"Well, this isn't awkward at all," Paul mumbled and waved at Embry and a forlorn-looking Jared, who were sitting a few tables away. Kim tensed in her seat. There wasn't a chance she was going to sit with Jared.
"Well, you can go join them," she grumbled, stabbing a meatball with her fork a bit too forcefully. "I'm not asking you to be here."
"Give it a rest, man," Paul sighed. "Can't you just forgive him, so we can eat lunch like normal people again?"
"No."
"You know… sometimes I think girls just like to hold grudges for the fun of it. Just to mess with people," Paul said.
Kim's eyes went wide. "Are you somehow blaming this on me?!"
"No, but… come on, Connweller, it's been weeks. He's clearly sorry. Besides, it's not like he can change anything now."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"I mean… yeah?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "You know, Paul, I'm honestly curious about how you would feel in my place, since you're so understanding and shit. Tell me, would you just go with it, and not 'hold a grudge'?"
His lips twitched into a small smile. "Touché. But, like, be better than me. Do as I say, not as I do and shit."
"Can we talk about something else?"
"No. I feel like my parents just got divorced, and I already went through that once. I shouldn't go through it again," he said.
"Oh, right, because this is all about you."
"Well, it kind of is, man, since you're both using me as a shoulder to cry on. Not fun," he grunted.
"Aren't you a prince."
"Damn straight," he smiled. "Talk to him, Connweller. He keeps moping in my head whenever we patrol. It's, like, really bad."
As she glanced at Jared's table, his eyes instantly caught hers, and he gave her a sad little smile that went straight to her core. How could someone with such a smile and such kind eyes turn out to be a liar?
She turned to Paul. "I don't know. Maybe, if I feel like it."
Paul sighed, shaking his head. "You're impossible."
As they finished their lunch in silence, Kim couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. She stole glances at Jared now and then, unable to ignore the ache in her heart at the sight of him, his expression a mixture of sadness and longing.
After what felt like an eternity, the bell signaling the end of lunch finally rang, and Kim gathered her belongings, ready to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the cafeteria.
"See you later, douche," she muttered, offering Paul a small smile before slipping away from the table.
Paul nodded in response, his gaze following her as she made her way towards the exit. "Hang in there, Connweller," he called after her. "And seriously, think about what I said."
"I'll really try not to," she waved him off.
As he patrolled that night, Jared couldn't help but flinch when he passed Kim's house. You're giving her space, he repeated to himself for the umpteenth time. He sighed deeply, just as Paul appeared next to him, both physically and in his mind.
"I'm going to smack you if you continue sighing like a loser," Paul said. "You look like someone kicked your puppy."
"I feel that way, too," Jared said through clenched teeth.
"Dude, you gotta do something about this," Paul said, leaning in closer.
"I know. Believe me, I've been trying."
"Well, whatever you're doing clearly isn't working," Paul replied bluntly. "Kim's still as mad as ever, and I'm pretty sure she's not going to forgive you anytime soon if you just sit there feeling sorry for yourself."
Jared grimaced, knowing that Paul was right. He had spent the past few weeks wallowing in self-pity.
"I just don't know what to do, man," Jared admitted, his voice heavy with frustration. "Every time I try to talk to her, she just shuts me out. I don't blame her, but I don't know how to fix things. Like, what if she never forgives me? What if I've ruined any chance of us getting back together?"
"Oh, great, here we go again," Paul sighed. "Look, she really likes you, ok? She has for a while. And-" A sliver of a memory appeared in Paul's mind, just for a second, a picture of a notebook. Paul shut it out right away, so Jared couldn't see what it was, but he was sure he could recognize Kim's handwriting.
"What was that?"
"It's none of your business," Paul grunted.
"It's Kim's handwriting."
"Yeah, so what?"
"You're really not going to show me?"
"No."
"What are you hiding?"
"None. Of. Your. Business."
"Oh my god; is she seeing someone else?!"
"Well, this escalated quickly," Paul sighed.
"Is it Anderson?!"
"Bro, you need to pull yourself together, seriously."
