Girlfriend's Best Friend

Chapter 29

         Of course Brooke meant a lot to me. I could always go to her, I always laughed and had a good time when I was with her, I could be myself around her—I just really liked her. But how do you tell someone who you know loves you that you don’t love them back, even though you act as though you do? Taking risks, lying to everyone who loves you, doing everything you can not to get caught—but you don’t love them. Maybe you love the idea of them, or the way they make you feel, but not them themselves.

            You can’t.

            “Look, I understand completely where you’re coming from. I’d only known that girl Ava for a few hours before I hooked up with her. I didn’t think I loved her but I was definitely questioning if I liked her. There was something about her that actually reminded me of you Brooke, the way that she could get any guy’s attention and how attractive not only she was, but her personality too that made you want to get to know her. Once she was gone, we texted a little but then I realized how much I really loved my girlfriend. Maybe when you and Brooke stop, you’ll realize how much you love Kelli, Code,” Graham said.

            I could just tell how upset Brooke was getting from Graham being on Kelli’s side, even though he had every right to be. Brooke felt like everyone was against her—she was going to feel like she wasn’t worth anything to anyone, like she didn’t matter. I couldn’t have that happen.

            “That’s the thing though. I don’t want to stop with Brooke. I want to stop with Kel. I want to break up with her but I can’t because then I’ll never see Brooke. But if I stay with her then I’m just being a dick and leading her on. I’m screwed either way,” I just made everything ten times worse.

            “I’m really sorry, man,” Graham said, having nothing else to say. Brooke turned over and layed down so her back was facing us. I just did the same, and I guess Graham did too.

~~~~~~~~~~~

            Carter’s mom brought down food for all of us, accidentally waking up me, Duke, and Jace. We started fighting over who got the first bagel, even though there would be a bunch for all of us. We woke up Graham, who then woke up Kelli next. She came over and gave me a good morning kiss, which made Graham give me a look like I should be ashamed of myself.

            Brooke was the next to wake up, who asked how everyone had slept, to which Kelli had replied, “Perfectly.” Jace complained that he heard birds chirping really early, and Duke and Mattie started arguing with him about what time birds chirp.

            “Oh my God, shut up!” Carter yelled at them and then tried to fall back asleep.

            Brooke and I subtly looked at each other, knowing the ‘chirping’ was our lips. Kelli quickly hopped off my lap, and I thought it was because she noticed me looking at Brooke and got insanely jealous or something. I was preparing myself for a disaster, but instead she said, “Shit, my mom’s calling, she can’t hear you guys talking! I’m going to go upstairs.”

            She left the room and I exhaled a breath I didn’t even know I was holding in.

            “I just feel bad that Kelli has absolutely no idea,” Graham said.

            “No idea about what?” Carter shot up.

            Here comes the disaster.

          “You know, about Brooke—” Graham was about to spill everything.

        “Graham, no, stop!” I spoke over him as Brooke tried to shut him up, saying, “Nooo, no, no, no!”

            “You told me the other guys knew?” Graham asked.

            “Not all of them,” Brooke buried her face in the ball she had curled herself up into. Carter was hands down my best friend out of my best friend group. He always would be. But I knew he couldn’t be trusted with something like this—the second he found out, Kelli would find out.

            “What??” he kept asking.

            “Don’t worry about it, it’s not important,” I tried to get him to forget about it, but I knew that wouldn’t work. I watched the other guys give each other uneasy looks, knowing just as well as I did what was about to happen.

          “What does everyone know that I don’t? Guys, come on! Just tell me!” he begged, but still no one answered. “Everyone else knows, why can’t you just tell me?”

            “Because no one was supposed to know!” Brooke started to lose her patience.

            “If I guess, can you at least tell me if I’m right?” he wouldn’t let it go.

            “Fine, but you’re not going to guess it,” Brooke laughed confidently, and I prayed he wouldn’t catch her bluff.

            “Well I’m guessing it has something to do with you Brooke, because Graham started to say your name. And I’m guessing Kelli doesn’t know but would be mad about because Graham said he feels bad that she doesn’t. So it’s probably something you should have told her but haven’t yet. What, did you finally have sex with some guy?” he asked.

            “No,” Brooke said.

            “Didn’t think so,” he laughed. “Ummm…I don’t know, are you hooking up with one of her ex-boyfriends or something?”

            “Not exactly an ex-boyfriend…” Duke smirked. I hit his arm as hard as I could and watched as Carter figured everything out. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped, “You’re hooking up with Cody…”

            “Brooke—Cody,” he redirected his attention to me, but I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t feel as guilty when the other guys found out, but Carter was closer to me than them and I didn’t tell him. “I just—oh my God like, I kind of thought you guys were for a while now but I didn’t want to actually believe you were!”

            “Same,” Kelli stood in the door way at the top of the stairs, bawling.

            That’s when the real guilt hit.