Dandelions

Chapter 9

I looked over the lunchroom looking for my friends. As much as I wanted to sit with Evan and the guys, I wanted to sit with the girls just a little bit more. I looked around for a little while longer before finding all of them sitting down. The table was about five feet away from Evan's group.

I approached them holding my lunch tray near me. "Jaren!" Kelly yells grabbing everyone else's attention. I smile and sit down besides her. She gives me a side hug and I laugh. Chrissy smiles at us.

"Finally you came back, you dick!" Lanai says. "Don't leave us again, you ass," Sami says smirking. These girls were some of my closest friends. I've known Simone and Chrissy the longest but I love them all equally. These girls are my family and I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. "Hi, I don't believe we've met! I'm Aliyah," a dark skinned girl says getting my attention. "I'm Jaren."

Once Simone started talking everyone was listening. Simone or Chrissy were the leaders of this little group with Kelly being the fun drunk Aunt, Lanai being the sweet sister, Simone being the strict mom, Chrissy being the gaming mom, Sami being the meme god, Lauren being a second strict mom, and Aliyah the funny dad. At some point my mind started to wander and I found myself looking over at the guys. All of them were laughing and smiling.

Marcel and Scotty were having a conversation, Craig and Tyler looked like they were arguing, Brian seemed to be flirting with an oblivious brock, David was flirting with Lui except Lui wasn't oblivious like Brock was, then there was Evan.

He wasn't really talking to anyone, he was kind of talking to Anthony but his mind was clearly somewhere else. Anthony eventually joined someone else's conversation and Evan was left to himself.

Where is Delirious?

Evan looked up and our eyes meet. We were just looking at each other. He smiles. I smile back. This continues for a few more seconds. Meet me in the bathroom, he mouths to me. I nod.

I stand and leave the cafeteria, I can hear quiet footsteps from behind me. Both of us enter the bathroom and we just burst out laughing. I didn't know why but It was nice.

"Hey."

"Hi."

I smile and push him slightly. "What's up?" "Can I ask you a quick question?" I hoisted myself up onto the bathroom counter and nod, "go for it." "Are you dating John?" That was not the question I expected from him. I didn't know what to say. "Uh- no. No." I didn't mean for it to sound as bad as it did. No offence to John, he's great, I just see him more as a brother. "Oh. I just thought since you guys are really close."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I can see how you would think that I just dom't see John in that way and I have my heart set on someone else right now." If only he knew that it was him. "Really? Who?" I shook my head. If only you knew Evan. "Just someone. So, how are you and Delirious?" I ask changing the subject. "We're-" he paused thinking over his next words, "fine." "Clearly you guys aren't 'fine,' c'mon, what's up?" "The rumors are true so that uh- that means that he's cheating on me. Or- he was? I don't know if he still is." "Why wasn't he sitting with you at lunch? Where was he?" I ask genuinely confused. "If yo were look look to your right, you would have seen Delirious sitting with Luke."

"Oh."

"It's fine though, really it's fine." He says and it seems like he wasn't trying to convince me but rather he was trying to convince himself. "You can't just say that Evan..it's not fine." "It is- I don't care anyways." "Clearly you do care," I sigh. I wanted to get across to him but I know how stubborn people can be about that. "Why are you with him?" I didn't expect that question to stump Evan but I knew I had when he took so long to reply. "Love." I know when people are lying but he wasn't. Yet it also wasn't the full truth. The feeling of the flowers came back. "You really love him, huh?" "I guess," I guess? "I think that there's someone else." And it was gone. Just like that. Why was it gone so fast? Hope, maybe?

"What do you mean?" "I have- Hanahaki. Carnations started appearing like a week ago." "Two flowers?" He took a second before nodding. "Hanahaki seems to make people hate flowers. I wonder if dandelions mean anything..." "Are those your favorite flowers." "Yeah, they are." Then it was quiet. Evan stood in front of me. Nothing was being said. He looked at me and I looked back at him. Then something happens.

Something I can explain so perfectly but somehow, I can't. My brain is fuzzy. For that second, what I feel isn't the petals fighting against me. It's the butterflies I feel whenever I see or think about Evan. His lips are pressed against mine and It's a moment of pure bliss. Then something else happens. Evan pulls his lips away from mine, eyes glossy. It was a sweet moment. Evan walks a few steps backwards.

"Oh my god- I'm so so sorry!"

"It's okay-!"

"I can't- I have to go."

And I'm alone.

Just like that. I'm sitting on the bathroom counter alone, I was just kissed by a guy who has a boyfriend. I lightly cough feeling something stuck in my throat. A daffodil. A smaller one which is yellow and black one. It's almost identical to the other one except it's stained.

It's stained with my blood.