Mein Herz Brennt Für Dich

Chapter 7

The next day at school when Armen saw me in the parking lot, he ran to me, hugged me, and asked me where I had been. 

"Well, my birthday was on Monday-"

"Oh, I got you a present-you can see it at lunch."

At lunch, he did as he said and gave me my present at our table-it was a very good drawing of me. 

"Oh my god!" I gasped. "You're a fucking artist! Thank you!"

He swatted his hand. "You're too kind. Why weren't you at school yesterday?"

I explained to him everything that happened and he gasped. "Seriously?"

"Yes," I answered. "I don't know if Till's mad at me or-"

"I normally meet up with him after school, so if you want-"

"Wait, why?"

"He's cool. Ever since that one night-"

"You're making it sound like you're gay."

"WHAT IF I AM?! ARE YOU A HOMOPHOBE?!"

"Shut up," I chuckled and put the drawing nicely in my backpack. 

For the rest of the school day, I was thinking about seeing Till and how scared I would be, but at least Armen would be there. 

When the last bell rang, Armen and I made eye-contact, and he started walking back to the school, but I stopped. 

"What are you doing?" He asked. 

"Why are you going to the back of the school?"

"Because I'm meeting him there."

"It's further from my parent's car; It'll take a long time for me to get back."

"You don't have to come with."

"But I want to."

"Then make up your mind: it's either you come with me, or you leave to go back to your house."

"I just don't want to get into trouble."

"Then go back. But, I'm leaving now."

I turned around and saw my mom's red car in the parking lot and I looked back and saw Armen walking. I grunted out loud and I ran to Armen and we sat down behind a tree.

"Why'd you come?" He asked me. 

"Because what if I die tonight and I would never be able to see you guys again?" I chuckled. 

"Good point, good point."

Just then, Till approached us. "What is she doing here?"

"I can leave," I looked down scared to look up at him.

Till laughed. "I'm not mean, you can look at me, Rilla."

As I looked up, I saw my mom start to get out of her car and walk to the front office. 

"Shit," I muttered and stood up, slinging my backpack around my shoulder. "Holy fucking shit! I got to go!"

"Where are you going?" Armen asked, but I didn't have time to answer. 

I ran to my mom's car and stood there casually waiting for my mom to come back. When she came out of the front office with another lady, she was me, turned around to the lady, and walked towards me. 

"Where were you?" She asked me. 

"I was-I needed to ask a teacher a question about homework."

"Okay-let's go home."

That night, Johnny stayed in my room and as we were talking, there was a thud on the window. We both jumped and Johnny got up and opened up the window. 

"Oh my God!" He chuckled. "NO!" He then slammed the door shut, so I was curious. 

I walked over to the window and as I was about to open it, Johnny told me not to, but I shook my head and did it anyways to find Till's bedroom window right across from mine. There was a sign in the window that said, "My dad is mad at me", but Till wasn't anywhere to be found. 

I shrugged my shoulders and as I was about to close the window, Till came into view, and when he saw me, he chuckled, opened up the window, and asked me what I was doing. 

"I'm talking to my brother," I yelled for him to hear me. 

"That's cool! Hey, we're going to go to a waterpark this weekend-my family and I! Would you want to come?!"

I was surprised. He invited me to hang out with him. 

"Um, let me ask my mom!" I smiled. "You want me to come with?!"

"Yeah! I don't have friends besides you and Armen!"

"Me either!" I laughed. 

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow!" He shut the window and his curtains, then left and I did the same. 

"I want to go," I told Johnny. "I'm surprised Mom and Dad didn't hear my yelling."

"Yeah, me either-you have such a loud voice! I'll tell you what: I'll try to help convince Mom and Dad to let you go if you let me go with you-I want to go too."

"Yes!" I hugged him. "Tomorrow can you try?! While I'm at school?!"

"Sure."

That night as I was going to sleep, I thought about going to the water park with Till and his family. But then, it hit me that he called me a friend and my stomach dropped. I didn't want to just be his friends-I wanted to be more than friends.