When Friendship Becomes Forever

Chapter 10

El

I sat in the booth for a long time.

An excruciatingly long time.

I could hear everything that Steve and Nancy were saying, despite their efforts to speak in hushed tones.

I noticed all the looks other girls my age shot at me and then at their friends.

I probably looked like some crazy loner with nothing better to do than sit by myself in the booth of a mall's ice cream shop.

But I didn't want to speak to Nancy and Steve, Robin had already taken off; I assumed after bribing her boss to let her go early, and Max was nowhere to be seen.

I had walked around for a while, hoping that she would find me but she didn't, so instead I returned to where I had told her I would be.

She must have still been talking to Lucas; but about what, I didn't know. Of course, I had ideas, but none of them were exactly what I wanted the truth to be.

Lucas could still like Max, just like how Mike liked me.

They could be doing anything right now, be anywhere. And I was afraid to know the answer to any of my speculations.

Nancy and Steve stood to leave behind me, their whispering only growing louder though I figured that was not their intention.

"Steve! We can't just leave her here alone!" Nancy hissed.

"She's not alone. Max is here,"

"Sh!t Max. Where is she?"

"I don't know. Don't worry about that right now. I'll drive you home okay? El will be fine and you know it,"

"Steve. Max could be anywhere,"

"She has to be here somewhere!" he said and I sighed, standing, even if a little reluctant.

"She is," I spoke and they both whipped around to look at me.

"Where?" Nancy asked hesitantly and I sighed.

"She's with Lucas. I don't know where. They've been talking for the last hour or so," I said, attempting- and failing- to hide the anger in my voice.

Steve and Nancy exchanged a glance.

"Lucas?" Steve asked and I nodded.

"Like...her ex-boyfriend Lucas..." Nancy said slowly and I sighed, looking away.

Steve frowned a little, before making the same connection as Nancy.

"Oh," he spoke aloud and I smiled weakly at the amount of time it took for it to sink in.

"Look...El...I know this probably means nothing to you right now but...I made a mistake. I shouldn't have broken up with Robin," Nancy said quietly, her eyes glazed with sadness and honesty.

I didn't know what to say, so instead I slowly walked towards her, my arms outstretched in a tight embrace.

Nancy smiled softly, hugging back while Steve simply stood there, running a hand awkwardly through his hair.

The two of us pulled away and Nancy sighed.

"What do we do now?" she asked. Both Steve and I shrugged.

"I mean, we can wait here for Max to come back but I have a feeling we'll be waiting a while," Steve said, his point blunt.

I sighed, knowing he was right. Whatever Max was doing, she'd been doing it for long enough that I had given up on the idea of her returning any time soon.

"Lets just go. Jonathan and the others probably need help with the house anyway," I replied, attempting to shrug away the thought of Max.

Nancy didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure?" she questioned and I nodded, already walking away from the store.

I could feel her and Steve exchange a look behind my back but I chose to ignore it, powering through the mall to where the exit stood, praying to the powers that be that I wouldn't cry.

I kept my eyes firmly on the ground, afraid of who (or what) I would see if I looked up.

But maybe that wasn't the best idea in history as I bumped right into somebody.

"Sorry," I muttered, looking up, but my breath caught when I saw who it was.

Mike.

"El," he breathed and I sighed, returning my gaze to the floor.

"El...can we...talk?" he asked, using almost the exact same words as Lucas had to Max.

They must have a script or something.

"Mike," Nancy warned from behind me, but I simply sighed and lifted my head to meet his gaze.

"Leave me alone, Mike." I spat, desperately unwanted tears clouding my gaze of the too-bright tiles.

"El, please," he begged.

I glanced up again, hoping that the tears weren't visible.

I didn't want to show weakness.

Not any more than I had to.

"Fine," I said and he grinned, though his smile fell when he saw my expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and I sighed.

"Doesn't matter,"

I gave a half-hearted wave to Nancy and Steve who were onlooking the conversation with nervous expressions before turning to walk away with Mike.

"Where are we going?" I asked, pushing away the tears with a sharp wipe of my hand.

He didn't reply, simply led me by the hand through the mall that suddenly seemed much bigger than it had before.

I felt so small, so young as if I had been sent back to the first time I had ever come here.

Except the person I had been with then had made me feel bigger, and more important than anyone else in my life ever had.

And, I guess at one point, I was the most important thing in her life too.

Apparently not anymore; hours had passed since she left with Lucas.

We turned into where the cinema was, and it was then that I noticed Max and Lucas.

Laughing.

Holding hands.

My stomach clenched and I felt the tears brim again.

Mike paid no attention to me, however, instead he sat down on one of the benches outside the theatres and pulled my gaze away from Max and Lucas.

"I want to talk to you about something," he started, but I wasn't listening.

I couldn't think about anything besides Max and Lucas.

It felt stupid to be this jealous, but I loved Max; more than I had loved anyone else ever.

And it scared me to see how easily it could be...

Taken away.

They were kissing.

Max's eyes widened as Lucas leant in and kissed her firmly on her elegant pink lips.

My elegant pink lips.

Max was mine. She was supposed to be mine.

She loved me.

Didn't she?

Mike was still talking but by this stage I had fully tuned him out, only able to focus on the scene in front of me.

Then, Max caught my gaze.

(A/N: Ooooohhhh dramaaaaa hehehe- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!- I hope you guys liked this chapter so so sorry I'm updating a day late, but I didn't get a chance yesterday 😭 I'm here now though lololol. Stay safe and totally tubular and I'll see you in the next one! xx)