Every String Attached | GirlxGirl

Chapter Nine

"If you think it sucks for you, imagine how it feels for her."

Shawn rolled her eyes. Although Chance wasn't here to see it, she was sure she could sense the gesture through the phone.

Chance continued, "Seriously, Shawn. You're angry because you can't communicate with her. But imagine her life. She probably meets tons of people that she wants to get to know but can't because she can't speak to them, and they can't speak to her. It's so easy for you, you just walk right up to a girl and within five minutes of talking to them, they're coming home with you. You said it yourself, it's not going to be easy."

"I don't know," Shawn sighed, "if there is even going to be an 'it.'"

"I thought you had your sense thing—you were so sure of it."

"I was. I definitely thought that it could be something... that there was interest there. I think I spoke too soon. I was basing it off of nothing. God, I'm stupid."

Chance groaned, "Shawn. You're literally the smartest person I know. Remind me what your final year of University average was?"     

"97%."

"97.4%," Chance corrected her. "Don't call yourself stupid when you know you aren't."

"Okay, I'm school smart, but with this, maybe not so much."

"Don't start with that self-pity stuff. You are smart, in school and out of it. And that's why you're going to figure this out. Because if anyone can make this work, it's you, Shawn," Chance assured her.

Shawn smiled. The hand that wasn't holding the phone against her ear was playing with a loose strand on the seam of her jeans—a nervous habit she had when speaking with anyone over the phone, which she hated. "Thanks, Chance."

"It just seems weird. Like, she remembered you and your cardigan, and then you said she was all smiley when you gave her the note. Maybe something happened... Bad day?" Chance suggested. "Something must have happened to make her uncomfortable. Maybe you're moving too fast, or something."

Chance was right.

As always, she was unmistakably right. Something had happened. Shawn hadn't seen York this morning when she first entered the Starbucks, but just from the way she walked by her booth when she was with Kyra, Shawn sensed something was off. And that's what it was.

Kyra.

"Oh my god, I think I know what it was," Shawn murmured. "Okay, Chance, I have to go—I have to figure something out."

"Alright, just don't drive yourself crazy. Remember it's your birthday tomorrow, and you only turn twenty four once," Chance said, hanging up immediately after.

Shawn fought the urge to throw her phone across the room, which would mean a hole in the drywall. She was seriously so, so stupid.

Shawn had handed York a note saying she was cute—that was a flirtation that was so obvious, anyone would have understood its intention—and the following day, showed up to her workplace with a beautiful girl.

York couldn't hear them. She couldn't have eavesdropped and heard that they were discussing a novel—that it was only and strictly a business meeting.

No wonder she was irritated with her.

And it wasn't like Shawn could pull on her coat now, run through the thick layer of snow that was growing and still falling, and walk back into Starbucks. She needed to let York calm down, just as she had herself, and figure out the best way to handle this. Because Shawn had never been good at handling these situations.