Hi again. I guess I'm a little obsessed with HTR one shots. So, here's another one for you.
Beware a little bit of language, so don't read if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.
Read and review and favorite if you like putting a smile on my face! (:
[ Zander ]
"You know, there are a lot of pretty ladies that go to our school," Justin Cole says in a loud, booming voice, draping an arm around Stevie's neck as we sit eating lunch. I don't know why he thinks that he has the right to come over to Gravity 5's table and speak what we all already know to my best friend, but he does.
What an asshole.
Stevie drops her fork and meets my eyes, and rolls her own, before turning around to see what this kid wants.
She looks up at him, smiling a thin smile just to be polite. But I know Stevie. I know that's an 'I'll be nice but I'm slightly annoyed' smile, a happy-looking smile that she doesn't really feel but she wears because he's Justin Cole and maybe she should be nice to him, just because.
But it's not because she likes him. Because she doesn't. She can't.
Come on. This is Stevie we're talking about. Stevie, the girl who always has a comeback. Stevie, the girl with a wicked attitude. Stevie, the girl with the biggest heart once you've earned her trust. Stevie, the amazing bassist. Stevie, the beautiful girl who has never once lied to me. Stevie, my best friend. Stevie. My Stevie.
There's no way that she likes a jerk like Justin Cole. No way. Nope. No chance at all.
He should just move on. I hear Molly is single and desperate.
"You know, there are a lot of pretty ladies that go to our school," Justin repeats, as though Stevie had forgotten what he said or something. Like she has a bad memory or something. Basically, he's implying that Stevie's stupid. Which she's not. She's perfect.
"Okay," Stevie says, waving her hand for him to continue.
"But there is only one that I would like to take out to dinner this Friday night. Carmelo's Pizzeria. Seven o'clock."
"And who might that be?" Stevie questions, fighting a smile.
But why would she be smiling? Smiling means like and Stevie can't like Justin Cole because that would be detrimental to the band because…
Because…
Because… because Stevie would blow of rehearsal to hang in his private jet or something. Or maybe he'd buy her a new set of friends, or you know… other things rich guys do.
We can't have Stevie turning into a snob. She's the most down-to-earth girl I know. That's what I… we… that's what we love about her.
"You, of course." Justin shoots her a huge smile. His teeth are perfect: straight, white, shiny. They're probably not real; they're probably the best that daddy's money could buy.
Asshole.
"I'd love to," Stevie says to him, and they embrace. A short hug, nothing close to the ones that Stevie and I share, but still. A feeling of anger shoots through my body.
It's not jealousy, though, I tell myself as I clench my jaw and grasp at the table. My knuckles are turning white but I ignore the pain because I hate Justin Cole so much. It's anger at him for just assuming that Stevie likes him, when she doesn't, and protectiveness because Stevie's like a sister to me. My favorite, best friend kind of sister.
Friday comes fast, naturally. Stevie's been glowing since he asked her out. It makes me sick, but I pretend it doesn't bother me.
"Zander, could you believe it?" she asks me, smiling widely.
"Not at all!" I cheer, a big, cheesy grin plastered on my face. "He's such a gem of a guy!"
She shoots me a look. "What the hell, Zander?"
"What?" I scratch my head. "Can't a best friend be excited for his best friend to go on a date with a totally swell guy?"
"Are… are you mocking me?"
"Nope!"
"Really?" Stevie crosses her arms. "Because it sounds a lot like sarcasm to me."
"Nah. I'm totally serious."
Hey, I never said I was a good actor.
"Are you… jealous?"
"No!" I shout, almost too loudly.
"Because you go on dates every night, really, and I put up with that. We're best friends, Zander. Nothing is going to change that."
Yeah. The fact that nothing is going to change it is the problem here.
She puts her arm on me supportively. "Tell me what's wrong."
"It's just…" I frown. How can I put this nicely? "I hate the fucker."
"Zander!"
"No, but seriously. He's such a douche. He takes out girls and dumps them and sometimes he like, you know, just uses them."
"And you would know because…?"
"I date some of the same girls that Justin does, Steves. I know they don't have nice words to say about him. I'm just… worried for you. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I won't, Zander. He's really not like that. It's probably just, you know, hard feelings after a breakup."
"Shelley told me that he took her back to his giant house and forced her to have sex with him."
"Well…" Stevie bites her lip, clearly thinking. "I don't think that's true."
"It is, though."
"Well, then. How about… I come over to your house after? We can have a sleepover, you know? It beats having one with Kacey any day. And I can tell you about the date and well, I have a place to go and I won't get suckered into going home with him."
"Well," I smirk, satisfied. How many good dates end with a girl going home to sharing a bed with another guy? "That's a great idea, Stevie. And Carmelo's is literally two blocks from my house so you can walk, or I could pick you up?"
"I'll walk. Don't make plans," Stevie smiles at me. "And you're a great friend, you know that?"
"Yeah. Friend," I sneer.
Like I said, being friends is the problem.
Friday night comes quickly, too. I swear it was the shortest school week in the entire world. It's just because I have this horrible event, this terrible date.
Because it should be me and Stevie eating dinner at Carmelo's together.
Because I should have asked Stevie out.
Because Stevie should be in love with me.
Aren't girls supposed to fall in love with their best friend? Isn't that the basis for every romantic comedy in the world? What makes us any different?
It's eight thirty when I hear the doorbell ring. My parents weren't home; they were out of town for the weekend because my dad had an important case in San Diego to take care of and my mom went with him. I shuffle quickly down the stairs and yank open the door to see Stevie, standing there, in the rain, tears pouring down her face.
"What the hell happened to you, Stevie?"
"It's… it's raining," she cries, and a lightening bolt shocks the ground what looks to be fifteen feet in front of us. Almost instantly, the sound of heavy thunder floods the house.
How did I not notice that? Oh, right. I was too busy occupying myself with ways to ruin Stevie and Justin's budding relationship.
Looking at my soaking friend, I yell, "Why didn't you call? I would've picked you up!"
Without answering, she wraps her arms around me, squeezing me tighter than I've ever been hugged in my entire life. But it's a good hug, however wet it may be. It feels nice.
I close the door because, frankly, I hate thunderstorm. I hold her in my arms and lead her up into my room, where the lights are on and the blinds are shut and the weather doesn't seem so bad.
"He… he told me…. he told me he only asked me out as a joke," Stevie sobs into my arms. "He brought all his friends to Carmelo's. He said he didn't think I'd actually show up. And… he called me pathetic."
"I knew he was an asshole," I mutter. "Stevie, you're worth so much more than he is. He's scum, the bottom of the earth. You? You're beautiful. You're… you're my best friend."
She locks her eyes with mine for almost a minute, then the lights go out. Power outage. Even through the darkness, I can sense her eyes on mine.
Here's my chance, I say, leaning in to kiss her.
But she kisses me first.
Not a light kiss, not like I expected from Stevie. A passionate, rough kiss that caught me by surprise. But I kissed back. Because I love her.
Wait, love?
She keeps kissing me, shoving me down on my bed and kissing me harder.
The lights are off and I can barely see anything, but I feel Stevie's hands release from my shoulders, her lips release from mine for just a few seconds. I take this as my opportunity to tell her how I really feel, how I know I have felt for a long time but tried to keep it hidden.
"I… I love you, Stevie."
"I love you too."
I feel something I haven't in a while, in what feels like years – butterflies in my stomach. I love Stevie. She knows it. Well, she knows it now. She knows I'm good for her.
She knows I'll never leave her.
And she loves me, too.
Tell me what you think in the reviews!
xoxo
aworldwellneverfind