Chapter 4
Trust in friends
I woke up with a start, and searched blindly for my buzzing phone, it was a text from Ryan;
"Good Morning,"
I yawned and looked at the clock. After a few moments of fumbling with the small buttons sent,
"J Hey," then laid back down and closed my eyes.
"Did I wake you up?"
"No, what else would I be doing at four in the morning?" I replied sarcastically
"Sorry" he amended
"LOL, you're fine" I pulled the covers over my head and waited for the buzz
"Sorry," he said again, he followed soon with another text, "Do you think you can come to our spot?" he asked.
I checked the time again, my parents wouldn't be up for at least three hours "Sure, why?"
"I think Ben knows something's going on…And I want to tell him. Is that Okay?"
I stopped breathing for a minute, we'd kept the secret for over two years now and I'd just had my seventeenth birthday. Ryan was doing well at the community college and I only had one year of high school left, then I would pull the money my grandmother had left me and run away with my prince into the sunset and as far away from my family as possible, "…Wouldn't it be safer to wait another year?" I worried.
"We can trust him, I know we can. Please?" he asked, I knew he wouldn't say anything unless I said it was okay with me.
I groaned, he never asked anything from me before. I rubbed my temples and tried to look at the situation from each point of view, sighing when I finally caved in, "Sure, if you trust him, I can" I paused before pushing send and sat up in bed. I ran my fingers through my hair fluffing it out, we were so close to forever.
"Thanks, he should be here in five,"
"Okay, he's gonna beat me," I sent as I hurried to put my hair into a pony tail and tie my tennis shoes.
I ran quietly down the stairs and jumped when a familiar voice asked, "going somewhere?"
I sighed when I saw the maid, "I wanted to run before school started," I'd used this lie so many times now that no one questioned it anymore.
She smiled, "I'll let your parents know."
I grinned as I ran out the door, I really owed that woman. I jogged to the park, the cool morning breeze blowing my long bangs over my head. I nervously tucked the strip of hair behind my ear as I approached the two tall figures standing by the swings.
"Hey!" Ryan greeted me with a huge smile, and for a second I forgot to breathe; the red sun was rising over his head and a slight breeze blowing his hair. He hugged me before kissing my check,
"Hey," I hoped my voice wasn't noticeably shaky
Ryan introduced us, "Ben, this is Julian, Julian this is my best friend, Ben"
Ben, held out both hands as if to say, 'well what can I say' then looked down and grinned at me warmly. He was taller than Ryan and had dark hair with light brown eyes, "Julian," he nodded, then reached out to shake my hand, "nice to meet you,"
I finally relaxed, "You too," both boy's laughed
Romeo; I paced back and forth as I waited for her to text back, "I hope she's awake," I thought to myself,remembering the last time I woke her, Julian was not a morning person. I flipped the old phone open before the end of the first buzz, "Did I wake you?" I asked, already knowing I would get a sarcastic reply. "called it," I said aloud to myself when I read it. "Sorry," I pushed send and waited impatiently for my turn again, I did feel bad for waking her so I apologized before getting to my point, "Do you think you can come to our spot?" I asked, knowing she would say yes, we met every morning and she usually started getting ready after I sent the first message.
"Sure why?" she asked. I sighed as I remembered the incident with Ben last night,-
We were driving to my dorm after college party. I'd finally convinced him to leave, not that they weren't fun, I just wanted to focus on my studies I wanted to be able to provide for Julian. I knew she already had enough money saved under her name to feed a small country but my pride wouldn't accept that. Ben was driving, and kept grunting under his breath about 'not being fun anymore' and 'wasn't always like this'-
"Dude what happened?" he asked
"I have some work I need to finish,"
He looked at me oddly, "No-I- that's not what I'm talking about,"
"Oh" I'd completely lost track of the conversation
He glanced at me again, "I was talking about that chick,"
Oh, Rose had showed up at the party
"well I should say chicks"
I groaned, someone had tried to send me a stripper
Ben laughed, "Actually she wasn't a stripper," jeez how did he know that
"You had that look on your face," he answered my unspoken question, "and I'm psychic"
I snorted, then raised an eye brow, "how would you know?"
He laughed, "She punched and knocked out that obnoxious sophomore for asking how much she charged."
