Forever Sweet

Chapter 2

Both of their heads snapped back and turned in unison to glare at each other. “Stop copying me!” they both ordered. 

“I’m not copying you, you’re copying me,” Megan accused, jabbing a finger in her face.

Keira batted it away. “Am not.”

“Are so.”

“Uhh…” the blonde-haired employee said, his eyes darting between the girls. “There’s plenty to go around. No reason to fight.”

“That’s not the point,” Megan said hotly.

“Its not?” he asked, scratching his head. He looked at his fellow employee, another teenage boy, who just shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re always trying to take what’s mine,” Megan continued, her face starting to turn red.

Keira gave a short bark of laughter. “What fantasy world are you living in? Jared was not yours. In fact, I’m the one he texted first.”

“I’m not even talking about that,” she said, bristling at the words. “Although, for the record, he said I was the one he texted first.”

“Girls,” Anna interjected, but they ignored her.

“I’m talking about how you’re only ever interested in what I am,” Megan said in a harsh tone.    

Keira crossed her arms. “Now you’re just making stuff up.”

“Am I? In third grade, I decided my favorite color was pink and then two days later your favorite color was pink.”

Keira rolled her eyes. “Every little girl likes pink. Are you accusing them of copying you also?”

Megan’s lips thinned. “Fine, then how about the summer before seventh grade? I signed up for tennis lessons and then you signed up and crashed my sessions.”

“Oh come on!” Keira exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “You wouldn’t have even had those lessons if it wasn’t for me. Your mom didn’t want to pay more for solo sessions so she asked my mom if I was interested to cut down the cost.”

“Then what about drama club? I wanted to try out for the school play and as soon as I told you, you decided to join.”

Keira’s temper reared its ugly head. “The only reason I joined the drama club was because I knew how scared you were.”

“That’s crap and you know it.”

Keira slammed a fist down on the counter. “Every day at lunch you talked about how excited you were to sign up, but your voice would tremble every so often when you talked about the seniors. You might not have admitted it, but you were afraid they wouldn’t like you because you were a freshman. I joined so you would have someone to back you up.” Keira’s nostrils flared as her voice vibrated with anger. “So don’t you dare stand there and accuse me of taking what’s yours. Not when I have done everything to try and help you. And what have you done for me? Absolutely nothing! I’m always the one giving in this friendship while you’re always taking. You have to be one of the most selfish people I have ever met!”

Her outburst was met with dead silence. People around them stopped and stared, curiosity burning in their faces, but she felt no embarrassment. Not because she was self-confident. No, it was because there simply wasn’t room. Her anger, her hurt, her resentment was too great. It cast everything else aside and filled her with raw, negative emotions.

Suddenly, Megan made a strangled noise. Keira briefly caught a glimpse of her eyes—pain swirling in the depths—before she ducked her head and raced across the lobby to the bathrooms. Everyone watched and cringed as she swung open the door and entered into the boy’s bathroom. Seconds later, she ran out with a loud sob and went into the girls.