SummerTime

Chapter Eighteen

It was the next morning since the Matt incident and my face hurt so badly. I got up from bed and looked in the mirror to see my face was a little bruised. I tried to touch it but I couldn’t do it. I’m too much of a wuss. I don’t like pain at all. After a couple of minutes of looking at it, Shelby appeared behind me. “Does it hurt?” she asked. I turned to her and said, “Only if I touch it.” She looked at my cheek and shook her head. “It’ll go away soon.” She said. “Shelby, you would tell me if Matt ever did this to you right?” I asked. She turned and shrugged her shoulders. “Shelby, has he done this to you?” I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to me. “Shelby, please tell me.” I said in a gentle voice. She sighed and looked at the ground. “It only happened once but he was really sorry after.” She said. I just wanted to rip his face off. He has hit my best friend. “That doesn’t mean its ok. If a killer felt sorry after he killed someone does that mean what he has done is OK?” I asked. I was a little bit upset that she didn’t tell me this. We tell each other everything! From stupid little stuff to the life changing stuff. She just stayed silent. “Tell me everything that happened.” I said sitting on a chair nearby. She sat down on a chair next to me. “Ok… Well it was 2 months ago and it was when I hung out with you, Robert, and Tyler. I guess he saw me ‘flirting’ with Robert. After you dropped me at my house, he was waiting in my room for me. He started yelling and breaking stuff. I didn’t know what to do. He grabbed my arms really tight and shook me. It really hurt. My mom came home like 10 minutes after. He was still yelling. She came in and told him to stop but he yelled at her. She told him to get out and he stormed off. My mom saw the red spots on my arm and got really mad. She was about to go and call the cops but I told her not to. That’s why she hates him. After he called, texted, and sent dozens of flowers and I forgave him.” Shelby explained with tears running down her face. Seeing her cry made me cry. After she was done talking I engulfed her in a hug. I comforted her. I rubbed her back and told her that he was a dick. After a while, Robert came in to tell us something. When he saw Shelby crying, he gave me a questioning look. I mouthed ‘Matt’. He just shook his head. He came and sat by her. “Can I talk to her?” Robert asked me. I nodded and went out of the room. I waited and listened to what they were saying to each other. “You’re so much better off without him. He didn’t deserve you.” Robert said. “Why do you say that?” Shelby asked. I knew where this was going. “You could have someone so much better. That will treat you right and not get angry at you for hanging out with friends. Or hurt you.” He said. I wondered how he knew that stuff that Shelby had just told me. “Robert, that’s really sweet but there aren’t any guys out there like that, that actually like me.” She said. “Yes there is. Me.” He said. My mouth dropped. It was like I was watching a movie and the best friend just confessed his love for the girl. I bet Shelby had the same expression that I did. “What? You like me?” she asked quietly. I almost couldn’t hear her. “Yeah. I’ve liked you ever since that night everyone hung out. That night Matt, you know.” He said. How did he know about that! Did Shelby tell him and not me? “Really?” she asked. “Yeah. Do you even like me more than a friend?” he asked. “Well I have never really thought about it.” She said. “But now that I am, kind of.” She said. I started getting excited. I even started to jump around. “We should probably go down stairs.” Robert said. I stopped jumping and ran down stairs. I skipped the last 2 and almost fell on my butt. Austin, Tyler, Alex, and Sarah all started to laugh at me. I ran and jumped on the couch, panting. “I was here the whole time!” I said. Seconds later Robert and Shelby came down and sat on the couch. “So are we going swimming or not?” Austin asked.