Why stop at just friends?

C H A P T E R | 4

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My best friend was absent again, another two days before she returns from her grandmothers house in Detroit. The day was moving slowly, but my emotions were rapidly pacing back and forth.

I entered the cafeteria, but paused and stared at the crowdedness. I was far too impatient to wait for food. Whirling around, I left immediately and decided to go to a spot I discovered at the back field. Walking down a hall leading to the side of the school, three students emerged and I mentally face palmed. Phoenix glanced my way, and I instantly looked away, ahead of me. I didn't want to see his face, not after yesterday and his comment. I didn't want to know he even existed.

"Ay, ain't that the girl you have to sit with?" His friend, Trey, asked, referring back to class. Him and Jake were the allies of Phoenix that shared our class.

"Sure is," Phoenix grumbled, forcing a sarcastic smile when I slid my annoyed gaze his way. "Hi there kitty!" I ignored him, and his other friend, Jake, laughed.

"She don't like you." He observed. What a fucking genius. Someone, hand him an award.

"Awh that's no way to behave." Phoenix pushed, taunting me. I continued to ignore their taunts, passing them where they stood. "Not surprised, most...nerdish prudes are uptight." He added and I stopped in my tracks, slowly turning around.

He took my need to ignore him as being uptight? Why? Because I wouldn't give him answers to personal questions? Because he allowed his friends to make embarrassing implications that it was a surprise for him to bother with me, poor Phoenix right? That because I dared put him in his place, he had the need to then proceed to insult me, my previous relationship and imply that it's no surprise to see me single, when he didn't even know what exactly happened in my realtionship in the first place?

I'm not ever that rude to someone, especially a person I barely know, but he was pushing buttons that were already pushed and caved in. He was rude, because he didn't like that I didn't want to answer him. Rude, because he didn't appreciate someone coming back at him, but that makes me the uptight one now?

And prude? Really?

"At least I don't need attention in order to feel wanted by others." I gritted out through clenched teeth. His smile faded, his friends eyes widened in surprise at the fact that I actually came back at them.

"What the fuck are you implying?" He asked, biting his lower lip in annoyance.

"Exactly that. You do understand what it means to be called an attention seeker, right...kitty?" I teasingly said, emphasising the pet name, kitty, while narrowing my eyes at the same time as wrinkling my nose.

"Oo damn, cat fight." Trey smirked at me. Phoenix only stared at me blankly, no expression on his face. His eyes had a look in them I didn't understand, and it was making me feel a certain way I couldnt recognise.

Turning around, I walked away as Jake chuckled and said, "She's definitely a prude." Fuck him. I think I hate Jake equal to Phoenix, who strangely remained quiet as I walked away, but I could still feel his eyes on me.

-

Hey, we shuld talk.

- Ryan.

I threw my phone on the bed and shook my head. Does he really think I will talk? More importantly, why am I still keeping his phone number? Maybe because it's living proof that we did have something together, that even the quiet nerdy girls can get the so called "popular" kid.