Alice

Slipped Away

She winced, "Really?"
As she turned around, Jeremy was gone. Confused, she stepped into the car. The taste was still on her lips and the image fresh in her mind. Begrudgingly, she buckled her seatbelt, and sat back bewildered as her dad drove her home. What is she doing?

As soon as she arrived, she raced to her room and rang Jeremy. She needed to work out what the heck just happened. 

"Hello..cmon cmon! Pick up!" She called several times, but he never answered. She flopped back onto her bed and cried.  What did she do wrong? Unknown to her, Jeremy sat down on a faraway curb, with his hands in his palms, elbows resting on his knees. His  phone buzzed in silence against his chilled thigh, but he ignored it, "Why...Why why why-"

"Jeremy!" Alice shouted as ran up to him on the bleachers the next morning.

He did not but turn away.

"Jeremy! What's wrong with you?"

"Alice, I don't want to talk to you."

"WHAT?"

"I can't do this."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

"What? Because I-"

"I know, I. Ugh."

"Jeremy, what happened to you?"

"Look, Alice, I just don't like you. I shouldn't have done that."

"But you, you started to hold my hand!"

"I, I shouldn't have listened to him." He buried his head in his palms again.

"To who?"

"Lucas, he. It was a dare, I-"

"WhAt? You mean, you don't really-" She sniffled.

"Alice," He went to hug her, "Look, I'm really sorry!"

She pushed him away and ran out of the gym.

"What was that?" Addison said looking over Sam.

"I don't know..." 

"Be right back-" Addison ran off to find her.

"Hey," she said entering the bathroom to find Alice sitting on the floor in a flood of her own depression.

"Get out!" Alice turned away to face the stone.

"Alice, what happened?"

"Jeremy, he-"

Addison sat down next to her and put her arms around the small child, "What did he do?"

"He kissed me."

Addison sat back a little, "Why on earth are you crying over that?"

Her tears came harder now.

"Alice?"

"Lucas dared him to do it! He dared him to come up to me outside of the movies. He made him do that to me, and after-"

"WHAT?!"

"And right after we went to the movies together."

"You and Lucas?"

"And Arise and Edward were there-"

"What a dick."

"I'm just the dumbass who fell for it," she wiped her tears, "When would that ever really happen?"

Addison bit her lip, "I don't know...I thought it was really looking up for you."

"Addi, I feel worse than ever!"

"It's okay," she hugged her again.

"Why are you here, anyway?"

"I was worried."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I care about you more than you think."
"That's not hard."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't think you really cared at all."