The Bet

Chapter 4 - Bye Bitch

HEY GUYS! THIS STORY IS UP FOR UNDISCOVERED>ROMANCE ON THE WATTY AWARDS! PLEASE MAKE SURE TO V-O-T-E!! <3 THANKS!

Chapter 4

                The next day was no different. To Amy, it was quiet, uneventful and more than a little confusing. She’d gone through the same tedious classes as every week but even with the distraction of her English teacher trying to explain to the class about the complexities of poetry, Amy couldn’t focus. Her mind always wavered back to the reason why Liv could hate her so much now.

                “Amy?” her teacher asked scornfully, knowing that she hadn’t been paying attention and picking on her for her lack of focus, “What is the answer?”

                Of course neither of them expected the right response and she just shook her head, letting her blonde hair fall out of her ponytail dizzily.

Amy should have just forgotten everything. Maybe Liv had been joking – but that wasn’t the kind of tone she would have used and Amy would have already gotten a message from her as explanation. Maybe Liv hadn’t recognized her. But that wasn’t possible either, because they’d been best friends for years and best friends knew each others’ faces like the back of their hands.

                But what confused Amy was that if they were best friends why would Liv call her a ‘fugging stalker’?

                Amy stared at the clock mindlessly, a pout declaring itself on her lips. Even with the ice cold looks her teacher was sending her, she couldn’t find the motive to work or listen. It just didn’t seem useful to her. Why try to analyse a poem for a work exercise when there were bigger problems she could try to solve?

                When the bell finally rang, Amy stood up from her seat and urged herself to the door and then to her locker. It was hard to move though, like she was being held down by lead shoes. Maybe Amy was overeating but having someone act like that towards her was too much to bear in one and a half days for Amy.

                As she approached her locker, she noticed Liv leaning against it lazily. She smiled although quickly hiding it. After letting her think the worst for a few days, Liv was going to apologize and they would laugh. And everything would go back to normal, Amy chirped in her mind.

                “Hi,” she said with a tiny smile, expecting the same from her friend.

                Unfortunately, Liv didn’t seem as happy. Not exactly sad either though. Just angry and stubborn – more so than usual, “Hey,” she breathed coldly.

                But even that terrible greeting wasn’t going to get Amy down. Liv was always pissed about something, whether it was the cafeteria food or the stuck up way in which the popular crowd conducted themselves. Secretly though, Amy knew Liv’s true desire was to be part of their pact. She’d always been jealous. Behind their backs, Silvia would gossip about them and say terrible things but when they were around, she would treat them like celebrities.

                Losing her train of thoughts, Amy felt nervous all of a sudden when Liv didn’t break out into an apology about how rude she’d been. “So, um, about Sunday,” Amy stuttered, scratching her arm subconsciously. She didn’t know what made her more anxious; the fact that Silvia hadn’t broken down or the fact that she still felt like she was being interrogated.

                “Yeah – look,” she stated bluntly, as if it were a fact. Amy didn’t like what was coming next, “We can’t be friends anymore.”

                Amy’s mouth dropped while Liv’s eyes make a full circle before dragging them back to her officially ex-best friend.

Amy couldn’t understand though. Was this all for walking into her house? If that was what this was all about then Liv could have just said so and she wouldn’t do it anymore. She could give back her key, and pretend like that had never happened.

                Liv began picking at her cuticles, waiting impatiently and taping her foot. But still, Amy couldn’t let what she’d said register.

                “What?” she demanded, air plunging into her lungs in a rush, “Why?”

                Liv clenched her teeth like it was obvious, “Because you are bringing down my rep and you are weird.” Amy still wouldn’t believe it. It was all too painful. Silvia was ready to give up her best friend for her school credit? “Look, it’s not you – well actually it is you. You are a dork and you basically don’t have any friends. I have a boyfriend this year; I’m cool; I don’t need any setbacks.”

                Amy looked at her friend disbelievingly again, “We’ve been friends since we were in grade one!” she demanded. Surely her friend could see reason and realize that all this was stupid.  

                “Hello! Our parents’ made us hang out because they were too cheap to hire a babysitter,” she said right back. It was true that they’d made us sleep over at each others’ houses when they’d left for business but we had still bonded from it.

                “And all those years after, we were still best friends!”

                “Only because they take so many trips.”

                Amy let out another shaky breath. Why couldn’t Liv see that she was being ridiculous? Even if they ended their friendship, Silvia wouldn’t get anywhere with her popularity. Although she was quite pretty with her curly red hair and vintage style, she was hypocritical, selfish, and rude. Not to mention egotistic, manipulative, controlling, demanding, unfaithful, and untrustworthy. And in the end, no one wanted a friend like that.

                When Liv spoke up again it was obvious that she wanted to end their conversation, “Look, we aren’t friends anymore. Get over it.”

                Amy glared right back. Like someone stabbing her in the midst of a fight, she’d felt the pain and now, she had her last burst of anger. Before stomping away to go dab her eyes in the washroom, Amy opened her mouth in an appalled frown, “Bitch,” she spat back.  

                She turned the corner, forgetting her books, and walked away when the tears started to race down her cheeks.