Endsbrooke

Apology Brownie

    School loomed on Monday and I didn't want to go. After leaving the mall Evelyn and I went home as soon as we could. I told her everything that had happened and she was just as angry as I was. I didn't want to face any of them because I was still upset with them. The only reason I got out of bed was because Evie literally dragged me until I was lying on the floor.

"Come on Emmy you don't have to talk to any one if you don't want too. But we have to get going or we will be late for school!" She was begging me as she pulled me by my leg towards the door.

"Just say I'm sick and that I couldn't come to school today," I pleaded trying to free my leg from her vice like grip.

"Emmy it's only our second week of school! You can't miss so no you're coming to school, besides do you really think the parentals would let you miss school?"

"No," I groaned.

Twenty minutes later we were walking the halls of the school together. I walked in to World History with a feeling of dread, I knew I would have to face Ronan and York but I really didn't want too. But it was even worse then I imagined when I saw that Ronan was on one side of the room and Forrest was on the other, both staring at each other warily. When I walked in they both looked towards me, they each had an empty seat next to them and I realized that it was for me. I looked away towards the back of the room and saw an empty seat that I quickly took. I didn't look at either of the boys; instead I pulled out my notebook and started doodling. Neither of them approached me but I could feel them staring. I didn't look up until I felt a heavy body fall into the seat next to me.

"Hey Ems," he said quietly and not in his usual loud manner. "How are you doing?" I looked over at him and saw that he was staring at me and I could tell he really felt bad for how things had gone down.

"I'm ok," I said softly. "I just hate all this fighting and strange tension. I don't even know what it's all about, I just know that nobody gets along and I'm caught in the middle."

York exhaled a breath, "You don't have to be in the middle."

"But I want to be your friend and I do like Ronan and his sister, and for some odd reason I want to be friends with Forrest too. That automatically puts me in the middle of whatever weird feud you all have."

"It's not a feud, just a strong dislike for each other."

"I'm pretty sure that is how feuds begin, with a very strong dislike." York chuckled and bowed his head sheepishly.

"I guess you're right. But hey why don't you eat lunch with me today? Just me and you," He looked at me hopefully and I couldn't bear to let him down. It would also give me a good excuse not to see Ronan or Forrest.

"Just us?" I had to make sure.

"Yeah just us I promise. We can find a place outside to sit and talk."

"Yeah ok that sounds nice," I looked up as Miss. Willoughby walked through the door. I could tell she was on high alert as she looked between the two boys who were staring each other down again.

"Alright people let's just get one thing straight before we start are lesson. I will not tolerate any fighting in this class, and if there is fighting I will not hesitate to throw you out. I don't care what the fighting was about or who started it but parties involved will immediately get kicked out. Is that understood?" She was looking at Ronan and Forrest who both stared back defiantly. There was a grumbling of "yes ma'am" around the room, "Good then let's begin our lesson."

York walked me to English and left with a, "See you at lunch." I sat down in a seat towards the middle of the room and put my head down on my desk. I was tired I hadn't slept much the night before. I kept thinking about the incident at the mall. The funny thing was I knew that I should be extremely angry at Ronan and Forrest but for some odd reason I just couldn't find it in myself. There was something about both of them that drew me to them. My mind was screaming at me to hate them and to never talk to them again. But some place deep inside me was saying the complete opposite that I needed to keep these boys in my life. And I knew that that place deep inside me would win out in the end.

Something plunked down on top of my desk and I looked up quickly. Big gold eyes stared back at me from the desk next to me. Forrest hadn't said anything yet so I looked down at my desk, he had dropped a big delectable looking brownie wrapped up and tied with a purple bow on my desk, it looked delicious.

"It's an, I'm sorry I was stupid brownie." Forrest said seriously while looking down at the brownie.

I couldn't let him know but I loved that he had given me a brownie as an apology. "Is this supposed to make up for everything you said?" I tried to school my face into a cool emotion.

"Of course not," Forrest's eyes finally met mine. "But I was hoping that a week's worth of brownies might." His eyes were soft and there was a vulnerability that I hadn't expected to see.

I tapped the side of my cheek with the tip of my finger as if I was thinking hard. "I don't know," Forrest's eyes flashed with hurt. "But a month's worth might." I let a smile slip past my lips. I knew I should still be angry with him and a little bit of me still was. "But you have to promise me you won't try and control me at all." I was serious about this. I was going to be standing up for myself from now on.

His face lit up, "I promise I won't. I should never have said those things at the mall. I'll bring you brownies for a year if that's what you want!" His leg was bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Woah hold on their mister. I probably should not be eating brownies every day for a year, a month is fine thanks." I laughed and I saw Forrest's cheeks blush. A blush on his cheeks was cute but it seemed unnatural, Forrest didn't seem the type of person to blush.

Forrest grabbed my hand from off my desk and squeezed it, "I promise you Emmy that you will have a nice fresh brownie every day for lunch for a whole month. Will you promise me something too?" He was again back to his usual self.

"It depends," I didn't want to make a promise and not be able to keep it.

"Just be my friend, even when I'm being stupid." He was so serious and his lips were in a firm line as if he didn't think I would agree. I wanted to reach over and push his lips up into a smile with my fingers.

"I think I can promise you that much." His face was still very serious but his eyes softened. "Even if it's hard to do," I joked but he still didn't smile. I couldn't resist the urge anymore and I reached over and pulled his lips up with my hand. He looked ridiculous and I burst out laughing. A slow deep chuckle rumbled through his chest and I finally let my hand fall from his face. The teacher started class and we both fell silent, I took out a piece of paper and pencil and wrote "Thanks for the apology brownie, maybe next time it can be a friendship brownie." I folded the note and passed it to Forrest. After he read it he glanced over at me and winked and my heartbeat picked up to a mile a minute