Riding with the boys

Riding With The Boys 31

Chapter Thirty-one

My stomach was in knots the entire rest of the day. Every class that I went to, all I did was watch the clock as time barely moved. I just wanted it to be 3:00 so I could get Andrew alone and ask him about Laurel. Focusing on the Baby Boomers era in history was about near impossible with everything that was on my mind.

When the bell rang for lunch, I barreled out of class so fast that I ran right into Derek-again.

"Whoa," he said, steadying me. Then I guess he realized it was actually me and he quickly pulled his hands back and slid them into his pockets.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"No problem," he said back. Then he started back down the hallway.

I watched him walking and decided then that I had to make it right between us. I had to fix things, or try, at least.

"Derek, wait!" I called. And he stopped, letting me catch up. God, but what was I gonna say? What would he say?

"Uhm, hey," I said.

He leaned against the lockers, his hands in his pockets. I'd never seen him look more uncomfortable. I hated that. It was me making one of my best friends uncomfortable. He didn't want to be standing here in the hallway talking to me. I was sure he was on his way to meet Becca. She was who he'd rather be with right then.

"What's up?" he muttered back.

"I was just wondering if maybe we could talk. Do you have a minute?"

He shrugged. "I guess so."

The reluctance hurt, I'd admit, but I deserved it. At least he was giving me a minute.

"Listen, I just want to apologize for everything," I spit out. "Ending our friendship over Andrew was wrong, and I'm sorry."

He looked at me for a moment, and I wondered what he was going to say. I watched him fold his arms over his chest, and look down at his feet. Finally, he nodded. "OK."

OK? How was I supposed to know what that meant?

"So does this mean you now see the guy I tried to show you Andrew was?" Derek asked me.

"I'm having my doubts right now," I admitted. I contemplated telling him about the texts, and decided against it. I didn't really have a 'friend' to confess that to, and get advice from. Cambree's loyalties most definitely would lie with Laurel in that situation, so I couldn't tell her, and I wasn't quite sure where Derek and I stood just yet.

He nodded. "It's better than nothing, I guess."

I didn't respond to that one. I only nodded.

"It's not just Andrew, though," I told him. "I miss you. A lot. And ending our friendship like that because Andrew had a problem with us, was wrong. And I realize that now. And I'm so sorry."

He nodded. "I'm glad you realize that now. You know, Sophia, I never would have done that to you. If a girl told me I couldn't see my best friend, then I would've told her she wasn't right for me."

I nodded. I felt guilty, but at the same time, I wanted so badly to tell him about Becca, about everything she'd done to me and said. This would have been the perfect time to confess that she was one the main reasons I stopped being friends with Derek.

"You're right," I said. "You're so right and what I did was wrong. I know I haven't exactly been myself since Andrew and I started dating, and I'm sorry. I want to change that and I want to start by getting my best friend back."

Derek opened his mouth to say something when suddenly we both heard a vibration. He dipped his hand into his pocket and yanked his cell phone out. Somehow I knew it was Becca.