The Game of Hearts

Chapter Four- Annabel

When I arrive I find my friends almost exactly the same as yesterday, except Hunter and Daisy look tenser. Snow and Lexi are having practically the same conversation as yesterday. I join in, not needing to go to Snow's bag, because I have already planted the next letter.

"Have you checked your bag again?" Felicity asks.

"No," Snow shakes her head. Lexi is off the table in an instant, heading out the door. "Wait!" Snow is following her. I join them outside. Snow opens her bag and there is the white envelope I planted. She picks it up and Lexi reads it over her shoulder. It's a poem.

"Oh my goodness," Lexi gasps. "That's so cute." Snow smiles down at the paper.

"Snow?" Daisy comes outside. She spots us gathered around the letter. "You got another?!" Daisy runs over to join us and she scans through the letter.

"Awwww!" Daisy cries.

"Snow?" I ask.

"Yeah?" she looks up at me, still grinning.

"You okay?"

"Yep, better than okay," Snow hugs the letter before putting it back in her bag. "It's so amazing to know there is a thoughtful guy out there." She is still smiling.

***

At the end of the day I was on the phone again. I am perched in the back seat of the bus, my feet balanced on the back of the seat in front of me.

"Hey Bells," Ethan says.

"She's really happy you know?" I say. I can tell he's grinning on the other end.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." We are silent for a while, listening to each other's breathing.

"I'm really sorry," I hear myself say.

"I know."

"No, you don't. I was just so jealous you guys were spending so much time together and ignoring me... I just did the wrong thing okay?" I sigh.

"I know," he repeats.

"But I-" I try to say more.

"Stop, Annabel, I know," he sighs on the other end. "I wish you had told me about moving before you moved."

"I wish I had too," I say.

"You know I really miss you, cous'," I hear the humour in his voice.

"Yeah, me too," I say quietly. I watch Matthew stand up and make his way towards me. "Got to go," I say swiftly and hang up.

"Hey Annabel," Matthew says as he sits down in front of me. He runs his hand through his dirty blonde hair.

"Yeah?" I ask. "What's up?"

"It's about Alexis..." he trails off. Of course it is. I grin. He is still towering over me, even sitting down.

"Mmm?"

"I was thinking of asking her out to prom," he says. I stare at him as relief rushes through me. Finally.

"When? How?" I sit forward excitedly.

"Um, I don-don't know..." he stammers.

"You should do it soon," I sit back. "You know, in week or so all the guys will be asking her out. Do it before they do."

"But I need to figure out a way to do it so she doesn't think we're going as just friends," his face looks tortured. Lexi uses that line on him all the time.