I grinned, "the honor roll kid?" he was full of it,
He laughed harder, "no, the six-four hockey player,"
"…Wow," girl had an arm
"but really," he asked again, "besides the fact she could knock out the football team, why not?"
"not my type," I shrugged
He rolled his eyes, "nobody is your type, damn you haven't dated in like three years!"
"so?"
He looked at me like I was crazy, "so? So what's going on"
"nothing," crap, I screwed it up
"your holding back" he accused
"I…" I couldn't put up a defense, I was a 'bad liar' didn't quite cover me.
"What?"
I was quiet
"how long?"
I avoided his gaze
"A while, then… you don't think you can trust me? Because, you can."
The rest of the ride was in silence
- "I think Ben knows something's going on…And I want to tell him. Is that Okay?" I waited impatiently for the answer… yes! I was dialing his number within the second,
"Hello?" asked a groggy voice on the other end.
"Okay, you were right." I sighed
"What- oh, OOOH!" I grimced as he nearly started shouting, "I knew it You Son of a- ugh! I can't believe you didn't tell me!"
I locked my jaw, I'd wanted to tell him.
"Well?"
"I…"sigh, "Am dating someone,"
"So? Who?"
"I doubt you know her, but the thing is I really… probably …shouldn't be dating her, well no I shouldn't be dating her period."
"And you didn't tell me? Dumb Ass, I've been your best friend for sixteen years."
"She asked me not to," I could just imagine him rolling his eyes.
"Yah, sure whatever," he might sound mad, but I could tell he was thrilled he was finally in on it, "So who?"
"Her name's Julian Montage,"
"You're dating a Montage?"
"Yah so?"
He was laughing on the other end of the line, "Okay seriously? Even if you were, we both know it wouldn't last."
"Actually," I said through my teeth, "It's going on three years," I thought he'd be mad I'd kept it from him for so long but instead,
"Is that what you meant when you said it would be wrong? Because really, you're and adult buddy. You can do what you want."
"Uh, no." I cleared my throat, how would he take this? "the er bad part is actually that she's five years younger than me,"
"…you're dating a eighteen year old,"
I groaned, I forgot she was only five years younger than me for about a month, "uh no right now she's six years younger,"
"Are you suicidal? You dated a fifteen year old freshman in your senior year? With her family - who if you haven't noticed hates you, sitting in the same lunchroom?"
I tried to change the conversation to a less guilt drenched path, "Well, do you want to meet her?"
"Yah," I could hear him fall out of bed and do what sounded like he was tripping over the covers -BANG- "crap" I laughed, "where are you?" he asked as I heard him start the his car,
"Water Field Park,"
"be right there," he hung up the phone.
"Thank you" I sent to Julian, I fiddled with the old ring I'd kept in my pocket for the past year. On her eighteenth birthday I would give it to her, and no one could do anything about it. Especially her parents and Paris and Tyler would be so mad he'd go off and wreck his new corvette, the idea made me smile.
"What's that?" asked Ben, I didn't realize he 'd gotten here, he must have been speeding.
I grinned and showed the small gold ring to him, he took a deep breath, "Dude… I love you and all… but this is too much!" pretending to get teary eyed, "I'm sorry I can't, I didn't mean to lead you on like that. I'll always be your friend," he dodged me as I went to punch him, and we both started laughing.
"Shut up, it's for her."
"Oooh, gotcha" I just shook my head, he was such a nerd, "today?"
"No, a year from two months ago," I stared at him as he started doing the mental math, I have absolutely no idea how he passed grade school.
"Is that her?" he asked, my head snapped up
"Yah" wow, she was beautiful, "Hey."
"Hey," she answered, mahogany hair blowing in the slight breeze. I instantly became aware of another man staring at her, even if it was Ben, and could feel myself tense up, Ben noticed after he'd shook her hand and laughed. I joined in, that was ridiculous.
For the next two hours we told Ben about our secret meetings, he was our only confidant, and we had a lot to share.
Juliet; Ben drove me to school. Ryan and I sat in the backseat as our driver asked a stream of non-stop questions the entire ten minute drive, which I found incredibly hard to answer with Ryan playing with my hair and kissing my neck when Ben wasn't looking. We pulled up to the school and as I started to climb out he pulled me back into a tight embrace and kissed me, I blushed and stumbled out of the car
