Melted

Chapter 7

He kissed me. Peter kissed me. And I enjoyed it. There were butterflies. I couldn't erase the moment from my head. I had to. If I ever wanted to face Peter again, I needed to forget that night.

Speaking of Peter, my phone buzzed, flashing his name. Was I supposed to answer it? What was I supposed to say? The last time we talked to each other... No, this was over the phone. How bad could it be? He probably just wanted to make sure my parents didn't catch me with alcohol on my breath.

"Hey," I said, answering the phone. Did that sound weird? Stop stressing, it's just a phone call.

"Hey. I was wondering if you wanted to go the amusement park today? The one by the boardwalk. I have an extra ticket," Peter offered. Sure, just a convenient extra ticket on possibly the most beautiful day of my life.

"That sounds fun. I love the amusement park. I'll get changed and meet you there in half an hour," I told him before hanging up. I could hear the sea gulls and kids screaming in the background. He was already there. I threw on some clothes and sneakers before running out the door. I even forgot to tell my mom where I was going.

My heart pounded with each step I got closer to him. No, stop, it couldn't be like that. We both knew it was a mistake. It would be so much easier if we were just friends. Which is what we were going to be. If he tried to do anything, I'd push him away.

Peter stood just outside the park, waiting for me. I waited for a minute, just to make sure there wasn't some other girl meeting up with him. He was a player, based off of previous events, so he wasn't totally reliable. Then again, it didn't matter because I was his friend. Friends hung out, even with friends that were dating. If Peter was seeing someone, I would be the last person to stop him.

"Hey," I said, approaching Peter. He looked at me and instantly smiled. No, don't do that. My stomach did a backflip.

"What took you so long?" he exclaimed, but quickly added, "Just kidding. I'm just really impatient." I smiled as we walked into the amusement park. He wrapped his arm across my shoulders, which I instantly shook off. Peter looked surprised when I turned to face him.

"Look, both of us know what happened last night. We can either pretend it didn't happen and move forward, or admit that it did happen and make things really awkward between us. I know what my choice is, and I don't think I'm comfortable with you being so, I don't know, touchy?" I told him, crossing my arms. We were standing in the middle of the entrance. Not exactly the best place to inform him on where we stood and the only options I offered.

"I don't want to pretend that didn't happen," Peter said softly, "You have to admit that you felt something." How did he know? Could he hear my heart pounding? Could he feel the butterflies in my stomach?

"No, I don't! Because I didn't! Look, I just want to be friends. If you can't do that, then I'm walking out of this park," I warned. Peter nodded and started walking.

"Okay, where to first?" he asked, finally ignoring last night's events. It was for the better. I smiled and caught up to him.

"Well my favorite is the Ferris wheel, but we can save that for last," I said, "How about that roller coaster? The big one." Peter rolled his eyes and started in that direction. Finally, things were starting to feel normal. Peter being sarcastic, me being normal, but a little adventurous. It was how things were meant to be. If we were supposed to be together, I would know. But my gut told me that only bad would come out of us being... 'us'.

"I think I'm deaf," Peter complained as we got off the ride. Of course, I had been screaming the whole time. He rubbed his ear, as if that would bring back his hearing.