Untitled (Story) — || 5 ||
“Where’d Chris go?” Greta asked, walking to me. I didn’t answer her. I just walked up to my room, ignoring everything she said. “Hayley, answer me! Don’t leave without telling me! Hayley!” she’d said. She ran up to me. “What’s your problem?” she asked. “Nothing,” I replied, emotionless. I opened the “Only Me” room door to talk to Alex, but he had already left. I closed the door gently and sat down on the couch, thinking about what Chris said. About his facial expressions, his tone, his hand movements. Him.
Was it happening now? Am I doing what I think I’m doing? Am I falling for Chris? No. NO. NO. I can’t be…it’ll ruin our friendship. But…what if he was falling for me? He was acting weird. Oh man. I can’t think anymore. This is all so overwhelming. All those thoughts were floating in my head.
I picked up my guitar and strummed the bridge for Paramore’s song, “My Heart.”
♫ This heart, it beats, beats for only you.
This heart, it beats, beats for only you…
Oh.
This heart, it beats, beats for only you.
My heart is yours♫
I sighed. Someone banged on my door, which caused me to drop my guitar. I picked it up and walked to the door, inspecting my guitar. It cracked a bit on the side. I opened the door, ready to scold whoever it was. It was Chris.
I couldn’t do it to him. His eyes were staring into mine. I smiled. “Um…Sorry if I bothered you,” he said. He looked at my guitar. “Did I do that?” I nodded. “I’m so sorry. I’ll get you a new one, I promise,” he told me, apologetically. “No, no. You don’t have to,” I told him. “But I want to.” He smiled. “I’m sorry I just left you. I just…didn’t want you to find out,” he said.
“What?” I asked. “I…love you,” he said. Love? I thought. “Just tell me one thing,” I said, acting as if I didn’t hear what he just said. “I will,” he said. “Why was Greta stroking your hair?” I asked. “She said had something in my hair,” he said. “But she was lying.” “Yeah. She may look cute and innocent. She acts like it around her mom. But she’s just a two-faced backstabber,” I said. “Really? What did she do to you?” he asked.
“Remember how I liked Jake…a lot?”
“Yes.”
“Well…I told her and asked her to tell him for me and then tell me what he says. I also asked her to ask him to the Fall Dance for me. She asked him to the Fall Dance with her. Then, at the dance, she told him and he said he liked me back. But then Greta told me that he hated me.”
“How do you know this?”
“Jake told me everything.”
“This is confusing.”
“Well…After the dance, Greta tried to get with him, but he rejected her. Then like…2 weeks later, he asked me out on a date. But I had to reject him because I was going out with Grant. Then I asked him why he’d asked me out if he hated me. And…you know where this is going, right?”
“Yeah. She’s awful.”
“Yes. But I have to be nice to her or she’ll tell Aunt Kate. And then Aunt Kate will get mad at me for being mean and ground me and shit like that.”
He hugged me. But this time he didn’t let go. “Hey, Hayles –” Alex stopped mid-sentence when he opened the door and saw me and Chris holding each other. “Oh. Um…sorry if I interrupted. I’ll just leave you two lovebirds alone,” he said, walking out slowly. “Hey!” I yelled. “Come back here.” He peered in the room. “Yes?” he asked. “What did you want to know?” I asked.
