CHANGES [eric matthews]

My Best Friends Girl

↳CHAPTER 3.1
My Best Friend's Girl.
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『 "Cory, that's a closet." 』
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SUMMER WAS GOOD TO ERIC MATTHEWS.
It was always obvious he was attractive. Maybe he wasn't the most popular boy at John Adams High, but oh, was he a ladies man. He always had this unshakable charm and approachable aura surrounding him, but this year, his senior year, something was different. It could have been the light sun-kissed tan from his weekend at the beach, or the way his dirty blonde hair had grown out in a messy, yet soft manner. It also could have been his change in style, previously preppy and stiff, to a casual bundle of warm sweaters and silver rings to accompany the hands girls seemed so eager to hold.

Whatever it was, people noticed.

There was someone in particular who noticed, and her name was Beckett Hunter. It was hard for her not to, when she spent 99% of her summer vacation with him. The Matthews invited her and Shawn to their many family outings so they weren't cooped up in Jonathan Turner's apartment all summer, which both were appreciative of.

And although Beck and Eric enjoyed their time together and got closer the sooner their senior year approached, the girl couldn't help but notice the agitating way girls stared at him everywhere they went, and the even more agitating way he indulged in it.

She had to withstand the multitude of make-out stories the boy had, one leading to a more... extensive turn of events that made Beck get extremely red. She really wished he would talk to this with anyone else than her, but he claimed she was now his best friend.

It wasn't that Beck disagreed (although she did, entirely) with this statement, it was simply that she felt uncomfortable with it. Jason had been both of their best friends since what felt like the dawn of time. But now that him and Beck had broken up, it felt like a piece of them was missing.

He said nothing would change, but then he stopped showing up. He stopped dropping by on random Tuesday nights with crappy store brand taco shells and making cupcakes that rose too far out of their liners. He stopped hitting them across the room with rubber bands and making smart-ass comments.

It was like he had died, but their first week of senior year, when he was surrounded by the majority of the basketball team, it was evident he had just moved on.

Both Beckett and Eric tried to reach out, tried to make things better, but nothing worked. Beck could see the way it effected Eric, though he chose not to say anything. Instead, he insisted Beck came over, insisted she kept him sane, which she very well tried.

And then, of course, there was Shawn, who became her voice of reason this summer, while she became his. Sure it had always been this way, but now that they were growing up, the conversations became less one sided for the older girl, which she liked greatly. It was weird that her little brother was like an actual human being now and not just some toddler tripping over his feet.

He helped her make all kinds of decisions, one not being college. He wasn't exactly helpful on that front, saying she didn't need to go if he wasn't ("That is the dumbest logic I've ever heard, Shawn."). They had argued about it multiple times, and no matter how much she pried at why he didn't want her to go, he wouldn't budge. So she gave up and applied on her own.

she applied to Penn State, and a few other local schools like Millersville, Kutztown, and Pennbrook. She even looked into a few community colleges. Her grades were average and her SAT score was enough. She wouldn't find out for a few months, but she just hoped something would work out in her favor.

The only thing that worried her was the financial aspect. It was no secret how poor her family was, and even more so now that both of her parents were currently M.I.A. She wasn't sure when they'd be back or if they'd be able to help her pay for college, and that good old babysitting money surely wouldn't be enough.