Fifteen Feet Ahead

Chapter XIX

Chapter XIX

It was over. Duncan and I were over.

Janie told me it's best to forget about him. Said he was a lost cause. Said he gave me more pain than happiness, and I needed to move on. But it was hard, in fact, it was nearly impossible to disregard the person you've known since the diaper days, to forget about the boy you spent years and years siting side by side, the guy who taught you how to ride the two wheeler for the first time and the one you looked out for like a younger brother. It was painful to still remember picking him up from the wet pavement and walking him to my bike when I still recalled that he knocked me down on the gym floor.

Typical Duncan made varsity basketball last week. He and Gavin were the only freshmen on the team, and I think Duncan's ego was larger than ever. The way he carried himself, the way he talked to anyone other than his stupid friends, nearly everything about him was arrogant now. I hated to admit it, but everything about him reminded me of Brandon.

"Miranda Fracella! " Mrs. Fernandez began murmuring a million unrecognizable words in Spanish. It appeared that I had dazed out...again. I could feel my heartbeat in nearly every part of my body. All my classmates sat with their eyes locked on me. Why was I so awkward? Why?

"Lo siento--lo siento," I stuttered and my throat ached as if I was about to cry.

"¡Número tres, por favor!"

My face heat up as I began to mumble faster and faster," Oh-oh, I'm so sorry what page are we on?"

Mrs. Fernandez brought her palm up to smack her face. She continued,"Alright, Gavin? Gavin what is the answer?"

"Es necesario que él estudie para la exámen de ciencias," Gavin snapped, throwing me another one of his smirks. He's been doing that a lot lately, as if my plain existence was just like one huge perverted joke. I didn't like Gavin all that much anymore.

Sanders smirked at me too now. Whenever he'd walk into biology or I would pass him in the halls. I don't know why he did that, but it made me cringe. Though, to say I didn't have feelings for Sanders anymore would be a lie because it's impossible to randomly start despising someone you've dreamt about for almost five years. I mean, I know that the odds of me ever romantically walking in the rain with him again are probably as equal as getting struck by a lightening bolt on a bright cloudless day, but it was still fun to fantasize. I had to admit that I still played little cute scenarios through my head when I was in the shower. Embarrassing, I know.

Brandon Clifford must have some contagious disease that has symptoms which include: an inflated head, an overgrown ego, and excessive smirking. He spread it to nearly all of his friends already.
Hopefully at least a few guys at our school will be immune.

The bell rang, and I dragged along to lunch.

Janie, Margret, and Lucile were already there. They greeted me with a forced smile.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I plopped down onto the cafeteria bench.

"Blah," Janie bit down on her turkey sandwich.

"What happened?" I unzipped my lunch box, and took a small sip of my a snapple iced tea.

"Harper," she sighed. "Giving me the silent treatment."

"Why?" Margret asked. "You didn't get into a fight or anything did you?"

"No, that's the part I don't understand. Yeah, we've had our fights, and yeah, she wouldn't talk to me for a few days after them, but this time it's different. Literally, nothing happened. She just--she just acts like I don't even exist. Doesn't answer my texts. Doesn't wave back to me in the hallways. And I have no idea why."

"Girls are so weird sometimes," said Lucile. "Honesty, I feel like I've heard the same story a million times. She always ends up randomly talking to you again, as if nothing ever happened."

"I know that, but you don't understand. Harper is different."

Lucile sighed," I guess we'll have to see."

I took a bite from my PB and J, so intrigued in their discussion that I didn't even notice a person standing right beside me. I guess nobody else noticed them either.

"Hey, Miranda." A familiar voice rung inside my ear, a voice I hadn't heard in months. Dani. Jesus Christ, it was Dani.

"Dani?" Lucile's eyes widened, and she bit hard onto the inside of her cheek.

"Yes, Lucile?" Thank God, she used her full name. I wasn't really ready to witness Lucile flipping our table and throwing a punch straight at Dani's perfect blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by. I don't know...haha...to catch up a little bit."

"Oh," I mumbled, as she awkwardly took a seat and sat just inches next to me. Her perfume was so overpowering, I thought I was going to choke.

"I just really needed to update you guys on something."

"Oh," That still was the only sound I could force off my lips.

"Well," Lucile gestured. "Let's hear it."

Dani took a deep breath, "Well, Duncan really likes me, and Sanders told me that's he's going to ask me out, and I don't know what to do. Should I say yes?"

We were silent for what felt like minutes.

"Guys?"

"I don't know Dani," I snapped. "Why are you asking us this anyway?"

She smiled, "Because you're my friends, duh."

That was it. Lucile had enough.

"Friends? Dani you think we're friends? Friends?! You haven't sat with us in two months. Hell, you have even talked to us in months!"

"Alright," Dani stood up. "Ha, I see how it is." And with that, she left. She walked to her soccer table, and we never talked again.

It was a given that Dani would change in high school, hard to explain, but growing up it became more and more clear. She was boy crazy, and by that I don't just me following the hot guy around at the beach. I mean that she would actually become crazy, as she would often ditch us for a group of guys in eighth grade. Although Dani was head over heals for what looked like every guy who was respectively popular and athletic, she had always kept her distance from our crushes and of course Duncan because although she was boy crazy, Dani had been a good friend. But now she had made out with Sanders Healy and was contemplating going out with my ex-bestfriend.

The whole thing made absolutely no sense. Duncan had told me that Sanders really liked Dani, but I guess that had been two months ago. A lot can happen in two months.

***********
Hey guys,

Soooo sorry that it's been such a long while. I've had so much schoolwork, but now that I'm on summer break, you should expect an update on this a few times a week.

It's time to start wrapping this up. :) Five more Chapters to go, friends.

Xx Audrey