Just Friends

73

Pov Sage

I haven't gotten out of bed yet today. Mom has already come by a few times to ask what's going on and to bring food and drinks, of course.

There's a knock on the door again.

"Mom, I don't want anything," I sigh and wrap my arms around my pillow.

The door opens softly and Arya appears in the doorway.

"Don't you feel like having an ice cream?" she asks.

I shrug. Arya walks to my wardrobe. She takes out black ripped jeans, a black tank top and a red baseball vest. She throws it down on my bed.

"Shower and change, we're going to eat ice cream," she says.

I sigh deeply and get up anyway. I just know that if I were to stay lower now, I would be dragged out anyway.

I sulk a bit and walk to the bathroom with the change of clothes in my hands. I lock the door behind me and turn on the shower. I take off my pajamas and step into the hot shower. I put some shampoo in my hair and then some conditioner.

I also put on shower gel and rinse everything out again. I turn off the shower knob and step out again. I always hate the next moment so much. Then I have to dry my hair, but I never do that, so I will live in my towel for another 200 years.

#

Finally I decide to dry my hair.

I put my clothes back on and blow-dry my hair. I curl them a bit and walk towards Arya again.

In the meantime, she is lying stretched out on my bed, watching Netflix on her phone.

I pull her earphones out, causing her to look up again.

"I picked the right clothes," she grins.

I roll my eyes and chuckle softly.

Arya jumps up.

"Let's go get an ice cream. By the way, I have also arranged for Dylan to come too," she grins again, but she also winks at this.

"Smiegt," I chuckle.

She smiles innocently. Then she grabs my hand and almost runs downstairs. On the way I just manage to put on my white Nikes and shout to Mom that I'm leaving.

#

We come around the corner. The ice cream parlor is already there. I can already see Dylan sitting there. He stands up as soon as he sees us and waves happily back and forth. I smile at the sight.

However, that smile spontaneously diminishes when I see who is sitting at the table next to us.

Meri and his girlfriend...

Rapapa Bertha.

I stop walking abruptly.

"What is?" Arya asks.

She follows my gaze and then comes up with the answer quite quickly. She nods understandingly.

"Okay Sage you can do this. Just go to Dylan and make Meri jealous," she gives me advice.

"That didn't work well last time either," I point out to her that evening at the club.

"Yes, okay this time will be different. I promise you?" she says.

I take a deep breath and walk to the table where Dylan is already sitting.

He stands up and pushes the chair back in front of me a bit. I smile weakly. I sit down and he puts it back on. Gentlemen alert.

What number is that?

"What kind of ice cream do you want?" Arya asks, dancing with her wallet in her hand.

"Oh, so you pay," I chuckle.

"Just this once," she laughs.

"Give me a cone with bastogne and yoghurt amerène," I say.

"I have no idea what it is, but it sounds good so it's the same to me," Dylan laughs.

Arya chuckles and walks inside.

Dylan turns his attention back to me. He places his hand on mine and looks straight at me, causing me to feel slightly uneasy.

I can never look straight at people for long.

"Are you okay again? I was happy when Arya called that we were going to have ice cream together," he says.

Oh, so that monkey knew that they were going to bribe me with an ice cream...

"I'm okay," I mumble.

I say it quietly, hoping that Bertha and Meri don't notice anything about our conversation.

Only I feel Meri's eyes burning on my back from the moment I sat down.

"What's wrong with you anyway? Getting mad at your best friend!" Dylan suddenly shouts at Meri.

Oops Arya told him...

I carefully turn to Meri and Bertha.

Meri jumps up angrily.

"I didn't do anything wrong. She doesn't pay attention to who she dates!" Meri shouts back.

Dylan only gets angrier.

Meri catches my eye. "Sage can I talk to you for a moment?" Meri asks with a hiss.

I swallow once and then nod anyway.

He walks further down the street. I walk behind him to the point where he stops walking.

"Why do you let everyone think I'm such an asshole?!" he hissed at me.

I do not know what it is. It's kind of a combination of the two.

I swallow deeply again and try to find words, but they seem to be visiting Alice in Wonderland.

What a coincidence...

"I won't do that," I say softly.

"Well look, I'm just telling the truth. The fact that you are stupid enough to have a relationship with every player is not my problem," he shouts angrily.

Immediately tears come to my eyes again.

From behind me I suddenly hear Dylan and Arya say 'ice cream?' at the same time.

Two seconds later, mine and Dylan's two ice creams are rubbed into Meri's face as if it were a beautiful work of art.

From a three year old child.

**

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