Strictly Platonic

☼ M A L L

They were planning something.

I could tell that my friends were hiding something from me by the covert smirks and glances they were constantly sending each other both in and out of school.

When I asked what was going on, they brushed it off and jumped to a new topic. My friends were bad at hiding things from me, but it did warm my heart to know they cared.

I know what you're thinking - 'maybe they're not hiding what you think, Lexi. You jump to conclusions!'

While that might be true on most occasions, I'm positive about this one. I overheard Sarah talking to Matthew about a big surprise on my birthday. I hadn't even meant to eavesdrop - I'd been walking back from the bathroom at the diner, and their backs had been to me.

Oh well.

I knew they were throwing me a surprise party, and although I would usually oppose to the idea of people hiding behind furniture and yelling 'Surprise!', I couldn't help but appreciate how far they were willing to go for my eighteenth birthday.

"So, have you gotten me a Christmas present yet?" Jace wiggled his eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes. We were finally back to how it was before, and I couldn't be happier. Of course it hurt to know we'd be nothing more than friends, but it was better than nothing.

"Who said I'm getting you anything?" I teased. I had already bought a present for him months ago, but he didn't need to know that.

I'd gotten him concert tickets to see Fall Out Boy, considering they were probably his favorite band of all time. I knew he was going to be excited and I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

"Hey, I already got you an amazing gift. Hint - it rhymes with rocks and starts with an S."i glared at him and he chuckled. "Just kidding. Seriously though, you'll love your gift."

I was extremely curious as to what he got me,  but I wasn't the kind of person to snoop and figure it out before I actually got it. I liked being genuinely surprised when it came to gifts.

Usually, since my birthday is the day after Christmas, my family and friends just get me one good gift that counts for both Christmas and my birthday. Jace, however, always got me two really good gifts. He said that it was his duty as a best friend to do that.

My friends and I usually exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, other than Jace and I - we always made it a point to celebrate Christmas together - so Jace and I were buying gifts for everybody today.

We probably should've gotten presents weeks ago, but we were both procrastinators. There was only five days until Christmas, which meant there probably wasn't much left to buy.

"Okay, so what are we getting for Matthew?" Jace asked, glancing around. We were in the mall - which was very crowded with last minute shoppers like us, by the way - and the stores had limited items.

"He likes Vans shoes, so I thought I'd buy him some of those because his favorite pair have holes in them." I shrugged. Jace sighed and tapped his thigh.

"I was thinking maybe some hats. He wears a lot of snapbacks." I nodded and Jace looked relieved. "Okay, so we have a plan for Matthew. What about Cody?"

"I was going to get him some of that ridiculous cologne he likes so much. You?" I raised an eyebrow.

"He drinks more Starbucks than a white girl, so I was thinking just a gift card." He said and I laughed. It was true, though. Cody was a Starbucks fanatic.

"Okay, now what about Chris?" I took a sip of my soda and Jace took the cup afterwards, taking a large gulp.

"He's been complaining about his wallet being too small. I was going to buy him a new leather one." I made an 'ah' sound and took my soda back.

"He also wants one of those phone cases that can charge your phone. I thought I could get him that." I shrugged and he copied my action.

"I have no clue what to get Doug." He frowned.

"I was just going to buy him some extra small condoms." I told Jace and he let out a loud laugh.

"I think I'll get him a thong from Victoria's Secret." He added and I nodded fervently. That would be hilarious.

"Are you getting anything for Adam and Sarah?" I questioned. His smile dropped at the mention of Adam and I refrained from rolling my eyes again. He still wasn't a huge Adam fan, despite the fact that Adam was gay and Chris liked him.

"I guess. Are you?" He began tearing up a napkin and I sighed.

"Yeah. I'm getting Adam the Interview on DVD since he's been raving about it since he saw it in theaters. For Sarah, I'm getting a dress that she liked at Forever 21." I smiled, happy I had a plan for everybody.

"I'll just give Adam some money since I don't know what he likes. I'll get Sarah a necklace or something." He sounded a little on edge and I nearly screamed. I just don't understand his hatred for Adam. Yes, he sort of used me, but if I can forgive him, why can't he?

We eventually left the food court and bought gifts for our friends, managing to get everything we wanted without too much difficulty.

Right before we left the mall, we got stopped by an all too familiar face.

"Are you kidding me? Does she live here?" I glowered at the girl in making her way to us and Jace just chuckled.

"Be nice, Lex." He scolded, although he was a second away from laughing, probably due to my irritated expression.

I just wanted to go home.

"Jace!" Crystal smiled broadly, showing off her overly whitened teeth. "Oh, hi Leslie."

"It's Lexi." I corrected her, gritting my teeth.

She waved her hand, brushing it off. "Whatever. Anyway, Jace, you never called me! You lost my number, didn't you?"

"Umm." He looked to me, probably for advice, but I wasn't going to help. He needed to handle this himself. "Yeah, I guess I did. Can I have it again?"

Wait. Hold up. What?

"Sure!" She obliged, all too happy. She pulled a pen out of her leather purse - a knock off, by the way - and scrawled her number on his arm. "I got highlights, did you notice?"

"Um, yeah. Of course." He laughed, although it sounded strained. Okay, even I knew he wasn't putting any effort into this. If he wanted to woo a girl, he would.

"And I got this dress for my birthday. Isn't it so cute?" She squealed, twirling around. Did she totally forget I was here?

But damn it, her dress was cute.

"It's very pretty." He smiled, but it was fake. However, Crystal didn't seem to notice that as she grinned back.

"I'll see you later. I'm supposed to be meeting a friend here." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jace's cheek. I could feel the blood in my veins boiling.

God, when did I get so territorial and possessive?

"It was nice seeing you." Jace waved and she blew him a kiss.

"You too. Oh, yeah. Bye Lucky!" She waved to me and I nearly flipped her off. Something about that girl angered me greatly.

"Try not to look so jealous." Jace pulled me out of my angry thoughts. His hands were in his pockets and he was smirking.

"I'm not jealous." I snapped, grabbing his hand and pulling him after me. I wanted to get out of here before any other girls tried to seduce him. "I just hate girls that think talking like a child is cute."

"I think you just wanted an excuse to hold my hand." He joked and I instantly dropped his hand.

"Just drive me home." I barked, throwing my bags into the backseat. He did the same and sat in the drivers seat, that idiotic smirk still plastered on his face.

"Okay, boss."

My jealousy was raging and I hated it. Why did I have to have such an attractive boy as my best friend?

••••

HOPEFULLY A DOUBLE UPDATE TODAY HOLLA

comment: how old are you? I'm 16 ay