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ELIZABETH's POV- December 30th
Today is the first regular season game for our conference in basketball. I promised Percy I would come, so here I am sitting in East High's gym wearing his away jersey, cheering him on along with all our friends.
It's a close game but we've got the lead. It's not hard to find Percy because he's always got the ball. Now he's driving to the basket, and scores with an and one. Everyone's screaming and yelling in the student section, me included. Before we dated I knew nothing about basketball, but now I know all the right times to cheer at least.
"He's playing really well tonight," EJ comments from next to me. "Probably because you're here."
As if on cue, Percy makes his free throw and points to me after. I can feel my face going red when everyone in the crowd looks at me. Pretty girls in the away teams section who were probably looking him up on Max Preps send me glares and I stare at my feet.
Percy and I have been dating for a while but I still haven't gotten used to the attention. I'm not exactly popular, and he is, so now I hang out with all the popular kids and go out to parties and of course get glares from other much prettier girls who think my boyfriend's hot. It's honestly really scary. If just makes me feel like I don't deserve him. Why me, over all these other, prettier girls?
"Ricky why didn't you try out for the team?" I heard Nini ask.
"Just because Troy played basketball doesn't mean I do. That's acting, Nini."
She rolls her eyes and punches him playfully in the shoulder. "Whatever."
Once the game is over (we won 70-63) Percy runs over to us.
"Hey babe," he says, wrapping his arm around me and kissing me on the cheek.
I push him off a little. "Ew stop you're all sweaty."
He leans in closer to me so his lips are right by my ear. "Can you stop acting like this? Now's not the time. Literally everyone is here."
He wasn't wrong either. The gym was filled with so many people watching the game.
I didn't respond. Instead I just let him wrap his arm around me and mess with my hair. What else could I do? It's not like he'd stop. It's not even that big of a deal anyway.
"You guys wanna get something to eat?" EJ suggests.
"Yeah bet. The teams all going to Waffle House to celebrate the win." Percy replies.
On the way here I drove with Ricky, Nini and big red since Percy was still at school, but now that he's here I go with him. We split from the group in the parking lot as he's parked further away, and it takes even longer to get to his car because he has to stop every five seconds when someone starts talking to him or saying "good game".
When we finally do make it to the car, he turn it on and pulls out of the school lot slowly.
"I thought that was cute, the thing you did with the free throw," I say, trying to clear the tense air.
He doesn't respond.
"Oh, come on. Quit ignoring me. I already told you I hate it when you try and touch me being all sweaty. It's not even that big of a deal. It's not like anyone was paying attention to us anyways."
He slams on the break at a red light because he didn't slow down for the yellow. I lurch forward and almost get my face smacked on the dashboard.
I stare at him angrily. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
He turns to me. "Me? What's wrong with me? No. It's you. You've been being such a bitch ever since the ski trip. First accusing me of cheating and now this. I don't understand it. What have I done to you?" Cars are honking behind us because the light changed and he hasn't moved. He probably didn't notice because he's staring so hard at me.
"The lights green," I say quietly.
He surges forward, still hardly looking at the road. "So are you gonna answer my question? What?" He speeds through the road. I watch the speedometer go from 60 to 80 to near 100 miles per hour.
"Slow down, Percy."
He doesn't say anything, and I didn't even know it was possible for a car to drive this fast. Another red light comes up right in front of us, and he doesn't even slow down. He drives right through it, and another car honks loudly. Percy doesn't even react, he just keeps speeding along.
"Percy!" I scream, feeling the tears well in my eyes. "Slow down, you're going to kill us both!" I usually am not good with talking, if that makes sense. Like telling someone off. But in this moment it came easy, and took me off guard but my life was on the line here.
We arrived at Waffle House now, and he parks. I don't even know what to say, so I sit there silently. Told you, not good at talking.
"Are you going to answer my question now?" He says finally. I don't reply.
He scoffs. "Fine. Be like that. This conversation isn't over. And when we go in here, you better not embarrass me."
He gets out of the car and slams his door. I scramble out behind him and follow him inside. I see the team through the window and slip my hand into his because I know that's what he wants me to do. All for show.
~~~~
"You still haven't told him yet?" I hear Kourtney's voice from the hallway.
I walk back into Gina's room. It's late after the basketball game, but all the girls are here helping put away Gina's things so she can stay here with Ash for the semester. With the ski trip and then the holidays, it's been busy so she's been living out of boxes for a while.
"Tell who what?" I ask, opening the door. I had just returned from the bathroom.
Everyone looks away. That's how I know they're keeping a secret from me, all of them.
"What?" I demand.
Nini sighs. "Well... remember how I applied to the Youth Actors Conservatory earlier this month?"
"Yeah..." I reply, I'm confusion.
"Well, I got in, and I'm going. And everyone's getting on me for not telling Ricky that I'm leaving yet. And that's also why I didn't tell you, because I know how close you two are and I also know you suck at keeping secrets so I just couldn't." She says.
"Nini, that's great that you got in. I wish you would've told me... I'm better at keeping secrets than you think." I say defensively, trying to hide the hurt in my voice. "When are you leaving?"
"Two days. On New Years."
I frown. Two days? One of my closest friends is leaving in two days and I didn't even know...
Nini and I and the other girls have known each other since Kindergarten (besides Gina). We've all been close since day 1, and we tell each other everything... at least I thought we did.
"You need to tell Ricky soon." Gina says.
"I know, I know." Nini replies, "it's just that the other day when I was gonna tell him, he told me how he felt like him and I were the only thing not changing in his life and how I was like his home, and I chickened out."
You're my home. Wow. I'd love for someone to say that to me. I think I'd die and come back to life. It sounds nice to be important to someone. To be loved.
