As Told By Nerdy

Chapter 13 - In the Arms of an Angel

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Chapter 13 – In the Arms of an Angel

“Becky…” I muttered pacing back and forth in the hallway. Becky was outside, in the empty soccer field to talk to Matt. How long has it been? Three, maybe five minutes? I promised her I would wait but I couldn’t stand it anymore.

I cursed under my breath. I should’ve told Becky everything in the first place. She’d think badly of me after this. What if Matt told her everything? It would break heart! And it would be my fault for not—

My eyes grew wider. Do my eyes deceive me? I squinted through the light to take a better look. Becky emerged from the field, blushing with a bashful smile playing on her lips. Matt trailed after her, meeting my eyes with an unreadable air about him. I gulped. There, they walked, her tiny hand delicately entwined in his. I felt my forehead crease involuntarily, which I immediately straightened out with a rub from my fingers.

What in the world was going on?

Becky ran to me with a rather giddy chuckle and hugged me until I almost suffocated.

“Sarah, I’m so relieved! I thought he wouldn’t like me, but as it turned out, he agreed to be my boyfriend before I even asked him!” she said excitedly in a hushed tone as I threw a skeptical look at Matt who stared back at me with a pair of vacant dark eyes.

I nodded blankly at Becky whose exhilaration was unaffected by my astonished façade.

This didn’t make any sense, not that it would be of any importance anymore. Becky was happy and that was all that mattered. I managed a twitch on the corners of my lips to what was supposed to be a smile and hugged her back.

“I’m glad that you’re happy.” I played with the words in a way that I could say them with sincerity and it felt true to me; as long as she was happy…

Becky danced back to Matt and caught his arm. She towed him towards me and I was afraid he’d react violently but to my relief, he seemed reasonably patient enough for Becky’s wishes.

“Now, I know we had a rather rough start but I hope that you two can get along now,” she said with much eagerness that I didn’t have the heart to be the dead fish.

For Becky’s sake, I encouraged myself, nodded and offered a hand to Matt. “Friends?”

He stared at my hand as if to study it, then his eyes trailed heavily to my face as the corner of his lips twitched into a lopsided grin. Matt took my hand and shook it rather pleased with himself.

“Friends?” His tone was taunting, though Becky might not have noticed. I hurriedly retrieved my hand from him.

“Yay!” she grinned in a childish face I really liked. “Wait, I’ll get my things from my locker.”

“Becky,” Matt called her but his eyes fixed on me. “Want me to come with you?”

“No, I’m fine,” she waltzed to the next hallway, her blond hair gleaming against the light.

Once she was gone, Matt’s smile reappeared again, now with a softer note, maybe even a little sad. “Didn’t think so…” he mumbled mostly to himself.

I just stood there in silence dumbfounded. I wanted to question him. Was he just toying with me when he said he liked me? Not that I cared what he really felt but still… It made me feel worthless and somehow expendable being confessed to and dumped by two guys in just a single week. Hmm… Dump was not the right term. I wasn’t even in a relationship at all... So, no harm done, was there? Everything should be fine. But if so, why do I feel so damn miserable?