Someone Will Remember Us

Friendtervension

Chapter Twenty-One

I make some shitty excuse about needing to be back home before my curfew or my dad will ground me and Bryce and Ryan finally let me go.

It's back to lying.

And I've been doing so well.

But now it's back to lying.

Hopefully not for long.

He couldn't have gone anywhere else other than back to the hotel, I know that he's left his phone back there because he had to charge it so he definitely went back to the hotel room.

He must have.

I just hope I'm not too late.

I run down the hallway, up the stairs and then again down the corridor.

And I pull down on the handle and the door is open. It's fucking open, thank God.

He's on his way out and I almost bump into him when I open the door. He doesn't even look at me.

"Move out of the way Monty," he says dully and my heart sinks.

"No," I say and I gently push him back into the room and I shut the door behind me.

"Wow, really mature," Winn comments spitefully. "You gonna lock me in here until I forgive you? Guess what, I think I've given you enough chances."

I listen to what he says but I don't take it in. If he could just listen to me.

"I'm sorry," I say and he scoffs. "Ryan, he-"

"I don't care," Winston interrupts me. "Just get out of the way. I want to go home."

And his voice breaks and I think he's going to cry but I can't even see his face, he's looking down at his feet.

"Just, let me explain. Please I-"

He needs to understand that Ryan is not someone to be messed with. I wasn't just protecting my reputation, I was protecting him too.

Okay, he got spat at. Happens. At least he came out alive, Ryan could have done something much worse to him.

"There's nothing to explain," Winston tells me and he finally looks up and looks me in the eye. "There are about a million other ways you could have handled that. But you made me look like the bad guy. You let that guy insult me and you stood there when he spat in my face. You didn't do shit. Fuck, you fucking laughed."

I didn't vomit before but I will now.

"I.. I panicked! Okay?" I say as if that somehow justifies it.

I know I humiliated him, I know I should have stood up for him but I couldn't.

I take a step away from the door, I don't want him to feel like I'm forcing him to stay. I want him to choose to stay.

He glances at the door but he stays where he is. Maybe there's hope after all.

"I just... I really don't understand you anymore," Winn says sadly and he looks away from me.

He's the only one who's ever understood me. The only one. How can he say that he doesn't understand me?

"It was all going so well..." he trails off and he absentmindedly smiles at the fond memories we made tonight.

"Then let's just forget about it," I say stupidly and his smile is gone. "Let's just pretend that never happened."

Pretend. It's something I promised myself I wouldn't do in front of him. But now I'm forcing him to pretend for me.