CHAPTER 38: Stories Told
Rodrick seemed to have noticed that I suddenly became more quiet. He leaned close. "Hey, what's wrong?"
I shook my head and forced a smile. "Nothing, it's just..." I then whispered, "Anne's here."
He looked up and scanned the nearby tables. Indeed he saw her. She was now having a conversation with her companions. "Oh." He looked surprised at first, and then he scowled. "What the hell is she doing here?"
As much as Rodrick and his band were taking these gigs as an opportunity to be more known, they never really promoted it at school. Originally, they wanted to, but decided they'd brag, er, talk about it to other students when they've gained more following already. If word had somehow gotten out on its own this early, that's definitely good news.
We didn't know if Anne specifically came to see them or if it was just a coincidence. Nevertheless, it didn't feel like 'good news' at all. I think Rodrick felt the same.
"J-Just ignore her." I squeezed his hand under the table, signaling him to stop staring because she might notice.
He sighed. "Yeah, you're right. We'll be out of here soon anyway." He nodded to the almost-finished food on our table.
. . . . . . . . . .
Things didn't get any better after that night.
Monday came and I thought it was just going to be any other weekday of school. But I was wrong.
In one day alone, Anne and I crossed paths more often than I had anticipated. Initially, I thought nothing had changed. She continued to ignore me and keep up her tactic of 'accidentally' bumping me. It happened when I was on my way to my first class, and before lunch when I was on my way to the cafeteria. There wasn't exactly anything that caused a scene. Between the two of us at least.
On my way to the locker after lunch, I had accidentally tripped and landed face first on the floor. The contents of my bag spilled over and my notebooks got scattered on the ground. Was it an accident? I looked up and found my answer.
Heather, Madison, and Anne were all staring at me.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Heather said, mockingly. "You should always watch where you're going."
This was definitely not an accident.
Anne didn't utter a word, but the tiny smirk on her lips was very much noticeable.
The three immediately left. That's the only time I noticed that some students who passed by were laughing. Immature pricks. I never really cared about what others thought of me, but I would be lying if I said I didn't feel humiliated at all in the middle of the school hallway.
Suddenly, Rodrick appeared beside me while Olivia and I picked up my things from the floor. His friends were right behind him too.
"What happened?" he asked, worried, helping out as well.
I shook my head. "Nothing." I just wanted to quickly gather my things and go to the next class.
"Heather tripped her," Olivia answered for me.
"The heck? What for?" Rodrick sounded angry.
Olivia shrugged, as we all stood up from the floor. "She said it was an accident. But I saw it."
"Are you okay?" Rodrick's hand started to reached out but he stopped himself.
"I'm fine." I forced a smile and nodded at him, acting like how we did in front of our friends. "Let's go, Olivia. We're gonna be late."
After school that day, Rodrick and I went home together as usual. On the way, he stopped at a convenience store and told me he just needed to buy something. Just a couple of minutes later, he came back with a paper bag, which he gave to me.
I took out what he bought. "A chocolate bar?"
"Mhm." He started driving again.
"A chocolate bar is what you needed to buy?" I asked. It was completely random of him to just buy one and give it to me.
"Yeah, it's yours," he said. "You don't want it?"
"Why did you buy me a chocolate bar?" I muttered as I unwrapped the top part. I then took a bite.
He shrugged. "No reason... Or maybe that's my early present for Valentine's Day tomorrow."
That made me smile. "Psh. Chocolate? So cliché," I joked as I reached over to Rodrick, chocolate in hand, and urged him to take a bite. He didn't refuse, of course. He took a glance at me after his bite, and his face lit up for some reason.
"She's finally smiling again," Rodrick said.
I was in the middle of taking another bite from the chocolate bar. The sound of the chocolate snapping felt louder then. I looked straight ahead and chewed in silence. The incident that happened earlier that day came back to mind. It really was stupid to keep thinking about it, and I swear, I've been trying to just shrug it off.
"Hey." He took my hand in his, our fingers entwining. It honestly made me feel a lot better. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything. Especially if something is bothering you."
"Thank you." I turned to him. He raised his eyebrows, as if he was waiting for me to continue talking. "I'm okay. It's nothing. What happened—it's not even something I should be worried about."
He only nodded then, and squeezed my hand lightly.
When we got to my house, we continued our usual routine of doing homework, eating snacks, getting a little distracted here and there. Just before it got too dark, it was time for Rodrick to leave.
I accompanied him to the front porch as usual. Suddenly he turned around, and motioned for me to come closer.
And then he gave me a huge, tight hug. It was warm and comforting, just like the words he whispered to my ear. "Hey, I'm always here for you. Okay?"
At that moment, I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed. I hugged him back and nodded into his chest. I felt his hand brushing my hair, patting my back. Sure, he may not be the most perfect man to ever exist, but he knew just what I needed. I was beyond thankful for having someone like him, someone who really cared.
. . . . . . . . . .
happy february 14th!
That was Rodrick's message early morning on the following day. I quickly replied.
Me: Happy Valentine's Day to you too 3
Rodrick: do u know why i said feb 14th instead of happy valentines?
Me: Haha why?
Rodrick: we're celebrating 2 occasions today!
Rodrick: there's something more important than valentines
Me: ?
Rodrick: take a guess cos i'm not saying it hahahaha
For a moment, I wondered if it was some sort of national holiday or something, but it wasn't. What on earth could he be talking about?
Me: Can't you just tell me?
Rodrick: wow u rly don't know?
Me: Maybe give me a clue? Pretty please?
Rodrick didn't reply after that, even when I already got to school. I started to get worried. Is he mad angry or something? So I sent him a few more messages as I walked through the hallway to drop by my locker.
Me: Rodriiiiiiiick
Me: I'm really sorry
Me: Just tell meeee. Pleeaaase?
Rodrick: check ur locker :)
I made my way there and opened it as quickly as I could. When I did, a piece of paper fell. I picked it up immediately. No, it wasn't a piece of paper. It was a small envelope.
I opened it. Inside was a handwritten note that read, Happy One Month!
