College Affair

Chapter 16

Cleo's P.O.V.
Lately Hope has seem to be more open to things. I'm not sure why but I'm liking it. It might mean that I will get my best friend back soon. I miss hanging out with her, the way we did when we were kids. Ever since we drifted apart, she was distant and never really paid much attention to me. I get it, I left and we lost contact and then I suddenly show up at her school, and joining her sorority. Which I know isn't like Hope so I know she most likely made the sorority so she wouldn't be alone in the house and it made sense or else most college girls wouldn't want to just move into a house. Kym joined and Jen had to follow her, thus making a small sorority. There are two reasons why I came back to New Orleans and applied to Mikaelson University. One, because I know it's an amazing school and I've always wanted to go here, and not just because my best friend will eventually own all of it. The second reason, is because of Hope. I wanted to reconnect and be apart of Hope's life again and I knew she would at least be around the school, if not a student. I know it's hard to reconnect with people but Hope was always like a sister to me and her family was like my family, so I had to try.

I have also noticed that Josie and Hope have been weird lately as well. They are always going out places, which isn't weird. What is weird is that Hope always seems to be going in the same direction as Josie because she continues to drive her to her destination and back home. I'm not sure if the others have put it together or not but I definitely have. It also seems like Josie really knows Hope after a few months. Has Hope opened up to Josie? Why would she open up to her and not me? Does she like Josie more than me? It's almost as if Josie it taking, what used to be my place. It honestly kinda makes me mad. Even, sometimes when Josie tries to talk to me, I kinda brush her off. I normally would never do that to anyone, especially someone I consider a good friend. Am I jealous of Josie? Has she really taken my spot as Hope's best friend?

