the cheerleader and the outcast >> dan howell

Chapter 15

"A jealous girlfriend is a faithful girlfriend.
If she doesn't get jealous when someone has your attention,
It's because someone has hers."

-Unknown

~

So, a few days pass, and life is finally back to normal...almost. On the bright side, Julisa is now friends with me and Gwen, and we decided to put our differences beside. I am really happy about that, I've missed Julisa so much.

Although, the bad side is...Dan has been acting differently. It's not like he's ignoring me or anything, but he's been constantly checking his phone and looking very nervous lately. Last night I found him in his room, talking to someone on the phone. He was pacing the floor back and forth, and he was biting his nails.

I'm worried about him, but I don't want to be too pushy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up at around 9:30AM on a Saturday. I yawn and look to my left for Dan, but he isn't beside me. I stretch out my arms and slowly get out of bed, putting on my slippers.

I trudge to the living room, and see Mrs. Howell sitting on the couch watching television.

"Why hello, dear." She smiles at me as she sees me walk into the living room. I grin smugly back at her.

"Hi. Do you know where Dan is?" I ask, and she gives me a weird look.

"Of course, he's just in his room." She says simply, turning her head back to the TV. I mutter a thank you, and walk to his room. Why didn't I look there in the first place.

I knock on his closed door, and I hear the sound of him getting up off his bed. He slowly opens the door, and relaxes when he sees me.

"Sorry." He says, walking back in his room, leaving the door open so I can come in. I walk in his room, closing the door behind me.

"It's okay. I was just worried when I didn't see you in bed today. You usually wake up later than me." I explain, sitting down on his bed next to him. I lean my head on his shoulder, and he looks down at his hands, biting his lip.

"Sorry. Again. I just had to take a call." He says quietly. I give him a worried look, even though he isn't looking at me.

"Dan. You've been acting weird lately. And you've been on your phone an awful lot. Are you okay? What's wrong?" I say, and Dan looks up at me.

"It's just..." He starts, but stops mid sentence.

"Come on Dan, you can tell me." I urge him on, and he sighs loudly.

"You know how I moved here towards the end of the year?" Dan asks randomly. I nod my head. Dan came to this school 3 months before graduation. It was pretty confusing, still is. I'm not sure how he is going to graduate.

"Yeah..." I say, dying to know where he is going with this.

"Well before I moved here, I lived in Manchester, England." He says. I nod again.
"So, I had this...um...friend there, her name was Tatiana. And well..." He hesitates and then forms his mouth into a straight line.

"And well what?! Get to the point!" I say, getting slightly agitated. This guy really knows how to get on my nerves.

"She's coming to visit this week." He blurts out, biting his lip.

"Um...that's nice." I say casually. I sigh quietly and avert my eyes from him. So, some girl I don't even know is coming to visit my boyfriend? That's...great.

"Hey, she's only staying for a few weeks." He says, putting a hand on my shoulder. A few weeks?! He says that like that's not a long time!

"When will she be coming?" I ask, not to much thrill in my voice.

"Tomorrow morning." He says. I bite the inside of my cheek and purse my lips. Think of the positives Rachel. ...What are the positives exactly?

"Well," I say, clapping my hands together. "I'm sure she's..really nice!" I say, with fake enthusiasm. He smiles at me.

"I'm glad you are taking this so well." He smiles down at me. I fake a smile and stand up.

"I'm gonna go make some coffee. Want any?" I ask. I certainly need my caffeine after hearing this news.

"I'm good, love. But thank you." He says, laying back on his bed.

I smile at him, and walk out his room, leaving the door open a crack. I head to the coffee machine and put in the coffee, placing my mug underneath the machine. I press the brew button, and coffee pours out into the mug. The strong aroma filling my nostrils.

When it is done brewing, I put the coffee mug to my lips, swallowing some of the scolding hot liquid. I flinch slightly as it burns the roof of my mouth. Maybe I shouldn't have drank it too quickly. Oh well.

I lean back on the counter, holding the coffee cup in my hands. I stare blankly at the wall, thinking. What if Tatiana and Dan had some...history? What if she still likes him? What if she's a total bitch? Ugh, you're just worrying yourself Rachel. She's probably a really nice girl. I mean, Dan is friends with her, right? He wouldn't be friends with some stuck up bitch. Or...would he? After all, he was friends with me.

I sigh, closing my eyes. I really need to stop overreacting. I haven't even met the girl, and I'm making assumptions about her! No wonder I'm such a stressed out person.

Although, Dan could have given me a heads up instead of telling me the day before some girl comes. But...not everything is perfect I guess.

Finishing my coffee up, I wash the empty mug, and head back to my room. Laying on my bed, I push my face into a pillow, letting out an aggravated groan. Life. It's full of surprises. Some good, some not.

My phone buzzes, signaling I have a text message. I look down and see I got a text from Julisa:

"Hey Girl! :) Me and Gwen wanted to come over tomorrow, to hang out with you guys. How's that sound? -Julisa"

I slightly frown as I type a reply.

"Hi Julisa. And I don't think that's gonna work out. Dan has a friend visiting from England. She comes in tomorrow /: lol -Rachel"

In about no time, I get a reply from Julisa:

"Not a problem! We could come over anyway! I'm sure she won't mind us hanging out with her ;) plus, we could all become friends! I'll see you tomorrow, hun. -Julisa"

I smile reading the text, knowing that I won't have to be alone with this girl. Julia is a life saver, even though she might not know it. I type a quick 'okay' to Julisa, and lay back in bed, scrolling through Instagram.

I see that Dan liked some girls picture. Her username was "Queen.Tatiana.XOXO". What kind of stupid username is that. Wait a second...Tatiana. ...Is this THE Tatiana who is visiting tomorrow? Probably. I look at her selfie. Oh no, she's gorgeous. She has long black hair, arched eyebrows, flawless makeup, and a nice body. This is who I'm competing with?

A flare of jealousy pangs in my heart, making me bite my lip. Why would Dan ever chose someone like me over someone like her? Ohmygod, Rachel! Again, you are worrying too much! Dan loves you, don't worry...

But still, can't stop the voice in the back of my head saying "She is so much better than you.".

I am definitely not exited about her staying a few weeks in our house. And also, not too thrilled about the fact she arrives tomorrow.