3rd Time's The Charm

Catching Up // Hope's Realization

"Tell me, Eli, am I really just this unlucky when it comes to men? I mean, come on, am I the issue at this point? I don't even do anything that could make them leave." 

Eli chuckles and spins my stool around, "Hope, trust me, you're genuinely not the one at fault during all that. The one with Jarred, you did not even know why he just ghosted you out of nowhere- you literally had to ask our friend Mico to text him his reasons as to why he ghosted you."

Jarred and I got together during grade 8. Unfortunately, it didn't last long at all. I wasn't exactly a romantic. I barely wanted to hang out with him during school hours, and even if we did, we didn't have anything to talk about. He wasn't the type to open up much about himself or his life; he's always kept himself closed off and would tell me things that everyone else knew about him, that he plays hockey and all that. He's always been popular, and I was surprised to have secretly gotten with him for a month. I did not want people to know I was dating him somehow..........................................

He ghosted me for an entire week or two, not knowing what I did wrong. It turns out I did not fit his life schedule, so he decided to remove me from his life without telling me. 

Now that I think about it, Jarred and I had nothing in common. Different friend groups, and personalities, it just sounds like two people that aren't going to work out in the long run. 

I looked around the art room, ensuring no one heard Eli and I's conversation.

"Let's stop talking about Jarred. It happened a year ago; it doesn't matter anymore." Jade said as she got closer and closer to Eli and me, "but let's not forget about the time that Eli was the reason why Mason did not want to date you anymore."

Eli's laughter fills the room.

Everyone turns their eyes on us. 

Eli gestures to them to go away, "People, nothing to see here... what a bunch of nosies."  she looks back at us and whispers, "In my defence, Hope and Mason were walking in front of me. I thought taking a photo of her and Mason would be funny because of the awkward height difference." 

Jade gives Eli a finished look, then looks back at me sarcastically, "If only this girl right here," she points at me, "just shut her mouth and didn't tell Mason that ELI has been taking photos of them behind his back, then he wouldn't have freaked out and left."

Jade was right. I was dumb to tell Mason that Eli was taking candid- no, stalker-like photos of the two of us during the time when we were just seeing each other. It wasn't even a couple of photos; Eli just took one picture of us walking together. I mean, it was kind of funny, though.

I took a deep breath, "I just thought that Mason would think that I was understanding about his privacy, so I wanted to be honest about Eli taking a photo of us."

Both Eli and Jade give me a blank stare.

"Noted. I won't freak people out about photos I don't take anymore." I tapped Eli on the shoulder, "but promise me, Eli, you need to stop taking photos of me hanging out with people of the opposite gender-"

Eli cuts me off, "BUT ITS FUN." she says as she frowns at me. "Sorry for being a number 1 Hope fangirl, I guess." 

I rolled my eyes at Eli.

Jade smirks, "that's fair."

The lunch bell rang, and it was time for us to go. 

I quickly packed my bag and waited for Jade and Eli to get up so that we could walk to our next class together.