It has been a week or two, since I started being cold to Josie. I'm not doing it on purpose. It's just whenever she tries to speak to me, I think about her and Hope and I just get so cold towards her. I hate that I do it but I can't help it. I think I am jealous. I was just minding my own business, when Josie walked up to me, asking if we can talk. I agreed and followed her to her room. Has she noticed how I've been acting towards her? I don't mean to do it. She looks upset and nervous all at the same time. "Cleo, I wanted to ask you something." She said and looked down at the floor. "Tell me if I'm wrong, and I sure hope I am, but is there something wrong between us? Are you mad at me for something? If so, please tell me what I did so I can fix it. I don't want you hating me, I want to be friends." She says, finally looking me in the eyes. I sighed softly and looked down. Should I tell her truth? Should I tell her that I'm jealous of her and that I think she's trying to steal my best friend from me? "I don't know what you mean." Okay so it looks like I'm gonna try and hide it. "Please just tell me if I did something wrong." She said again. She didn't do anything. I think I'm just jealous at how close she has gotten to Hope. Why can't I just admit that to her? "Okay, I guess if you won't talk about it, I'll just keep my distance so I don't bother you." She said and sighed. It looked like she was about to leave her own room so she wouldn't be bothering me. Damn it. "Josie, wait." I said and she turned to look at me. "I don't mean to be cold towards you. It's just that.." I paused and she looked nervous. "I think I'm jealous." I said and let out a breath, one I didn't even realize I was holding in. "Jealous? Of me? Why?" She asked and I sighed. "You and Hope. You seem to have gotten so close lately and well I guess I'm just scared that she would rather have you as her best friend than me. I mean I know we drifted apart but to me she will always be my best friend." "Cleo, I-" She started but I didn't let her finish. "I get it if she chooses you. You would make an amazing best friend to someone, I just know it. I just hope she's happy having you as a best friend and I hope you're there for her like I always have been." I said and she tried to talk again but I stopped her once again. "I'll just go." I said and started to leave. I'm not actually leaving the school or Hope but I will back off if she would rather have Josie as her best friend. I just want her to be happy. "Cleo wait!" I hear her say as I was walking out her door. She grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the room. I watched her as she peeked her head out the door, as if she was looking to make sure no one was around. Why? I'm not sure why. Once she was done, she quickly closed the door and locked it behind her. "You're not going to kill me are you?" I asked, jokingly. She just looked at me as if she was trying to figure out if I was serious. "I'm joking." I said and she looked relieved. "Okay, I think you should know. Only because I don't want Hope to lose you as her best friend. Whether she realizes it or not, she needs you and I don't want either one of you to lose each other, because of me." She said. What is she trying to say? "What are you talking about?" "Look, you have to promise not to say anything to anyone, especially Hope. If she finds out I told you, she will kill me." She said and I was even more confused. "What?" "Just promise me okay?" She asked. She looked so nervous to tell me. I can keep a secret. I nod my head at her. "Okay, I promise." I said and she let out a deep breath. "Okay, so.." She started to say but froze. I gave her a look to reassure her that I will keep her secret. "Hope and I have been secretly dating for about a month now." She blurted out but also in a bit of a whisper. My eyes widened and my jaw fell open. Hope and Josie? Dating?! I never imagined that! "Cleo? Earth to Cleo?" She said and I shook my head a bit to shake myself out of my trance. "Wow uhm.. I didn't expect that." I said and looked at Josie. "So you and Hope huh?" "Yeah, it kinda just happened one day. I have liked her for awhile but didn't realize it at first. Then I asked her out one day and she surprisingly said yes. And we've been sneaking out ever since." Well that explains them always riding together when they were supposedly going to two different locations. "Please keep this between us. Hope doesn't want anyone knowing because she's afraid she can't trust everyone. It's a long story that I can't tell but just trust me when I say, that it was bad." So something did happen to Hope to make her have trust issues. Who would ever want to hurt someone so sweet, caring, and an amazing person all together? I am so lucky she chose me to be her best friend many years ago. "I won't tell her or anyone, I promise. I'm just shocked that you two are dating. I mean I always assumed Hope was into girls but I have never actually seen her with a girl." "Wait you knew?" Clearly she didn't notice it at first. "Yeah. I mean I've known her since we were kids. There were subtle signs that I noticed. I mean she used to stay near this one particular girl in middle school, more than anyone else, but she never acted on it, so I wasn't sure if I was right. Plus that was the time when we both started learning about all of that. I mean we knew a bit from watching her aunt Freya with Keelin because they were dating then, but there was more we didn't know at the time." I honestly feel relieved that it's not what I thought. This just means that Hope will be spending time with her girlfriend and still has me as her best friend. I obviously won't steal Hope from Josie when they're hanging out because if they make each other happy then I'm happy for them both. And maybe when she can trust me again, she will talk to me about her relationship with Josie, the way all best friends do. "So what happened to her being a bitch?" I asked, knowing Josie hated Hope in the beginning. "I just got to know her more and realized that I didn't know her full story so maybe there was a reason. Eventually she ended up growing on me and I saw the good in her." I smiled at her as she talked about her. I can see how much she really does like and care about Hope by the way she's talking about her. "She's just amazing. She's beautiful, smart, caring, charming.. I mean have you seen how she is with her family, especially her little cousins? It's so cute seeing them interact. And sh-" She stops when she realizes she's rambling on about Hope. "Wow, you really like her. But you're right. Hope is an amazing person to know. I am so lucky that I got to know her and I'm sure anyone who knows her, would be so lost without her. I know I would be." I said and remembered all that time we were separated from each other. Even though we were starting high school at the time, it felt like we were little kids, being forced to go home after a play date. I missed Hope so much during high school and hated how we lost contact. I tried reaching out to her over the years but she seemed to push me away. I guess that was because of her sudden trust issues. I mean it probably wasn't sudden for her, but for anyone around her, it was definitely sudden, because she suddenly became someone other than Hope. "I'm happy for you two. And maybe since she opened up to you, it might mean she is starting to trust people more." Josie nodded her head. "Yeah I sure hope so because I can see how lonely she feels being distant with others. Plus keeping our relationship a secret is tough. I know that I will do it for however long it takes, because I respect her decisions and want to help her. I don't want her issues to get worse because we tell people about us. That's why she can't know I told you. If she knows, she won't only hate me but the progress she has made will just be lost. I don't want her to close people out again. And I definitely don't want her to hate me because I don't think I would be able to handle it." She said and I nodded. I pulled her into a hug to reassure her. "It'll be our little secret. And whenever she is ready to tell people, we can either act like I still didn't know or tell her the truth. Whichever you would prefer." I told her and she nodded. "Thank you for understanding. I wouldn't have broken my promise but I knew if she lost you, she would be devastated because even if she doesn't show it, I can tell you mean a lot to her." "I do? How do you know?" Has being close to her recently, made Josie see something I haven't? "What? You haven't noticed?!" She asked, surprised. "Noticed what?" I asked. "Anytime you talk about Kaleb or go out with him, she has this look on her face. One that if she sees him or hears that he hurt you, she will hunt him down and give him a piece of her mind. She wants to protect you and make sure Kaleb never hurts you." I've never noticed. I just thought the look on her face, meant she was annoyed at me talking about Kaleb or annoyed, watching us be together. "Really?" I asked, still not able to believe it. "Oh definitely. She looks so ready to kick his ass if you mention him saying something or doing something to hurt you. It's almost like the look a father gives when his daughter goes out with a guy." She said and I chuckled softly. "Oh so Hope is my father now?" I asked, joking. "Well she's definitely protective over you like one." Josie said and laughed. I never noticed that Hope was protective over me. That means she still cares about me. She still loves me. Maybe we can be how we were before.. best friends and sisters. "So how is she doing? You're closer to her than I am at the moment, so I assume you would know more." I said and Josie sighed. "She seems like she's doing okay but I know she's not. She maybe showing she's fine but deep down I know she's freaking out over her necklace missing and still dealing with her demons. I just wish she would open up more about how she's feeling." I hate seeing Hope in pain or sad and it's clear that Josie hates it too. "Good luck with that one." I said and she looked at me a bit confused. "Hope was never one to show her feelings." "Really?" "Yeah. She never let anyone in with things like that. She is the kind of person who wouldn't want people to worry about her and if she opens up, she would be worrying people." "But I'm more worried not knowing." She said and I nodded my head. "Yeah I know what you mean. She would always worry me too. Eventually it'll come out but try not to force her to speak out. I did once and she got so pissed at me for worrying and asking. The only people who manage to get it out of her when they ask, are her family." She nodded her head as she listened to me. "Maybe you'll be different though." I said. "What do you mean?" She asked and I smiled softly at her. "Well if she really does like you, maybe she'll feel more comfortable opening up to you. You maybe her one exception." Josie looked as if she was trying to process what I said. Maybe it was a bit of a shock to her. Hope wasn't always closed off like this but when it came to opening up about things, she usually tried her best to hide her feelings. She was pretty good at it too. Only certain people can tell with her. I'm lucky to be one of those people. But maybe Josie will be lucky to be one of the people who can get her to talk. "Have you seen her necklace anywhere?" She asked and I shook my head. "No, but I'm sure it'll show up eventually. A necklace can't just disappear.. right?" I don't understand where it could have gone. Necklaces can't just disappear. I figure she misplaced it or what she feared most, the clasp broke and feel off and she never noticed it. I hope she finds it soon. I know how much it means to her. "Well we should head out. The girls are probably wondering what we're doing." I said and Josie nodded. Before we could both leave, she turned towards me again. "So you won't say a word? To anyone?" I smiled at her and nodded my head. "I promise." I know she cares about Hope. I can see how much. She clearly doesn't want Hope knowing I know because if she did, she would be pissed at Josie and maybe never trust her again. But Josie had a good reason to tell me. She didn't want Hope to lose me. She knew I would want Hope to be happy, even if it meant I'm not around. This isn't just to help Josie, but to help Hope so of course I will keep it a secret. Maybe one day, Hope will feel more comfortable with others knowing, because I know Josie can't be enjoying keeping this big of a secret.

