Starting Off Wrong [𝐠𝐱𝐠]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓: 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

I fiddle around with the hair elastic, stretching it and shrinking it. I look up at Aurelia, packing her backpack. She's wearing a long-sleeve with a plaid overall skirt. I adore her outfit. Or maybe I just adore her.

I look back down at the elastic. Do I even want to see Everest? I'm not sure. I don't feel any sort of excitement towards seeing him. Maybe it's because I haven't seen him in a while. I'm sure once I see him, I'll gain my feelings back.

"Hey you," Aurelia says, shaking me awake from my daydreams. Seeing me jump, she apologizes. "I'm sorry, I thought you were frozen."

"That's okay," I smile at her. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" I think a bit before answering. "About Everest," I lie. It's not technically a lie. I am thinking about him, just not in the way she expects me to. I'm surprised by myself. I thought I liked Everest, but if I did, I'd surely be jumping out of my chair to see him. Instead, I'm ruining my hair elastic, thinking about what happened.

Maybe it's Odette. It's a possibility that she could be ruining my mood. I haven't heard from her since she called. I just have this horrible gut feeling that she's planning something. She wouldn't just let me get away with standing up to her, oh no. I just know she has some terrible idea up her sleeve.

I rub my forehead, tired from thinking. Odette, Everest. I just don't want to think anymore. Why can't this be more simple?

"Can I be honest with you, Aurelia?" Aurelia turns to me and smiles. "Of course," she says, but I notice the nervousness in her smile. "It's not about you," I reassure her. "It's just"—I take a deep breath—"I kind of don't want to go."

Aurelia looks at me carefully and slowly asks, "Why?" She walks closer to me and asks, "Is everything alright?"

I watch Aurelia's face, coming to a realization. She was excited to go to this game. I can't just say I don't want to go. She actually won't go and I'll ruin her night. I'll fix this.

"I'm just kidding," I smile as I scratch the back of my head. "Are you sure?" Aurelia asks, hesitant since I brought it up in the first place. I nod. "I'm just feeling nervous. This is the first time I'll see Everest since getting drunk." I look away from her and say, "It's sort of embarrassing."

That is definitely not a lie. I truly am embarrassed by my behavior that night. I hope I didn't scare him off.

"Don't worry about that," Aurelia comforts me. "He didn't mind one bit by the way you were acting. In fact, I think it made you two more closer since there was no barrier of awkwardness to break through."

I stand up, getting off the bed. "Yeah, you're right." Aurelia turns to me and says, "Of course I am—" She stops short, looking at me.

"What?" I slowly ask. Do I have something on my face?