This World That Divides Us

CHAPTER 23

I'm not going to lie, Connecticut is definitely growing on me. It's hard not to fall in love with its serenity and beauty. Especially with the way that it looks right now. Molly and I picked up smoothies and are currently walking on the path alongside the water, and the view is pretty breathtaking.

"I still can't believe you're dating Jack Carrington," Molly says.

"Mol, we're not dating."

"You've been texting nonstop, and he's taking you out for dinner tonight."

"Dating implies that we've been out to multiple dinners. Tonight's our first dinner."

"Semantics...and I still can't believe what happened last night."

"Yeah, me too," I say, widening my eyes as I replay the scenario in my mind.

"Two guys fighting over you. I'm jealous."

"It's not like that, Mol," I laugh and she looks at me.

"You know if you like him, you can tell me. I promise I won't be mad."

"I don't know how I feel about Jack," I tell her.

Molly knows about the kiss, but nothing else besides that. Simply because I don't know how I completely feel. I know that I really like Jack, but investing emotions into someone like him could get complicated. Especially when that person investing the feelings is someone like me. I'm not like Jordana...not even close. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be like her, but I am privy to the fact that Jack and I are very different. He's had his whole life set up for him before he was born, where mine is nowhere near being even just a little bit figured out. Jack was right; there's a world that divides us. I'm not oblivious to that fact.

"I wasn't talking about Jack," Molly says and I can't help but squint my eyes at her. Until it finally clicks.

"You're talking about Henry?" I ask, and she bashfully nods.

"I don't like Henry as anything more than just a friend, Mol. I promise."

"Are you sure? Because if you do, I won't care."

"I'm one hundred percent sure." I look at her, but she doesn't say anything more. Instead, she's smiling at the ground, so I press. "Do you like him?"

"Me?" she points to herself, then chuckles. "No."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she says, but I can tell that she's lying just by the way she keeps her sight on the floor.

"Mol, you can tell me."

She finally brings her head up to look at me. "Define 'like'."

"Do you have feelings for Henry?"

"No," she says, pausing. "Ugh, yes. I don't know. Maybe."

"Why don't you tell him?"

"Why? So I can get rejected? Let me tell you something, Molly Davidson does not get rejected."

"Why do you assume that's what would happen?"

"Because I know that Henry doesn't like me. He could never."

"Molly..."

"Trust me, Stassie. He doesn't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like how he looks at you."

"He doesn't look at me like anything. If he knew how you felt, maybe that would change the way he saw you."

"I don't know..."

I nudge her shoulder with mine. "You're the most confident girl that I know. Remember that when you tell him how you feel about him."