Always a Friend

Chapter 9

The next few days went by in a blur, and before I knew it, the last bell of the week rang, letting me know the weekend had started. It was really letting me know I had little over twenty-four hours before my date with Jude. A date that I was nowhere ready to go on. Not only was I not mentally prepared for my date with Jude, but I let Chloe and Sarah talk me into letting them come over and help me get ready for my date tomorrow night. Probably not one of my better decisions, but there was no way Ashton could help me with my hair and makeup. He'd have me looking like something that crawled out of a horror movie or, worse, a porn movie. 

"What time do you want us over tomorrow, Gem?" Chloe asked, walking up beside me. "Let me rephrase that. What time is he picking you up?" 

"He's picking me up at my house at six." 

"Sarah and I will be there around one tomorrow with food and our supplies. You're going to look so hot tomorrow he's not going to be able to keep his hands off you." She smiled. 

While she was smiling away, I was starting to panic. All the what-ifs were floating around in my mind. What if he wanted to kiss me? What if I wanted to kiss him and he didn't want to kiss me back, or What if halfway through the date, he realized he made a mistake asking me out? The more my mind wandered, the more I wanted to call the whole thing off. Who was I kidding? Thinking I could jump head-first into dating and asking for help from none other than the biggest man whore in school, Ashton Hughes. This had disaster written all over it. 

"Well, I need to get going; we'll see you tomorrow, Gem." Chloe headed off in the direction of her car across the parking lot toward the football practice field. For some strange reason, she liked parking over there, away from the rest of the other vehicles. She'd never admit it, but I think her parents told her to park over there so no one would bang into her new car. Chloe's parents were wealthy, so her car wasn't the typical teenager's vehicle. You know, the kind of car that has tons of miles and is almost as old as you. If I didn't know better, Chloe's car was newer than my mom's. Chloe didn't throw her money in our faces either, which was one of the things I loved about her. 

"Hey, Gem!" 

"Oh, my god..." I sighed, unlocking my car. 

"Where are your girls at?" Ashton smiled, looking around the parking lot. He had on a tight grey t-shirt that hugged his well-defined abs and a pair of blue jeans. He was indeed hot as hell, but it didn't change the fact he was Ashton Hughes, the biggest man-whore in high school. 

"Girls...I assume you're talking about my friends who have boyfriends." I raised an eyebrow. 

"Boyfriends..." His smile quickly disappeared. 

"Yeah...The same ones they've had since the beginning of the school year." 

"Really? Well, no one can resist my charm. See ya later, Gem." He started walking toward his car. He was about ten feet away from me when a group of four girls walked by, flirting with Ashton. They weren't in our grade because I didn't know who any of them were. I assumed they were seniors because lower grades weren't allowed to drive to school, and once they got his attention, they split up and went to their vehicles. I stood there shaking my head in disbelief. He truly was a man-whore. 

I felt disgusted, and the only way to feel like me again was to get some much-needed coffee. Which meant I'd have to go through the busy part of the city. I started my car and the pep talk as I made my way out of the school parking lot. I kept telling myself I could do this and nothing else; take all the side roads to avoid the hectic traffic. I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white as I sped down the road toward Sweet Escape with one thing on my mind...Coffee. Twenty minutes later, I saw the Sweet Escape sign, letting me know I'd survived my adventure and was minutes away from my iced latte. 

I walked into Sweet Escape and wanted to run out when I saw Claudia and Emma. I don't know if I'd call Emma Dyer Claudia's friend. She treated her more like a personal assistant than a friend. Emma went along with whatever Claudia said or did most of the time. Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard her say more than ten words in the same sentence. Part of me felt bad for Emma, but then again, I thought she was bitchy just like Claudia, and they were more alike than I realized half the time. 

I made a beeline to the counter, trying to avoid them like the plague, rushing past their table with my head down and turning slightly to the left, hoping they wouldn't recognize me. I was a few steps away from the counter when Claudia called out my name. I could've turned around and acknowledged her, but I did the childish thing and kept walking to the counter as if I didn't hear her. 

"Are you really going to act like you didn't hear me call your name?" 

The girl behind the counter, with her blonde hair up in a bun, stood there trading awkward glances between Claudia and me. Finally, the girl behind the counter said she'd give me a minute and walked away. I sighed and turned around. "What do you want, Claudia?" 

"I saw you talking to Ashton in the parking lot after school. You can't seem to stay away from my boyfriend." She flipped her red hair behind her shoulder. "This is your final warning. Stay away from him." She glared at me, tilting her head to the side. 

"You need a reality check. You two aren't together; if I remember correctly, you broke up with him. He doesn't want you back, and I don't want him." I pressed my lips together to keep from saying anything else to her. 

"Sure, whatever. Keep telling yourself that. Just remember what I said." She turned and motioned Emma to follow her toward the door. I stood there and watched them leave, wondering if she'd be able to find her car out in the parking lot, seeing she was so delusional. 

Author's Notes:

It's almost time for Gemma's date with Jude! 

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