Paige pushed Blayne towards where Craig and Marco were standing. Marco saw Blayne coming and he knew why. He left without explaining to Craig. Craig looked around for a minute, confused, and then saw her coming. 'Oh no. Oh no. I feel sick. So sick. But I shouldn't. She's Blayne. She's my best friend. What's going to happen now?'
"Hey, Craig."
Craig leaned against the locker for support.
"Hey."
"So, um, I'm not one to beat around the bush, so…are we….what….what now?"
"I…don't know? I spent all of last night thinking about how this conversation would go. And I completely forgot how I wanted it to go."
"Craig. You're babbling."
"Sorry."
"So…are we friends?"
Craig looked at her, deeply.
"Always. You know that. Nothing can change that."
But Craig knew that wasn't true. That could change. They could be more than friends. And then they could not be friends at all.
"Are we more than friends?"
Craig pondered how to go about this. He was terrified of the idea of losing Blayne. He was excited by the idea of getting to kiss her whenever he wanted. But what was more important? Was there an in-between? 'There is….would she go for it? Let's see.'
"Blayne, " He began, putting an arm around her shoulder. "We, are friends. With benefits." He grinned at her. She gawked at him and shoved his arm off of her.
"Friends with benefits?!" She spat at him.
'Uh-oh.' Craig thought.
"Well….yeah."
"UGH! You are such a guy! I can't believe I actually held expectations for you."
She stomped away down the hall. Pretty much everyone had been watching them. Paige and Hazel ran after Blayne. Marco rushed back to Craig and pushed his shoulder.
"Man! What did you say to her?"
Craig ran his hands over his face and then up into his hair.
"I…I don't know. Something bad obviously. She asked what we were, and I told her we were friends…with, um…benefits."
Marco had a look of disappointment on his face.
"You still haven't learned how to handle girls, Craig. I thought you would've by now."
"Marco. Lay off, man."
"Sorry, but you brought this onto yourself."
"What's so wrong with being friends with benefits!"
"Blayne is a girl! She wants a commitment! I mean, when someone asks her if she has a boyfriend, she doesn't get to say yes. She has to say, 'no, but I have a beneficial friend.' How much do you think she wants to do that?"
"I just didn't want to ruin our friendship. And I want her so bad. I thought I could do both."
"No. You can't, Craig. You have to choose."
"Uggghh."
Craig slammed his head against the locker behind him. 'Always screwing up. I'm always screwing up.' He told himself.
At lunch, Blayne decided to sit outside by herself. She needed space. And lots of thinking time. Unfortunately, she usually doesn't get what she needs. Ellie plopped a squat across from her.
"Hey."
Blayne gave her a 'I don't want to talk' look.
"Hey, Ellie."
"Look, I don't want to rack your brain about your new found romance."
Ellie put her camera on the picnic table.
"I just want to interview you for my project."
"Oh. I guess I can accommodate, since you helped so much with my project."
"Exactly what I thought. So, before we start, are their any topics you don't want to talk about, any questions you won't answer?"
Blayne thought a moment. But decided honesty was the best way to go.
"Nah. Fire away, Ellie Nash."
Ellie pointed the camera in Blayne's direction and pushed the record button.
"Ellie Nash here with Blayne. Topic of today happens to be secrets. So, Blayne, do you keep secrets?"
"Well, yeah, everybody has some secrets."
"Do you have any secrets that you have never told anyone?"
"Yeah. I guess."
"And why do you choose not to tell anyone?"
"Because I think that maybe, if they knew, they would think less of me, or be mad at me."
"So, you're kind of just protecting yourself by keeping a secret?"
"You could say that."
"Do you feel bad, keeping secrets from your friends?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because it doesn't affect them."
"So if it doesn't affect them, why don't you just tell them?"
That stumped Blayne. She looked down.
"I…I don't know."
Ellie turned off the camera. She grabbed it and stood.
"Thanks, Blayne."
Ellie smiled her Ellie smile, and walked away. 'That was weird. And not so fun. It actually, kind of sucked.' Blayne thought as she watched Ellie walk back into the school. She didn't feel so much like eating. At all. She stood up and threw her lunch away, then walked over to the basketball courts and leaned against the fence. Three guys were just shooting the ball, goofing around. But she wasn't really watching them. She was just…looking. At air. She was lost in thought. The wind was blowing leaves everywhere, and it made Blayne cold. She wrapped her arms around herself. When she felt a coat drape over her shoulders, she wasn't surprised at first. Then she came back down to Earth and turned around.
"You looked cold."
Blayne took the varsity soccer jacket off of her and held it out to him.
"Take it back, Sully. I'm fine." She turned back around and leaned on the fence. She felt Sully doing the same thing right behind her.
"Please give me another chance. I'm really trying. Really hard. I want you back. For real. Not sneaking around. I want you to be my girlfriend."
"Wow, you said girlfriend. You usually just refer to the position as 'boo'. But no, Sully. You aren't boyfriend material."
"Well, I'm obviously one hell of a kisser."
"I've kissed better." She thought of Craig.
"Blayne, this isn't an act. This is the real deal. Doesn't it mean anything to you to know that I am doing a completely personality make over just for you?"
He wrapped his arms around he waist and pulled her close to his chest. For a moment, it was nice. Feeling wanted. Feeling loved. Sully wanted her like this. Craig wanted her to kiss. The option of Sully seemed so much more tempting. She pulled away.
"No, Sully. Just….no."
"I'm not going away, Blayne."
"What, are you going to stalk me?"
"No. That's too drastic. Will you at least let me walk you home?"
