Us, Together

Chapter 13

"Wait, so, are you guys together?" Ashton asked incredulously. 

"No! We've just been hanging out! Have you not been listening to me for the past ten minutes?"

Sitting in an Italian restaurant eating delicious cheese-smacking pizza, we caught each other up on what's been happening recently. But apparently, Ash was a little distracted by the food to actually concentrate on the words coming out of my mouth.

"Yes, I did hear. Although, to me, it sounds like Miss Popular is interested. To put it simply, she's shooting her shot," he supplied then ate a huge bite out of his piece.

My shoulders closed in as I grew uncertain. "Are you sure, though? I mean, she's Jennie. She's out of everyone's league. How can she be interested in me?" I said, my insecurities talking to me. 

"Come on, Rosie. You're you. You're kind, thoughtful, gorgeous, and absolutely adorable," he listed swiftly, causing a blush to appear on my cheeks. "Heck, I'd go for you if I didn't know you were into girls. Don't think of yourself any less just because you're shy."

I didn't reply right away, just wanting a moment to soak in his words. He was right, about not letting my shyness get in the way of how I viewed my worth. I don't think all the things he described me with rings true, and I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to be with Jennie, but for now, I'll indulge in that fantasy. 

I propped my fist under my chin as I hummed in acknowledgement, my insecurities suddenly less loud in my head thanks to him. His previous words came back to me. "Wait, did you say you'd hit on me?" I questioned, a little bit amused and weirded out at the same time.

"What! N-no, you must be hearing things," he sputtered out defensively. "And by the way, that is the last time you'll be hearing anything nice from me for a while."

I watched his fidgeting form in amusement, loving how I could make him squirm sometimes, however rare it happened. Shifting in my chair to lean forward, I thought I'd change the subject and focus more on him. I really haven't had the chance to talk to him, so now's my time.

"So, what's been up with you? How's Zach?" I asked, not intentionally meaning for it to sound sarcastic, but it just came out that way. 

His sea-green eyes narrowed at me with confusion at my tone. "Um, he's alright. He's on the basketball team with me, and he's a pretty funny guy. Why do I get the feeling you don't really like him?" he questioned, prompting me to answer with an eyebrow raise.

"No, he's fine. He seems like a nice guy, it's just..." I paused, trying to think of how to word this correctly without sounding like that friend. "You've been spending a lot of time with him lately, and I just don't get to hang out with you as much as before."

He looked at me with wide eyes, surprised to hear that. "I didn't even notice that I was spending so much time with him." He furrowed his brows as he now looked at me with realization. "I guess I just got excited for a sec to have a guy friend who's that chill," he mumbled, staring at his joined hands resting on the table.

"No, I get it. He's a new friend, it's always exciting," I said, trying to let him know that I understood. "Maybe we can do more group hangs so Lisa and I can get to know him better. And perhaps... he might even join our trio," I suggested, smiling gently in reassurance.

He gazed at me then, a small smile on his face to hint at the joy he felt at that. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

I picked up another slice of my pepperoni pizza and readied to take a bite. "So, tell me about him."

**********

The school hallways were bustling with chatter when I stepped through the front doors. But it wasn't like the usual level of noise that generated this early in the morning. No, this was the sound of when new gossip was circling around.