Super short chapter but another update will be coming soon. Also please go check out AnnaAbingdonabing's new story A Nutter's Guide to Surviving StarKid, she would love you for it! Enjoy!
Melissa's P.O.V.
I could not believe what had just happened. I was sure my face was one of complete and utter shock as I watched Joe rush from the library, positively furious.
I only knew him to be the calm, soft-spoken type, which I had to admit was one of the main things that attracted me to most guys. By the look on Katy's face, however, I could tell this was a rare occurrence. She was just as startled as I was, standing awkwardly in place as people continued to gawk and stare. But her pain was apparent as the tears streamed freely down her rapidly reddening face.
As soon as I recovered, I stood up and walked over to Katy, wrapping my arms around her in a hug.
"I'm so sorry" I comforted her. "He shouldn't have said that to you. He completely overreacted."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. It's all my fault, really. I should've told him about James sooner, but I honestly didn't think it would even matter." She paused and sniffled. "It's just…he's never yelled at me like that before. I've never seen him so angry."
I continued to console her, grabbing a tissue from my purse and giving it to her so she could wipe her face. "I understand, Katy. Like I said, he just took everything out of context and lost it a little. I didn't know he had that in him, either."
She suddenly looked up at me, her eyes widening with a sudden thought. "Oh, no. I'm so, so sorry you had to see that! I hope you don't think of him differently now because of what just happened. I was the one who caused him to react that way. Please, don't blame him."
I smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't think of him any differently just because of this one thing. But, I do think I know why he reacted the way he did."
Katy's confused expression led me to continue with my explanation. "Well, I know this may sound a little awkward, coming from me, but, well…I think Joe may care for you a little more than you realize. A lot more, actually."
I should have seen it coming from a mile away, to be honest. I wasn't sure how I hadn't realized it years ago, watching from a distance as the pair of friends grew closer and closer throughout the entirety of their childhood and adolescence. But I guess I supposed that, whenever Joe and I recently started dating, maybe he just talked about her so much because he was trying to convince me that Katy and I should become friends. Now, I was certain that was not the case. Even if Joe wasn't completely aware himself, it was subconsciously living inside him. The way he talked about her constantly, how he smiled and his eyes gleamed so brightly when he said her name, how he grasped her closely to him in an embrace whenever they greeted one another. It was painfully obvious, really. And now, actually seeing the two of them together and up close, the looks of complete affection on both of their faces as they conversed with one another, there was no denying the feelings that lie underneath. And upon seeing the hurt on Joe's face after he saw the message on Katy's phone from another guy, I knew he would never be able to express the same degree of emotion toward me, or anyone else for that matter.
After hearing what I said she instantly opened her mouth to object, but I held up my hand to stop her. "Look, I'm not going to lie and say I'm not even a little bit jealous about it, because I am. But now that I realize what's going on, I can't come between it."
She stared at me with her mouth slightly open as I pressed on. "I know how you feel about him, Katy. We're both girls, so it's easy to tell with you. But I should've known sooner about Joe… Listen, I just want to say that I'm sorry about even getting involved in the first place. Just, don't let me, or this fight, come between you, okay? Don't mess it up, it's too special, it really is."
And with that, I gathered my things and left in search for Joe, knowing exactly what I needed to do.