One month? I wondered for a second. And then it clicked. One month since Rodrick and I got together!
I felt my cheeks getting warmer and my smile growing bigger. I was about to grab my phone again to text Rodrick when I realized that there was something else in the envelope.
Two movie tickets. And another handwritten note: Go on a date with me?
Excited, I quickly sent back a message to Rodrick. Happy One Month! Yes, definitely yes! 3
During lunch that day, Claire was the last to come to our table.
"Happy Valentine's Day, girls!" she exclaimed, five times more excited than she usually was. Her cheeks were also quite red, and she was holding a rose on her hand.
"I'm guessing Ethan gave you that rose," Olivia said, seeming uninterested. But then she realized how she sounded, and gave Claire a sincere smile.
"Oh yes." Claire swooned and dropped on her seat, caressing the rose on her hand. "He surprised me by my locker and gave me a box of chocolates too," she continued dreamily as she took the chocolates out of her bag. "And then he said, 'Happy Valentine's, baby. We're going for dinner tonight, right?'" She squealed to herself, hands (and rose) on her cheeks. She was lovestruck alright.
"Aww, I'm happy for you," I said, with smile on my face. Olivia looked up suddenly, as if she was surprised by the tone of my voice. "Where are you guys going later?"
Claire shrugged. "Oh, I don't know yet. He hasn't told me." Then she stared at the rose.
"Speaking of eating, you should go get yourself some lunch, Claire," Olivia reminded. It was half past noon, and she might end up starving in the next period if she stared at her rose all day.
"Oh, right. Watch my rose for me!" She got up and made her way to the line as fast as she could. I shook my head. Oh young love.
"So..." Olivia's voice distracted me. "You've also got plans tonight, huh? You have a date or something?" she asked out of the blue.
"Whaaat?" I rolled my eyes and tried not to sound too obvious. I think I failed, though.
"Girl, you're smile hadn't left your face since I saw you this morning."
I didn't even notice. I instantly switched to the most blank expression I could muster. "I have? What? No I'm not smiling?"
"Plus you were all, 'aaawww' just a moment ago. You aren't usually like that."
"Whaaaat," was all I could say.
She smirked, and gave a laugh. "You're such a terrible liar, April."
"I don't know what you're talking about." I gave a nervous laugh and just focused on my food. Perhaps I should tell them already.
Claire came back soon, and thought out loud about where Ethan might take her later. In the middle of the conversation, Anne suddenly passed by.
"Hey, Olivia," she said. Olivia looked up, but she didn't look surprised that Anne was suddenly talking to her. "Have you finished that research paper for Music already?"
"Uh, not yet. I still have to look some stuff up for my sources," Olivia replied blankly.
"Ugh, me too." She rolled her eyes. "It's so hard. I mean why can't we use Wikipedia. Everything's there. Right, Claire?"
"We're not in the same Music class, but I'd use Wikipedia too if it were allowed. It makes life easier!" Claire answered.
What's going on? I sat there like an outcast, surprised at the sudden chitchat in front of me.
"That's because just anyone can edit the information there," Olivia said. "It's not reliable. Better to go to the original sources. It's all in the hyperlinks below anyway."
Anne's eyes widened as if she was just given the solution to her problem. "That's a great idea, Olivia. You know what, I'll check that out. Maybe I can start there. Thank you!" She flashed her pretty and annoying smile.
"Sure thing."
"Okay, better get going. Bye, girls!" Anne tapped the Claire's and Olivia's shoulders lightly, before walking away. I might have seen her give a quick glare at me too.
I stayed quiet, just staring at what was left of my food. Well, the whole table was suddenly quiet and awkward.
"April..." Claire said.
"Hm?" I looked up, forcing a smile.
"Well, about Anne," she started, but didn't continue.
"What about it?" I wasn't that interested, honestly. If they were friends again, who cares?
"She started talking to me yesterday, as if nothing had changed from last year. So I'm not sure if everything's okay now."
"Yeah, me too," Olivia said. "I don't know what made her do that. But, to be honest, I don't buy it."
Claire nodded. "Me too."
"Look, guys. You don't need to explain or anything. It's not like I'm against you talking to her," I said. It was true. There was no need to affect other people with the issue between Anne and me.
"I know, I'm just saying..." Olivia leaned closer to the both of us and whispered, "After the things she did—hanging out with us then, suddenly ignoring us and all, then suddenly talking to me and Claire again—it kinda seems suspicious."
Claire nodded in agreement, as she looked at me too.
"Whatever. I don't really care," I said. Then I remembered what happened just yesterday, when I was tripped by Heather. "But thanks for the warning anyway."
Soon, the three of us made our way out of the cafeteria. We wanted to drop by our lockers first before heading to our own classes. But only a few steps out of the cafeteria doors, I saw something I didn't want to see, especially on that day.
Anne was standing in front of Rodrick, who was leaning on the wall. They were just talking about who knows what, but they were too close to each other. Too close. Anne was fiddling with the sleeve of Rodrick's shirt. Then her hand was on his shoulder, patting it gently or something—I don't know.
Perhaps some kind of fire lit up inside me and I definitely did not think my actions through. Next thing I knew, I was already storming towards them. Call me jealous or whatever, but there was no reason for them to be in such close proximity in school, right in front of some random students passing by. Right in front of me.
"What are you doing?" I was furious, and I did not hide that at all. I glared at Rodrick, and then at Anne, and then at her fingertips, which were back on the hem of Rodrick's sleeve. "Get your hand off of him."
Rodrick shook his head and tried to push Anne's hand away with his other hand. "A-April, it's not wha—"
"I was just asking him something." Anne interrupted, facing me. She sounded so casual, and it was irritating the hell out of me. "Huh, you seem a little bothered. Why, are you two dating or something?"
I clenched my jaw, trying so hard not to yell at her. Rodrick seemed as if he wanted to answer the question himself, say it in front of Anne's face, but he looked at me. He made a promise, and he was going to keep it. What's your call? his eyes asked.
