Patiently Waiting For Jared Holmes | on-going

XX

20.

I'd always spent my new years eve watching everybody else party from their social media whilst I was at home, comfy in my bed. I wasn't much for parties, not because I didn't like them, I just didn't ever get invited because nobody liked me enough to. Unless you were pretty or popular or a jock you got left out. People only knew me out of emission, my sister was popular and so was my best friend. My boyfriend too, but people didn't associate us like that.

I was okay with it though, being left out, because I didn't know what it felt like to be included so there was nothing to miss.

But this year I was witnessing it all first hand. Starting with Terri Mathews spinning me around his kitchen in a bear hug. For the first time in my life, I was being seen by people. It was strange. Usually it was for bad reasons, usually to do with a rumour that Jared had come up with.

I knew the only reason that Terri had Invited me tonight was because he knew about Jared and I, if he didn't then he probably wouldn't have ever spoken to me in the first place. But despite that I couldn't help but feel a certain amount of affection for him already. From what Jared had told me, Terri had a hard life. One that he hid well. That and Jared's persistence was the only reason that I had agreed to come tonight, that and I was hoping to spend some time with my best friend.

Katie had been avoiding me.

At first I thought that it had to do with something that I had done, maybe I hadn't been doing enough to be there for her or maybe I had said the wrong thing. Jared had to talk me out of a panic attack when I thought that she had somehow found out about Jared and I and decided that she hated me. But according to Jared, my sister and Nick, she had been avoiding all of us.

I'd tried to reach out to her countless times the last two weeks, ever since Christmas though I heard nothing but radio silence. I was worried about her but every time I tried to talk to her she shut me down.

I was more than surprised when she had asked me if I was coming tonight. She even offered to drive me. I thought that maybe whatever she had been going through was getting better but as soon as she walked through Terri's front door she had ditched me. I couldn't see her when I walked through the front room or here in the kitchen.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to drink tonight," Terri said to me once he'd finally put me down. I almost screamed when he spun me around the room. "Jared said you usually don't when I asked. So I got sodas and water in the fridge for you."

I smiled at that and followed him to the fridge. He wasn't kidding. The entire top shelf had been filled with cans of Dr Pepper and bottled water. He offered me a soda. "Thank you. How are you?"

He swung his arm around my shoulder and guided me through the kitchen towards the backyard, his beer in his other hand. "Hockey's got me tired as fuck but I'm cool. Thanks for asking shorty."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that short."

"You're like a little pocket rocket. That's what your boy calls you at practice anyway." Terri chuckles, his words surprising me.

"He calls me that?" I didn't know whether to laugh or smack Jared.

Terri shoots me a guilty look. "Don't tell him I said that."

"My lips are sealed. I'll blame it on someone else." I joked.

"I knew I liked you." He walked us outside and towards a circle of guys sitting by the pool. "Jared's been chewing my ears off all night, at least you're here to shut him up for a while."