My Best Friend's Girlfriend

Chapter 12

 When I'm finally out of the hospital, Biana clings to be like a lifeline. She constantly wants to hold my hand, and I'm dying for my personal space.

"So..." she begins cheerily at our lunch table the second day I'm back. "When do you want to go on a date?" I hold back my groan and smile back at her.

"Friday?" I suggest. "I'm kind of busy right now, though, so it can't be long." Biana nods.

"That works!" she agrees. "So you'll pick me up and take me to a restaurant."

"Sure," I realize how annoyed I sound and try to ramp up the excitement. "I'll surprise you with it." Biana grins.

"5:00?"

"Great," I finish eating my lunch as quickly as I can and depart to my next class. Fitz has been noticeably cold to me since I got back, although I'm hoping that will change when Biana and I go on a date. Fitz just so happens to be in my next class. He walks in after me, and sees me immediately, simply raising an eyebrow and walking to his seat.

"Hey, Fitz," I greet him with a sigh, walking up to his desk. "Listen, I'm sorry. I don't know what you want me to do."

"How about be nice to my sister, who you kissed and are now dating, and not hitting on my girlfriend!" He says a little too loudly. A few of our classmates stare at us. His words are a punch to the gut, and I take a small step away from him.

"I'm not hitting on your girlfriend," I tell him softly. "I'm friends with her. Is there a problem with that?" Fitz glowers at me.

"I don't care if you're friends!" he shouts in my face. "I care that you're hitting on her!"

"But I'm not," I snarl, raising my voice. "Trust me." I'm not hitting on Sophie, I think. I'm in love with her, but I'm not hitting on her. It strikes me how casually I can say that now, that I have no problem denying my love for Sophie anymore. Somehow, that makes me feel worse.

"Okay," Fitz sighs. "Sorry,"

"It's fine," I mutter, returning to my seat.

. . .

Friday comes all too soon. I get dressed in a polo shirt and khaki shorts and leave the house at 4:45 without a word to my father. To my dismay, he stops me on the way out.

"Where are you going?" he saunters into the hallway, raising an eyebrow. I sigh.

"It doesn't matter," I mutter.

"Yes," he insists. "It does. Where are you going?" I pause for a moment, my grip tight on the door handle, then I turn back around.

"I'm picking up a girl for a date." I inform him. "But since when do you give a shit about where I go?" My father scowls at me.

"Keefe," he reprimands me. "I'm your father, treat me with the respect I deserve." I gape at him, tears burning in my eyes.

"You think you deserve respect from me?!" I yell. "I'm not even sure if you count as a father!" I storm out of the house, slamming the door behind me. The tears are streaming now, but I climb in the car I'm renting until mine is done with repairs and try to pull myself together. I take deep breaths until I reach Everglen. Fitz comes out with Biana. Thankfully, he seems much more happy with me than he had been before.

"You want to go on a date with me too?" I joke as he climbs into his car. He leans out the window.

"Nah, I'm good," he laughs. "I'm picking up Sophie for our date." It feels as if a boulder has dropped into the pit of my stomach.

"Right," I sigh, opening the door for Biana. She giggles in climbs in. She's wearing a short pretty purple dress.

"You look nice," she compliments me.

"You do too," I reply, not making eye contact with her. I watch as Fitz drives away to take the girl of my dreams on a date while I take out his sister. The whole situation would be laughable if it weren't so painful. I drive to the nice restaurant I'd picked out. I hop out of my car first and open the door for Biana. She smiles at me, grabbing my hand as we walk inside. Every nerve in my body longs to yank away, but I hold onto her hand until we sit down at the table the waiter leads us to. We order, then he leaves us. The entire place is lit with candles, and couples sit all around us. My stomach turns.

"This is a good restaurant for a first date," Biana comments. Oh crap, I think as she leans a little closer. She wants me to kiss her again.

"Thanks!" I stand up quickly. "I have to go to the bathroom! Sorry!" I bolt away from our table. When I reach the bathroom, I lean over the sink, tearing my hands through my hair. I close my eyes tightly as if that would help hold in the tears.

When I've composed myself, I walk back to our table. Biana is playing with her fork. She smiles half-heartedly when she sees me.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lie. "Nervous I guess." The waiter walks over with our food, and I silently begin to eat. Some date, I think. Biana definitely doesn't look happy, and I feel a little bit bad for her. She deserves to date someone who likes her the way she likes him, and that's not me. Sadly, there's not anything I can do about that at the moment.

I expect Biana to order dessert in an effort to prolong the date, but when the waiter asks, she politely refuses. I pay, and when the waiter brings back my card, we leave. The night air is cold, but Biana doesn't reach for my hand. I open the car door for her once again, and she climbs in without a word.

"That was nice," I say uncomfortably in an effort to break the silence. Biana smiles at me.

"Yeah, it was," she says softly. I drive her back to Everglen, neither of us talking.

"Bye, Biana," I walk her up to her house. "See you on Monday." She nods, hugging me.

"Thanks, Keefe. Bye," she goes inside, and I return to my car with a sigh. The drive back home is as silent as ever. I bet Sophie and Fitz are having a great time on their date, I think bitterly. I pull into my driveway and walk inside, sneaking past my father. The sound of the TV blocks out my footsteps. I'm thankful we won't have another confrontation. With another sigh, I set my phone on my desk and get ready for bed. Laying down and staring up at the ceiling.

"It'll get better," I whisper, desperately hoping it's true.