time?"
"We're gonna start the fire once it gets dark out, so maybe seven-thirty?"
Fire.
"Okay, I'll see you then."
"Great," I could hear his smile, "see you."
I hung up and turned to Faith. Not wanting her to worry about the conflict going on inside my head, I put on an easy smile. "They invited us to a bonfire."
"They?" Faith asked with a confused frown.
"Yeah, the guys, your boyfriend, and Logan." I said, smiling cheekily.
"He's not my boyfriend." She narrowed her eyes at me, but I could see right through her.
"Not yet, he's not." I smirked, sending her a wink.
❧
Faith and I were so busy watching movies on Netflix, that we didn't realize what time it was.
"Crap," I muttered, jumping out of the bed, "it's already seven!"
I noticed Faith glance down at her outfit. "Can I borrow something to wear?" She asked.
I smiled at her from my closet. "He likes you best when you aren't trying to dress nice, you know."
"At least some jeans?"
I glanced down at her legs and for the first time since she had gotten here, I noticed she was wearing black leggings. I shook my head and threw a pair of jeans at her. She caught them, smiling in triumph.
I grabbed a cleaner sweatshirt and my favorite jeans, quickly changing into them as Faith changed in the restroom. I threw the clothes I previously had on into the laundry basket and grabbed my navy blue Toms. Slipping them on, I walked over to the bed and shut my laptop.
Faith emerged from the restroom brushing her hands through her hair to give it some volume. I shook my head in amusement. She really was head over heels in love with Tyler.
"If you're done trying to look good, we should get going." I teased as I slipped my phone into my back pocket. I didn't fail to catch the glare Faith threw my way as I stalked out of the door. She followed me down the stairs and together, we hoped into her car and drove off to Tyler and Thomas' house. We made our way to the fence where the wooden door was left open for us. The sound of laughter drifted from the backyard, and I realized everyone was already here, waiting for us to arrive. I swallowed nervously, unsure of how I would be able to hide my fear. Before we could step through the door, Faith came to a halt and grabbed my elbow. I turned around and frowned.
"Do I look okay?"
My face softened and thoughts about my anxiety flew out of my head.
Faith usually didn't care about how she looked or what anyone thought of her because she knew her opinion was the only one that mattered. Seeing her care about something like this just showed how much she really liked him.
"Faith, you look perfectly fine. Tyler already likes you; you have nothing to worry about." I said, giving her a reassuring smile. She smiled gratefully and nodded.
"Now, come on, they're waiting for us." I grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her forward as we walked into their backyard.
"They're here!" Andrew exclaimed as his eyes landed on us. Everyone turned and saw us just as we came into view.
"Hey, guys! Are you ready for the best bonfire in the history of bonfires?" Cole asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
"I guess." I said. "I mean, I've never been to a bonfire before."
"Yeah, me neither." Faith said with a nonchalant shrug.
"Are you guys serious?" Andrew asked as, catching flies in his mouth.
"You guys have really been missing out," Logan spoke, walking up beside Andrew. "But I guess that's okay because you'll get to see what a real bonfire is like."
I watched in amusement as the guys agreed, hollering and howling, like the teenage boys they were.
"Alright, let's get started. I'll go get the rods for the marshmallows!" Thomas exclaimed as he jogged into the house.
Faith and I took the time to take the scenery in while Thomas went to find the medal rods. They had foldable lawn chairs surrounding the fire that sat in the middle of their backyard. Tree logs and newspaper fueled the fire, allowing the flames to spark and stay lit.
I glanced away from the bright red, orange and yellow flames swirling together. I let out a quiet breath.
Logan motioned Faith and I over where he and Tyler had two seats in between them saved for us. I gave Faith a sideways glance and winked playfully, ignoring the dry look she shot my way. I smiled and went to sit next to Logan.
"Hey," He said as I sat down, flashing his breathtaking grin.
"Hi," I met his eyes, feeling my heart flutter. Lord, was he gorgeous.
"Alright, I found the rods!" Thomas said as he walked out from the back door. He passed one to everybody and opened the bag of marshmallows that lied untouched on the plastic table that stood to the side.
He turned to Faith and I, and placed a marshmallow onto the tip of the rod. "First things first, you cannot have a bonfire without s'mores. You just can't."
I laughed at how serious he was being. These bonfires were the real deal with these boys.
Logan passed me a marshmallow and I did as everyone else was doing and placed it on the tip of the rod. I watched as everyone extended their arms and placed their marshmallows into the fire. While everyone was talking amongst one another, I took in the fire in front of me and felt my throat constrict. Logan turned to me, noticing my hesitation and started guiding me.
"The trick to the perfect marshmallow for the perfect s'more is to wait until it's caught fire and allow it to roast for a few seconds, and then blow it out." He explained, taking my rod and showing me as he did everything step-by-step. "Then you take a graham cracker and place it underneath the marshmallow and then grab a piece of chocolate and lay it on the other side of the marshmallow. Then you take another graham cracker and place it on top of the chocolate and slowly pull the marshmallow off the rod so it doesn't stick or slide off." He pulled the s'more off perfectly, showing it to me. "There; The Perfect S'more."
I laughed as he handed the s'more to me, placing it in the palm of my hand. I grabbed it and took a bite. This was heaven.
"Is it amazing or is it amazing?"
"I'd say it's amazing." I nodded, shooting him a smile.
The corners of his lips lifted up into a lopsided smile. He reached his hand out and I nearly stopped breathing when he wiped marshmallow from my chin with his thumb. His smile slowly faded and he quickly took his hand back, wiping it onto his jeans and turning his attention back to the fire.
If those flames weren't giving me anxiety, it was this boy.
