Saving Zelda Sparks

28 | Wrong

It's almost funny, how my perception can change so easily. Completely flip with only one new piece of information. The car ride ride there was nothing like the fun we had on our way to Tennessee. There was no laughing, no singing, no moments where I wasn't worried sick. I couldn't enjoy the scenery like I did last time. Couldn't think of anything other than how we could be too late. How I'd go to hell and back to keep him safe. I know, I've been there.

We had been friends since forever. Or at least ever since I remember. I can't quite recall when we first met, but I suppose it could be blamed on school. He was just always.. there. We weren't friends at first, actually. He was a bit of a bully, I swear he hated my guts. I'd hang out with him and a group of other kids, and we'd run around town and get into trouble. I didn't know why he picked on me and teased me, I remember once he even dared me to climb onto a roof though I'm pretty sure I didn't get hurt. So i'm not sure if I would have exactly called him my friend until that day.

My Aunt Jessica's funeral. Everyone thought I'd have to leave town, including Francis. I remember it like it like it was yesterday. Just the two of us - he was rambling about how I was leaving and we wouldn't see each other again, and it was all too much until he crashed his lips onto mine. It only lasted for a moment, but it felt like an eternity. My life was ending, I didn't know what to do. So I ran.

I was ecstatic when they decided to let me live with my mother, still being able to go to the same school and it turned out that I now lived in the same neighborhood as Francis. I wasn't excited about it in general, just that his words yesterday weren't true. That we had the chance to see each other again. Until he told me we were just friends, and brushed the kiss off like it was nothing.

Xena knows something is wrong she knows how upset I am, but she doesn't know why. No one did. We were a secret, a lapse in time. We weren't here when we were together, we were somewhere else. I don't understand our relationship to this day, but I do know that I loved him. That I still do. Even if we were always 'just friends'.

My mom didn't hover, I was thankful for that at least. She didn't care where I was most of the time, I don't think she even realized I was at his house. Since we kissed it had been different, he didn't always tease me and invited me to his house. We'd play video games and he'd beat me and laugh. I'd spend the night and we'd sleep together. But it wasn't anything like that, we were just friends. Even when we kissed. We were just friends... Things changed when Xena moved into the neighborhood and it kind of just stopped. We did everything as a group more, but it was obvious that we cared about each other. He always cared too much about me, even years later. Even now, though we haven't talked about any of that since it ended.

I knew instantly when we were in town, everything was exactly how we had left it. Although everything that had been building up this ride was coming to an end, I felt more nervous than ever. What if he wasn't okay? What if we were running into a trap?