Just Friends
"Spin, you nearly ready?"
"Just wait, will you Teej?"
"We're gonna be late! I've been waiting ten minutes already!"
Spinelli came down the stairs looking beautiful. Well, to TJ she looked beautiful every day, but her beauty was mainly effortless. Spinelli was a different kind of girl to all the others- she didn't care what she looked like, she didn't care about fashion, she didn't wear makeup. She couldn't be bothered with it.
But now, she was wearing a stylish outfit, loads of makeup and had put her hair into a fancy updo thing.
It was about eight or nine months since Spinelli and Byron started going out- TJ didn't know, but Spinelli knew the exact date. Sadly, they were still together. But more importantly than that- it was their first day of high school.
"Sorry about that. I had to change my outfit about seven times to get it right." Spinelli said.
"You never used to care about what you wore," TJ pointed out.
"I'm growing up, TJ. Things change." Spinelli said.
"But Spin- you never wear makeup."
"I do now. Byron's going to the same high school as us. I want to look my best. I don't want him to flirt with the Ashleys," Spinelli said, and she was looking concerned.
"Why would he flirt with any other girl? He's with you. He wouldn't need to," TJ said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished he'd never said them. He blushed, his face the same colour as his back-to-front red baseball cap which he always wore.
"Um- thanks Teej," Spinelli said, smiling. This time last year she would have given anything for TJ to say that to her.
But things were different now.
"Well- you look great, anyway," TJ said, blushing again.
"Thanks. Not so bad yourself," Spinelli said shyly, blushing too.
TJ smiled. Spinelli never blushed in Byron's presence. He'd never seen her blush before, either.
They set off together, chatting about things, when Spinelli wobbled slightly and fell over.
"Careful, Spin! Are you alright?" TJ asked, concerned. He held out his hand to help Spinelli up. Spinelli reached out her tiny hand and interlaced her fingers with TJ's. TJ felt the sparks he got every time he and Spinelli touched, he smiled to himself, it was the best feeling in the world.
They were just staring into each others' eyes for a moment, getting lost in each other, when TJ pulled Spinelli up.
"Why did you fall? You're not drunk are you?"
"Course not!"
It was then TJ noticed Spinelli's footwear- shoes with heels that had to be about six inches.
"It's those heels, isn't it? They're ridiculously high! You could hurt yourself!"
"Teej, you sound like my mom. I'm fine."
"But, why"-
"Byron wants me to be more feminine."
"If Byron wanted you to jump off a cliff, would you?"
Spinelli's eyes sparked with anger. Her lip quivered.
"You don't understand, TJ. And you never will."
Spinelli stormed off, leaving a stunned TJ behind her.
"Wait up, Spinelli!"
Spinelli turned around.
"I'm sorry."
"You should be," Spinelli said in a firm tone of voice.
"Princess!"
Spinelli's face changed instantly from angry to happy. "Sweetie!" She said in a totally different tone of voice. She and Byron kissed, full on the lips. TJ could never remember feeling so jealous. He had once kissed Spinelli's lips, the first to do so.
TJ and Spinelli stood, staring at each other. Waiting, as what seemed like millions of eager eyes were staring at them, waiting too.
Then, TJ parted his lips slightly, and Spinelli moved in closer. Closer than they'd ever been before.
As their lips touched, TJ felt a weird sensation- his lips felt like they were having electric shocks, and he felt warm and tingly inside. He couldn't believe it- he had kissed Spinelli and Spinelli was kissing back. Could it be that now, after all this time, they would finally be more than just best friends?
They came apart. TJ didn't want to talk first. He loved the kiss, but what if he said so and Spinelli thought it was disgusting?
In the end, he decided to lie. "That was disgusting!" The best friends exclaimed simultaneously, miming being sick. TJ laughed, but inside, his heart was breaking. He and Spinelli were still friends. But it looked like that was all it ever would be.