Kim cringed inwardly, feeling embarrassed and self-conscious under Sophie's glare. Something lurched inside her stomach, as if she were on a rollercoaster. She wasn't doing anything bad, she knew that, but somehow, guilt was blooming inside of her, chipping away the great day she was having before Sophie had arrived.
Sophie's eyes cut through them, but there was a twinge of something other than anger there, Kim just couldn't figure out what. Sadness? Disappointment? As Kim's brain was trying to process everything, Sophie got up from her seat and walked over to their booth, her eyes flashing.
"Well, I see you've finally found yourself appropriate company. Congrats, losers should have each other's back. But, if I'm being honest, I can't believe even you would stoop so low, Jared. I thought you were better than this," she said, nodding pointedly at Kim.
Kim felt her face flush with embarrassment. She wanted to say something, just to show Sophie she didn't care about her comments, but her tongue seemed to be tied and no words came her way.
"Sophie, that's enough. You have no right to speak to Kim like that," Jared said, his voice firm. "She's done nothing wrong. You have no reason to be angry with her. If you need to offend someone, offend me."
Sophie's eyes narrowed as she looked at Jared. "You're defending her? Well, what a fucking prince. God, Connweller, you've hit a jackpot with this one. Just be prepared for the inevitable moment when he dumps you in a hallway, in front of the whole school, " she said bitterly.
Jared stood up from the booth, his fists clenched at his sides. Kim could see the anger and determination in his eyes and she almost jumped out of the booth herself. What if Jared got too angry and phased in front of the whole diner? She almost grabbed his hand, but stopped herself. Would that look like she was provoking Sophie? She pulled her hand back.
"Sophie, I already said I was sorry, I don't know what else-"
"You know where you can stick your sorry!" Sophie shouted out, making a few people turn to look. "You are garbage, Jared Cameron, and so are your friends. As I said, you deserve each other," she spat out and went back to her booth. Without a word to her friends, who were gaping at them the whole time, she took her things and left the diner, slamming the door. The other girls fumbled with the money and their jackets for a few seconds, then rushed out after Sophie.
Jared remained standing for a few seconds longer, staring at the door. When he finally sat back down, he turned to Kim. "I'm so sorry, Kim. I had no idea she would react like that. I feel terrible."
Kim squeezed the bridge of her nose. "I just don't understand why she hates me so much. I've never done anything to her."
Jared sighed and shook his head. "I don't think she hates you. I honestly think this was about me. I'm sorry that you had to deal with it."
"Yeah, maybe."
They sat in silence for a while, until Kim finally said: "Should we go? I feel like we should go."
"Yeah, probably. Whatever you want," Jared said with a sad smile.
As they drove towards Kim's house, the silence between them was palpable. Jared kept shooting glances at her, his expression unreadable, and Kim couldn't help but feel a sense of awkwardness wash over her. She wasn't sure what to say or do, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she had done something wrong.
Jared seemed to sense her discomfort. "Are you okay? You seem a little quiet."
Kim forced a smile and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, I think. It's been a long day and it's only 2 o'clock."
Jared nodded and fell silent for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and spoke up again. "Listen, Kim. I know things got a little... intense in the diner earlier. And I'm sorry if all of that made you uncomfortable."
Kim turned to look at him, surprised by his apology. "It's okay. Things like that just… happen, I guess. Sometimes, you can't control how they play out."
"Right. But I feel like I should have handled this better. In fact, I wish I had handled many things better, especially when it comes to you," he added the last part gently and Kim's heart skipped a beat. She turned to face him and he was giving her a soft, longing look she had never seen on a boy, let alone a boy she liked. It made her face flame up, so she just turned and continued staring ahead. Luckily, he didn't push it and finally, they reached her house.
"Well, I guess this is it," Jared said, his voice a little tense.
Kim nodded and tried to smile. "Yeah. I had a really great time today, Jared. Well, up to a point we won't mention," she gave a weak chuckle. "Thanks for everything."
Jared smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "No problem. I had a great time too." For a second, he looked like he was going to lean in again, at least to hug her, but Kim panicked. Sophie's angry eyes haunted her and her heart sped up, so she quickly took Jared's hand, giving it an awkward shake. Jared looked at her for a moment before sighing and dropping his hand. "Well, I guess I'll see you at school?"
"Yeah, see you then," Kim said, feeling a twinge of sadness.
With a wave, Jared drove away down the street, leaving her standing alone on her front porch. As she watched him go, a part of her was relieved that the non-date-date was over, but another part was disappointed that things had ended on such an awkward note.
As she unlocked the front door and stepped inside, Kim couldn't help but wonder what the future held for her and Jared. Would they ever be more than just friends?