Best Friend Protocol

Best Friend Protocol (8)

Annasophia Robb as Ana on the side ===>

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Best Friend Protocol

Chapter VIII

 

     There have been a lot of awkward interactions with a lot of people in my life. Normally none of those would be Seth. However, now would be the right time to add him to my growing list. I saw him a few times before classes started. He looked horrible. His hair is hopeless, sticking out in different directions. He didn’t bother to wear his blazer and I noticed that his tie is hanging loosely around his neck. Maxon and Paul have been trying to talk to him but he was just broodingly leaning against his locker while staring at an empty space. I was walking towards my first class when I suddenly met his eyes. It was one of those moments that I have watched far too many times in rom-coms. The one where the lead guy and girl would stare longingly at each other but does nothing about their want of physical closeness. Normally, something would interrupt…like another girl running towards the guy. In my case, it was a locker. The guy who owned the locker grinned at me and thanked me for using my forehead to close it for him. I waved him away, clutching my aching head, and stole another glance at Seth’s direction. A bomb dropped on my gut when I saw him smiling lazily at a blonde girl from a year below us. I didn’t stick around as soon as I saw him place his hand on her waist.

     The next moment was lunch. Toby picked me up from my class and balanced all of my things for me. He’s been really attentive all day and the best that I can do to return the favor is smile at him like a girlfriend would. I still don’t know why I said yes to him. Maybe it’s because I’ve always wanted to be close with him since kindergarten. Anyway, Seth was casually standing in front of the high school cafeteria like he always does when he’s waiting for me. At the same moment that he looked in my direction, Toby’s free arm went around my shoulders. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish for a couple of very awkward seconds before groaning and quickly entering the cafeteria.

     “That was weird.” Toby muttered.

     I could only nod in response.

     The rest of the students know that the resident bad boy is finally taken. For the first time in my high school life, I didn’t eat lunch with Seth. I noticed a couple of people sending looks between the two of us as we obviously ate out lunch quietly in separate tables. It was complete torture.

     Claire gushed about how cute I looked with Toby and teased us about circumstances where she just knew that we were right for each other. All I could do was smile nervously and hope that she won’t see the false pretenses. Toby remained brooding, only smirking slightly and placing a small kiss on my forehead to continue the charade. That only made Claire squeal and Ana to remain quiet while eating her greasy tacos. I told her not to get those. All throughout lunch, all I could do was wonder if Seth can see the fake loving glances that Toby and I kept sending each other. Honestly, I would take his rage over silence any day.

     “So you and Adams aren’t talking yet?” Toby whispered to me during the last class of the day. It was the only class that I had with Seth and we were sitting as far away as we could from each other.

     “No,” I whispered to him back, answering the questions of the pop quiz where all we had to do was translate the given Spanish phrases into English.

     He dragged his chair closer to mine, causing his lips to unintentionally plant itself on my temple. “Oops, sorry.”

     I sighed, not at all bothered by his soft lips. “No need to be. I mean…we are a couple, aren’t we?”