Chapter 2:
I can't believe Ricky just did that. My jaw? On the floor.
"Oh, hey Ricky…" Nini said, kind of nervously.
"How was the rest of your summer?" Ricky asked. I stood next to him, internally screaming. Kourtney, Nini's best friend, stared at me fiercely.
"Y'know, it was alright. Theatre camp was exciting…" Nini drifted off. "Look, Ricky, I have something I have to tell you."
It felt like those words silenced the entire hallway. My heart was racing for my best friend, and I could see the fear in his eyes. I wish I could do something, but I know for now it's best to stay quiet. I looked at Nini and Kourtney, trying not to show my worries in the way I carried myself.
"I found someone at theatre camp. He was the Music Man, and I was Marion the Librarian… it's called a showmance." Nini said.
"Oh. A Showmance. We were just on a break -" Ricky said, looking at the ground a little defeated. It was killing me to see him like this.
"Yep. We were on a break, but I found somebody else. I'm sorry Ricky." Nini and Kourtney turned abruptly and walked away, leaving us in the hallway together. Ricky and I walked silently to homeroom together, and his sadness was contagious. I felt bad for the guy; we've been friends for so long, but sometimes it's hard to connect with him. He'll put up this mental wall whenever he's depressed, and I wish I could just get through to him. I could feel his eyes on me, but I was too afraid to look over at him. Seeing him like this hurts.
The bustling halls of East High cleared out slowly as everyone went to their homerooms. Ricky and I stood outside of our classroom, and I turned to walk in, but noticed that he was standing further away, looking into the distance.
"Dude, is everything alright?" I asked him.
"Yeah, Big Red, it's… fine. It's just kinda rough right now. I'll meet you in there?"
"Sure, man, take your time. I'll see you in a sec." I said quietly, walking into the classroom. I sat near the back with an open seat next to me. I set my backpack in that seat to save it for Ricky. I just wish that there was something I could do to make him feel better. I was racking my brain for ideas: we could play Fortnite, I could show him the Kibble Girl on YouTube, or maybe we could watch a movie. I have Doritos in the basement, and I could get some comfy blankets down there. Just a little something to try to make him feel happier, you know?
Ricky walked into homeroom a few minutes after the bell rang. He didn't make eye contact with me. I moved my backpack for him so he could sit next to me, but he walked closer to the front of the room, to the third row. He took an empty seat on the end of the row, and sunk into his chair, with a hood over his curly auburn-tinted hair. I tried to remain optimistic; maybe he didn't see where I was sitting? Let's be real, he knew exactly where I was, because we always sit together in the same seats. I let out a soft sigh of disappointment, or was it frustration? I started to type out a text to him: "Hey Ricky, wanna come over tonight?
I locked my phone screen instead.