A/N: Did I mention I'm terrible with coming up with chapter names?
To: TinySneakyBagel: Yeah I was worried that it would come off as his being infatuated with her, but it's not as much an infatuation as it is just merely wondering about an old friend he's had to cut off from for no reason at all. He doesn't have a crush on her exactly, but there's something there, even just basing it off of canon material - him telling her that her shoes were hot but not anything, and Kitty being able to tell that he liked LJ (it's got to be when the car bumping thing happened because next thing you know she's sending the letters). It's something four notches below an infatuation, I would say; currently, he legitimately likes Gen. I'll try to write that in, in a clearer way, it being mere curiosity in the beginning, and not a crush ! :)
3. She Devil
There's no word from Gen that evening. He stops himself from calling or texting her because he didn't want to come off as being too clingy. He knows that Gen sometimes needed the space, and he respects that.
In his restlessness, he decides to prepare dinner for the night and maybe surprise his mom. He wasn't much of a cook, really. In fact, he wasn't a cook at all. At best, he could fry a couple of frozen nuggets, make some juice or heat one of those ready-to-eat meals. He can hear Owen in the living room, watching TV and decides on nuggets, for now. Needless to say, Owen is overjoyed.
The next couple of days go pretty much the same way, with Gen being there, but not really being there. She was somewhat distant and he sees her having serious conversations in whispers with Emily a lot more. It was easy to dismiss it as just gossip, but the way Gen looks around nervously and Emily keeps shushing her, Peter is uneasy about what it could be.
On Friday, first weekend since school started, Gen doesn't show up to school at all. This nearly pushes Peter over the edge because when one of them skipped school, so did the other, invariably. He is sure now, that something is definitely wrong and it's something big that Gen is hiding.
He is sulking during lunch when he sees Lara Jean, Josh Sanderson and Chris sitting out on the bleachers. Chris is cackling, while Josh shakes his head in amusement at an indignant looking Lara Jean. Briefly, he wonders if he should ask Chris if something was up with Gen, but decides against it; she'd never let him hear the end of it.
He goes through class, unable to pay attention, constantly checking his phone. When the final bell for the day rings, he's glad for the weekend. Just as he sits in his car and revs the engine, his phone pings with a text from Gen.
We need to talk. Meet me on the bleachers in 5.
~ LJ&PK ~
She doesn't explain herself too much except she's met a guy. From UVA. Chad. She met him during the summer when he was interning at her mother's clinic. He was "nice" and she feels that she should give him a chance.
She tells him that they'd been together for so long (He doesn't think three years, six months is that long) that she felt very tethered down (He knows exactly what that is code for). He purses his lips, like he doesn't care, but he's very hurt; he may not have thought lot about the details of their future, but he's never really thought they would break up either. It's never really even occurred to him.
"But Peter, you'll always hold a special place in my heart," she finishes.
Did that even matter, wonders Peter, and is feeling a mixture of hot anger and hurt. He had so many questions, but he knows she wants him to ask. He refrains from asking anyway, because he knows he deserves an explanation whether or not he asks. He also knows she wouldn't give him one if he didn't grovel, but he doesn't want to give her the satisfaction.
"Noted," he responds sarcastically, and Gen is looking at him warily. "Is that all?"
"Yeah," she says, and he feels vindicated when he can see she's surprised at his lack of resistance.
"Great," he stands up. "See you around, Genevieve."
And with that, he leaves her on the bleachers and goes back to his car. He stares out of the windshield for some time, breathing deeply. He was hurt, but that is wearing away slowly and gives way anger and confusion as he wonders what went wrong. What he did wrong. It's exhausting to think about so he revs the engine and drives back home, intending to sleep it off.
Thankfully, it was a weekend and he'd have two whole days to wrap his mind around it.
~ LJ&PK ~
Weekend arrives and brings with it the gloom of loneliness; he really doesn't want to get out of bed. He's still trying to process that Gen had broken up with him and prefers to lay in bed all day to just stare up at the ceiling. But a part of him doesn't want to be the guy who mopes around because his girlfriend dumped him.