"That's not a 'no', man! You need to tell me, now! I can't believe you would hide that from me, you of all peo-"
"For fuck's sake! All right! Just… stop. Stop," Paul relented, his tone resigned. "But you have to promise not to freak out."
Jared nodded eagerly in his mind, his heart pounding with anticipation. "I promise. Just tell me, Paul. Please."
Paul hesitated for a moment. "It's not Anderson," he admitted.
"Then who is it?" Jared asked.
Paul took a deep breath. "It's Embry," he said.
Jared blinked in disbelief, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. "Embry?" he repeated, his voice tinged with shock. "But... I thought... I mean... How could he…"
But before he could finish his sentence, Paul burst into laughter. "Man, you should have seen the look on your face!"
Jared's brow furrowed in confusion, his mind reeling. "What the hell, man?!" He snapped, his voice laced with irritation. "This isn't funny!"
"Calm down, I was just messing with you," Paul admitted. "Kim's not seeing anyone else. It was just a joke."
Relief flooded through Jared, his heart pounding with gratitude. "You're so…," he breathed, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Paul shook his head, still chuckling at his own prank. "I figured you could use a little distraction from all the moping."
Jared couldn't help but laugh along with Paul, the tension that had been building within him dissipating with each passing moment. "You're such an asshole," he said.
Paul shrugged, his expression unrepentant. "Hey, what are friends for?" he quipped, his grin widening.
"So, you admit we're friends?"
"Meh. I guess you're fine."
"So, show me."
"Show you what?"
"Whatever you're hiding about Kim."
"Man, don't drag me into this."
"Too late now."
"I didn't tell your secret to her. It would be extremely shitty of me if I told you this now."
"Please. Is it something bad? I can take it."
"Yeah, we've just witnessed how well you cope with stress," Paul mocked.
"Please," Jared breathed, trying to sound as pathetic as he could. He didn't need to try much.
"Man… I promised."
"I won't tell her you told me, cross my heart!"
"What are we, 12?"
"Paul…"
"GOD. You know what? Fine. FINE. Make me the fucking worst friend in the world, as long as I don't have to go through these fucking conversations anymore," Paul said, and the memory flooded their minds. Kim's frilly handwriting and the purple ink of her favorite pen… and then the words. Her first and his last name together, just sitting on a page of a notebook. Jared's heart swelled at the memory, pushing upwards, threatening to overtake his entire body.
"Is this true?" He asked shakily as soon as Paul shut out the memory. "Please, don't be fucking with me about this, or I'll beat your ass into a pulp; I really mean it."
"I'm not fucking around, I'm just being the worst friend in the entire world," Paul grumbled. "So, now you know."
"When was this? How long have you…"
"Long enough. Since before you got together."
"For real?"
"Are you going to question every word that comes out of my mouth? Yes, for real. So, do something about it."
Jared's mind raced as he processed the revelation. Kim had written their names together in her notebook. She loved him. A surge of hope filled his chest, pushing aside the doubt and uncertainty that had plagued him for weeks. She loved him.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? And how on earth did it not show up in the collective mind?" Jared asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life of my own, you know. So thoughts about your pathetic love life aren't high on my list of priorities," Paul sniffed.
" OK, I guess I deserve that. Thank you, man," Jared said, his voice choked with emotion. "I don't know how to repay you for this."
"Oh, shut up," Paul said gruffly. "Just go talk to her. Again and again, if you have to. Figure things out. And for the love of all that's holy, don't mess it up this time. Don't make me regret this even more."
Jared nodded, his determination renewed. "I won't," he vowed, his heart pounding with anticipation. "I'll make things right. I promise."
"Good," Paul said. "And hey, if things work out, maybe I'll even forgive you for being such a pain in the ass."
Jared chuckled, the weight that had been pressing down on him lifting with each passing moment. "Deal," he said.
With a newfound sense of purpose, Jared continued his patrol alongside Paul, his thoughts consumed by the possibility of reconciling with Kim. And as they walked through the quiet woods together, Jared couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope stirring within him.