Suburb Talks

Chapter 2

"I feel like I didn't get a chance to talk to you all night". I heard from next to me. I turned to the voice to see Oliver smiling at me. I smiled politely back, placing my phone on my lap.

"Ya I guess I've been kinda glued to Sean all night", I said turning to face Oliver. Oliver laughed running his hand through his hair.

"Ya I noticed, you two seemed kinda inseparable tonight. I was wondering though if you would want to hang out some time to get to know each other", he said with a smile.

I tried not to cringe with how awkward I felt. He seems nice just not someone who I would usually be interested in.

"To get to know each other to film a video, ya I'd be down", I said playing dumb. "Me and my friends are leaving now, but I'll be sure to ask Nick if it'd be ok to have you guys on the podcast." I said standing up to look for my escape.

"That would be great" Oliver said feeling the awkward tension that was created. As I was walking out I bumped into Viet.

"So how'd it go between you and pretty boy" Viet laughed. I laughed, of course Viet would want to know the details of a situation he helped instigate.

"I don't know what you're talking about" I said with a straight face. " I was just talking to my new friend Oliver who wants to be in the podcast" I said flipping my hair over my shoulder.

"He wants to be in more than the podcast" Viet teased throwing his arm over my shoulder. Viet walked with me to the car outside to meet up with the group like the gentleman he pretends not to be.

Soon enough the group consisting of everyone who I came with came into view. Maru immediately ran over to me, "Bitch what did Oliver say" Maru slurred grabbing onto me. I laughed smelling the tequila on her breath knowing my poor girlie had a little too much to drink tonight.

"Nothing, just like I said he wanted to know if we could film together", I said hiding his true intentions.

"My ass" yelled Viet. "All night he was looking for you, if he wanted to be on the podcast or do a YouTube video with you he would've talked to Nick or anybody else from Suburb Talks, he was looking for you all night. Looking all sad and shit cause you were clinging onto Sean like if he was your boyfriend or something". Viet said turning to tell the group, who were laughing all except for Sean who seemed to be taking in my face that was quickly turning red from all the attention.

"It's not even like that, tell them Sean!" I yelled as I hid my face in my hands wishing the ground had the ability to swallow me whole.

Sean laughed as he moved to stand closer to me, "Hey if you have a crush on me all you have to do is let me know. Maybe I'll even take you out on a date. How's that sound?" Sean teased in my ear.

"Ooooooooo" came from the group like the pack of 3rd graders they are. I groaned as I continued to hide my face.

"You're so annoying" I whined as I pinched Sean on his side. He smiled eyes locking with mine.

"There's nothing wrong with catching feelings for me, I'm a catch." Sean laughed as he threw his arm around my waist.

"I always knew you'd end up dating" Nick said taking a video to post to on TikTok to forever commemorate this horrible situation.

"I swear you're so annoying". I hissed at Nick shaking Sean's arm off me. "I'm waiting in the car, c'mon Maru" I said pulling her by the hand to sit with me.
While in the car I closed my eyes leaning my head against the window as we sat waiting for the guys to say their goodbyes to the UTI cast. That's when I started to feel eyes on me. " I can feel you staring at me Maru, if you have a question just ask" I said opening my eyes to look at her.

She looked down at her lap, looking embarrassed she had been caught staring. "It's nothing bad" she said nervously. "I was just wondering if you actually liked Sean" she whispered as if trying not to alert any of the boys attention to what was being said in the car. I looked down at my lap. I honestly hadn't thought about my feelings towards Sean.

I turned to look at Maru, "You remember Senior year how everyone was coupled up except for me and Sean?" I said, Maru nodded urging me to continue. "Me and Sean would hang out almost everyday because it was just me and him. Then COVID happened and senior year was cut off and Sean would always drop snacks off for me, or I would bring him something I made when I would bake. We would even FaceTime and watch movies together. Around that time I started to have a little crush on him. We would talk and he even said that if we had went back to school to finish off Senior year he would've been my prom date. Bitch I started having the biggest crush on him." I said thinking back to everything that happened during quarantine.

"So then what happened you guys never dated or anything after that? Did he know how you felt?" Maru questioned laying her head on my shoulder.

I started to play with the hem of my dress thinking back on what had happened. "Nope, I really thought that he liked me back and that once everything opened up after quarantine he would eventually ask me out. But he didn't. Then that's when we found out he had started talking to Taylor and then they started dating" I said feeling the embarrassment all over again.

Maru gasped "So you never told him?". I shook my head.

" If I had told him and he hadn't felt the same I would've risked losing our friendship. He probably would've told Taylor and he would've stopped hanging out with me. Besides look how long they dated, if he had feelings for me something would've happened before they ever got together." I said running my hands through my hair.

"They broke up now" Maru said trying to make me feel better. "Maybe now you can let him know how you felt" she said holding onto my hand trying to make me feel better.

Just as I was about to answer the door next to me opened, speak of the devil "Scoot over ya?". Sean said and me and Maru moved to make room for him. "What were you guys talking about anything interesting?" Sean asked turning to look at me.

"Not really I was just telling Maru that I'm hungry". I said laughing as the rest of our friends piled into the car.

"Where to now?" yelled Nick.

"Me and Vee want food" Sean winked at me placing his arm around my shoulder. As the group argued about where to head for food I couldn't help myself but to think about everything that had happened between me and Sean. Maybe Maru was right maybe I do still like him after all.