"If I do, will you leave me alone?"
"If I don't have you convinced by then, then yes. I will leave you alone."
"Fine."
Blayne turned and went inside, knowing class would start soon.
"Hey, Craig."
Craig leaned against the locker for support.
"Hey."
"So, um, I'm not one to beat around the bush, so…are we….what….what now?"
"I…don't know? I spent all of last night thinking about how this conversation would go. And I completely forgot how I wanted it to go."
"Craig. You're babbling."
"Sorry."
"So…are we friends?"
Craig looked at her, deeply.
"Always. You know that. Nothing can change that."
But Craig knew that wasn't true. That could change. They could be more than friends. And then they could not be friends at all.
"Are we more than friends?"
Craig pondered how to go about this. He was terrified of the idea of losing Blayne. He was excited by the idea of getting to kiss her whenever he wanted. But what was more important? Was there an in-between? 'There is….would she go for it? Let's see.'
"Blayne, " He began, putting an arm around her shoulder. "We, are friends. With benefits." He grinned at her. She gawked at him and shoved his arm off of her.
"Friends with benefits?!" She spat at him.
'Uh-oh.' Craig thought.
"Well….yeah."
"UGH! You are such a guy! I can't believe I actually held expectations for you."
She stomped away down the hall. Pretty much everyone had been watching them. Paige and Hazel ran after Blayne. Marco rushed back to Craig and pushed his shoulder.
"Man! What did you say to her?"
Craig ran his hands over his face and then up into his hair.
"I…I don't know. Something bad obviously. She asked what we were, and I told her we were friends…with, um…benefits."
Marco had a look of disappointment on his face.
"You still haven't learned how to handle girls, Craig. I thought you would've by now."
"Marco. Lay off, man."
"Sorry, but you brought this onto yourself."
"What's so wrong with being friends with benefits!"
"Blayne is a girl! She wants a commitment! I mean, when someone asks her if she has a boyfriend, she doesn't get to say yes. She has to say, 'no, but I have a beneficial friend.' How much do you think she wants to do that?"
"I just didn't want to ruin our friendship. And I want her so bad. I thought I could do both."
"No. You can't, Craig. You have to choose."
"Uggghh."
Craig slammed his head against the locker behind him. 'Always screwing up. I'm always screwing up.' He told himself.
At lunch, Blayne decided to sit outside by herself. She needed space. And lots of thinking time. Unfortunately, she usually doesn't get what she needs. Ellie plopped a squat across from her.
"Hey."
Blayne gave her a 'I don't want to talk' look.
"Hey, Ellie."
"Look, I don't want to rack your brain about your new found romance."
Ellie put her camera on the picnic table.
"I just want to interview you for my project."
"Oh. I guess I can accommodate, since you helped so much with my project."
"Exactly what I thought. So, before we start, are their any topics you don't want to talk about, any questions you won't answer?"
Blayne thought a moment. But decided honesty was the best way to go.
"Nah. Fire away, Ellie Nash."
Ellie pointed the camera in Blayne's direction and pushed the record button.
"Ellie Nash here with Blayne. Topic of today happens to be secrets. So, Blayne, do you keep secrets?"
"Well, yeah, everybody has some secrets."
"Do you have any secrets that you have never told anyone?"
"Yeah. I guess."
"And why do you choose not to tell anyone?"
"Because I think that maybe, if they knew, they would think less of me, or be mad at me."
"So, you're kind of just protecting yourself by keeping a secret?"
"You could say that."
"Do you feel bad, keeping secrets from your friends?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because it doesn't affect them."
"So if it doesn't affect them, why don't you just tell them?"
That stumped Blayne. She looked down.
"I…I don't know."
Ellie turned off the camera. She grabbed it and stood.
"Thanks, Blayne."
Ellie smiled her Ellie smile, and walked away. 'That was weird. And not so fun. It actually, kind of sucked.' Blayne thought as she watched Ellie walk back into the school. She didn't feel so much like eating. At all. She stood up and threw her lunch away, then walked over to the basketball courts and leaned against the fence. Three guys were just shooting the ball, goofing around. But she wasn't really watching them. She was just…looking. At air. She was lost in thought. The wind was blowing leaves everywhere, and it made Blayne cold. She wrapped her arms around herself. When she felt a coat drape over her shoulders, she wasn't surprised at first. Then she came back down to Earth and turned around.
"You looked cold."
Blayne took the varsity soccer jacket off of her and held it out to him.
"Take it back, Sully. I'm fine." She turned back around and leaned on the fence. She felt Sully doing the same thing right behind her.
"Please give me another chance. I'm really trying. Really hard. I want you back. For real. Not sneaking around. I want you to be my girlfriend."
"Wow, you said girlfriend. You usually just refer to the position as 'boo'. But no, Sully. You aren't boyfriend material."
"Well, I'm obviously one hell of a kisser."
"I've kissed better." She thought of Craig.
"Blayne, this isn't an act. This is the real deal. Doesn't it mean anything to you to know that I am doing a completely personality make over just for you?"
He wrapped his arms around he waist and pulled her close to his chest. For a moment, it was nice. Feeling wanted. Feeling loved. Sully wanted her like this. Craig wanted her to kiss. The option of Sully seemed so much more tempting. She pulled away.
"No, Sully. Just….no."
"I'm not going away, Blayne."
"What, are you going to stalk me?"
"No. That's too drastic. Will you at least let me walk you home?"
"If I do, will you leave me alone?"
"If I don't have you convinced by then, then yes. I will leave you alone."
"Fine."
Blayne turned and went inside, knowing class would start soon.