Little London

Chapter 10: Jelly Shoes

Chapter 10:  Jelly Shoes

Kyla's POV

"Sorry", I apologized to Will for the fiftieth time as we sat in a corner of a cafe.

"You really ought to stop doing that, love", Will chuckled half-heartedly. "I understand, it's fine. I asked too soon".

"That's not really-", I started to say.

"You don't have to explain yourself", Will looked at me sincerely, "I get it, it's fine".

"Will, I would like to explain, if you'd let me", I looked directly into his eyes. " It's a bit more complicated than just being asked out too soon".

"Please dont just make stuff up because you feel sorry for me", Will said with a hint of bitterness.

"I wouldn't do that. Hear me out. Please?".   Will nodded in response.  "I  have a hard time trusting ....  guys especially. Stuff has just happened to me in the past and I dont think I could ever go through that again. It was one of the worst things I've ever been through, and I wouldn't be able to survive another blow", I looked down at my tea as I spoke.  "And it's not that I think all guys are like the guy that broke my heart, or that you would do the same thing to me, but I just can't chance it. I thought he was a wonderful person before he did what he did and that didn't turn out to be true".

"Would you be comfortable with telling me what that is?", Will looked at me kindly and put a large dark hand over my small pale one. "I would never tell anyone, not even Trevor. I'm not that kind of person". I searched Will's face and then I nodded my head. I took a sip of my tea and inhaled a deep breath before I began.

"We've grown up together, Emily, Finna, Tianna and I.  We met in elementary and have been inseperable ever since, but there was someone else too. It wasn't always just the four of us", I looked up to see Will still staring at me with interest. "There was another girl, Rachel". 

"Hard to imagine anyone but the four of you being in your little clique", Will smiled at me as I took a break to pick up my cup and drink. 

"It seems like forever ago", I smiled slightly. "Rachel was awesome, it's not like she was ever mean to us or anything. When we were all in ninth grade a boy I really liked named Luke asked me out, and I said yes. We  were still going strong in grade twelve, and I was pretty flipping sure I was going to end up with him for a long time. We weren't like every other teenage relationship, it wasn't all about kissing and sex. We talked all the time and he was my best friend as well as my boyfriend", I looked at Will to see if he had fallen asleep yet, but I found him looking at me with concern.

"You don't have to tell me", Will squeezed my hand. "I understand that everyone has past hurts that hold them back".

"No, it's okay", I shook my head causing my blond hair to swish across my face. "I feel comfortable talking to you, for some reason", I smiled at Will and he smiled back. "To make a long story short, the bastard cheated. Not just with some girl, but with Rachel, one of my best friends. When I found out I cried for so long, and Rachel never came to say anything, and neither did Luke. When I tried to confront him he just shrugged it off and told me to stop being so sensitive, as if it didn't even matter. Yes, he cheated, that's something that a girl can get over with time and friends, but what made it so scarring is that afterwards he started acting like it was all MY fault, and then he would text me saying that he never really cared about me. That was the worst part", I looked up at Will, "Thinking he was in love with me as much as I was with him, and then it turns out he only pretended in order to get close to Rachel".

"I'm not sure what to say to help you understand that I would never do anything like that to you, and that I'm not that type of guy", Will looked at me intensely.