Friends.

In Which I Love and Hate

In Which I Love and Hate

The last time my step mother left me a note saying that she was running late and wanted me to buy something from the pharmacy for her, she ended up being pregnant. It was so awkward trying to buy that for her. The cashier woman didn't even believe me when I told her it was for my step-mom. That was eight months ago. This time, thankfully, all she wanted me to bring for her was a hot pack so that her back wouldn't hurt from the baby.

That's right, I just moved back into town. Just yesterday, actually. I left seven years ago when my mother died of leukemia. Dad decided that we needed a change, and I guess we did. We moved back since my step mom wanted to. And I was fine with it. I always liked this town, and moving back home never felt wrong.

A lot of people pity me because my dad married someone else. I actually don't. I love Dina. Growing up as a teen I needed a mother, and Dina was a great one. She never wanted to replace my mom, and I really respected her. So we got along real well.

Anyway, so I'm biking back from the local pharmacy when I literally hit this really tall guy that comes out of nowhere. So I panic! I get off my bike letting it clatter to the ground as I rush to the really tall hot guy. This really wasn't how I wanted to start meeting people again, you know? He has his back turned on me so I can't tell much what he looks like. I tap his back and say, "I am so sorry, I didn't even know you were there, and I hope you're not hurt- are you hurt?"

He turns back and my eyes widen, he's not looking at me as he says, "Oh hey, it's all right, I'm not hurt...." He trails of and looks at me because I guess my staring must be starting to get a bit creepy.

"Ray...?" I ask gently.

His eyes widen and he smiles really big, his big blue eyes crinkling as he takes me in. "Ronnie?" he says as I reach up to hug him tightly. He hugs me back, lifting me up off the ground. And hey, I'm not that short, just a modest 5'4" but he's at least a foot taller than me so it's a bit hard to reach his shoulders. "Ronnie, what are you doing here?"

I'm smiling my head off as I say, "Ray, I moved back home yesterday, same house and everything."

Then his smile falls, "Where have you been? After you moved it was all great for a month, when you called me and the girls, but then all of a sudden you stopped calling like you were off the face of the earth." He says frowning.

My heart jumps with joy when I hear that he actually missed me. "Dad changed numbers, and I forgot to copy your number, and then I was still talking to Holly and Evie, I still am actually, and you never seemed to want to talk so...." I trail off as I don't know what to say.

He hugs me again, and my face gets really hot. "Of course I wanted to talk, do Evie and Holly know you're back?"

"Of course! They're helping me paint my room actually." I say smiling, "Do you uh, want to drop by?"

"Yeah, god, I got to tell my mom, she'll love to know that you're back!" He says letting go of me. "I'll drop by in a half-hour or so okay?"

"Yeah!" I say as he starting jogging back from where he came.

Are you wondering why I got so red around him?

It's because I'm hopelessly in love with him.

Okay, fine. Maybe I was hopelessly in love with him for three years or so before I moved. And then I saw him again. //Insert sigh//

We were really good friends before I moved away, and I'd loved quite a few things about him actually. I'd never been the type of person who told others about my crushes, ever. And I've always been a hardcore romantic. And in my book, Ray was the vanilla in my ice cream sandwich.