Frenemies

20

My eyes drift close as I try to listen to my teacher explaining a term to us. Usually it is easy for me to listen to what my teacher had to say as I love learning new things but it's hard for me to concentrate today.

I feel a hand slap my shoulder lightly and jerk awake. I turn around to see my best friend smirking down at me. "Did you stay up all night texting Grayson?" 

"Shhh", I say knowing that he will walk in any second now. My friend giggles and I sigh, a long and exhausting one. After I had called my mom to pick me up last night, I had gathered my emotions and sat in bed watching Gilmore Girls as I waited for a call from him. I stayed up until two where I fell asleep in the middle of an episode. I look at my friend and shake my head, telling her it would make it real and I can't think about it right now. I know that Grayson didn't lead me on, he will show up in class and say that he had a family emergency but will make it up to me by flashing me his killer smile. Or maybe kissing….

My friend gags next to me and I elbow her making myself and her giggle. I glance at the door and wait for him to arrive. He is late; that's not rare. Fifteen minutes pass and I'm anxiously picking at my bracelet aggressively. minutes and my bracelete snaps off making me groan and pick up the beads. My friend frowns at me and I cringe. "Sorry", I say, knowing we made matching bracelets a few months ago at a slumber party this summer.

"That's okay, we will make another one at our sleepover after Halloween. You know we'll need a gossip sesh after all the fun the night before", she says quietly at me. I pick up the rest of the beads and sit back in my seat, telling myself to not glance at the door. 

"Grayson talked about doing matching costumes with me", I say distractedly.

"Ooh, like what?", Katie says excitement drawn over her face. 

"Spiderman and Gwen Stacy", I say turning my attention back to my friend and not at the disappointing doorway.

"I cannot imagine Grayson in a spiderman suit", she says laughing and I nod. "That's why I suggested it." 

"Oh my God, don't you think he'll look so hot in his suit?", she says wiggling her eyebrows and I'm about to agree with her when I realize that she is talking about the guy I kissed yesterday. 

"Ew don't imagine that about him", I say laughing but she only smiles wider. 

"No you're right, you'll make him look hotter in your sexy school-girl outfit." 

"I'm leaving", I say dramatically, and pretend to  pick up my books and glancing at the door again. I swallow and tell myself that he is just busy today. 

••••

Afterschool, I head to the volleyball practice, not mine, but Grayson's. I'm hoping to find him there. When I walk into the gymnasium, all eyes turn to me but I'm only looking for one set of blue eyes. But as I keep searching the vicinity, I can't find him.

"Jules?", someone says from ahead of me and I turn to them snapping out of my trance.

"Tatum", I say and then walk toward him. "Do you know if Grayson's, well."

It feels awkward asking Grayson's best friend if he knew where he was. I've been texting him all day but he hasn't seen or responded back to any of my texts.

"Grayson?", his best friend asks and I nod. "I'm not sure, he didn't come into school today."

I know that, I've been looking for him all over the school. I place my hand in my hair, tugging on my hairtie nervously. "Did he", this is embarassing,"Did he text you?"

Tatum looks at me with a saddened look in his eyes. "Not since yesterday, no."

"So...", I ask him wanting him to say something else but he only looks back of me. After a couple of seconds, he says,"Maybe he is just busy at home. You know he had missed his family this past week."