"No, right?" Anne chuckled. She faced Rodrick again and started brushing some dust off his shoulders. "Then stop acting like you're his girlfrie—"
"Get your hands off my boyfriend," I said firmly. "We've been together for a month. So you better back off. Right. Now." Both of my hands were balled into tight fists, and my stare could send daggers to Anne.
She immediately took them off, and hesitantly took a step back, looking at the ground the entire time. And when she finally met my eyes, I noticed the smirk on her face. "Fine. Sorry." She raised both of her hands up, but none of this whole act seemed sincere at all. "No explanation needed." With that, she walked away.
I stood there, frozen on my spot and unable to breathe, until I felt arms wrapped around me and a huge hand rubbing my upper back.
"Calm down, April. Calm down." It was Rodrick's voice.
I heaved a long sigh, closing my eyes and finally unclenching my fists as I leaned onto Rodrick for support.
The hand was now on my hair. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." It was barely a whisper that came from my mouth.
He pulled away, hands still resting on my shoulders. "Are you okay?"
I simply nodded.
"Wow, I can't believe I'm witnessing this right now." I heard from behind me.
I turned around and realized it was Claire who said that. Olivia nudged her to keep quiet. Behind them, there were a few other students who were watching. Ugh, it seemed that we've gathered a little audience. I didn't even notice that Rodrick's friends were close too. But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that I totally forgot that Claire and Olivia were with me, and now they saw the entire thing. I haven't even told them yet.
"Claire, Olivia." I took Rodrick's hand. "I-I can explain."
Olivia was about to say something, but the school bell suddenly rang. The few students started running away, probably to where they were supposed to be.
"We'll talk about this later," was all Olivia said before she and Claire left.
No explanation needed, Anne's words echoed in my mind as I sat in the classroom after lunch, clearly distracted by all the drama that happened just a few moments ago.
. . . . . . . . . .
"So that's it. That's the whole story," I said. Rodrick was seated beside me, while Olivia and Claire were in front of us. Our last classes for the day had just finished and we were talking in the cafeteria.
The two girls remained silent. Their arms were crossed in front of them, and they both had a serious look on their faces.
I continued when none of them had spoken, "If you're angry at me, I totally understand. I didn't want you two to find out this way, and I certainly didn't mean to keep it a secret for this long. I wanted to tell you guys, but I just couldn't find the right timing." I was nervous about the whole thing. Rodrick must have known because he held my hand under the table and then gave it a light squeeze.
"Well, you've been quiet this whole time," Claire said to Rodrick.
He sat up straight, as he was now the center of attention. "Uh, what should I—"
"What were you doing with Anne earlier if you were actually dating April all this time?" Claire asked, trying to sound like a police officer interrogating a suspect.
I haven't even had the chance to ask Rodrick about that yet, but I also wanted to know. I watched and waited for his answer.
He looked at all three of us and sighed. "I was walking out of the cafeteria, and then she suddenly came and asked me about homework in History. That's it, I swear."
"Then why was she standing that close to you, huh?"
Rodrick groaned, and shook his head. "I have no freakin' idea. It was the first time she talked to me in years. So I was confused as heck. I asked her what the hell has gotten into her that she's talking to me out of the blue. Then next thing I knew, April was already standing beside us."
"That's weird," I mumbled. "Why would she talk to you suddenly?"
"Exactly," Rodrick agreed.
Claire's eyes narrowed. "You sure you two aren't keeping in touch?"
Rodrick looked like the most absurd question had just been thrown at him. "I'm sure. I have no reason to talk to her, so I'm very, very sure."
"They kind of hate each other," I said, adding context.
"Well, the two of you claimed to hate each other, yet Rodrick suddenly asked me for your number." Claire shrugged.
I turned to Rodrick, whose eyes widened. "You got my number from Claire?" And then another question popped in my mind and I looked at Claire. "Wait, Claire, you were the one who gave him my number?"
She didn't have the chance to answer because Rodrick already butted in. "Wait, what? I didn't get her number from you."
Claire pressed her lips together, and then gave her explanation. "Well, uh, I gave your number to Ethan, because a friend of his friend's friend, or something, was asking for it. And I asked him exactly who needed April's number, and apparently it was Rodrick. So technically, yeah you still got her number from me."
"And you just gave my number?" I said to Claire with a straight face.
"Well, I kinda shipped you two so I didn't think it would do any harm." She gave a meek laugh. Before I was able to protest, she continued, "And hey, don't act like you aren't that grateful it led to you two getting together."
I nodded. "Fine. Point made."
Claire leaned on the table, both hands cupping her face. "So, Rodrick. You already liked her since then, huh? When you asked for her number?"
My heart skipped a beat at the idea of Rodrick liking me since then, but it was too early to assume. And it wasn't even the point of our whole discussion.
"It was for our English project," Rodrick clarified, sounding a little frustrated. "She wasn't talking to me so I had to find a way to contact her so we don't flunk."
"Awww, you missed her!" That was how Claire translated what Rodrick said.
"Anyway, this is getting off-topic." Olivia, who was quiet throughout Claire's questioning, suddenly spoke. "Going back, yeah I think Anne's been acting a little suspicious lately. You know how she suddenly started talking to us again, Claire?"
Claire nodded. "You have a point there."
Olivia sighed. She then leaned forward, placing her arms on the table. "Okay, now about the two of you. How do I say this..."
This doesn't sound good, I thought. Was she was gonna give me a long talk about friendship and secrets and trust and all that? Whatever it is, I'm prepared to hear it.
Suddenly, a loud cackle bursted from Claire. "Actually, we know!" Her tone wasn't angry at all. She even sounded excited like her usual self.
Both Rodrick and I looked at her sharply. Well, I wasn't prepared to hear that.
"What? What do you mean you know?" I asked, still a little confused.
"We actually knew about you two already!"
"What? How?"
"Remember the first day back after winter break?" Olivia said. "We asked you if you were free to hang out? You said you had to run some errands."
I looked back to that day. I had lied to them about where I was and I instantly felt bad about it again.
Olivia nodded when the look on my face said I remembered. "Mhm. So Claire and I were at the mall right? We passed by the pizza place, and guess who we saw?"
