The Day We Met

Six: Dismay

Before I could gather the courage to speak, a loud voice interrupted us.

"Hey, babe! Sorry I'm late!" a loud voice coming from a girl

My heart sank as I turned to see an exquisite, hot, pretty, and a cheerleader walking towards us. It was the girl Theo was talking to yesterday, the girl he kissed. Her name is Jessica and she's Theo's girlfriend. She wrapped her arm around Theo's shoulders, pulling him close.

"Jessica, hi!" Theo smiled up at her, seemingly oblivious to my disappointment.

"I was just talking to Oliver, here." Theo said

"Yeah, sure. Hi, Oliver. I'm Jessica. Theo's girlfriend" Jessica said with a nod, her tone is friendly.

"Hi... Jessica" I managed to say, forcing a smile.

"Nice to meet you." I added

"So, what were you saying, Oliver?" Theo asked, looking back at me expectantly.

"Oh, it was nothing important" I said quickly, not wanting to make things awkward.

"It's something that you li--??" Theo asked

"Oh Just you know, I li-like to change something with our project."

"Sure, do whatever you want with it" Theo replied

"You're the one who really put hard-work with it" He added

"Great so..." Jessica interjected.

"Hey Thay, wanna grab some ice cream? My treat." Jessica added

"That sounds great Jess!" Theo beamed.

"Oliver, do you want to join us?" Jessica asked

I shook my head, trying to hide my disappointment.

"Thanks, but I... I think I'll pass. I've got some stuff to take care of."

"Alright, maybe next time," Jessica said, giving me a warm smile.

"See you around, new guy!" Theo said

"Yeah, see you," I replied, as they walked away, their laughter ringing in my ears. I sighed, shoving my hands in my pockets and turning to leave the park, the golden light of the sunset now feeling a bit dimmer.

I walked away full of dismay. I trudged along the deserted path of the park, kicking at loose gravel with the toe of my sneaker. My chest felt heavy, I felt a lot of dismay. Each breath comes out as a sigh. I couldn't shake the memory of what I've just experienced. It wasn't supposed to go like this. I had finally mustered the courage to confess my feelings to Theo but it didn't end well and I haven't even told him, the worst thing is he already has a girlfriend. But it's okay, cause I'm afraid that if I confess, he will tell me that he didn't see me the same way.

As I rounded a corner, I saw a figure sitting on one of the benches, hunched over with his head in his hands. I recognized the shiny black hair and the familiar green jacket immediately. It was Jared. We weren't particularly talking, after what happened to us the other day, but I had always harbored a quiet crush on him. Or maybe I am wrong again.

I considered turning around, not wanting to be seen in his current state. But something stopped me. Maybe it was the way Jared looked just as miserable as I felt.

"Jared?" I called out tentatively as I approached.

Jared lifted his head, his eyes. red-rimmed. He quickly wiped at them with the back of his hand.

"Oh, hey, Oliver. What are you doing here?" he said with a cracked voice

I shrugged, trying to keep my voice steady.