Imagine

I Get It

   "Shut up!" I playfully shoved her, trying not to let her know she had figured it out.

   "I get it."

   "No you don't. I don't like them." Totally believable. Not at all defensive. Great job.

   "I used to be there too."

   This caught my attention enough to make me shut up and be still, but I wanted her to take her time saying it.

   "I, uh, I used to have a crush on Ariana. That's how our friendship started. I thought we'd maybe work. Things got complicated fast. I think she felt that she had to like me back to keep me as a friend. We gave it a try; it just didn't work. I obviously still liked her. Feelings like that don't just go away because they don't like you the same way.

"I projected my feelings for Ariana onto Adriana. Do you know how hard it is to have a crush on your best friend's sister?" She looked at me and blushed. "I guess you would.... but uh, yeah. It was so hard to be around either of them for a while. How you're feeling right now, I get it. I was there too. I know you don't want to hear it, but I've got to say it. Give up before you end up getting hurt."

I shook my head and reached for her hand. "I know it's going to happen, but I can't just give up."

"I'll be here for you, no matter what." She kissed the top of my hand. It made my heart flutter, which made me uncomfortable. Jordan shouldn't make me feel like that, but I shrugged it off and ignored it. It's a one time thing. "Let's get you something to eat and some more water."

   We stood up and made our way upstairs to the kitchen.

The rest of the night went as expected. Adriana obsessively apologized; Jordan constantly reassured her that I was fine and tried to take care of me. Noah mostly stayed away from us, probably embarrassed that I had seen more of him than either of us would have ever preferred.

  Adriana refused to wake up the next morning, nothing new, so Jordan offered to take me home. She decided she wanted to go out for breakfast. I had enough money left over from dinner the night before, so I agreed. We ended up at some random dinner at the edge of town.

   "How are you feeling? Since last night was so... eventful. I just want to make sure you're okay." Jordan asked once we settled down at the table.

I internally cringed at it all. You know those things you wish you could permanently erase from your memory? Last night in the pantry was definitely one of those moments for me, as well as every moment after. "I'd rather talk about anything else."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "It's important to talk about these things, but I won't force you to do anything."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Jordan was so sweet and patient. I honestly wondered how she ended up getting on so well with Ariana, but I guess opposites attract. It was weird talking to somebody so open and willing to communicate while knowing that their best friend shoved everything to the side and only loved to save it when it was already crumbling down.

We ordered and ate with small talk about volleyball and our upcoming games while joking around about random things. It was similar to being with Adriana, just without all of the snarky remarks back and forth. Adriana was my best friend, but being around Jordan was just different.

We had a small argument but ultimately agreed that she would pay the bill and I would leave the tip. She acknowledged that she actually had to take me home before my mom thought I got kidnapped or murdered. I assured her that my mom absolutely adored Adriana and trusted her with my life, probably more than any sane person would.

   We rode in the car, neither one of us knowing exactly what to talk about. We hopped around from topic to topic, just speaking on whatever came or mind. It was nice to just have a moment where I could forget about my problems that I usually felt overwhelmed me. Just sitting in the car with a friend. Enjoying each other's company.

We pulled up to my house but continued our conversation for a while. We stayed seated in the car, and I was sure my mother was staring through the window at us. She was always in my business.

"Okay, last one. I promise! Why do you never trust a volleyball player with your drink?"

"I can already tell this one isn't going to be any good."

"They might spike it!"

I rolled my eyes, but Jordan couldn't stop laughing at her own joke.

"That one wasn't even funny! And it was in very poor taste."

"It's a coping mechanism; I don't know what you want from me." She kept laughing.

"Okay well, I'm going to go inside my house. We've definitely been here long enough for my mom to come out after me."

She sobered up and calmed her laughing slightly. "Before you go, I have something for you."

"You've already done too much for me."

"Get over it."

"Shut up."

She did, in fact, shut up. By connecting our lips.

I was too shocked to react, which she quickly took note of and pulled away.

"Did I read that wrong? I thought we were having a moment-"

I cut her off by pulling her back in and sealing our lips together. We stayed that way for a few minutes, only occasionally pulling back slightly for air. We parted and sat in our seats looking at each other.

"I didn't see that coming," Jordan breathlessly mumbled.

"Yeah, that makes two of us."

We sat in silence for a brief moment before I realized I could leave.

"I'm gonna head in. I'll see you at school, yeah?"

"Most definitely."

I gathered my things and quickly made my way inside my house.

Sure enough, my mother was sat at the window, though I could tell that she hadn't seen what happened.

"Can you stop stalking me?" I joked.

"Just making sure nobody was trying to break into the house!"

"Sure." I gave her a quick hug before going off to my room.

I dropped my bag and threw myself onto my bed, thinking about what had just taken place. The more I thought about it, the more confused I got.

I was mad, not because she kissed me but because her kissing me didn't make me upset. My lack of a proper reaction infuriated me. Why did I pull her in and kiss her back? What did that mean about my feelings towards Jordan?

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uhh, surprise i'm not dead.... i think i might change the book cover and no picture for this chapter because i'm lazy