23. Unfamiliar Territory
The months continued to tick by and still no response from Leah. Life with Candace, Carley,
and Hayley continued as normal at school, although Hayley and Candace were a little bit more
friendly towards me whenever the other wasn't around. I guess you could call it flirting, but I'm
not sure. I've never really been flirted with before. The basketball team continued to do well
and I have even been the leading scorer for a few games. I could definitely attribute my
continued improvement to my best friend Marcus. He always pushes me to do better.
Before I knew it, the chilling air of late December rolled in and it was time for winter break. My sister
and I decided to stay home for Christmas since I had basketball games during the break. She
cooked a nice little meal for me and her boyfriend. We exchanged presents on Christmas day. My
sister got me a basketball and a goal. I got her concert tickets and a shirt.
January flew by and before I knew it the basketball season was almost over and my birthday was
approaching. I've managed to keep my birthday a secret from everyone, but I'm still secretly afraid
that someone may somehow find out about it. Our last basketball game is on February 21st and my
birthday is the next day. I am at least thankful that my birthday is on a Saturday. This means that I
can stay to myself and don't have to tell anyone.
Our last game didn't go as expected. I hated ending the season with a loss. This means that I'll have
the whole offseason to think about what went wrong. The coach gave us a heartfelt speech about
how proud he was of us, but I just wasn't in the mood to hear it. Seniors were crying and hugging
their friends and family as I left the locker room. I realized that this would be the last time I'll play
with these guys. I can't say that I'll miss Jeremy though. As a matter of fact, I don't see him out here.
He must've already left. When I walked out to the parking lot, I saw Carley and Jeremy having an
argument by Jeremy's car. He angrily got in his car and slammed the door shut. Carley was left
sitting by the curb crying. "Are you alright?" I asked stupidly.
"No, Jeremy and I just broke up." She sobbed out.
"I'm sorry... do you want to talk about it?"
"No, I don't feel like it right now. Could you take me home please? He was my ride."
"Of course, but we're going to get a milkshake first. I think you need some cheering up."
She gave me a slight smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes. We drove silently the whole time,
except when she said thank you for the milkshake. Her house didn't have a single light on when we
pulled into her driveway. "Are you sure that you're going to be alright? You know you can call me if you
need me. I'm a pretty good listener." I said as I got out to open the door for her.
"Actually, do you mind coming in for a little bit? My parents won't be back for a while and I really don't
want to be alone right now."
"I don't mind at all." I assured her as I walked her to her door. Her house was even bigger on the
inside than it appeared on the outside. We sat down on the sofa and she instantly buried her head
on my chest and began sobbing. "You know, I shouldn't be so sad. I'm the one that broke up with him.
He was cheating on me. I really should've seen it coming. He was sort of a jerk anyway. Still... we had
some good times together. We had some bad times and a lot of arguments, but it still hurts." She said
as her sobbing began to slow.
"I'm really sorry that he hurt you. If I'm being honest though, I've always believed that you could do
better. He didn't treat you like you deserve to be treated."
"I've been told that before. I guess I was just too blind to see it. Do you mind if I go take my contacts
out real quick? They're bugging my eyes."
"No, I don't mind at all."
"Just please don't make fun of me in my glasses. I never wear them in public."
"I won't make fun of you, I promise. I mean, you've got to see right?"
She gave me a half-hearted smile as she got up from the couch. She came back with her long
blonde hair tied up in a ponytail wearing black square framed glasses. She was wearing a Harry
Potter t-shirt and sweat pants. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess. It's been a long night. I just need to relax.
You're one of the few people who has seen me like this. You're definitely the first guy." She assured
me.
"You shouldn't be worried about people seeing you this way."
"Why is that?"
"Because, I think that you look beautiful no matter what you do." I said trying not to get embarrassed.
"Thank you. I think that you're lying, but that's sweet."
"I'm not lying, I really mean it. You have a natural beauty. You really don't have to try so hard all the
time."
"You know, I used to be considered a nerd. I always made straight A's and was a model student. I
enjoyed winning spelling bees and doing academic competitions. I wasn't popular at all. I had glasses
and braces. Boys wouldn't even bother looking my way. I joined the cheer team in ninth grade, but that
still didn't help. I was considered the ugly cheerleader. In the middle of tenth grade year, I got my
braces taken off and convinced my parents to let me get contacts. Suddenly, everything changed.
Boys started to notice me. More people developed interest in me. It was no longer just Hayley and
Candace talking to me. Other people began talking to me as well. Nothing had changed about me. I
still enjoyed the same things and was a model student, but suddenly more people noticed me, because
my looks changed. I've been afraid to show this side of myself to people ever since, and I eventually
ended up with a jerk named Jeremy...I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. I know my problems
seem minuscule compared to yours. I heard about what happened with your parents." She said
lowering her head.
"I don't really like talking about them, but like I said, I'm a good listener. I'm always here if you need
someone to talk to. I also think that you shouldn't hide your true self. I think you might be surprised
that a lot more people will like you than you think." I assured her.
"You really are sweet. You know... Jeremy really hated you." She said with a full smile.
"Why did he hate me so much?"
"I don't really know. I think he felt threatened by you. It didn't help that you offered to give me a ride."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I guess that caused problems between you two."
"Don't worry about it. Like I said, he was a jerk. You know he'd be furious if he knew you were here right
now. It kind of makes me feel better knowing how much he'd hate it."
"I'm glad that I can help."
"You know what would really make me feel better?" She whispered as she leaned closer to me.
"What's that?" I asked nervously.
"Well, it's sort of a secret that only Candace knows, but I've sort of had a crush on you for a while
now." She whispered as she leaned closer.
"Well... what would make you feel better?"
"This." She sighed out as she lunged her lips into mine. I kissed her back furiously. This kiss felt
different than the others I had experienced. It almost felt angry, but I was enjoying it nonetheless.
We kissed for a while before her phone started to ring. She pulled away breathlessly as she reached
for her phone. A worried look hit her face as the person on the other end spoke. She hurriedly got
off the phone in a panic.
"You've got to get out of here now! My parents are almost here!"
I sprinted out the door and floored the truck as I left her driveway. I passed a car a few seconds
later. I assumed that it was her parents. It was hard to tell in the dark.
When I got home, I had a text message from Carley on my phone.
I hope that you made it home safe. I'm sorry about the kiss. I don't regret it. I actually enjoyed it. I just
regret the timing of it. Thank you for helping me feel better.
Could this be real? I used to not have any girl trouble at all. They wouldn't even speak to me. Now,
I've apparently got three beautiful girls that like me. I guess this wouldn't be a bad problem to have,
but they are all best friends. I'm afraid that if I ask one out, that it'll hurt their friendship with the
rest. I have no idea what to do.