COME MY WAY • RODRICK HEFFLEY

thirty seventh chapter

zara banes was one of a kind, she had known giselle for the longest time and was practically her first proper friend on the face of planet earth. they were two peas in a pod, despite being polar opposites. zara was extroverted, just like quinn, and easily made people enjoy engaging in conversations with her. giselle had always been timid and quiet, but she admired zara for her poise and the way she handled herself confidently no matter whatever got thrown her way.

it was beautiful, giselle thought to herself. she had first met zara in second grade before they had both joined st. mary's prep. they were outcasts in their old elementary school, maybe because they both attended a pre-dominantly white school and were the only other people of color around. in a way, giselle and zara just knew they had to stick up for one another.

there was always an unspoken silence of knowing between the two and the moment zara watched her friend enter the threshold of berry's cafe, she already knew something was up.

giselle gave her a small smile as she sat on the opposite chair across the tiny coffee table, keeping as silent as possible.

"can i just say that you are scaring me," zara broke the silence, as she stretched her arms.

judging by her appearance, giselle realized that her friend had just come from ballet practice. zara had been dancing even before she had met giselle and she worked her ass off training for the past seventeen years of her life, giselle wouldn't be surprised if she had suddenly gotten accepted into a prestigious ballet company.

"gigi?" zara questioned, waving her hand in front of giselle's face.

the girl was always spaced out, whether there was an issue or not. giselle always got lost in her own little bubble. a bubble zara knew was her friend's comfort zone. "gi, please talk to me."

"i'm sorry," giselle let out. "i texted out of nowhere."

zara rolled her eyes playfully, "you're acting like we haven't been doing this shit for the past ten years." she laughed

giselle giggled, shaking her head. zara always knew how to make her laugh. "how was ballet?"

"other than having cruella de-vil for an instructor, it's been going great." she sighed, "i'm just trying to find the perfect way for recognition at julliard."

"that shouldn't be hard for you, you're quite the majestic dancer." giselle smiled. she meant every word, zara moved with such grace, it was a delight watching her perform.

zara shrugged, an unsure look planted on her face. and of course, this was her friend's fatal flaw. sure, zara was confident but when it came to ballet. she always found a way to bring herself down.

"zar, come on, you're going to be so amazing." giselle reassured her friend, placing her hand on top of zara's. "julliard will practically beg for you to go to their school, okay?"

zara chuckled, shaking her head at giselle. "they better, i havent been training all this time just for them not to." and just like the flip of a switch, her friend was back on track. "now tell me, what's up?"

"i hate talking about my stuff," giselle groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"well i'm going to make you either way," zara pointed out. "now, talk to me woman."

giselle peeked a look at her friend, her cheeks starting to heat up. "it's weird."

"i bet it's not."

"it's weird for me, okay?" giselle sighed. "i just feel so icky."

zara raised a brow, starting to feel a little suspicious on what giselle was trying to explain. "are you crushing?" she questioned, as if she didn't already feel the vibe from sweet little giselle.

her silence explained it all. giselle was practically red all over her face and zara knew that was a sign that her friend was most definitely feeling something. "rodrick?" she asked.

giselle sat back upright, nodded her head and then instantly buried her face back into her hands once again.

zara squealed happily, standing up from her seat to wrap her arms around giselle huddled body tightly. this made her happy because over the past month she'd been dating ben, she gotten to know rodrick pretty well. and if there was anyone worthy for giselle, she'd want it to be someone like rodrick.

"gigi!" she coo'd, "why are you so shy about this?"

"because it's weird, zar." she sighed, holding onto zara like a little child.

"it's not weird, you weirdo." zara chuckled. "if you didn't say rodrick, i'd be pretty worried. you and him have been hanging out for quite some time now."

"was it obvious?"

"clear as day." zara giggled. "now what's so bad about this huh?" she asked

but giselle found herself being silent once again. the soft ring of her phone, making her look down.

rodrick rules 😎
i'm worried giselle.

was she a coward for being scared history would repeat itself? rodrick was different, he had been trying to get to know her and he hasn't even made a move on her before. so maybe, she was just overthinking. at the end of the day, giselle could be the only one feeling this way and rodrick wasn't actually interested in her.

the thought of unrequited love stung making giselle realize how serious her feelings must be now.

so with a sigh, she forced the words out of her mouth.

"i don't wanna get hurt," she huffed, her eyes beginning to tear up as she looked at zara who had a concerned look plastered on her face.

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hello everyone! i hope you are all welll :))))
i've been really busy but i tried my best to make time and write this chapter.

i'm sorry if it was kinda shit
how are you finding everything so far?
thoughts on what will happen to giselle and rodrick now?