Okay, let me start with apologising for taking aaaages to update! I've been really busy, and I just haven't had the time to write. I've had a sever case of writer's block to top it all off!
Also, after reading through previous chapters, I've realised this story needs major editing and reviewing. I'll definitely go through, edit and change things around but for now it will have to do. Anyway, here is chapter fifteen and I hope you like it. Thank you so much for sticking around.
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FIFTEEN
I wasn't exactly known for being the type of person who chickened out at the last minute. But seeing Joan's pale body and hopeful face beaming at me as she entered my house at 6pm, I completely wussed out.
"Hey Adara!" She practically shouted, throwing her hands around me. "I really haven't heard from you all that much lately."
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sorry about that. I've been pretty busy with a bunch of stuff."
"A bunch of stuff wouldn't mean a certain boy, would it?" She mocked, leaning the conversation to my whereabouts the night before.
I rolled my eyes and returned her embrace. "Come upstairs." I instructed.
She squealed and rushed past me. "You know how excited I am to hear about this, right?"
I gave a fake smile and nodded. I couldn't do it. I couldn't tell Joan. It was Danyl's world and if he wanted me to tell someone about it he would have told me to. But he didn't and so I wouldn't tell her.
"Look," I said, closing my bedroom door behind me, "There's so much going on that I really don't know where to start."
"Start with you and Danyl," Joan helpfully piped in, "what's the deal with you two? You haven't been dating that long, yet you're so wrapped up in him you haven't had time for me."
With an uneasy nod of agreement, I continued. "The thing is, Danyl and I are kind of really serious about this."
"Well, duh and or hello," Joan whined, "tell me something I don't know."
"It's crazy though, right?" I laughed, "I haven't known him for long at all."
Joan laughed with me, brushing her dark hair aside and giving me her full attention. "Maybe it was one of those love at first sight things. Like maybe you were supposed to crash into his car. Which, by the way, is the weirdest way somebody has ever gotten a boyfriend."
I punched her softly in the arm. "That's not how I got a boyfriend, you idiot," I said defensively, "that's just how I met him. Don't twist the story."
"Okay, okay," she giggled, "continue your story."
I had to think of something to say. It didn't make sense that I didn't remember much of the night before. I thought of how Joan had to cover for me when my mother texted asking how I was doing and that was when I realised that Danyl had lied to me.
He had said that he told my mother I was staying with him and that she was convinced.
But my mum had texted Joan asking how I was doing..
Did Danyl lie to me? I asked myself. Maybe he got his words mixed up and was supposed to say Joan's house and not his own. Or maybe he hadn't spoken to my mother at all.
I was beginning to wonder why I even cared since she was quite obviously convinced with where ever I was staying. But still...Danyl may have lied to me.
"Hello?" Joan's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Earth to Adara!"
I cleared my throat and spoke. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, putting the back of her hand to my forehead. "You don't look so great."
"I just have a lot on my mind." I said. I definitely had a lot on my mind. And I wished I could tell her but I just couldn't.
Joan sighed and wrapped her arms around me. "I don't know what's going on," she said, hugging me tighter, "but you're my best friend and I know when you don't want to talk about something. So don't. It's okay."
I released myself from her embrace and looked at her surprisingly. "Are you sure? I mean you wanted so badly to hear it and I just - "
"No really, it's cool," she shrugged, "I don't want to pressure you into telling me if you don't want to. You'll share it when you're ready, right?"
I nodded. "You're the coolest friend ever." I smiled.
Joan ended up staying the night. We ordered pizza, watched movies and stayed up for hours just talking about our lives and where we hoped to be in the future. At about 2am, we finally decided it was time to go to sleep.
Just as I was about to doze off, Joan tapped me on the shoulder. "You awake?" She whispered.
"Yeah," I replied.
She crawled from her mattress on the floor - that I had to clean pretty much my whole room to place there - and onto my bed, cradling her knees in close to her chest. "Can I tell you something?" She asked.
I laughed. "As if you didn't just spend hours telling me everything we needed to catch up on," I joked.
I couldn't see her face thanks to the darkness but I assumed she had an annoyed expression on. "I'm serious, Adara," she said, a little more loudly, "you can't tell anybody this."
"Sure," I said, reaching for her hand and linking my pinky through hers, "pinky promise. Tell away."
She took a deep breath in and exhaled for what seemed like much longer necessary. "I like Clayton." She said.
I felt my lips curving into a smile. I knew it.
"Adara?"
"Yeah?"
"Why aren't you saying anything? This is a huge problem." She whimpered.
"Problem? Are you joking? This is fantastic! You guys would be perfect together." I called excitedly.
I squinted and saw her shaking her head. "No we wouldn't. We're just friends, Adara. He doesn't like me like that."
"How do you know?" I asked, putting on a sad voice.
"I just do," she responded, "I mean, sure, every now and then our hands brush together and I used to think he did it on purpose but it's so obvious now that he doesn't. He doesn't even look like he notices it happening. He always says "bro-hug!" and that's all I'll ever be to him - a bro. He doesn't like me, Adara, I know it."
This time I wrapped my arms around her. "You don't know it, you just think it," I said, receiving no response. I tried again. "How long have you liked him?
"Remember last year when he dated Lindsay Pagan and I stayed home from school for a week? It was because I realised I liked him."
And all this time, Clay and I had just assumed she got really sick. I wish I'd been there for her. I felt totally guitly. "Sorry for being such a crappy friend and not noticing," I said.
"It's okay," she laughed, "you're not a crappy friend at all."
Neither of us said anything after that and she ended up falling asleep next to me like she used to when we were younger. I hopped out of my bed and pulled the blankets up over her. I spread myself out on the mattress on the floor and smiled. Why? Because, at that moment, my life felt completely normal.
But that feeling didn't last long.
It didn't last long at all.
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Okay I know I had an author's note at the beginning of this chapter but for some reason I want to write another one. I am really, reaaaally sorry for not updating this story. I sort of took a break from Wattpad and didn't really update anything for ages. I'm so sorry. I hope you like this chapter, but I'm sorry it's kind of short. There'll be more to come! Thanks for all the reads, votes and comments. You guys are so amazing.
//Adyson//