Pinky Promises

Pinky Promises Chapter Six

Chapter Six

My head jerked up from my desk as the shrill school bell rang. I must've fallen asleep during my last class, history. No wonder I'd fallen asleep. Who cares about history nowadays, anyway? 

I began to walk to my locker, and then I remembered.

You know those first few minutes after you wake up, when you're just, floating? You don't really remember what's been going on in your own life. And then it hits you, like a bullet train. Like your train of thought just collided with your memory bank, or something.

I remembered Will. So I headed to the playground, just like I'd agreed to. But I still had no idea what I was going to say. On the one hand, Will was....amazing. And the fact that he wanted me? Well, that was just even more amazing. I don't think there's ever been a time when a guy went to this great of lengths to try to get me. Maybe that meant something, in and of itself? I wanted, I needed so much more time to mull this over, but time was the last thing I had.

In fact, I was now out of time; I'd arrived at the playground, and Will was waiting for me, a hesitant smile lighting his face. He had no idea how nervous I was, just seeing him there waiting for me. It was like I felt like I was about to make a speech in front of thousands of people, only it was just me and him there in that old playground. But it was that kind of nervous feeling.

As I began to make my way over to him, he arose from his swing, and we met in the middle. For a long time, it seemed, we just stared at each other. We were both waiting for each other to break the silence.

Will was the first one to speak up. "So, what's on your mind?" I hated how nonchalant his question sounded. Why didn't he just come out and give me an ultimatum? I knew that's what he wanted to do.

"I haven't made a decsion yet," I said, cutting to the chase.

"Why not? Can't you just choose?" He asked, the emotion clearly written on his face. I could tell he just wanted this moment to be over with. As if he already knew what I was going to say. So when I spoke, my words surprised the both of us.

"I...I choose you," I said softly.

Will perked up immediately, like a bell had gone off in his head. Just like how the school bed had woken me up, that's what my few words seemed to do to him. It was just like that. He'd been staring at the ground one moment, seeming so sure of what I was going to tell him. And now he seemed...alive.

And...I liked that. 

In a moment, he was kissing me, and I knew that there could be no turning back now. Not that I'd been planning to, as far as either of us knew. But that kiss, it sealed our fate. It proved to me that we were meant to be together. No, there could be no turning back now.

-<3-

That night when Will called me, he asked me to the dance next week. I couldn't believe it. I had a boyfriend, and it was nearly Valentine's Day. Everything was perfect. I just hoped that it would stay that way, at least for a while. Even though I was completely happy, something was still hanging over my head. And I knew I had forgotten something so important that it could be life-changing. I just couldn't remember what it was.

-<3-

The next morning when I arrived at school, my best friend Sara Jacobs was waiting at my locker for me. A terrible feeling overcame me, like a wave. It confused me, because Sara was my best friend. Why would I get a bad feeling just when I saw her? Hmmm.

"Oh, Alyson! Hey! You'll never believe what I just heard! By the way, I'm sorry about not being able to go on Friday. Being sick sucks and all, you know. But I know you really wanted to see that movie..." Somehow Sara didn't look that sorry for me, though. Weird...

"That's okay. I got to go afterall." I wanted to mention who I went with, but something made me decide against it. It just didn't feel right, and I had no idea why. Usually I could tell Sara anything with no reluctance.

"Oh, that's good," She said. "Who with?"

"I'll tell you later," I decided I'd wait awhile and see if this weird feeling went away before I told Sara everything.

"Okay! So, anyway, back to what I was saying earlier. About what I heard!" Sara sqealed as she grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards our first class. The bell had just rung, apparently. Funny, I didn't even notice it....

What I did notice at this moment was that by now, Sara was practically jumping up and down. "Okay, brace yourself! From a very dependable source, I just heard that Will Wright broke up with his girlfriend last week, while I was gone! Can you believe it? I can't! I've been waiting for a chance like this for like, ever!"

Sara was estatic. And I was in a panic. I felt my heart do a free-fall into my stomach. Now I knew why I'd felt so wrong about being with Will. And knew why I hadn't immediately told Sara everything. How could I have forgotten that my own best friend has the biggest brush on Will? Wow, I was a terrible best friend. The worst of the worst. I seriously doubted I could pull off dating Will now. If Sara ever even found out what I had been up to these past few days...she would be livid. She would be done with me. And, if that wasn't bad enough, she would probably tell my dad simply out of spite. It was a terrible thought, but nevertheless it was the truth.

And right then I knew, I had to get to Will before Sara did. Somehow.

"Alyson, are you listening to me? I just asked you the same question like five times. Hello???" 

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

"Hmm? Yeah, what did you ask? Sorry."

Sara rolled her eyes at me, and then continued. "I'm going to try to talk to Will at lunch today. Be real straightforward, y'know? And I was hoping you'd be there, you know, since y'all are friends and I might need some help. Is that okay with you?"

"Um...yeah, sure," I replied.

What in the world was I going to do? There had to be a way to get to Will first. There had to be, or life as I knew it would be gone for good.