I barely get any sleep Friday night, and by time Saturday rolls around, I spend two hours sulking in bed before I finally decide to get up and do something productive. I am not about to waste the day being upset over the stupidity of a guy that I never even dated.
A guy I was never supposed to like, in the first place.
A guy who couldn't possibly ever have feelings for me.
I groan aloud, after pulling a white pillow over my head.
Why am I so pathetic?
"Amara, this room is a mess," my mom scolds as she walks in and opens the curtains. The bright sunlight is blinding. "Do you have any plans with your friends today?"
"Not really," I admit. I'm not sure if I even have friends at the moment.
Mel is probably still mad at me.
April is out with Aiden.
And Rachel is Ryder's sister.
Who's left?
"Why don't you invite Daniel to go see a movie?" my mom suggests, causing me to raise an eyebrow. I'd forgotten about him.
"I'm not going on a date with Daniel," I scoff.
"It wouldn't be a date," she says, "but you know he has a hard time making friends."
I pause for a moment. Maybe she does have a point.
Daniel's the only person who could possibly give me some decent, unbiased advice. "Okay," I agree, swinging my legs off the edge of my bed and getting into an upright position. I feel a little dizzy, probably from sitting up too fast. "I'll go see what he's up to."
After a ten-minute shower and a bowl of cereal for breakfast, I head downstairs and knock on the door of Daniel's apartment. At least, I think it's his apartment.
There's no answer for a minute or two, and I contemplate heading back upstairs when finally, someone opens the door.
It's a blonde woman, in her mid-forties. "Good morning, Mrs. Anthony," I greet, trying not to sound too awkward. "I uh, I was looking for Daniel."
He appears in the doorway behind her, seeming to have just gotten out of the shower. His hair is wet and he has a beige towel tossed over his shoulder. His eyes go a little wide upon seeing me—its not every day that a girl comes to visit him, I guess.
"Hi," he says, sliding one of his hands into his jean's pocket. "Is everything alright?"
"Daniel," his mother scolds, "be polite."
He goes a little red with embarrassment, before inviting me to come inside. Mrs. Anthony, seemingly pleased with her son's invitation, leaves us alone and heads into the kitchen. I follow Daniel into the living room and take a seat on the couch.
"I'll be right back," he says, dashing into one of the rooms down the narrow hallway. He probably went to go ditch the towel. I smirk at the thought.
Oliver, Daniel's six year old brother, walks over to me. He has what looks like chocolate smeared at the side of his mouth and his baby blue eyes look even bigger underneath his glasses. He looks like a mini version of Daniel, I think, ruffling his hair affectionately.
"What's up, big guy?" I ask, offering him a high five. He returns it happily, before inquiring whether or not I'm Daniel's girlfriend.
"No," I laugh, "I'm just a friend."
"But you're a girl," Oli comments, sounding slightly confused. It's funny how little kids can be so puzzled by normal human interactions.
Before I can reply, Daniel returns and flicks his brother across the forehead. "I hope this little guy wasn't bothering you too much," he says to me.
"Not at all," I assure him, sending a quick smile in Oli's direction. The little boy runs off after that, giving Daniel and I the chance to talk.
"So, since we don't have to work today, do you wanna hang out, or something?" My words come out sounding kind of jumbled and awkward, much to my dismay.
"Sure," Daniel replies casually, taking a seat next to me. "There's supposed to be a street fair on Northern Boulevard today. Maybe we could check it out?"
"Yeah, that sounds cool." I'm not really a street-fair type of girl, but I decide that it's better than nothing.
"I'll ask my dad if I can borrow the car," he says, standing up. "We could leave in half hour or so."
"I mean, if that's alright with you," he adds.
I smile. "Sounds good. Let's meet downstairs in thirty?"
He agrees, and I think to myself, looks like I do have a friend, after all.
*
After meeting in our apartment building lobby, Daniel and I head down the block to where his grey mustang is parked.
"You're so lucky that your parents let you drive," I comment, as I climb into the passenger's seat.
"They trust me, I guess," he replies, putting the key in the ignition, "I wish they trusted me with other things."
"Your parents seem really cool though."
Daniel winces slightly at my comment. "My mom's kind of embarrassing."
"Mine too," I tell him, "I think it's a mom thing."
He laughs a little, while setting up the GPS on the dashboard. I hope he knows where we're going. Guys are supposed to have a better sense of direction than girls do, anyway.
Once we start driving, Daniel turns on the radio and Maps by Maroon 5 pours out of the speakers. "I love this song," I say, as I turn the volume up.
We basically jam out to whatever comes on for the next ten minutes or so, until an Ed Sheeran song starts to play and it gets awkwardly quiet.
"How's your friend?" Daniel asks suddenly, catching me off guard.
"Who, Melanie? I haven't really talked to her since the other day," I recall sadly.
"Maybe you should."
