Just Have Faith

Chapter Twelve

Quick A/N: Random saying I found today: Faith is like Wi-Fi, it's invisible but it has the power to connect you to what you need. Okay, now read the chapter!

I woke up the next morning knowing that I was going to be alone on the bus. Because Nick's parents are letting him drive to school, he obviously won't be taking the bus.

He's lucky the his parents will let him drive to school. I wish I could drive to school. Can't my parents just take one car to work? I mean, they both work in the same place. It would save them gas money.

But, when I'm on the bus for that twenty-five minutes, I just listen to music and I think. I think about everything. I think about school, I think about my friends, I think about Josh-- revenge ideas which will never be put in place-- and I think about Nick.

Wait, Nick? I thought to myself. Layla, just accept the fact that you have a crush. Nick asked you out so he has to like me you, okay? Just don't be one of those crazy girls who is hung up on the boy who asked her out.

That'll be simple. As far as I know we're still just friends who went out on one date. It was just one date, no more, no less.

When I got on the bus, I plugged my earbuds into my phone and started playing Photograph by Ed Sheeran and began thinking, thinking of anything and everything.

I started by thinking of Nick. How he asked me out, how sweet he was. And then, I remembered how we met. If he didn't ride my bus, we never would've met.

No one is like Nick. No one that I know would just hug me when I'm crying. Everyone else would bug me for answers, they'd bug me about why I was crying. But not Nick. He just hugs me and tells me that it's going to be okay. He doesn't push me to tell him things that I don't want to tell him. And that, is a great quality right there.

Then, I started thinking of Abbie and Amiya. They seemed a little distant with me lately. They haven't been texting me a lot lately, but we don't usually text constantly. We just text a little. But now, the texting has stopped completely and I don't know what to think of it.

Finally, I began thinking of something that has been taking up so much space in my mind right now. Religion. I know my parents are atheists and all, but ever since I've started going to youth group, I've felt happier. I've felt alive if that makes any sense. I've been able to stay clean. . . for two days, and then I wrecked it last night. But, I've been feeling stronger. But, I don't know how my parents will feel if I take on this religion. I don't know what will happen if I tell them that I want to become Catholic. If I even do want to become Catholic. I still don't know if I want to commit to this or not.

The bus lurched to a stop, snapping me out of my thoughts. I piled out of the bus with everyone else and walked into school.

After I put my backpack and such into my locker, I walked to the cafeteria. "Hey," I said to Amiya and Abbie.

"Hey," they both said in unison.

Then, silence settled upon us. Which was very weird. Usually at least one of us has something to talk about.

"So, are you going to the swim meet tomorrow?" Amiya asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked in response.

"Well, me and Abbie thought that we'd go out for pizza after school, just us three getting pizza and soda and getting so full we can't walk. But since you're already going to the swim meet I guess it'll end up being just Abbie and I," Amiya said.

"Can we go on Friday?" I asked. "I'm free on Friday."

"Well, we kind of already had this planned for tomorrow. . ." Abbie trailed off.