Clemency (DNF)

xi

"You have to talk to her."

I vehemently shake my head. Charlotte and I had ended on bad terms. She didn't want to be my friend anymore after what happened. Said it wouldn't bring down her reputation. She'd rather cut off a friendship than become less popular. That shows how great a friend she is. More like fiend.

"Nope. Nuh-uh. No way are you gonna get me to do that, E."

He rolls his eyes. "Don't be a baby. She's trying to ruin you. Won't you do anything about it?"

"What can I do? I can't do anything right," I say softly.

"See, this is your problem. You underestimate yourself now. Where's the old Mimi, huh? My best friend?"
He's pushing it and he knows it.

Tears prick my eyes as I say, "She's hiding. Forever."

"Bring her back, then. I miss her."

:-:-:

The next morning, Ethan and I drive to school together in his car. I lean forward in the passenger seat to turn the radio on. Olivia Holt's new song, Thin Air, comes on.

"Shit man, I didn't know you were into this!" I exclaim, punching Ethan on the shoulder, bouncing to the beat of the song.

"I'm not. You've got Radio Disney on. Not my CDs."

I shrug and start snapping my fingers to the rhythm and humming.

"Ugh this is trash," Ethan mumbles and switches it off.

"Hey!"

"And we need to talk, anyway."

"Speak." I cross my arms over my chest and sit back, glaring at him.

"She won't stop unless you talk to her. You were her best friend. You know her weaknesses, right?"

"We weren't really close honestly. I just stuck to her because of the popularity. I was so stupid," I reply and laugh humorlessly.

"You still are, sweetheart."

I raise an eyebrow at his smirking face.

"Anyway, even though we were never close, I do know her weakness. But it would be evil if I use it against her, Ethan. I don't want to be like her."

Ethan sighs. "Mimi, you'd already turned into her. But you changed. I know that. You're better than her now. So, we won't do that. But you still have to confront her."

"I know. And I will, don't worry."

"I'm trusting you on that."

"Cool. No pressure, eh?"

He laughed. 

We bicker and chit-chat all the rest of the ride until we got to school. I'm dreading today. I have no idea how talking to Charlotte would turn out. Either she'll be calm and understanding, which is highly unlikely considering the type of person she is, or she will go bitch-mode on me. Which I kinda expect more. Well, we'll see, I guess.

:-:-:

We walk into school, Ethan's arm slung around my neck in a playful way. I elbow him slightly, and he bumps his hip against mine. I bump mine back. He laughs, throwing his head back. I'd missed this. Just casually playing around with him. I'd missed all of it. The late night talks, the bickering... all of it. I'd missed him so much.

"I missed you." I look up at him to see what he was thinking. He grins down at me.

"Well no need no more, sweetheart," he smile cheekily and I roll my eyes, not being able to resist a grin at the nickname.

"Stop calling me that." I whined, even though I secretly liked it.

"But you're my sweetheart."

"Noooo." I shove him away as we got to my locker, and I zip open my bag, taking out all my textbooks, and dumping them into the locker. I slip out my Literature textbook, and one of the many spiral notebooks, this one marked Literature in a scribble-y writing, mine. I never really had the best handwriting out there. Not complaining though, I can write faster with it, and it's good enough for me.

"There she goes, Miss Charlotte. Here's your chance, Mimi. Get the bitch."

"Ethan, no. Not now." I shake my head, again, and grab his hand, pulling him away from where  Charlotte and Zoey were  standing.

"If not now, when?" he throws me his signature smirk.

"Shut up, loser."

"Bitch."

"Asshole."

"Sissy."

"Dickwad."

"Okay, okay, are you done stabbing me with your knife-like words?" he says dramatically, and splays a hand over his heart.

"Nah, not yet, pea-brain."

"Well, too bad." he pushes me up against the lockers all of a sudden, and my breath is knocked out of my lungs.

"Holy... calm your balls, boy." He just smirks in reply, then leans in closer, his breath tickling my face.

"And what do you think you're doing?" 

"Well, I've been wanting to do this for a  long time. Didn't have the guts to."

"Do what?" I ask, exasperated.

The bell rang, interrupting what he was about to say, and then he pecks my nose, and books it, running off down the hall, and sidles into a classroom at the end of it. And his smirk never leaves, as if he knows something I don't.

I stand there dumbfounded and confused as hell. What just happened? He'd never done such a thing before. This was new. But I didn't have much time to dwell on it, because the tardy bell was about to ring any second. I'd have to ask him later.

:-:-:

*wiggles eyebrows*

so that happened. don't forget to vote, comment, and tell me what you think!

<3