𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐓 ➵ 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐂

xii. twelve

DEAD MEAT!

KADE AND hela sat in the boy's room, studying and talking about what high schoolers would talk about; gossip.

"did you hear anything interesting about the memorial tonight?" kade choked out, scratching the back of his neck.

hela nodded her head as she continued to scribble down answers on her homework. to be blunt, hela was bored. she wasn't too fond of school, she would rather be watching a movie, with kade.

a knock came from the window, jensen peering her eyes into his room, waiting for kade to open the window. he signed, pulling the window up and helping her in the room.

"there she is." hela smiled, as she watched jensen sit down on kade's bed, while she was sitting at his desk. kade was on the floor, now in between the two girls. "how was detention?" hela asked.

"horrible. that prescott girl decided to spit insults at rachel and i the whole time and her boyfriend wasn't any better either." jensen said, with an eye roll.

"she's a bitch anyways. always sucking face with her dumbass boyfriend." hela rolled her eyes and let out a staggered laugh.

kade sat quietly, staring down to the floor. jensen looked to him, quickly realizing he wasn't happy.

"hela, can you give kade and i a second?" jensen smiled to her, as hela nodded her head, walking out of his bedroom.

jensen fell to the floor next to the unamused boy.

"kade, you like her. why don't you just ask her out already?" jensen said bluntly as kade's cheek began to turn bright red. he shook his head rapidly at jensen, not being able to come up with words to say. yes, he did like hela but in his head, there was always this what if that she could reject him.

"jen, i can't." kade said.

"why not? she likes you, kade. you can't pretend there isn't something there." jensen said, looking directly at him.

"i know but i'm terrified, i could lose her if she doesn't feel the same way." kade began to go into a panic, his eyes watering, the thought of him and hela not being friends breaking him. he began to feel like he was unable to breathe, now gasping for air.

"kade, kade!" jensen was now hugging the crying boy, trying her best to calm him down. if it wasn't for her nagging and trying to pressure him to date hela, he wouldn't of had a panic attack. jensen comforted him as she felt herself getting upset with her own self; she was her own worse enemy.

CLAIRE'S BREATH hitched as she looked to herself in the mirror, staring at her own reflection. she saw the dress clinging to her body, feeling it fall just above her knees. she felt that material, its softness and looking at all the intricate designs displayed among the fabric. she felt her nerves start to rise, getting extremely nervous for grayson to see her.

all of this time, she only viewed grayson as her friend, her best friend. who knew in a matter of years they would ever give it a try, as more than friends. certainly not claire and a matter of fact, grayson too.

grayson gripped the stirring wheel, shutting off the engine. he stared at the streetlights next to claire's house, feeling anxious to get out of the car. he never felt this nervous around her, not until recently at least. his heart rate began to accelerate as he stepped out of the car. this is easy, no need to be nervous, he told himself as his hand began to shake. he rang the doorbell to her house, looking at objects around her porch; a light illuminated, a potted plant, the number to her house.