"Oh. So you two knew about it all this time." I looked down, quite ashamed. Both of them just nodded. I smiled sheepishly. "I'm really, really sorry."
"It's fine." Claire waved her hand in the air. "We decided not to say anything because we knew you'd tell us when you're ready."
"She totally wanted to ask you about it the following day, but I stopped her," Olivia revealed with a smirk on her face.
"Hey, don't expose me!" Claire laughed.
"So... you guys aren't angry?" I asked.
They shook their heads.
"If anything, I'm very happy for you. For both of you!" Claire exclaimed, looking at me, then at Rodrick. "But," she added, suddenly trying to put an intimidating face, "don't you even dare hurt her, Heffley."
She really wasn't that intimidating, but Rodrick still nodded quickly. "Yeah, I promise."
"Just don't keep things from us anymore," Olivia said. "You know you're a terrible liar."
I nodded with a laugh. That was probably why she mentioned the same words earlier that day. She knew all along.
"And you." Olivia turned to Rodrick, who straightened up in his seat. "Do you like her?" She sounded like she was interrogating him.
Rodrick nodded again. "Yes, very much. I like her very much."
She eyed him for a second, and said what she had to say. Straight to the point. "Look, I don't know if you're still keeping this bad boy rep or whatever. But I honestly think you're a good guy. Take care of our April."
He raised his hand. "I promise."
"I love you guys." I got up from my seat and hugged both Olivia and Claire.
"Aww, I love you too. I just want you to be happy, April!" Claire patted my arm.
"Love you both. By the way, don't you have dates?" Olivia said.
I let go when Claire jumped from her seat. "Oh right. Ethan's waiting for me. Happy Valentine's, you guys!" With that, she ran towards the exit.
"Well, uh, we have to go too," I said, rather shyly. Rodrick got up from his seat.
"Ha, I knew you have a date, April." Olivia pointed at me as she stood up too. "You were all smiling and as red as a tomato the entire morning up until lunch time."
I glanced at Rodrick and he was already smirking. I felt my cheeks heating up again. I shook my head very lightly, trying to tell Olivia not to say all those in front of him. It was embarrassing! "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, April." She laughed and gathered her things. "Have fun you lovebirds. See you tomorrow." Then she left.
"So..." Rodrick snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. "You were as red as a tomato?"
"Shut up."
. . . . . . . . . .
It was pretty cliché to catch a romance-drama movie on Valentine's Day. Nevertheless, we just went for it because it seemed to be the most interesting among the ones released over the weekend. As expected, the theater was packed with couples on their dates. We sat in the middle, right on the eye-level row, thanks to Rodrick reserving tickets early.
After one and a half hours in the theater, sharing popcorn with each other, and perhaps a few glances and side-comments here and there, Rodrick and I went to the ramen place to eat dinner.
"One tonkatsu ramen, one miso ramen," the waitress said as she placed our orders on the table.
We kept talking to each other while we ate, like we always did. Our conversation started with the movie.
"It wasn't so bad," he said when I asked him what he thought about the romantic-drama we just watched.
"But it made you cry, huh?" I teased. It was true, I caught a glimpse of him tearing up towards the end of the movie.
"No!" He sounded defensive. When he realized that, he cleared his throat, and repeated it in a more calm manner. "No."
I laughed. "Whatever, I heard some sniffling beside me."
"It was probably someone else." He shrugged, and then proceeded to slurp some noodles.
"Oh, it's okay to cry, Rodrick. The movie's kinda sad, after all. Imagine losing someone you love so much because they don't remember you. That hurts. Good thing the ending's a little bit hopeful."
He simply nodded. After that, our conversation just branched out naturally. We talked about our favorite actors, which movie we'd like to see next. Eventually, we ended up talking about our day too.
"That reminds me," I started, looking up from my half-finished bowl of ramen, "What were you doing with Anne earlier?" I wanted to discuss it with him separately, without others interrogating him.
He put his chopsticks down. "I told you, she suddenly came and asked me about History homework. Then I told her to go away. That's it."
I frowned. "So why were her hands all over you?"
He raised both of his hands "If anything, I wanted them off of me as soon as she touched my shirt, but I didn't want to touch her. Other people might misinterpret."
I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to see if he was lying or anything.
Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? I should have just walked away, or ignored her when she started talking to me."
He was telling the truth. So I nodded. "No, it's okay. I believe you. And if you two talk or become friends again, that's fine. I trust you anyway, so—"
"You know our history, April. I don't think we'll be friends again."
"What I mean is, she talks to Claire and Anne too, but not to me, and I just let it be. I don't think the thing between me and Anne should affect others. So just in case you two end up talking again, it's okay. Really."
He abruptly shook his head. "The chances of me talking to Anne casually like a friend, or even just a schoolmate are zero to none. It's Anne we're talking about here. We're haven't been in good terms since forever, and I hate that she's suddenly talking to me." He paused to drink some water, then continued, "Look, I get the thing about not affecting others, but Olivia's right. Something's up. So don't carry all the burden, April. Your friends are here. I'm here to look out for you."
I let out a sigh, feeling relieved suddenly. Hearing this from Rodrick was really comforting. I was already keen on doing my best to ignore Anne's weird actions, despite the heavy feeling in my chest and the theories forming in my mind. Perhaps I'll just bury everything I'm feeling deep inside, I thought. Now, I knew I didn't need to do that, when my friends and Rodrick were here for me.
"Thank you, Rodrick." I reached out for his hand, and he gave it a soft squeeze. "Oh, and speaking of my friends, you really got my number from Claire?"
His eyes widened as he was caught off guard by the question. He slowly pulled his hand back and placed it on the side of the ramen bowl. "Uh, not really."
I held up the telephone hand sign to my ear and lowered my voice to imitate him. "'I have my sources.' That's how you said it back then." He hid a laugh, and I just whined even more. "Whaat!"
"Okay, okay. Here's what happened. I asked Ben, to ask his classmate, to ask Ethan, to ask Claire for your number. So I didn't ask Claire directly." He emphasized that last word, as if it made any difference.
I shook my head and let out a laugh. "It's practically the same thing."
