The Middle - Volume Three ✔️

Chapter 20

Jamie

From what I can remember, Patrick and 'Amanda' looked reasonably cosy at the Winter Fayre. They were eating snow cones, which I found amusing because Patrick hates eating ice. He can't do it, says it sets his teeth on edge. But he did it for 'Amanda'. They were smiling and laughing and talking. Why do I keep throwing quotation marks around her name in my head? I know her name is Amanda now. 

Where did he leave things with her though? How would she feel if she knew he'd had sex with someone else? Particularly me? I notice Patrick pulling the zipper of his hoodie up as far as it will go, and I tighten my scarf around my neck a little, making sure it won't come loose and slip off. Usually, I enjoy running into girls Patrick has slept with and never called again, but right now... I'm not sure how to act.

"Well hello there, stranger." Amanda says with a wicked smile as the two girls come to stand in front of us. "Long time no see."

Amanda folds her arms and raises an eyebrow at Patrick as her friend tries to stifle a laugh. Clearly, she's talked to her friend about him.

"Yeah, uh, Happy New Year?" Patrick offers. Real smooth.

Amanda rolls her eyes and her friend gives up trying to hold in her laughter.

"This is Fiona, just ignore her, she's very immature." Amanda informs us, nudging her friend (Fiona, apparently) playfully.

Patrick nods his head once. This does not need to be so awkward.

"I'm Jamie. Nice to meet you guys." I offer, giving them my best 'hello, I am a nice person' smile.

"I know, we met at the Winter Fayre kind of." Amanda says, smiling at me. "Remember? You were there with your boyfriend, I was with Patrick?"

"He's not her boyfriend." Patrick says quietly, at the same time I say "Oh yeah, totally!" louder than I needed to. Who cares if she thinks Noah's my boyfriend? It's not important. And she's still smiling, so it's all good.

"Yeah, it was so cute how Patrick took that strawberry snow cone from your boyfriend and gave him a blueberry one instead." She's smiling dreamily at Patrick now. I know that look. And now I know why Patrick was eating a snow cone that night.

"It was no big deal." Patrick says. His voice is still pretty small.

"Are you kidding?" Amanda exclaims, "It was so sweet."

"Why did you do that?" I say directly to Patrick.

He shrugs at me. "You hate strawberry flavouring. He should have known that, but he didn't."

I continue blinking up at Patrick as he turns his attention back to Amanda. Honestly, why have I been so blind? I have completely missed all these little things. I feel my heart beating a little faster than it was a minute ago. Noah got me a strawberry snow cone? Eww. And Patrick told him to give me a blueberry one instead. I can't believe he did that. 

"So, have you been up to much?" Amanda asks Patrick. "I haven't heard from you in a few days."

A few days? Like, she had heard from him a few days ago? As in, before New Year's? It's really none of my business anyway.

"Nothing much, no." Patrick looks like he wants the ground to swallow him whole.

Fiona nudges Amanda with her elbow, clearly encouraging her friend to keep pushing things with this boy that she likes. Even though he couldn't be acting less interested if he tried.

"So, um, are you doing anything later tonight? Because I -" I hear Amanda say, before my attention is completely stolen by someone else I've just spotted walking over to us from the street.