Fortuitous {WLW}

Chapter Sixteen: Bad Liar

Saylor's POV:

After much convincing and many texts later, I convinced Emerson to take part in some of Hadley's Halloween festivities.

Today was day two and everyone had gathered outside of Mr. & Mrs. Underwood's nursery to begin our shopping on Main Street. Main Street had officially decked out all of the lamp posts with décor and banners. Shops also decorated their store fronts with pumpkins outside of them and things seated on their windowsills.

Emerson was a bit late, making me question if she was actually going to come through and hold up her promise to work her way back to getting me to kiss her again, but she showed up nonetheless.

Emerson wasn't to trilled about the prospects of shopping downtown, because she wasn't much of a shopper and Kyle and Spencer were with.

This is supposed to be a week without significant others, but everyone made the exception for Hadley and I don't know why Spencer is here, but somehow Hadley doesn't know that I ended things with him.

I thought for sure that it was going to be a topic of conversation, one that might of even came to verbal blows, but nothing. She still thinks him and I have a thing going on and I can tell by her constantly insisting that I stay by him, but I refuse.

I stay next to Emerson's side, her following the group and pretending to take interest in the things I do. She's an awful liar.

Hadley doesn't seem to notice too much, she did make a comment, but nothing that wasn't out Hadley fashion. Peyton on the other hand, has been glaring at the two of us since she saw Emerson stand by my side.

"You could of swore I killed Peyton's family with how much she's glaring at me." I whisper to Emerson.

Emerson smirks as she looks up, seeing Peyton's glare, "well, it's better than Spencer's sad eyes pouring into my soul right now."

I laugh at her comment before looking up to see Spencer watch Emerson and I with a sad and lost look in his eyes that instantly makes me feel bad.

"Did you break his heart or something?" Emerson asks.

I straighten my posture as my guilt gnaws at my insides, "I told him we couldn't be and he didn't take it well. I'm just surprised he didn't say anything to Hadley."

"Maybe he didn't say anything because he still thinks he has a shot?" Emerson questions.

"But I made it apparent." I try to explain.

"People and emotions are complex, Saylor. He's loved you for so long and I'm sure he's still holding out hope for you, regardless of what you've said. You don't owe him anything, I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised if he was delusional enough to think there's a fighting chance." Emerson states.

"Can it really be love if it was high school and didn't feel intense?" I ask.

"Maybe it wasn't intense to you, but it probably was to him and love makes you do stupid things, even if that love is one-sided." Emerson explains.

"Trust me, I've been in his shoes. I did a lot of stupid things in my last relationship with my ex that were totally out of character. I felt things more intensely than she did. Maybe it wasn't love, maybe it was infatuation, but whatever I felt was very real to me, just like it probably felt very real to him." She further explains.

"Now you're making me feel bad. I don't want to be as bad as your ex." I state, my guilt intensifying.

"Don't. You were young and figuring yourself out. Sometimes we end up hurting people on our path of discovering who we are, but you've grown and you can acknowledge what you did made you feel bad enough to not want to repeat or inflict that pain upon another person. That's growth, healthy growth at that and I can't say the same thing for my ex." She states.