in which you, an aspiring filmmaker,
find the perfect actor for your breakout short film.
casting is difficult for the main love interest,
but once a certain blue-eyed boy comes into your life, you know he's the one...
maybe in more ways than yo...
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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
reveal, pt. 2
lying would be in vain at this point. we had already read each other's love letters, the possibility of them being genuine hanging in the air. plus, we had already been exposed to the whole school for "being an item," and by now, my peers' collective opinion was beyond our control. the barriers were already down. now this opportunity was asking me to take it and tell the truth.
"what if it was true? what would you do?" i asked softly.
he fiddled with his envelope for a minute. then, he looked me dead in the eyes. "if that was the case, i would tell you that mine was true too."
oh my god. oh my god. oh my godddddd!
"well then," i said, a smile growing involuntarily. "it is true."
"i like you and you like me?" his voice had a trace of surprise, but it was a good surprise. his entire face lit up. contagious.
"did i really hide it that well?" i giggled.
he liked me this whole time? i felt like i should be applauding. this was the end of some big performance. thoughts raced through my head but the finish line was in sight. something inside me was resolving -- the weeks and weeks of questioning if my yearning was mutual finally had an answer.
"no. it was pretty obvious. i mean, i caught all the hints that you dropped, whether they were accidental or not," said walker boastfully.
"i'm gonna steal all this money for myself if you keep insulting my acting skills," i joked, snatching the envelope left on the counter.
we laughed a little, but even after, i physically couldn't stop smiling. it was starting to hurt a little. after all this build up, i felt immense relief too, so i let out a solid sigh and gave my poor face muscles a break.
"so," started walker after a moment. "should we go back--"
"do you think they're still there?" said a distressed voice from outside the main office, growing as it came closer. it was maeve, and next to her was jordyn. they rushed in together, panting as they skidded to a halt.
jordyn put a hand to his chest. "we heard."
"everyone heard!" cried maeve. "sound the alarms."
a woman on the phone at one of the desks turned to us and gave us a warning glare. we needed to get back to class anyway -- some might say we were dilly-dallying. as if asking my permission, walker lifted his arm slowly. i nodded and he put it over my shoulder. then i silently motioned for jordyn and maeve to follow us out the door. they looked so confused as we looked content.
we recapped the past twenty minutes or so, watching as our friends went on a rollercoaster of emotions. by the time we were outside of fennel's, we had only gotten up to the lift hill, before we confessed.
"i think i know what happens next," said maeve, "from the way you guys are standing together so close and look oddly calm. but you can't just leave us hanging."
"and you can't go back in there," cautioned jordyn, gesturing to the door. "you guys should join us in the library."
"i wish, but we're gonna get marked absent," said walker. "basically, we read each other's letters and told each other that they were the real deal. we like each other." him saying that still felt a little staged.
"wait, really?" asked maeve excitedly.
"yeah--"
"jordyn. pass the money," she ordered.
he rolled his eyes. "we had a bet going. i lost," he said, taking out his wallet and passing a twenty. "so are you guys gonna date now? like, actually this time?"
i chuckled and turned to walker. "wouldn't that be something?"
he widened his eyes. "that would be something."
"something you guys should totally do so we can go on double dates," suggested maeve.
"something that could get my dad sent to jail for filicide," i added.
"the fuck does that mean?" asked jordyn.
"the act of killing one's child," i said. my cousin gave me a judgmental look. "what? i'm a writer!" i glanced over to the window of the classroom's door. the lights were turned off, meaning the lesson had already started. "and you know what else will get me killed? if i'm marked absent again. so let's skedaddle."
we wouldn't want another detailed email being sent, confirming my father's most irrational fear of me dating. if only he would let me have walker over without having to hide it, then he would realize that i wasn't hanging out with some satanist drug lord.
i took walker's hand and we rushed across the hall and back inside. the door swung open and for a split second, they saw us with our hands still together. that apparently monstrous sight only fueled the anger in some of my classmates' faces.
we quickly parted ways. i speed-walked over to violet in the back, and he went over to madeline, who had her arms crossed and seemed to have lost her appetite for the coffee that was pushed aside.
"what'd i miss," i whispered to violet.
"other than our teacher desperately trying to get the class' attention because everyone was either arguing or on the verge of tears, uhhh, i'd say you're pretty caught up. we're reviewing yesterday," she informed informally.
i nodded in acknowledgement, but she seemed to sense my apprehension. "hey, i had no clue you guys were dating," she said under her breath, "and i'm really excited for you and stuff, but a lot of people are not. and you just gotta ignore them. you should be happy despite them-- also don't tell anyone i told you this."
"i won't. thanks." i didn't even deny the dating -- i didn't feel like it and i shouldn't have to. "you're right."