"I was desperate, okay? I needed to pass." He avoided my look and lifted the bowl up to finish his ramen soup.
"Right. It was for the English project, right? Did you like me already back then?" I asked, as casually as I could.
Rodrick almost choked. He put the bowl back down, coughing and then reaching for the cup of water.
Oh no, that must have been too forward. I immediately regretted asking, so I directed my attention back to my ramen. "Sorry, what Claire said got me thinking so just forget that I asked," I said, a little too quickly. Then I continued eating.
He cleared his throat, and let a moment pass. Then he spoke. "I didn't expect you to ask that."
I glanced for a second, and he had a tiny smirk on his face. I looked away instantly. "Forget it—"
"Back when I asked for your number? I don't think so. I just really didn't know what I should do with the project, and you weren't talking to me—because I was a jerk—so I called."
"Ah, okay," I replied, feeling quite embarrassed now.
"So you want to know when I first liked you?" he asked.
"Oh, I, uh..." I mustered some courage to look at him again. He was just staring at me with a hand under his chin. I shook my head. "You don't really need to—"
"Hmm." He looked at the ceiling, thinking. Then he looked at me again and shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not really sure about the exact moment. But I think things started changing during the party at my house. I spent way too much time with you that night. Not that I regret it though."
"O-Oh. I see." I was pretty sure my face was blushing now. A month of dating and I still got flustered by things like this. Somehow, I knew what was coming next.
"How about you?"
"You're asking when I first liked you?" I said, and he just nodded. I drank water as I tried to remember a specific instance. Also, my heart was beating too fast again, and I was trying to calm down first before I spoke again. "I'm not too sure either. I just, hmm... I guess I kind of enjoyed spending time with you even though you're really annoying. Then, I don't know, during the dance, I realized there might be a teeny-tiny chance that might be feeling something."
A smile spread on his face, and his cheeks suddenly had a tint of red. "Really?"
I shrugged, trying to act cool. But my brain was going, Oh God, he looks so cute when he's blushing. I then tried to finish my food.
"I really wanted to kiss you that night, you know." His voice was low, and almost a whisper.
I cleared my throat after swallowing my food. "Yeah, y-you almost did, remember? Then you tricked me. Ugh, so annoying. I looked so stupid."
He gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. And I told you, you looked cute anyway."
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes.
We made it home not too late that night. He parked his van at his house, and then walked me home. It was quite short, but we both enjoyed it anyway. Rather, I really liked that his hand was holding mine as we took in the night scenery together.
"Good night," I said when we reached the front door of my house. "Thank you so much for today, Rodrick. I couldn't ask for anything more."
He gave a fond smile. Then he leaned in and kissed me. Short. Sweet. Perfect.
"Same, thank you. For everything." He pulled me in for a tight hug, and then let go. "Good night, April."
. . . . . . . . . .
Weeks passed. Things were way easier, at least with my friends and Rodrick, because we didn't have to hide or sneak around anymore. Sometimes we ate with our own groups of friends, like we used to do. Sometimes, Rodrick ate at our table, just like Ethan did with Claire. There were also a few instances when I ate with Rodrick and his friends at their table. They weren't surprised anymore when we told them about us.
"It was pretty obvious, dude," Chris commented.
Other times, it was just the two of us eating together, or hanging out somewhere in the school. We even started spending time at the outdoor bleachers again, because the weather had already started getting warmer.
The teachers had already started giving out projects too, due by the end of the semester. Fortunately, most of it were individual, and only a few were by group or pair.
The one thing that wasn't really working out for me was none other than Anne.
She never bothered Rodrick again, but continued to talk to my friends. Eventually, I found out that she did it more often while I was actually with my friends.
She never intentionally bumped me. But Heather and Madison did. Sometimes, they even made it seem like it was my fault. One time, I was literally nowhere near them in the hallway, when I was shoved to the wall.
"Ow! What the heck is your problem?!" the voice said, acting hurt.
I turned and saw that it was Madison, rubbing her arm.
Heather comforted her and decided to add to the fire. "Are you taking revenge on us? You're so mean!"
Anne was with them too, but she just kept quiet.
The whole act looked so stupid. I sighed. "You girls should join the drama club." Then I walked away, rubbing the spot on my other arm that hit the wall.
It didn't stop there. Eventually, verbal insults came too.
Another time, Rodrick and I were about to go back inside after eating together at the bleachers. The doors opened, and it was the three girls who walked out. They glared as they passed.
"Oh it's the slut," one of them muttered. I almost didn't catch it.
Rodrick stopped in his tracks. His fists were clenched, and he was about to turn around to call them out
I grasped his arm. "Forget it, Rodrick."
He ignored me and turned to yell at the three girls. "What the hell did you say?"
They all looked back and shrugged, feigning innocence.
Rodrick broke free from my hold and walked towards them. "Look, I don't know what the hell your problem is. But you better stop this shit now and stay. Away. From her." He emphasized every bit of the last three words, eyeing each of them one by one. The glare stayed longer at Anne. Then Rodrick walked back, grabbed my hand and we went inside.
Olivia, Claire, and of course Rodrick knew every single thing they were doing. We all concluded that this was how Anne worked. Her attacks were sharp, but she never did the dirty job. She had Heather and Madison for that.
It was all so petty and stupid, but it still hurt.
At school, I never showed them that I was affected. That would only give them satisfaction. But there were nights that I lay awake on my bed, trying to sleep but I couldn't. Eventually my thoughts wandered to those things, and I found myself crying to sleep. What did I do to get treated like this? To get bullied like this by three girls I didn't even bother?
And it was during those times that Rodrick would coincidentally call me. He'd ask if I was about to sleep. Countless times, I tried to hide that I was crying. It never worked.
"April, are you crying? What happened?" he asked one night, after realizing I sounded different.
I attempted to change how I sounded like. "No, I'm not. Just colds."
"I'm coming over—"
"No, no, no. It's okay. Let's just... Let's just talk."
"Let it all out."
And I did. I told him all my worries, everything I was feeling. He assured me again and again that I wasn't the problem. That I was stronger than the other girls out there, especially those three.
