Blindsided

28

A/N: My apologies for the late update. Technically, it is still Thursday my time, but I'm sure that's not the case for many of my readers. It's spring break coming up, so I doubt I'll have another late update again for a while. I know it's also late, but I forgot that I had made an aesthetic for Paige and Simon's trip to Boston. Go check it out on Chapter 23! Don't forget to vote! Next update Thursday (28).

...

"You wouldn't believe how hard Kristina rolled her eyes at me today. I'm surprised they didn't get lost in the back of her head," I snickered. Simon rolled his eyes, but not nearly as dramatically as his girlfriend had.

After keeping our winning streak going for 12 games, Simon decided to invite himself over to use the hot tub. The rest of the guys were on their way, but Simon had asked to drive home with me.

"Sounds like you did something to provoke it," he mumbled. I let out a gasp and looked at him in horror.

"Did you just refer to your girlfriend as 'it'?"

He laughed and shrugged. "She stole my last hoodie. I have little patience for her at the moment."

I let out a humorless laugh. "Kristina wouldn't be caught dead in a sweatshirt. Why is she stealing yours?"

"I dunno. Probably to show that we're together and throw out later," he growled.

Simon had never gotten angry when I complained about Kristina to him, so this was the first time he had ever come even remotely close to saying something bad about her.

"What's up Si? You don't seem like yourself," I pointed out. He shrugged and the water rippled. The jets were off, so I could see the bright green of his swim shorts. They were nearly blinding, and I told him that everytime he wore them, but that only seemed to make him want to wear them more.

"I can't talk about it Paige," he replied. My best friend couldn't talk to me about something? We told each other everything. I couldn't imagine anything that he could tell me that would make me love him any less.

"What? Why not?" My voice was small, nearly silent. I caught his eyes from where he tried to focus on the water and he looked almost pained to tell me.

"It's just not really any of your business. I'm sorry Paige, I'd tell you if I needed to," he defended.

Simon had been a part of my life for the majority of it and not once had he told me that there was something that wasn't any of my business. We had always turned to each other the second anything major went on in our lives. When his dad wanted Simon to spend the summer with his grandparents in Toronto? I was the first person he told that he was going to run away before he let his dad ship him off for two months.

When my parents told me that my aunt and uncle were coming to visit and they were bring their kids with them? Simon was the person I vented to when I thought that meant that they were coming to move in with us. This guy was my safety raft, and now it just felt like he was pushing me away. And the worst part was that he looked sad that he had to do it. I couldn't even make him feel guilty; he already was.

He tried to change the topic, but I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. "How do you think we're gunna do in the tournament next weekend?"

The only reason I heard the words was because I was putting every bit of energy I had into listening to him. They didn't even register in my mind.

"Seriously Paige. Don't even worry about it—"

But I was already getting out of the hot tub. My stomach was churning and I didn't even know why. Simon had the right not to tell me stuff, but it still bothered me that he couldn't. I trusted him with anything, but it seemed like that wasn't the case for him anymore.