With or without you

Chapter 5

"Not feeling it either?" Her voice startled me a bit. I wasn't really expecting anyone to talk to me, let alone her.

"Uh yeah, not really." She sat down on the couch next to me and took a drink out of her water bottle. I had only come to this party with Gray because he knew Nicole would be here. Even though he was supposed to be with me the whole time he started playing beer pong outside, so I decided to come inside and find some place to hang out and not be around so many people. I was already debating on whether or not I should just call someone to take me home when she came up.

"Yeah me too." I already knew who she was. Everyone knows who she is. I didn't think she knew who I was though.

"You're friends with Grayson, right?" I guess that's how she knows me. I think that's how everyone knows me.

"Yeah." She just looked at me. I think she could tell that she could tell that I was uncomfortable.

"I really hate parties. I only came because my friends wanted to." I just smiled a bit. I never thought that she wouldn't like these kinds of things.

"Yeah, me too." I said gesturing to where Gray was outside chugging something out of a red solo cup while his friends cheered.

"Are you hungry?" I contemplated the question.

"Umm yeah, I am."

"Perfect, me too. Let's go get something to eat."

"I can't just leave Gray." We both looked outside to see Gray high fiving his friends.

"I think he'll be okay."

"Yeah, okay." I sent him a text that said I was going to leave and get food. I saw him look up and give me a stupid smile. I smirked and waved at him. I know he'll get home okay. His friend Dylan always takes us home because he doesn't drink. That was before we got our drivers licenses. I followed her out to her car and got in. I've never talked to her in my life, and now I was in her car. She was playing her music while we drove. I didn't know where we were going but if I'm being honest I didn't really care. Anywhere was better than that party. Gray and I had gotten there at around 9 o'clock. Once we got there, Gray went to the kitchen to get a drink and I followed. I've only been to a handful of parties, and it was only when Gray would practically beg me to go with him. I don't mind going to parties, but my presence at these social events isn't a regular occurrence. We had been stalking around the house, moving from friend group to friend group. After a while we moved outside and that's when he started playing beer pong.

"We have English together, right?"

"Yeah."

"I've always meant to talk to you but you leave so fast after class." I felt myself blush. She's noticed me?

"Yeah. I always walk with Gray."

"I've never heard anyone call him Gray." I smiled when I realized that she's right. Everyone calls him Grayson. I think me and his family are the only ones who call him Gray. In middle school I remember him saying for people not to call him Gray because he's not a color. I don't think he liked the connotations that came with the color gray.

"Are you two together?" I wanted to roll my eyes but I wouldn't. I didn't want to be rude.

"No. We're just friends."

"Well that's cool." She took a drink out of her milk shake. She probably just wanted to make sure Gray was single. This has happened more than you think. I've had a lot of girls start to pretend to be friendly with me so they can get to Gray. It's never malicious or anything like it may sound, but it does happen. I don't blame them though. Gray is a catch, with his athletic build, his tall stature, not to mention the green eyes with his dark features. If we're being candid I've thought about dating Gray before, but it'd be to weird. I only thought about dating him when we were first becoming friends. After I'd gotten to know him though, I knew that we would only ever be friends.

I turned my attention back to her as I ate a few more fries. I don't know much about her. Only that everyone knows of her. She doesn't have a bad reputation or anything but she knows a lot of people. She's always been really nice too. At last years prom she won best smile. I had always seen her in English class, but if I'm being honest I don't really care for her other friends. The girl she sits next to, Charlette, has never been a nice person. One time in gym class in middle school, she stared making fun of this one girl in the locker room because she had bigger boobs than most of us and it was obvious when she ran. The girl had to go home because she was so embarrassed. I remember crying to Gray about it later because I felt so bad for the poor girl. It wasn't her fault that she developed earlier than the rest of us. But that's Charlette.

"Do I make you nervous?" She asked.

"Why would you think that?"

"I can kind of tell by the way you look at me." She looked down at her food and started mixing her shake with her straw.

"I wouldn't say nervous. I guess I'm just trying to understand why you wanted me to come eat with you." She looked down at her shake again.

"You were the only other person who looked like they didn't want to be at that party." I laughed a little.

"Yeah, you got me on that."

"Being here with you is better."

I stared at the text. Just three words. I started crying again. Just a single tear fell on my phone. I wiped it away. I don't know what to do.