Chapter 9 – Tea-Time

Finally, I had reached my house on the walk back from the diner and I could escape the unrelenting cold. What I couldn't escape though, was how miserable I still felt.

Dropping my purse by the door and then hanging my coat on a hook nearby, I noticed a light was on in the kitchen. Maybe Mom was back and she was waiting up for me?

Walking into the kitchen, I was surprised to find April at the stove preparing a pot of tea and Beth sitting on a stool by the kitchen island. It was only 10:30PM on a Saturday night and they were sitting around drinking tea?

"You guys are home at 10:30 on a Saturday night? What's the deal?" I asked them both, grabbing a mug for my own cup of tea.

"Eh, we decided to just go out to dinner tonight. You know, keep it low-key," Beth answered. "Can't hit up the bar every night, you know…"

"Nahhh, I'm pretty sure you can," I said laughing.

"Well…why are you home so early, Bren?" asked April. "Weren't you on a double date or something?"

"Whattttt?!" asked Beth excitedly. "Spill!"

"It wasn't a big deal," I said sadly, thinking about what happened with Greer. "Ford just met these two guys and was pretty into one of them so I got roped into it to keep his brother company."

"I guess you weren't feeling it?" asked Beth.

"Definitely not," I answered.

April and Beth stared at me for a bit. I guess they were debating what to say next because I'm certain I was doing a terrible job of hiding the shame, guilt, and misery from crossing my face.

"Bren, did something happen?" asked April, grabbing another stool to join me and Beth at the island.

I mean, I loved Ape and Beth – so if I was going to ask anyone for advice it was going to be them. Things couldn't get any worse than they already are, anyway. Talking to them could only help.

"You know that girl I told you about? Greer?" I began as April nodded along.

"Whoa, whoa," said Beth, interrupting me. "Rewind. Who's this chick?"

"Ugh, okay," I said exasperatedly, realizing I would have to give them a little bit more to go on. "So, there's this girl in my class named Greer. She's super popular and preppy and like the total opposite of the kind of person I would hang out with."

"So…not Ford," said April.

"Yeah, basically," I said rolling my eyes. "So, anyway, we've been hanging out a lot lately – like, in the past few weeks. That club I joined is hers and it's the one I'm involved in to make up for those credits at school. I completely judged her in the beginning and she totally judged me but after a rocky start, we've actually gotten to know each other pretty well. I went to one of her matches on Thursday night and she asked me if I was doing something tonight. I'm not sure why, but I lied about the date and said I was shopping with Mom…"

"Okay, go on," urged Beth.

"So, we all went to a movie," I began, "…and it turns out Greer happened to be at the same one, in the same theatre. So…she saw us all leaving and stopped me on our way over to dinner. I felt so bad about lying to her but I couldn't come up with something to say. I didn't know how to apologize. And then…stupid Ford came over and basically shoved in Greer's face how Greer and I would never be friends and how I didn't care about the club and all that. And I felt even worse! I still couldn't think of what to say to stick up for her and then she just left, crying."

"Bren, you gotta apologize," said Beth.

"Well, Bren…why did you even lie in the first place?" asked April.

"I don't know, Ape!" I said, frustrated. "I didn't wanna hurt her feelings. I didn't want her to know I was ditching her to go on a date with some random guys. I care about her. A lot. And I just didn't want—"

"Whoa whoa, slow down," said Beth. "Why would she care about you going on a date? It's what people do…Why would you care if she cared about you going on a date?"

There were those questions again. Those same questions I had asked myself…but now here they were out in the open – demanding an answer in real-time. April and Beth continued to stare at me, waiting for me to say something but my brain was struggling to make a confession that once I made I couldn't take back.

I had to say it.

"I think I like her," I said to both of them, waiting for a response as I looked back and forth between them.

"Well…there we are," said Beth taking a sip of her tea.

"So tell her," said April without missing a beat. "Tell her you like her. Tell her that's why you lied. Apologize for Ford's stupidity. If you really like her, you gotta fix this, Bren."

"I know that, Ape," I said, sighing. "But…I don't know if she feels the same way."

::RINGGGG::, the phone went. I jumped a bit as it started to ring and April sprang up to grab it. Oh, crap! It was Mom! I totally forgot to text her…

"Yeah yeah, she got home a little while ago," said April into the phone. "Beth's over and we're all just having some tea right now. Don't worry about it. Are you gonna be home soon?" I could hear Mom on the other end saying she'd be home in a bit and soon after April had said her goodbyes she hung up.

Putting down the phone, April came back over and said, "Listen, Bren. If you really like this girl you gotta tell her. Maybe she feels the same way and maybe she doesn't."

"But maybe taking the risk in putting your heart out there is what you need, Bren," said Beth. "What do you like about her?"

There were so many reasons and I didn't even know where to begin. "I like that I can talk to her about anything, anytime. I like that she listens to me and I like listening to her when we talk about whatever we talk about. I like spending time with her and getting to know her. I expected to hate her because we're such different people but that's probably why I like her even more. I just feel happier when I'm around her." I stopped talking to look over at April and Beth who were both smiling at me and I began to blush – burying my face in my hands.

"Aww, this is adorable, Bren," said Beth. "In fact, I'm about to call her and tell her you like her."

"Yeah, please don't," I said, panic-stricken.

"In all seriousness though, Bren," began April, "…You should tell her. Maybe she feels the same way but you'll never know if you don't try. And if you like her this much, it's worth it to try."

"Yeah," I said nervously. "I guess I'll text her or something and see if we can talk."

"Anyway, thanks for the tea guys," I said heading upstairs to my room. "Wish me luck!"

"Adorable!" whispered Beth as I walked up the stairs, still within earshot.

"Shut up, Beth!" I called down the stairs playfully.

Making my way to my room, I took out my phone to text Greer.

Me: I'm really sorry about tonight, Greer.

I paused not knowing what to say next or how much to say. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally typed:

Me: Can we talk?

I'm not sure if I was expecting her to respond instantaneously but I lay on my bed for a good fifteen minutes just staring at my phone's screen – waiting for something, anything. After some time, I decided to change into sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt to get ready for bed. Maybe if I gave her a few more minutes, she'd answer? Maybe she was busy?

After getting ready for bed, I decided to check my phone one last time. Maybe I didn't hear the phone chime or buzz while I was in the bathroom? That was possible.

Hoping to see a text message – I saw nothing.

Maybe...she hated me.