Sighing, he sits up in his bed and rubs his eyes before reaching for his phone. There are six missed calls from Gen; two from last night, that he's ignored and the rest of the calls made sporadically overnight. There're are also a couple of texts from her as well.
Peter?
Peter, are you there?
I'm really sorry, I never meant to hurt you. :( :(
Call me, please?
He doesn't want to call her, not right now. Maybe a little later in the day, but not right now.
Pocketing his phone, he drags himself out of bed and smells bacon; he is glad his mother is home today. He brushes his teeth sloppily and heads downstairs for breakfast; the way she looks at him, he knows that she knows something is wrong. He simply shakes his head and starts to eat. He is wondering how he would keep himself busy, when his phone buzzes again.
Hey man, movie tonight?
Well, now he has something to do for the evening.
~ LJ&PK ~
A couple of hours later, he finds himself sitting on the couch playing GTA with Owen. He realizes it's been a while since he's been able to do this and feels a little guilty for not spending enough time with his brother. He feels happy as his brother grins in triumph, turning to him with a cheeky smile.
"Well played, sir," laughs Peter.
"Another round?" asks Owen eagerly.
"Sure, buddy," Peter concedes.
~ LJ&PK ~
When he goes to the movies, his friends look at him furtively and he is annoyed at how they already know. They try to be subtle, but are awful at it until Peter stares at them pointedly and says, "I'm fine," with emphasis.
When the movie is finished and as Peter sits in his car to drive home, he realizes he's feeling a lot better. He breathes in deeply and takes his phone out of his jacket pocket. He finds Gen's number and his hand hovers for a few seconds before he decides oh what the hell and dials.
It rings for a couple of seconds before there's an answer on the other end.
"Hello?"
An unfamiliar, guy's voice.
Peter isn't expecting that at all, and hangs up immediately. Chad. It suddenly seems very real, and he realizes that he's let himself compare this to that one time they'd broken up for a month.
Well, it's real this time, a voice inside his head tells him.
~ LJ&PK ~
Saturday night, she calls him again. She tells him in a quiet voice that she still wanted to be friends. He had sighs and refuses at first, but Gen has a way with words. By the time he goes to sleep, he is "friends" with Gen, and somehow, the conversation drifts and she is telling him about Chad.
It starts to annoy him, but he lets her talk. He realizes that it's become a habit, but still can't bring himself to cut her off. He's thankful when he feels a yawn coming, and tells her that he needs to go to bed.
She contests that of course, laughing as she does so in a very dismissive manner. He is getting increasingly annoyed.
"Gen, I need to go to bed. I have to go for lacrosse early tomorrow," he says firmly.
There's a couple of seconds of silence on the other end. "Fine," she says curtly before she hangs up.
He doesn't call her back the way he used to when she did that. He resists the temptation.
She's not your girlfriend anymore.
~ LJ&PK ~
Weekend seems to drag, but when Monday morning comes, Peter thinks that had been the fastest flying weekend of his life. He was in no mood to go to school, or see Gen, for that matter. He's still somewhat annoyed at her.
He eats breakfast in a disgruntled mood, and his mother doesn't push him. They'd spoken about what happened the last morning, and she gives him the space she knows he needs. For that, Peter is grateful.
Owen walks in carrying a bunch of envelopes and newspapers - the mail, in short - and looks at Peter strangely. "You've got mail."
"I'm sorry, what?" asks Peter, raising his eyebrows.
Owen drops all the mail on the table collectively with a shrug after handing Peter a coloured envelope. Peter recognizes the handwriting and is riddled with curiosity.
What could Lara Jean Covey possibly have to say to him that she put in a letter instead of just telling him?
A/N: Well, next chapter is called "Golden Speckles" ;) ;) Phew, thought I'd never get here, tbh xD
Reviews make me feel validated and happy, please do leave my starved soul some!
In case anyone was wondering, ~ LJ& PK ~ are scene cuts lol. :')
