Rose Ramirez and Lorenzo Martin have known each other since 5th grade. They were each other greatest enemies for the longest time. Until last year, when their paths kept crossing. After having, all the same classes, going to the exact same therapist...
JJ, Pope, and Tasher follow behind me as I make my way out of French. I start to make my way to science and put my AirPods in as I do. As I begin to laugh at something JJ says I hear a voice from my right.
"Martin, AirPods off," instructs Mr. Diaz, our P.E. teacher, gesturing to his right ear. He has a habit of addressing us by our last names, I never knew why. I remove my AirPods, holding them in my hand until we pass the locker rooms.
"Man, I really am not trying to go to science," I say letting out a sigh.
"For real, all he does is talk, and never shuts up," Tasher says.
An idea suddenly pops into my head to skip the first 10 minutes of class. I don't know if we should really do this though, I already skipped in English.
"Hey, y'all wanna skip like the first 10 minutes of class?"
"Yes, I'm totally on board with that. It's not like we're going to get suspended two months before school ends," JJ says in agreement.
"Um... no, didn't you skip like the first 10 minutes of English? What's up with you today?" Pope asks in an interrogating tone.
"Nothing, I'm just feeling a little crazy today."
"Agreed," JJ chimes in.
"JJ, you feel crazy every day. This is nothing new." Tasher says. Then looks at me for a good 15 seconds then says, "Okay, you got me. I'm down to skip."
"Y'all trippin' I'm going to class," Pope says shaking his head. JJ begins to walk up to him and says,
"Come on just skip with ussss," while trying to beg Pope.
He gives us three a suspicious look and says, "Okay, you got me."
Then we headed to the bathrooms and just wasted time the whole time. We did end up getting pretty bored though. We were all surprised no one ended up looking for us. Especially since there's a class right behind the bathrooms, and they can hear basically everything. We saw a lot of people we knew come into the bathroom, and we somehow convinced them to skip for like 10 minutes and then go back to class. Then they would say the bathroom in the cafeteria was closed so they had to go to the quad one. So that's why it tooksolong.
• • •
For the last 10 minutes of school, we just wandered around the halls. JJ wrote JJ was here in like three different spots around the school. He even somehow convinced me to write something. I wrote 'Mr. Unknown Was Here.' I know it's stupid but like, I don't wanna write'Enzo Was Here.' People would know that's me, there are not that many Loreznos at school anyway.
When the bell rang, we were just standing outside of Science. We honestly looked kind of creepy just standing there outside of class, waiting. When Rose walks out of class, we make eye contact. She looks annoyed, not made annoyed, though. Her face has that look that gives off not disappointed, just why did you do this sort of annoyed.
She starts to walk towards me and says, "Did you really skip class? You know that's just going to bite you in the ass later. Why did you even skip?"
I start to say something, but she ends up cutting me off and saying,
"Let me guess... It was JJ's idea huh?"
"Nope. All mine."
She gives me a straight face, and laughs while pointing in my face then letting out, "Now I know that's cap."
"No, I'm serious it really was my idea."
We still at each other for a while smiling until Ananya walk out of class and gives me a dirty look. As she walks up to me she says,
"Why would you skip class? You dumbshit!"
Then Rose steps in saying,
"Bro chill. You trippin' more than me. God give him a break." I'm glad she's sticking up for me. I'm also glad and surprised she's not getting on me about it too. We start to walk towards the gates then I scoff and say "Ananya bruh, she always on my ass bout' something. I feel like she doesn't like me to be honest," I admit.
"Nah, that ain't true. She just-," she pauses looking confused. "She just- I don't know, but trust me, she doesn't not like you."
"So as in does like me.?" I confirm, and then she shakes her head in yes.
We walk in silence while thinking of a conversation topic. I got it.
"What would you say your deepest fear is?" I ask softly.
"You know the answer. Spiders, and heights."
"No. Not your worst fears. I said your deepest. The fears that truly scare you or are so powerful. Darker than just a phobia, they give you chills just thinking about it happening," I say taking pauses and in almost a whisper it's so quiet.
"Damn, Okay. To be honest, probably, loneliness, and not finding love." She pauses for a second then says, "That's mine, what's yours," she says cheerfully trying to lighten the mood a little.
"I want to say you can only choose one, but I'll let you slide. Mine would probably be the same as yours. Not finding life, just dying alone," I admit in a serious tone.
We're both in silence while we walk. She suddenly says, "That's real. Another one of my biggest fears is that, everyone around me hates me, and then just put up with me 'cause they have to."
Damn. It brings me down knowing that she sometimes thinks people hate her. I mean we all do sometimes. But something about the way she said it - like she thinks it often. Only if she knew.
I start to grab her right hand and cup it with both of my hands. She starts to giggle a little, and I say, "Well just know that we definitely don't hate you. I definitely don't, you're like my best friend." I say with a laugh in my tone.
"Like?" She questions.
I start to panic. I let go of her hand.
"No, no, no I mean you are my best friend. Sorry, I didn't mean that."
"It's alright," she laughs.
Here's why I said that, I slightly thought that by just flat-out saying "You're my best friend" I was friend-zoning myself even more than I already am. Thinking about this now, I wonder why I even decided to say that. She only sees me as a friend as much as I would like her to see me as something more.
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I just want to say thank you so much if you made it this far. I have a very interesting chapter coming up. Hopefully, I can write it quickly and get it out quickly too!
And until next time,
- Maya 💕
Quote: "So many smiles, so many hugs, but I still feel alone." - Rod Wave (Dark Conversation)
