This Town

Chapter Ten

What the fuck just happened? I ran my hand through my hair as I made my way back to my house. How did everything get so twisted that now I stood here, at my own door, longingly looking back at hers. I thought about going back over there and telling her but the voices in my head told me not to, that she would only reject me. I walked back into my house and that's where I stayed for the remainder of Christmas break.

When school started up again, Siobhan and I still weren't speaking to each other. But what I saw when I entered that school knocked the wind out of me. She was there, standing next to Thomas' older brother, Devon, his armed wrapped around her. Thomas came up behind me, "I take it ya heard?"

"Huh?"

"Devon asked Siobhan out. They've been going out for the last week. Fucking weird as shit, man."

"What? How did that happen?" I couldn't take my eyes off her, but she saw me, as she wrapped an arm around Devon and walked off to class.

"Apparently, he's always had a bit of a crush on her. He said he asked her out by the dock down by the lake. He said he saw her there one morning last week and just finally got the nerve to ask her out."

"Well, I'll be fucking damned," I whispered, angrily.

"What's wrong, dude?"

"Huh? Nothing," I said, regaining some of my composure, "Just didn't know Devon liked her."

"Yea, me neither. He did ask me if it was okay, which, as long as he treats her right, is just fine with me. But it's still fucking weird seeing one of my best friends dating my brother," Thomas shuddered a little at the thought. I wanted to puke. He began walking to class, "You coming?"

"Yea, yea." I was stunned.

I went the rest of the day, trying to wrap my head around it. It was the talk of the entire school, too. Devon was hugely popular and a great footballer. The guy was good-looking, too, which didn't help matters. He could have any girl he wanted, and he had chosen Siobhan. Now, suddenly, she was the popular girl that every other girl wanted to spend time with. It was fucking weird.

I couldn't tell if she relished it or not. I feel like she did, she had a smile on her face the whole day, not that I was watching or anything. We had a few classes together but only one in which we had been allowed to sit next to each other. Today, though, she sat across the room from me with one of her new "friends."

Conor sat down beside me, "I see you let her get away from ya."

"Go the fuck away, Conor. No one wants to listen to your bullshit."

"Calm down, dude. I was only trying to help ya."

"Well, I don't need your help. She can date whoever she likes. She can bang his brains out for all I care."

"Whoa, Horan, harsh words coming from ya about yer best friend."

"She's not my friend anymore, apparently. She couldn't even be bothered to tell me about Devon."

"Jesus, dude, you had her in the palm of yer fucking hand.  What did you do?  You must've done something to seriously fuck that up."

"I didn't do shit, Conor! Now leave me the fuck alone!" I got up so fast that I sent my chair flying to the ground causing everyone to look at me. The only face that mattered was hers and she looked stoically in my direction.