Josie's P.O.V.
    After telling Cleo, I felt a bit better about the whole secret thing. It's nice getting to tell someone. But, I do hate that I broke Hope's promise. I ended up telling someone when she asked me not to. I feel awful about it but I most definitely didn't want her to lose Cleo. Cleo was jealous and assumed I was stealing Hope from her as her best friend. And I know Cleo would have let me be her best friend if it meant Hope was happy, which could just lead to her losing her completely. I couldn't be the reason she loses her best friend. And I know Cleo means it when she says she will keep the secret. It also takes a bit off my shoulders from hiding our relationship. I get that Hope needs time and I completely understand that and support her through it all, but it is hard. I used to tell my mom everything but I can't tell her that I now have a girlfriend. But now I have something else on my mind. Cleo said that I might be Hope's exception to her opening up to her feelings. Apparently that was something she never really did, even before her trust issues. She's the kind of person who doesn't want others to worry about her so she keeps her feelings in. Cleo said that eventually she would spill her guts but it took most people a bit to get it out of her. Once we left her room, we went to join the girls and of course Hope wasn't around. She doesn't really join us when we're watching tv because she knows how Lizzie and Kym gets. They'll both point out things and talk about the show or movie as it's going on. I think Hope wants to spend time with us, but when it comes to that, it annoys her and she can't last too long. "Where's Hope?" I asked. "She said something about going to a park to run and to see if her necklace fell off there." Lizzie said, not even looking away from the screen to talk to me. It was almost as if she was too invested into the tv to care. Hope does go out to run a lot so maybe it did fall off at that park. I sure hope so but I have a slight feeling, that she'll come home empty handed. She's already tore this house apart multiple times looking for it, and absolutely nothing. I think she's afraid to tell her family, because she thinks they'll be upset that she lost it but I know her family well enough to know they wouldn't be upset. They would be sweet and supportive about it and also help her look. I hope she's okay out there alone. We have to find that necklace because I know she says she's okay but I know she's not. That necklace means the world to her and it's nowhere to be found. I also hope she's never finds out that I told Cleo about us because I don't want her to hate me and never trust me again. I don't know if I'd be able to handle that.

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Hey guys! Sorry it takes me a bit to finish a chapter. I know this chapter is probably boring and short but it's all I had to add to this one. I wanted to divide the chapters up so there's more to read. Now it may take me a bit to update again because I need to figure out what I'm gonna do next. I have ideas but they need to be later in the story so I need something to put before my ideas. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I love you guys and thank you for reading and being patient.

Another thing I wanna add. I had an idea for a fan fiction of Pitch Perfect. A story of Beca and Chloe.. aka Bechole. Would anyone like to read a story about them? Because I love them just as much as I love Hosie. Just wanted to see what you guys thought. Thank you once again! Love you guys!