❝There are a few great souls in my life. They are not many. They are few. You are one.❞ -Anne Sexton, A Self-Portrait in Letters
"So first you wreck my dress and then my relationship?" Mackenzie slams my locker shut and leans against it.
"It's eight am," I sigh in exasperation. "Please take your bullshit elsewhere."
Mackenzie's eyes slip into a glower. "Don't try to act innocent."
I look at her for a second, gathering my thoughts. "I'm sorry about your dress?"
"Would you forget about the stupid dress?" Mackenzie suddenly snaps. "You're ruining my relationship with Noah!"
I almost scoff. "What relationship?"
"There would be one if you weren't always being a desperate slut around him!"
"It's a good think you're pretty, Mackenzie," a voice behind me states. Damon approaches, a smirk on his lips. "Makes it easy to forget you're mean as hell."
To say the least, Mackenzie looks pissed. Mackenzie turns to me, completely ignoring Damon. "Keep your bitch on a leash, Diana."
"He's a free spirit."
"And I'm free tonight," Damon says to her with a wink. "I do like a challenge."
Mackenzie scowls in annoyance. "As if, Damon."
"So you do remember me. Glad to know I made an impression." Damon muses, unaffected by her attitude.
There is an unreadable expression on her face as she grimaces. Instead of responding to Damon, she turns back to me, "Quit being a fucking home wrecker."
"I will when you quit being overdramatic and sensitive." I respond, growing tired of our exchange.
But Mackenzie had stormed off before I could say anything more, and all Damon and I could do was watch her as she disappears down the hall.
"You should have called her a bitch." Damon observed.
"I don't call other girls bitches," I pause for a moment. "At least not to their faces."
"She called you a slut."
"But at least I know it's not true. Not that it would matter, anyway. But when you call a girl a bitch, she starts to believe it more and more."
Damon grins down at me. "You're pretty sweet, Diana."
"I know. It's a fault at this point," I turn to him curiously. "Do you two know each other? You guys seem pretty familiar."
Damon hesitates, "she was good friends with Noah. It wasn't uncommon to have her around a few years ago."
It seems like he isn't saying something else, but I decide not to push the subject. If he wants to talk about her, he will eventually.
After school, we head over to Katia's place, Jasper being the only guy present. He never seems to mind, especially since our friend group includes his girlfriend.
For as long as I can remember, these four have been my closest friends. We grew up together, watched each other as we fell in and out of love and supported each other through everything. There is not a group of people I would rather have by my side.
That being said, they could also be as immature as preteen boys.
I've always liked Katia's house. Her house is on the smaller side but that's what makes it feel more like a home to me. The brown couch is worn out from years of use, the mismatched yellow love seat stands out against the predominantly darker furniture around it and the bookshelves pushed up against the walls are cluttered with books, artifacts and souvenirs. The little quirks of Katia's house make it more loveable.
Thalia and Jasper start to bicker quietly to each other, only to escalate their voices. We've learned that when the twins get like this, to just let them fight it out themselves. One time, Alyce tried to intervene and ended up with a black eye from Thalia who had aimed for Jasper. Alyce never jumped into one of their fights again.
As Jasper and Thalia begin yelling at each other trying to pick a movie, Noah calls me.
I pick up and head to the hallway, trying to cover the twins' argument. "Hey, Noah."
"Hi, Diana," He answers on the other end. "Jasper told us that Katia was having people over. Can you ask Katia if we can swing by?"
"We?" I ask dryly.
I can hear the smile in his voice. "Hunter and Damon, of course."
"I never could have guessed," I smile. "I'll ask her and text you her answer."
"Sounds good." With that, we hang up.
I ask Katia in the midst of the fight if the guys could come over. She agrees, saying that it might help with Jasper's temper and Thalia could direct her anger towards someone other than her brother. I text Noah to come over with Hunter and Damon and to come as quickly as possible. The twins look like they are about to punch each other.
Ten minutes later with Jasper in a headlock, the doorbell rings and Katia practically jumps to get the door. Noah, Damon and Hunter enter with wide smiles. Thalia immediately lets go of Jasper, glaring at the new people.
"What the fuck?" Thalia seethes. "Katy, you know I don't like rats."
"I know," Katia says, grabbing Jasper's hand and pulling him away. "But I didn't want you to kill my boyfriend yet. Now you can fight Damon."
Damon's jaw drops. "I thought you were supposed to be the sweet one, Katia."
Katia looks at Damon apologetically. "I've been dating him for three years. I need to have some priorities when it comes to people."
Damon glares at her. "I was just telling the boys how I liked you the most, second to Diana. I retract that statement. Alyce, congratulations, you're now second best."
"Thanks so much." Alyce says dryly.
"Don't worry, Aly," Hunter winks. "You're my favourite."
The boys jump onto their desired seats, Damon immediately moving towards Thalia. He slings an around her and pulls her close while she glares at nothing in particular. Even Hunter goes to Alyce, where they now sit on the love seat. Since Jasper and Katia are sitting on the big couch beside Thalia and Damon, I sit on the carpeted floor with Noah.
"Please," Katia says with a small smile and a hint of sarcasm. "Make yourselves at home."
"Thanks!" Hunter exclaims.
"What movie did you guys settle on?" Noah asks, crossing his legs.
"I said Love, Simon," Thalia shrugs Damon's arm off. "Jasper wants John Wick."
Alyce scrunches her face in disgust. "John Wick was a stupid story. The action was good, though."
Damon rolls his eyes. "You don't watch John Wick for the plot. It's for the killing."
"Stupid," Thalia repeats. "Love, Simon is an adorable movie about a boy who's struggling to come out...it means a lot to me, okay? I had a hard time, too."
Everyone is silent for a moment. Finally, Jasper breaks. "Fuck, fine. You can only use the traumatized card once a month, Tally."
Thalia grins, "I knew you loved me too much. Put on Love, Simon."
Katia smiles and searches for the movie. I can tell that she had wanted to watch Love, Simon too, but we all know better than to step in between the Thompson's when they got angry at each other.
"I've never seen this movie," Noah remarks beside me while the other pairings chatter with each other. "Is it good?"
"I love it," I reply. "And not to sound harsh, but if you don't like it, I'm just going to assume you're heartless."
"Duly noted," Noah says. "When did Thalia come out to you guys?"
"Sophomore year," I answer. "But we had all known each other since we were kids. We've always been close, and we all kind of knew she had something she was afraid to say. She seemed like she was holding the weight of the world for years."
Noah smiles. "It's good that Thalia had such great friends around her during that time. She's not afraid to be herself. It's what I like about you, too."
I find myself smiling at that. "And I like that you compliment me a lot. It's a real ego booster."
"It's to trap you," Noah explains. "I compliment you so you let me into your life and become my friend. Then, you realize you made a mistake when you get to know me better, but by then it's too late."
I nod, going along with his joke, "It seems as though your plan doesn't work very well. You only have two friends."
Noah grins. "Ah, but what are you?"
I sigh dramatically. "I guess I'm stuck then, hey?"
"You should get used to me, because I'm not going anywhere."
I pretend to sulk, but we both know that's what I'm hoping.
A/N: oh sweet, young, blossoming friendships and love.
Side note, I just watched Sierra Burgess and I don't know what to think. Watch it for yourselves, there are parts that are so...odd? I don't even know anymore.
Let's just say I like To All the Boys I've Loved Before more.
xx, pacificoceans