✓ | ESCAPE ROOM ( WYATT OLEFF )

vi. kind of nice

CHAPTER SIX.
[ vi. kind of nice ]
/ IRL /

     CARTER SIGHED AS she sat her phone face down, resting her cheek on her hand. She looked at all her friends, her mind drawing a blank yet it was racing. She wanted Maryland as she told a joke, making everyone laugh besides Jayden, who was eyeing Carter. "You good, Carter?" He asked, furrowing her brows. She shrugged sheepishly, huffing.

"I guess," she breathed out, straightening back up but still slumped down.

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked, trying to get involved in the one-on-one conversation. The ginger shrugged again, hanging her head down to look at her lap.

"Stuff," Carter said so nonchalantly, licking her lips.

"You can talk to us," Quinn stated reassuringly, making Carter feel a bit guilty for hiding her emotions. The girl shrugged again, exhaling sharply.

     "People playing with your emotions suck," Carter stated bluntly, shocking and confusing the four friends. "I don't know, maybe I'm being . . . overdramatic."

     "I'm overdramatic all the time and I'm just fine," Maryland explained with glee, receiving doubtful looks from them all. The cocky girl glanced at them; confused. "What?" Jayden sighed and rolled his eyes before turning back to Carter.

     "What're you talking about?" The boy asked getting legitimately confused. "Is it about losing the soccer game yesterday?" She glared at him, knowing he touched a nerve.

     "You don't bring up losing soccer games and her family," Quinn whispered, making Jayden nod and purse his lips.

     "No it's not about losing the soccer game, even though it was my fault," Carter muttered, sinking deeper into her seat. She paused, trying to figure out what to say. "Even if I don't act like it, it's kinda nice to have someone flirt with you." Their facial expressions changed, knowing almost exactly who it is, all besides-

     "Who is it?!" Cordelia asked excitedly, a wide smile forming on her face. They all sat in silence, giving her a look she didn't quite understand. "What? I just wanna know wh-"

     "Where have you been for the past week and a half?" Maryland asked sternly, making Cordelia think. Then, the slow girl's mouth dropped in realization. Carter rolled her eyes and ignored her. "And you all call me slow."

     "So, what about Wyatt?" Quinn asked getting intrigued in the conversation. Carter, once again, shrugged sheepishly.

     "I don't know, I may be overthinking it." She paused, tapping her fingernails on the table and bouncing her leg. "I just liked it when someone flirted with me for a change. Like, maybe someone actually liked me like that," she explained sincerely, her voice getting softer.

     It was rare for her friends to see her like this. Usually, the broad ginger was keeping her guard up and didn't let anyone get to her, but this was different.

     "But now, none of that was real," she finished, swallowing the lump in her throat.

     "What do you mean it wasn't real?" Quinn asked getting a bit irritated. Not at Carter, but at Wyatt for toying with her emotions. Carter waited a second before taking out her phone, pressing on 'Instagram' and going to her and Wyatt's messaging. She held out her phone, handing it to Quinn. Jayden and Cordelia looked over the brunette's shoulder as Maryland whined since she wanted to see.

     "Hold on, Mary," Carter muttered, casually waiting for them to all stop reading. Cordelia and Quinn's mouths dropped, except for Jayden who was trying to keep calm. Carter was like the sister he never had, so he cared deeply. At least, that's what he told himself. "I was never expecting for us to ever date, but it was just . . . nice, ya' know?" Quinn slowly handed the ginger's phone back to her who handed it straight to the eager girl beside her.

     "Celebrities are so fake is literally disgusts me," Cordelia stated, licking her lips.

     "It's not right for someone to play with someone's else emotions like that," Quinn said sincerely, trying to show that she cared.

     "I was never expecting for us to date or anything, but it was just really nice to think someone had a crush on you and would take time out of their day just to flirt," Carter explained, her facial expression becoming more sad. "Especially if it was a celebrity flirting with some lowlife like me."

     "Cart, you aren't a low-"

     "What a bitch!" Maryland shouted, cutting Cordelia off as she was trying to talk. Her friends and some bystanders around her all stared at her. "Well I mean it's true!" The loud girl handed Carter back her phone, who instantly shut it off not looking at the messages.

"I'm just being overdramatic. He's just some . . . actor who wouldn't even think twice dating me," the ginger breathed out, sitting up straighter.

"You should stop talking to him," Jayden stated flatly after being silent trying to think amongst himself. Carter became shocked and a bit off guard.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked looking over at the serious boy.

"Your life was just fine before you met him. It'll be just as fine if you act like you never met him," Jayden explained, leaning back in his seat and lifting up his eyebrows.

"I'll just distance myself," Carter finished, looking around at all her friends. "I don't need someone to play with my emotions, but I cant just stop talking to him overall."

"Yea, Jay. It takes time when you have a crush on someone," Maryland corrected.

"I do not have a crush on him!" Carter exclaimed, getting defensive.

"I mean, it's kind of obv-"

"Mary, it would be best to shut up right where you are," Cordelia warned, looking at the ginger's face who was about ready to explode. Maryland's eyes widened, knowing she touched some sort of nerve.

"It's too early to see if there is even some sort of . . . feeling, anyway," Quinn nervously chuckled, biting her bottom lip.

     "I just gotta keep my mind off Wyatt," Carter huffed, flashing a fake smile. "Can't be that hard, right?"

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LOL THIS SUCKS RIP ME. EVERYTIME I WRITE A WYATT FIC I ALWAYS END UP MAKING IT TOO FAST