At some point, Claire and Olivia started deliberately ignoring Anne. They even pretended she wasn't there whenever she dropped by our lunch table.
"Are you sure about all this? I just don't want to make things worse," I told them one time.
"It's our decision, April. You're not making things worse at all," Claire said. She was
"Honestly, she deserves it." Olivia added.
Claire who was always cheerful and sweet. Olivia who used to be Anne's close friend. I didn't expect them to do those things, knowing they were such good friends, and Anne was their friend first before they were friends with me.
I sighed, still feeling a little conflicted.
. . . . . . . . . .
"By the way, we have a gig this weekend. You wanna come with?" Rodrick asked while we did homework one afternoon.
I looked up, a little confused. "I thought your gig at the resto-bar isn't until next week?"
He nodded. "Yeah, yeah. This is a different one. This dude from varsity invited us to play at his birthday party."
"Oh, so it's a house party." I stared at the notebook in front of me. I hate house parties. I hate parties in general.
Rodrick must have noticed the tone of my voice, because he said, "Well yeah. But if you don't feel like going, it's fine. Don't wanna force you."
I thought about it twice. My recent experiences with house parties weren't so good, but if there was one thing I learned from Rodrick, it's good to chill and let loose once in a while. Maybe this was a chance to de-stress for a few hours, plus I could support Rodrick while I was at it. "Sure, I'll go with you," I said.
"Really?" He turned sharply, the look on his face saying he wasn't sure if he heard it right.
It made me laugh. "Yeah. I'll go. Just don't let me get drunk, please."
"Don't worry. I got you." He wrapped one arm around my shoulders for a quick hug.
. . . . . . . . . .
Saturday came by fast. At around 7pm, Rodrick called and said that he was outside already.
I rushed downstairs and headed straight to the door. I told my parents I was going over to a friend's house. Thankfully, they just reminded me not to stay out too late.
"You got everything you need?" I asked Rodrick while he drove us to the venue.
"Yep. The other stuff's with Ben and Chris."
I nodded. "Are you nervous?"
He shook his head. "April, we play at a resto every two weeks. This is nothing."
"Wow, so confident. I love it."
His other hand reached out for mine. "Plus, I've got you here. Love the support." He brought it to his lips and gave it a peck.
I gave a laugh and muttered, "Oh please, I know you'd do well whether or not I'm here."
I glanced at him and he was shaking his head. "But still. Thank you."
When we arrived at the house of this varsity guy named Scott, Rodrick and his band immediately went to set up. Apparently, they were playing in a few minutes and had five songs lined up.
While they were at it, I headed to the kitchen to get myself a drink. As expected, there were lots of people chatting with each other. The house was huge, so it took a while to get from one point to another, especially since a lot of people were blocking the way. When I reached the kitchen, I poured myself a cup of soda—and made extra sure that it was literally just soda.
I got back to the living room just in time for Löded Diper to start.
And so they played, each of them in their element. Loud music bursted through the house, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Once again, I witnessed how genuinely happy Rodrick was, and this brought a smile to my face.
They wrapped up strong, and the crowd gave an applause.
"Happy birthday, Scott!" Ben exclaimed, pointing at the guy just a few meters away. He raised his glass to them. "Thank you all for having us!"
With that, they started packing up all their instruments. Scott came over to them to thank them and exchange bro hugs. Soon, the music went back to the typical party playlist, as Rodrick and his friends took their instruments back to their vehicles.
It didn't take that long, and before I knew it, Rodrick was already beside me.
"Hey." He panted, probably a little tired from running back and forth for their things. He was sweating too.
"Hey. You guys did great." I took out some tissue from my small bag and patted it around his face.
"Yeah?" He smiled. Then caught my hand and then took the tissue so he can wipe his sweat away himself.
I nodded. "Mhm. I'm proud of you." I handed him my half finished cup of soda for him to drink from. He took it and did so. "Are you hungry? There must be some food in the kitchen or something."
"Good idea. Let's go, I'm starving." He took my hand and we made our way to the kitchen.
Rodrick stayed by my side the whole night. We bumped into some schoolmates here and there. I was actually surprised he knew quite a number of people. He even introduced me to them as his girlfriend.
We also saw Ethan and Claire, who apparently got there late, so they missed the band's whole set.
"What! Oh, I'm so sorry Rodrick. I should have known." Claire apologized. "Invite us to one of your gigs next time. We'll be there."
"There's one next week!" I said. "I'll text you the details later."
"Oh my gosh, yes! We can all go together!" She was already excited.
After that, Ethan said he saw his friends, so they both left to meet them.
Surprisingly, Olivia was there too.
"Nice set, Heffley." She suddenly appeared beside us while Rodrick and I were chilling in the living room in the other side of house (I swear, this was a whole mansion).
Rodrick didn't expect to see her too. "Hey, thanks!"
"Olivia! What are you doing here?" I asked, turning around.
She shrugged. "Got invited."
"By who? Claire?"
"By some guy from varsi—" Before she could finish, a guy called out her name.
"Ooooh." I gave her a teasing look.
"Uh, yeah." It was the first time I actually saw her panic. "Look, I'll tell you everything next week, I promise. Gotta go!" Then she left, probably to talk to whoever that guy was.
I laughed, amused at what just happened. I glanced at Rodrick, and he was just smiling, his arm still around my shoulder. "Anyway, what time are we going home?"
He shrugged. "Any time."
I checked the time on my phone. It was already 10:30PM. "My parents might look for me soon."
He nodded. "We can go now, if you want." He said that so casually that I wasn't used to it. I expected he'd beg to stay for an hour longer.
"You sure?"
He scratched the side of his head with a finger. "Hmm. I don't really have anything else to do here, so I'm good to go."
"If you still want to stay, it's okay. I can go ahead—"
"And what, just let you take a cab or something? No way. It's not safe." He got up and held out a hand. "Come on, let's get going."
I took it and got up. "How about your friends?" I asked as we made our way through the crowd hand in hand.
"Eh, they'll be fine."
