Afire Love

twelve

Chapter twelve: Jealousy And I Happen To Be The Best Of Friends

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"I turn my chin music up,

And I'm puffing my chest,

I'm getting red in the face,

You can call me obsessed."

~Jealous, Nick Jonas.

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"ANIKA IS, UH, my friend", Edward smiles, introducing her to me.

I don't like his tone, I can sense that he's concealing something from me. Plus, if Anika - or whatever her name was - was just his friend, he wouldn't have hesitated to tell me about her.

"Oh", says Anika, flashing her smile like it's a toothpaste endorsement, "Edward and I had a history." Anika looks at Edward, and kisses him on his cheek.

Figures.

"I'm Anika, by the way", she extends her hand for a handshake, which I deliberately dismiss, with a scowl.

She's still clutching Edward's tee, leaning toward him, and I don't fancy that.

I drag Edward away from her, pulling him to walk with me toward the others near the tents, who seem to be of our age.

"Who's that Anisha anyway?", I ask him, as he walks next to me, looking perplexed. I'm sure I've left Anika behind in confusion but I couldn't care less.

"I told you, she's my friend", he says. "And it's Anika. Not Anisha."

He doesn't have to stress that.

"Well, friends don't really storm out of nowhere and kiss you", I tell him, exasperatedly.

"It was just a friendly gesture", he shrugs.

The people who have gathered around the tents are all about our age. So I presume that they came here for an adventure just like the group of us back at Joseph's High did.

"Who're you guys?", asks a guy who looks like he's easily around six feet tall. His hair is really messy - messier than Edward's - and he's wearing the nerdy glasses with a thick black frame.

"We, um, came here to venture out and probably explore a little with our group, but we, uh, got lost in midway, somewhere around the nearest peak and we've been walking ever since, in utter exhaustion", I lie, though not completely.

The nerdy dude raises an eyebrow.

"And we haven't found anyone in so long and we were horribly hungry but now that we've found you, can you please help us?", I explain to him, smiling my dimple smile, asking for empathy and hoping he'd fall for that.