Save Your Tears | Chad Meeks-Martin

7

i know you, you're like this

"So like I was saying-" Clodagh continued as the group walked through the halls. "I was talking to Chris the other day-"

"Wait, you talk to Chris?" MJ cut Clodagh off, looking at the girl with a shocked look. Clodagh nodded, earning another look from MJ. "Since when?"

"Since he walked up to ask me for Chemistry notes." Clodagh smirked at the girl, "And you know what he asked me?"

"Do I want to know?" MJ asked from the other side of Willa, her cheeks turning a dark pink color. 

"I think you do," Clodagh said. "He asked me if you and Aaron were a thing?"

"Aaron?" Willa couldn't help but ask. "Aaron as in... Aaron Goodman? Marcus' best friend?"

"Yeah," Clodagh answered. "That same Aaron."

Willa's nose scrunched up as she glanced between the two girls. They stood on either side of her as they walked toward the auditorium.

"Why would he think that?" MJ asked, a disgusted look covering her face.

"I guess he saw you guys together or something, I don't know. Didn't ask." Clodagh shrugged.

"The Christian Russo was asking you about me and you didn't think to ask why he wanted to know?" MJ asked in disbelief.

"What, was I supposed to make it obvious you liked him?" Clodagh asked in a hushed whisper. "I just said you'd rather drop dead than even speak to Aaron Goodman, okay? He knows nothing's going on there and so I think he thinks he has a chance."

"Why would he want a chance if he didn't make it obvious to you he was interested in me?" MJ asked, holding the auditorium doors open for the other two.

The two walked in, Clodagh and Willa sharing a look before Clodagh stood next to her best friend. "Mari, you're beautiful, but you're quite the airhead."

MJ glanced from Clodagh to Willa, whose cheeks turned pink as she realized the dark-haired girl was waiting for her opinion. "What Clo is saying is basically... Chris wouldn't be asking your best friend about you if he wasn't interested. He probably thought he didn't have a chance with you because he saw you and Aaron speaking or something."

"Well Aaron's disgusting and I'd never, so."

"Willa, guys!" The sound of someone calling toward them caught their attention. Any topic of Chris was over with as they looked at the bleachers to their right. 

In the middle sat Willa's friend group - well most of it. Kamira Amethyst, Alicia Mackenzie, Magnolia Ellons, Annalise Miller, and Joseph Snow. The only ones missing were Willa, MJ, and Clodagh themselves, but Willa noticed another body had been missing.

Oliver had been nowhere to be seen. He knew about the assembly today - they'd talked about it earlier during lunch. She even mentioned they'd all be sitting together and that he was more than welcome to join. This confused her, and she began to search the crowd as MJ and Clodagh made their way over to where their friends were sitting.

She made eye contact with Marcus, who was sitting near a bunch of the other popular kids. Aaron was next to him chatting about something, but it seemed he didn't care too much about what was being said. His focus was on Willa, who was still staring at him.

He nodded his head to the side, between him and a girl who'd been sitting next to him. He was motioning for her to come to sit by him - although she'd originally had no intentions of ditching her friends to be by him.