Unconditional Love Chapter 2

(Corey's POV)

I looked nervously around at the shocked faces of our friends. Kin and Kon were just standing there, wide-eyed. Lanes looked like she was about to cry. I looked over at the Newmans to see that they didn't look much better. Kim and Konnie's mouths were agape, while Carrie looked slightly disheartened. Then, she got angry.

"WHAT?!" She yelled. She looked between me and Larry, like she didn't know who to kill first. Suddenly, she tried to go for Larry, but Kim and Konnie snapped out of their trances and grabbed her, holding her back. Larry looked horrified, so I gave his hand a tight squeeze. He squeezed back. "Are you fucking kidding me?! How could you?!" Carrie yelled. At first, I thought she was angry, but as I watched her trying to struggle out of their grasp, I saw tears start going down her face. She ceased her efforts and let them pull her back.

"Carrie?" Larry asked. Carrie pushed the twins off of her and turned around so she was facing away from us.

"Don't talk to me…" She said before walking away.

"What was that about?" I asked, bewildered. He shrugged. Suddenly, Kim and Konnie came over.

"Larry, can we talk to you?" Kim asked, looking nervous.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He said, letting go of my hand. As he was talking to his remaining band members, I looked at my own band. I saw Kin, Kon, and Lan-

Wait…where's Laney? I went up to the twins, who were talking to each other.

"Hey, guys." I said. They looked at me.

"Hey, Corey." They said.

"So…are you okay with all of this?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, of course." Kon said.

"What? Did you expect us to go all 'Carrie' on you?" Kin joked. I smiled at them sheepishly.

"Yeah, kind of."

"Well, don't worry. We support you 100%" Kon said as they both gave me a thumbs up.

"Thanks, guys. It means a lot." I smiled. Then, I paused. I had almost forgotten. "Uh, by any chance, do you know where Lanes went?"

"She left when Carrie went psycho." Kon said. "I think she went home. She looked pretty messed up."

"Do you think she's not okay with it?" I asked them. They just shrugged. Suddenly, Larry came over with Kim, who had an arm around him. He looked distraught. "Larry? What's wrong?"

"C-carrie hates m-me, now." He said, on the verge of tears. I put my arms around and gave him a comforting hug. He started lightly crying into my shoulder.

"She doesn't hate you." I said soothingly. "She just needs some time to get used to it."

"B-but what is she d-doesn't? What if s-she hates me f-forever?"

"She won't. If she's really your friend, then she won't." I said, trying to comfort him. His sobs soon became mere sniffles as he calmed down. I glanced over at the Newman twins, who were looking at him with pity. I turned my attention back to him at he lifted his head from my shoulder. "Better?" I asked. He slowly nodded and looked down, obviously still broken up about it. I put my hand under his chin and made him look up at me. "Look, everything's going to be okay." I said as I gave him a quick kiss. This time he nodded, smiling.

(Carrie's POV)

As I walked home, I was cursing in my head. Why did this have to happen?! I kicked a rock angrily. Stupid Larry! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I reached my house and went inside. I went up to my room and slammed the door shut behind me. My mom called from downstairs.

"Carrie? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, mom!" I yelled louder than necessary. I walked over to my bed and threw myself onto it, grabbing a pillow and hugging it tightly. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards my room. My mom opened the door slowly.

"Carrie?"

"I said I'm fine!" I yelled, burying my face into the pillow. She came over and sat on the bed.

"You don't sound fine." She said softly. "What's wrong?" I sighed.

"Everything. Not only did I find out that my best friend is gay, but I also found out that he's dating one of our rivals!"

"Well, what's wrong with him being gay? There's nothing wrong with that." I rolled my eyes.

"I know, but…"

"But…what?"

"But…" I paused for a second. "…I like him." My mom's eyes widened.

"Oh, I see." She sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wish there was something I could do." She started rubbing circles into my back. I hugged my pillow tighter. "I'm sure you'll find someone else. There are plenty of other guys out there." I turned over and lied on my stomach.

"Yeah, but…none of them are Larry." I said sadly. My mom just sighed. I felt her get off the bed and pat my back a couple times. Then, she walked out of the room and closed the door softly. Lost in my own thoughts, I soon fell asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I checked my phone. 3 missed calls and 6 messages. I looked at them. They were all from Larry:

3:28 PM: Carrie, I'm sorry. Come back to the park.

3:30 PM: Please don't be mad.

3:34 PM: Pick up the phone, Care. I want to talk.

3:37 PM: Come on! I said that I was sorry!

9:45 PM: Goodnight, Care.

7:28 AM: Still hate me?

I looked at the last one, then at my clock. It was 7:30 AM. I looked back at my phone and sighed, setting it back down. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now…or ever.

(Larry's POV)

I sat on the edge of my bed, waiting with my phone in hand. It's been five minutes, and still nothing. I guess she really does hate me. Well, if she didn't want to talk by phone, then I'll just have to go to her in person. I got dressed, walked downstairs, and left. As I was walking, I check my phone to see if she answered. Still no. Dang it, Carrie.

Once I reached her house, I knocked on the door. I was greeted by her mother.

"Oh, Larry! It's nice to see you!" I waved.

"Hey, um, is Carrie here?" I asked.

"Yes. She's in her room. Did you need to see her about what happened yesterday?"

"Wait, you know?"

"Yeah, she explained it to me. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I sighed.

"Well, go on up. Be careful, though. She's in a pretty bad mood."

"Okay." I said as I walked in and started heading upstairs. "Thanks."

"No problem." She said, smiling. As I walked over to her bedroom door, I heard a noise coming from the other side. It sounded like…crying? I opened the door and peeked inside. She was lying on her bed, hugging a pillow, which she was crying into. Why is she so sad?

"Care?" I asked. She suddenly shot up to a sitting position. I watched as she hurriedly tried to wipe the tears from her face.

"L-larry? What are you doing here?" She asked. I walked over to the side of her bed and sat down. I looked over at her.

"I just wanted to know if you still hated me." I told her. She moved over and sat on the edge of the bed with me.

"Larry…I never hated you. I couldn't possibly." She said softly. "I was just a little upset."

"A little?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, I was really upset." She admitted. We sat there for a bit until I spoke up again.

"Why were you crying?" I asked. She suddenly froze. "What is it, Care?" She looked down.

"Well, I…" She paused, seemingly reluctant to finish the sentence. "…like you. I have for a while." My eyes grew wide.

"What? But…" I couldn't believe this. I used to crush on her all the time. Then, when I finally move on from her, she decides to tell me this?! Then again, I'm kind of glad she didn't. If she had, I would probably be with her, and not Corey. She looked at me.

"Do you hate me, now?" She asked. I sighed and put an arm around her.

"No, I could never hate you, Care." I smiled at her. I took my free hand and wiped the remaining tears off of her face. "Still friends?" I asked.

"Still friends." She said, smiling.