Of course, I want to. But I'm embarrassed with myself for defending Ryder, and sorry for being so mean to her about it. Mel clearly hasn't forgotten all the shit he put April through, and she just wanted to prevent the same thing from happening to me. I should've just listened to her. Then maybe I wouldn't be so hurt by the fact that Ryder is still in love with Nicolette.
I really should have seen that one coming.
"I will," I say simply, "eventually."
"Have you told the guy you like him yet?"
"What, ptsh-no!" I exclaim, a little too enthusiastically. I prop my elbow up on the armrest beneath the window and sigh. "He likes someone else, anyway."
"Are you positive?" Daniel asks.
"Yeah, I mean, I heard it from a pretty reliable source." It would be one thing to hear the rumor from a jealous ex, but his sister? I'm not sure it gets more reliable than that.
"I still think you should talk to him about it."
"That would do more harm than good," I figure. I've humiliated myself enough as it is, regarding this whole Ryder thing. I should just give it a rest.
"Whatever floats your boat."
He turns up the radio again, and we don't talk for the remainder of the drive.
*
The reason I decided to hang out with Daniel today in the first place was to avoid thinking about Ryder. So imagine my surprise when I see him standing only a few meters away.
Acting on instinct, I pull Daniel by the arm and force him to hide behind a Mexican food cart with me. "He's here!" I hiss, causing Daniel to look at me with wide-eyed confusion.
"Who's here?"
"Ryder! I mean, complicated-crush-guy," I choke out, not knowing how else to explain my state of utter panic.
"Where?" Daniel asks, poking his head out from behind the cart.
I immediately pull him back. "He'll see you!"
"He won't recognize me," Daniel retorts, yanking himself out of my grip. I feel stupid because he does have a point. "Where is he?"
"By the waffle truck," I direct him. "Leather jacket, blue jeans."
Daniel stretches his head over the mob of people crowding the road. "I see him," he says finally. "He's with some blonde girl."
"What?" I squeak, following the direction of Daniel's eyes. Surely enough, there's an unbelievably pretty girl to Ryder's left.
Nicolette.
Something inside me shatters, but I take a few deep breaths and try to maintain my composure. Daniel picks up on my discomfort and gives me a sympathetic look. "I see," he murmurs. "This must suck."
"Yeah," I breathe, smiling weakly. "But, that's life."
He pats my arm rather awkwardly, but I'm thankful for his attempt at a comforting gesture.
"You probably don't want to say out here," Daniel comments. "I can drive you back home if you want."
Suddenly, I'm hit with an idea. "Actually, can you do me a huge favor?"
"Sure..." He sounds slightly uncertain.
"Good." I take Daniel by the hand, and lead him straight into the crowd, heading toward Ryder's direction. The street is filled with families and other teenagers, which makes it easy to blend in.
"Check and see if he's looking," I tell Daniel. I still haven't let go of his hand.
My grip tightens as we approach them, and his hand is becoming slightly clammy.
"No, he's still talking to—" he pauses for a second, "...isn't that the same crazy chick who was bitching off to you the other day at work?"
I want to laugh at his description, but considering the circumstances, I'm able to keep a straight face. Ryder is only a few feet away now and I can hear my heartbeat drumming in my chest. The intensity is painful, and I silently pray that I don't die of a heart attack before I can slide past him.
A few seconds later, Daniel and I are parallel with the two of them. There are a few people walking between us, acting as a buffer that fills up the width of the road. Being in the middle of a large crowd has never been more convenient. I look straight ahead as we pass them, pretending to be completely oblivious to their existence.
Daniel and I keep walking and I don't look back until we reach a safe distance. At nearly thirty meters away, I probably wouldn't be able to recognize Ryder if it weren't for the sharp contrast of his pale skin against the black of his leather jacket.
"Put your arm around me," I instruct Daniel, who reluctantly complies.
"AJ are you sure this is a good—"
"Just go with it," I cut him off. I'm not usually so demanding, but then again, I'm not usually forced to watch the guy I like while he's out with another girl. Ryder looks over in our general direction, but then turns back to Nicolette, as if he didn't see us. He says something to make her laugh, and my stomach does a back-flip.
I position Daniel in front of me and gently wrap my arms around his neck. "What are you doing?" he asks, but I don't reply. Instead, I am mentally preparing myself for what I'm about to do.
The second Ryder looks in our direction again, it's my cue. Before my mind can even catch up to what my body is doing, I press my lips against Daniel's. He stumbles back a little in shock, but knowing him, he's too polite to push me away. His hands grip my waist and despite the abruptness of the kiss, I feel him slowly giving in.
No, my mind shouts at me, this is wrong. Daniel has never been anything but nice to me, and here I am using him to make another guy jealous. When did I become such a selfish jerk?
I break the kiss almost as quickly as it began, and Daniel and I share the same wide-eyed expression over what had just taken place. But when I peer over his shoulder, something else catches my attention.
Ryder is staring directly at me.
A/N: Sorry for the slow updates this week. I'm jam-packed with school work. *Cries* But hope you enjoyed the chapter, remember to vote/comment, and thanks for reading! :)