We just made it past the kitchen when a girl stumbled out and was about to bump into us. Rodrick immediately pulled me closer to him.
The girl was swaying, and carrying a bottle of alcohol which looked too strong to be just beer.
"Sorry, excuse m—" She looked up. It was Anne.
Of course, she'd be here.
A few strands of her hair were out of place. Other than that, she looked pretty much the same, except that she reeked of alcohol and was totally wasted.
"Oh, it's you." She glared at me. "And you." Then at Rodrick. After that, she glanced downward, and saw our hands which were still intertwined. She chuckled. "Fine, rub it in. I don't care!"
I was just frozen on my spot, until Rodrick squeezed my hand, signalling that we should go. I nodded, and we took a step forward.
"Yeah, I don't give a single damn about it. Not a single fu—" She stopped suddenly.
We both turned around and saw Anne's hand over her mouth. She made gagging sounds, which meant...
Rodrick and I immediately dragged her to the nearest bathroom, where she puked her guts out. I had to hold her hair, while Rodrick quickly went to get a glass of water.
Once she finished, she sat on the floor and just leaned on the wall. Rodrick handed her the glass of water but she ignored it, and instead reached out for the bottle of alcohol. I swiped it before she was able to do so.
"Anne, stop," I said firmly. "You just vomited, and you want to drink again? No."
She just rolled her eyes. Her makeup was totally messed up now, even her hair.
"Sober up and drink water." Rodrick places the glass right beside her. He must have lost patience holding it out for a while.
With a frown, she took it and sipped.
I got up. "Come on. You should sit somewhere more comfortable."
"And somewhere that smells less like crap," Rodrick added.
"Stop bossing me around," she said coldly, and drank water again.
"What, you want us to just leave you here?!" Rodrick sounded frustrated already.
"Yes!" She yelled back. "We're not even friends so just leave me alone."
"We were friends," I said. "But that doesn't even matter right now. Just follow us, will you?"
Tears started to well in her eyes.
I sighed. Why am I even doing this? Then tried to pull her up. Rodrick helped me, and in a second we were out of the bathroom. Anne was whining all throughout.
We made our way to this study room that Rodrick and I had found earlier.
"We won't leave until you sober up." I said when she sat down on a chair. I sat down on another chair, while Rodrick sat on the floor.
She laughed again. "What the hell is this show." We ignored her. "Damn it, stop pretending like you two even care!"
Rodrick wasn't having any of it. "Just shut up and keep drinking water, will you? None of us are particularly enjoying this situation."
Then she kept quiet, and just drank from her glass. A moment later, a tear started falling down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.
The tears didn't stop, though.
Minutes passed, probably almost an hour. None of us talked. There was just the discreet sound of crying, and this heavy feeling present in all three of us.
Rodrick stood up from the floor. "I'll get more water." Then he went out the door.
Now, it was just me and Anne.
"April?"
I looked up. It was the first time, in a long time, that I heard her say my name without a tinge of spite or mockery. "Yeah?"
"Remember when we met at the country club?"
I looked away from her. "When you were still nice to me and my friends? Yeah."
She nodded, a tiny smile appearing on the edge of her lips. "They were really nice to me too. You all were."
Then we were quiet, until Anne started speaking again.
"You know, I didn't deserve their kindness. And I don't," she choked a sob, "I don't deserve the way you and Rodrick are treating me right now. Especially you two. I don't deserve it."
I didn't respond again. I chose not to.
Anne picked that up. She continued. "During Rodrick's party, I don't know if you remember, but I was the one who gave you the iced tea."
"I know," I snapped. "Dumb of me not to notice that it was a friend who was getting me wasted without me knowing."
"I'm sorry," she said.
That made me look at her again. "Why did you do that?"
"I..." She looked down, staring at the almost-empty glass she was holding. "It was a petty reason. I noticed you've been spending a lot of time with Rodrick back then."
"It was for a stupid English project. And what does that even have to do with getting me drunk?"
"I thought... Back then, I thought there was a chance he might start liking you, so getting you drunk might just prevent that from happening." She gave a laugh, one that mocked herself. "Didn't end well for me, huh?"
"Wait a second, this is all about you and Rodrick? Are you obsessed with him or something?"
"N-No." She gulped. "He probably told you about us being friends when we were kids." I nodded, and she continued. "Well, after I confessed, and he rejected my feelings, I didn't take it well. So promised myself never talk to him. But I also wanted to take some sort of revenge. I wanted to prove that he lost me, and he couldn't get anyone better than me."
"So you did tell Heather Hills that Rodrick was obsessed with her?"
"N-Not exactly. I just told her he's got this weird crush on her."
"That's practically the same thing." I scoffed. I couldn't help myself. I was feeling really angry and frustrated about how petty this all was. "You kept that attitude all these years?"
"Unfortunately, yeah. Now that I think about it, it's kinda stupid." She glanced up at the ceiling as she tried to keep her tears from falling.
"Not kinda. It really is stupid. Not to mention horrible," I muttered. "Anyway, whatever your and Rodrick's issues are with each other, I really don't want to be involved in it."
"Well, you're already involved so..." She cleared her throat. "Well, both of us minded our own businesses. Huh, who needed Rodrick Heffley when guys couldn't resist a pretty girl like me anyway?" She gave a sad laugh. "Then when we went shopping for Heather's sweet sixteen—do you remember that?—he approached our table, and I thought he was going to talk to me again. But no, he talked to you. So I was like, why? How did he even know you?"
I shook my head. "We didn't even like each other a single bit back then!"
"You could say I got jealous—no, jealous is an understatement, I guess." She wiped away a tear again, and continued. "After you got drunk at his party, I avoided you because you might ask me about it. Coincidentally, Heather and Madison welcomed me back to their table, so not talking to you and the girls didn't become a problem. Fast forward to earlier this year before we got back to school, I saw you two eating at this ramen place at the mall. The way he gazed at you like you're the most precious thing on earth, and the way you laughed like he was the funniest person ever. My blood boiled."
"We weren't even dating? We were just eating, like friends would do." I clarified. That was the same day Rodrick and I played at the arcade.
