Seth invites me out
to see a movie
later on in the week
and, hoping to clear
my mind of thoughts of
what had transpired between
Natalia and I, I readily accept.
Still, I can't help but
ask him if she
will be coming as well.
He just gives me a
bit of a weird look
in response, so I
drop it without
further comment,
wondering why exactly
I had brought it up
in the first place.
He picks me up at
seven on Friday night;
when I ask him
what movie we're going to see,
he just shrugs, shooting me
a look that probably means
that it's supposed
to be a surprise.
He isn't really
saying much tonight, which
is a little out of
the ordinary, but I
don't dwell on it for long.
We're pulling away from
my house before very long,
and I eventually lose
myself in my own thoughts.
Of course, those thoughts
go straight to Natalia
in quite short order.
I've been worrying about her
almost nonstop since our
ill-fated shopping trip on Wednesday.
Yesterday, I tried
texting, and even calling, her phone,
but she never responded,
and it just went
to voicemail every time.
She wasn't at school, either;
for all I know, she
could have just disappeared
off the face of the earth.
It's all so unlike her
that I have no idea
what to think.
“So, what did you
do on the in-service day?”
Seth asks at length,
pulling me out
of my preoccupation.
It's the first real thing
he's said this entire time;
I can't help but wonder
what he's been thinking about
all this time.
“Nat and I went shopping,”
I shrug after a second.
“Nothing huge.”
But despite that disclaimer,
his eyes narrow
and my heart drops a little
along with it.
If I'd hoped that
he and Nat were on
better terms now, I
guess I'd just been disappointed.
“Why with her?”
he asks at last,
surprising me a bit.
“If you'd wanted to go
shopping, I could have
taken you.”
“It was her idea
in the first place,”
I protest.
“And anyway, she's
my best friend -
why shouldn't I
hang out with her?”
Seth is really just
confusing me now.
What's his problem, anyway?
He's never usually
this weird, or making
this little sense.
He's been fine with
my friendship with Nat
up until now, and I know
they aren't exactly on
the best of terms
at the moment, but
why should that have
an effect on whether or not
I can be friends with her?
Dating Seth doesn't
make me automatically hate
everyone he dislikes.
“I just don't
want you to,”
Seth says at last,
sighing like it's all
some huge deal to him.
“I didn't realize it
until recently, but she
really isn't the type of person
you want to hang around.
She's not a good example
for someone like you.”
Briefly, I'm reminded
of what my brother had said
when he'd first heard
of my friendship with Nat,
the rumors he'd mentioned
that obviously weren't true,
not in the slightest.
Had Seth caught wind
of those lies, too?
Is that why he had
distanced himself from her
and broken up our
three-directioned friendship -
or is it something else entirely?
“She's perfectly fine,”
I argue back.
“She's my best friend -
don't you think that I
would know better and
take a step back if she
she really was into something
that she shouldn't be?
I'm not stupid, Seth.”
For a second, he looks
like he might
argue that point -
but instead, he only
sighs again, running
a hand through his hair as
he stops the car at
the intersection we've
just encountered.
The red traffic light
casts his face in
a weird shade as he
turns to look at me.
“No,”
he says slowly,
“I don't know that you
would be smart enough
to see it coming.
And don't get all
offended, either, because
there are lots of people,
smart people, who
get the wool pulled
over their eyes
by people like her.
I'm just trying
to warn you before
it's too late.”
“That's stupid,”
I retort, grimacing.
I can't believe that Seth,
of all people, would
say something like this
about Natalia, who we both
have known for some time now.
Sure, she isn't perfect -
but who is?
Seth has no right to
judge her based on appearances,
especially when he doesn't
know what she's going through.
He hasn't even made
any attempt to figure out
what's going on with her
like I have.
“Tell me exactly
what she's done to
offend you,”
I say at last.
“I’ll listen to you then -
but for now you just
sound like you're trying
to pull me into
whatever grudge you
have against her.”
He's silent for a moment
as the light turns green
and he pulls the car
forward across the intersection.
Shadows fall back
over his features between
each streetlight outside,
a hazy profile that still
allows me to see the
tension along his jaw, the way
he's gritting his teeth
like he doesn't want to answer.
He's not really scaring me,
but his behavior is still
a little concerning.
Had something happened
at his home again?
But before I can
ask him anything, he
glances back over at me.
“It wasn't
any one thing,”
he says slowly,
testily, like he's
treading on uneven ground -
or maybe I am.
“Haven't you heard
what they've been saying
about her lately?”
he abruptly changes pace,
startling me a little.
“She isn't who
you think she is, Matty.
People like her
are so good at acting that-”
“You would seriously
believe rumors over
what she says herself?
That's horrible, Seth.”
This whole thing is
almost like déjà vu, remembering
the whole ordeal with Thias
and those rumors
that had spread about him
a couple years back.
Our school is ruthless
when it comes to false truths
and meaningless lies.
Anyone will believe
almost anything -
but I can't believe that
Seth is one of those people
who would be so
easily misled.
My boyfriend tries to
make some kind of
argument, I'm sure,
but I'm not listening
at this point.
If he's going to
insult my best friend
for next to no reason,
then I don't want to
hear anything he has
to say to me.
“You may as well
just take me back home,”
I interrupt him at last.
“There's no point in
going anywhere if
all we're going to do
is argue.”
He pauses, looking as if
he wants to argue that
point as well -
but in the end, he doesn't
say anything, and instead
makes a turn at the
next traffic light.
Neither of us say
so much as a word
the rest of the way,
and I, at least,
am very thankful for it.
×
This one's more of a filler, but the next two chapters are kind of the first huge climax of the story and I'm super excited. Y'all will probably see it coming, but hopefully you won't see the rest of the story coming, haha;;;
If you guys liked this chapter, I'd very much appreciate if you would vote and leave me some feedback!! <3 Have a great Friday, y'all!
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Unparalleled
Poetry[Prequel to Misalignment] A year before she and Cam meet, Matty Leopold has yet to realize most of the problems that will dominate her near future. She's still stuck in the shadow of her older siblings, as she has been for most of her life - but wit...
