Close As Enemies

Fourteen.

Now Playing... The Girl Who Cried Wolf 

    "Molly! Come downstairs!" Mom hollered, and I rolled out of bed, walking downstairs. When I entered the kitchen, mom and dad were standing at the kitchen, grinning as they pushed a cake toward me. The cake read "Congratulations, Molly! We love you! -Mom, Dad, and Wes. '' When I saw Wes' name, I almost choked on air. "We're so proud of you, Molly. You've worked so hard for captain and you are."

Both my mom and step dad hugged me before mom cut the cake. As she was cutting it into smaller pieces, Wes walked into the kitchen. We both sat at the table, the tension between us thick. After I ate a piece of cake, I walked to my room and dressed for school. Wes had been riding with GiGi lately, so I drove to school alone.

As soon as I sat at my desk in first period, my phone buzzed. Not to my surprise, it was another notification from the message board, telling me to end my life and what not. With a sigh, I shut my phone off, attempting to ignore what people said. It was easier said than done. When I looked up, Wes walked in, and I was surprised to not see him smirking. He walked back our row, stopping by my desk.

"We need to talk about... you know... what happened."

I rolled my eyes. "I told you I couldn't."

"Well, we have to eventually." I glanced at him, and he gave me a pointed look. "Whether you want to or not."

***

The rest of the day flew by. Nikki kept my mind occupied most of the day, and the other half, Wes annoyed me like usual. Surprisingly, it was one of my better days.

After school was over, I drove home and got a shower as soon as I arrived. Once I was finished, I dressed and brushed my hair, allowing myself to relax for a couple minutes. What I didn't expect when I left the bathroom was to see Wes lying on my bed, scrolling through my phone.

"What are you doing?" I panicked, trying to grab my phone, and he pulled it away, his eyes meeting mine. He frowned at me, looking at the screen again.

'Why didn't you tell me?"

"What do you mean?"

"About what people were saying about you online."

My heart dropped in my chest, and I froze.

He saw the message board.

I tried to be calm, but my mind was spinning, and I couldn't hold in my thoughts anymore. He had been tormenting me for months, and when he finally realized how everyone else had been treating me, he wanted to be my friend? There were some things I could let slide, but that wasn't one of them, and it was what pushed the avalanche of words to spill from my mouth.

"Because you don't care about me." I yelled, facing him with a glare. "I know you hate me, which is how I know you agree with them."

Hurt flashed through his eyes, and he stood, hesitantly moving closer to me. "That's bullshit. I care about you. I always have, and I always will."

"But we aren't friends anymore."

A stray tear slipped from my eye before I could stop it, and he wiped it away, his hand lingering on my cheek. "That doesn't mean I don't care about you or how people treat you."

I looked away from him, more tears trickling down my cheeks, and he pulled me to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I buried my head in his chest, my hands gripping his shirt tightly.

"Why would they say those kind of things?" I sobbed, and he sighed, his hand caressing my hair.

"I don't know, Molls. But you aren't any of those things and we both know it." He held me tighter. "We'll fix this, I promise. You won't have to worry about what they say ever again."

Wes laid down on my bed, still holding me in his arms until I stopped crying. Even after that, he continued to hold me, his fingers brushing through my hair. My eyes grew heavy, and I allowed myself to sleep comfortably in his arms.

And after all the time that had passed, I never thought I would feel at home in the arms of my enemy.