She shook her head, another sad smile appearing on her face. "Friends. That could have been me, you know? His best friend, now his girlfriend." She finished what was left in the glass and placed it on the small table. "My suspicions were confirmed when I was invited by my cousin to that resto-bar, and I saw you two cozied up next to each other. I hated it. I hated both of you. And I took out my anger on you. So I ended up ranting to Madison and Heather, might have said words like seduce, taking everything, stuff like that."
All my pent up anger and feelings about how Anne had been treating me were coming back. I didn't say a word, but my jaw was clenched, and I was tearing up.
"I started talking to your friends, right in front of you. I talked to Rodrick, with the intention of getting you to admit your relationship in front of your friends. Then they'd get angry at you for keeping it from them. I thought it was the perfect plan." Then she stared at her hands. "I was wrong. Yeah, I pissed you off, Madison and Heather did too, but it didn't seem to bother you—"
I laughed sarcastically, which caused her to turn sharply to me. "I guess I was too good at hiding it, huh?" Tears were now streaming down my face. I wiped them away, and my voice cracked as I spoke again. "That was torture. I bet you didn't know how many nights I cried myself to sleep, wondering what on earth I did wrong to get treated like that."
"Y-You didn't do anything wrong—"
"And I was getting damn bullied for what? For a freshman crush you never got over?!"
"It's not just a crush," she whispered while she cried. I almost didn't catch it.
"I can't do this." I shook my head and was about to get up.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry!" She hid her face in her hands, sobbing. "I'm a terrible person."
"It's good you know that," I snapped.
At that moment, Rodrick opened the door, and he was holding a glass of water on his other hand.
"Let's go," I said, getting up and walking straight out of that room. Rodrick looked confused. He quickly left the glass of water somewhere and followed me.
"Hey, hey hey. What happened?" He pulled me to face him, when he noticed my face which was fresh from crying.
I shook my head. "Let's just go home."
We got to his van, and I stared out the window the entire time. He didn't bother me, which I appreciated, because I wasn't in the mood to talk. When we arrived in front of his house, we both got off the van, and started walking to my house. That's when he decided to ask again.
"So, do you want to talk about it?"
"Anne told me everything." I gave him a quick gist of our conversation. "Then she apologized."
"She's just... What the hell. The nerve," he said. "Did you forgive her?"
I shook my head. "It's not that easy. I got angry and walked out."
He wrapped an arm around me, and gave a comforting squeeze. Then we were both silent for a moment.
"Did you... Did you ever like Anne back after she told you she liked you?" I asked.
"Wh-What?" He let his arm fall. He probably didn't expect that.
"Just tell me the truth. Did you?"
He kept quiet for a second. "Well, I thought I almost did. But no, no I didn't."
I stopped in my tracks. "Why didn't you give her a chance?"
"She shut me out, April. Besides, I really didn't see her that way anymore. Wait, why are we talking about that again?"
I turned away from him, and started walking again. "I think she still likes you."
"What?"
"Or maybe she's in love with you, that's why she got so jealous." I shrugged, watching my feet as I trudged them on the sidewalk.
"So?"
"So?" I sighed. "Well, she liked you first. She was your friend first—"
Then I felt him take my hand, pulling me to a stop. "That doesn't matter."
I turned to face him, but I looked at the ground. "I don't know..."
"It doesn't, okay?" He tilted my head up, so I'd look at him. "Anne and I," he heaved a sigh, "that's history. It's done. It's over. There's only one girl I like, and she's standing right in front of me."
Then he pulled me in for a tight hug, whispering, "I'm all yours, okay? All yours."
. . . . . . . . . .
The week after that was already more peaceful than I had expected it to be. The only thing that bothered us all was that the teachers gave loads of homework, because it was already spring break next week.
As promised, Olivia did tell us about this guy from varsity. He apparently asked her out for dinner a few weeks after Valentine's. They weren't in an official relationship yet, but things seemed to being going well for both of them so far.
"Ooh! I'm so excited for you! Let's set up a triple date soon, shall we?" Claire said after Olivia told her story.
We all laughed. "If things go well between Chad and I. Then sure, I'm up for that," Olivia replied.
Finally, it was Friday. You could tell that everyone was excited spend a week without school. We walked out of our last class, ready to go home.
"April," someone called. I turned and it was Anne. "Can we talk?"
I agreed. We went to the cafeteria and sat there in silence for a few moments. I waited for her to speak since I didn't know what to say anyway.
"I-I talked to Rodrick yesterday. I called him," she said.
I nodded. "I know. He told me." Rodrick brought up the topic last night while I was talking to him on the phone. He said Anne told him everything. She said sorry too, and hoped they could at least be in good terms.
"Right," she continued "Anyway, I just wanted to properly apologize to you, April. I'm really really sorry. For everything. I have... a lot of issues, and I got you involved. I've been mean, and bitchy, and terrible to you, while you've been nothing but nice to me. I'm really sorry." I kept quiet, but I was listening. She then continued, "If you can't forgive me, I-I completely understand. But I just want to let you know that I'm really sorry, for all the pain I caused you. I regret everything, and I promise I'll do my best to be better."
I nodded, took a deep breath, and extended my hand towards her. She looked surprised, and just stared at it for a moment. Then she took it, and I shook her hand once.
"Okay. I don't wanna start spring break with a heavy heart." I said with the slightest smile. I let her hand go and continued. "I couldn't say I can just forget everything, though. So I don't think I can go back to being friends with you, after everything that happened."
She nodded. "That's... That's okay. I understand."
"I hope you say sorry to Olivia and Claire too. And Mae, if you can call her. They were good friends to you after all."
"I will."
"Well, I should go." I took a deep breath, and got up from the chair. "I wish you happiness, Anne. I really do."
She smiled, and a tear fell down her cheek. "Thank you, April. I wish the same for you."
"Enjoy spring break. See you when I see you." I waved good bye. She did the same, and I left.
A heavy feeling was lifted off of my chest then. I was all smiles when I saw Rodrick waiting for me by my locker. He grinned too when he saw me coming.
Spring. Rebirth. New beginnings.