We continued roasting marshmallows and creating The Ultimate S'mores until neither one of us could manage to fit anything else into our bellies. We told traditional scary stories, and shared our most embarrassing moments. We laughed and talked, and it really made me glad to be able to call these people my friends. This bonfire really did turn out to be the best of the best.
While we talked amongst ourselves, Tyler excused himself and disappeared into the house. When he came back out, he held an acoustic guitar in his hands and passed it over to Logan.
"As you all know, a bonfire isn't complete without s'mores." Logan explained. "But what kind of a bonfire would this be if we didn't sing The Campfire Song Song?"
I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. They weren't.. serious were they?
To my surprise, Logan began to strum the guitar, playing the chords to the familiar Spongebob song.
"Let's gather 'round the campfire
And sing our campfire song.
Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song,
And if you don't think we can sing it faster than you're wrong
But it'll help if you just sing along.." Logan sang.
"Bom, Bom, Bom.." Tyler added.
Oh, my—
"C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song!
C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song!
And if you don't think we can sing it faster than you're wrong
But it'll help if you just sing along!"
Everyone was singing at this point, except for Faith and I. I simply watched in amusement -- and slight horror -- as the guys sang along, while Faith leaned her forehead on the palm of her hand and shook her head in disappointment. When they finally finished the dreaded song, they all gave each other high-fives and laughed together.
I looked at Faith and pursed my lips. "These are our friends." I said, motioning to the teenage boys who were high-giving each other like five year olds.
She nodded and looked around, wearing a blank stare. "Unfortunately."
❧
Later that night, the boys persuaded Faith and I to stay a little longer to watch movies with them. Andrew even offered to go the store to buy us all the candy and popcorn we wanted, which ultimately did all the persuading. However, forty minutes into the first movie, almost everyone knocked out.
I didn't even realize when I managed to fall asleep until my eyes flickered open, and I glanced around at all the sleeping bodies.
Thomas was on one seat with his head leaned back and his arms clutching a pillow tightly across his chest. Andrew was slumped over the bottom of the chair where Thomas' legs rested. His head had rolled onto his shoulder, and I saw a glimpse of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Across the other side of the living room, Cole and Daniel had fallen asleep on the love seat. Cole's head was leaned back and his mouth was wide open, emitting the sound of soft snores. Daniel was lying horizontally with his legs resting across Cole's lap. One of his arms was tucked underneath his head, while the other hung limply off the edge of the couch.
Beside me, Faith was slumped against Tyler. He had his arm draped across her shoulders, and she was comfortably pressed against his side. I smiled smugly. Of course.
I sat up from my lying position and noticed Logan was missing. He must have gone to use the bathroom. I thought.
I stood up from the couch after realizing how thirsty I was and silently made my way to the kitchen, careful not to wake anyone up. I took a glass from the clean dishes that were neatly stacked to the side of the sink, and served myself some water. Bringing the rim up to my lips, I slowly drank my way down to the bottom of the glass.
"Hey."
I jumped at the sudden voice, nearly choking on my water. I turned around, watching as Logan walked in. I placed my free hand over my heart, and I swallowed the liquid quickly. "God," I breathed out, "you scared me."
"Sorry," he laughed sheepishly. He walked over to the kitchen island where all the boxes of candy lied and opened a box of chocolate covered raisins. I walked over and sat next to him, picking up a box of Sour Patch Kids.
"So," he began, popping some raisins into his mouth, "Thanksgiving is next week."
I hummed in reply.
"..and, you know, since your parents are always out on business trips, my mom and I were wondering.. if you, uh, if you wanted to come over to celebrate with us."
I froze, my chewing coming to an abrupt stop. I looked up at Logan, who was watching me cautiously.
He wanted me to celebrate Thanksgiving with him and his family?
I could feel my insides melting.
At the lack of a response from me, Logan grew worried. "You don't have to, it was just.. My mom just thought.." He stammered, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.
At that I shook my head. "No, no, I would love to celebrate with you and your family. It's really sweet of you guys to think of me." I said, feeling my lips pull upwards into a shy smile. "I just.. I don't want you guys to feel obligated to invite me just because you feel sorry that I won't have my parents there with me."
I felt a pang in my chest at the double meaning of my words. The truth was far from business trips. It was far worse, and I felt horrible lying to both of them. But I couldn't tell them the truth. Not yet.
Logan looked at me with disbelief written all over his face. "Lauren, you're my best friend. We aren't inviting you because we feel obligated to. We -- I wanted to invite you."
My heart pounded as he stared at me with his electric blue eyed gaze. I swallowed, trying to calm the desperate urge I had to kiss him.
I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and gave him a smile. "I'd love to celebrate Thanksgiving with you and your family."
He grinned widely, showing off that perfect smile of his. "Great."
My smile fell as soon as the words left his lips. "Oh, sh—" I closed my eyes. "I forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"My aunt and I are supposed to celebrate over Skype." I said, remembering the conversation I had with Emmie just last week about this. "We're really close, and since she knows about the whole situation with my parents, she wanted to make sure I didn't celebrate Thanksgiving by myself."
"Oh," was the only thing Logan replied.
I looked up at him and felt my heart shatter to a million pieces.
I could see the disappointment that masked his face even though I knew he was trying not to show it. His eyebrows were knitted together as he stared down at the box of chocolate covered raisins.
"I'm sorry," I said genuinely. "I really did want to be with you guys."
He brushed it off with a wave of his hand. He looked at me and smiled, but I hated how it didn't reach his eyes. "It's cool."
He stood up and motioned me to follow as he walked into the living room. We sat down on the couch and continued watching The Hangover while everyone was still sound asleep.
However, the way he simply sat there, frowning at the TV screen even through the funny parts of the movie, I knew it really wasn't "cool".