You Again

Confusion

Stella

"...A date?" Natalie shrieked from the other end of the phone. I pulled my ear away, flinching at how loud that was.

"Yeah, I let Ryder take me out on a date," I answered, twisting my hair around my finger as I lay in bed. It had been four hours since I got home from my date with Ryder, and I called Nat  after lying around wondering what next.

"Why?"

"I like him," I reply. "Or, I'm really attracted to him."

The other side goes silent for a while. "You belong with Alec," she says.

"I'm really torn," I confess. "I don't know how to feel about them. I know there's affection- lots of it,"

"Stella, you've got to decide. You can't lead these boys on. It's just not right-"

"I'm not trying to lead them on! I care equally about each one, which makes it so hard to decide which one I want," I interrupt her. I cover my face with my arm.

"Ryder has liked you for a long time, but you've never reciprocated the feelings. What changed that?" Nat asked.

"He walked home with me after I saw Alec with Sam," I answer her.

"But so did Alec," She retorts.

"Yeah, because he followed,"

"Look, Alec really cares about you. I know you like him. Its so obvious. You two fit together than you and Ryder, trust me," She stresses.

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"I just know, okay?" She sighs heavily.

"If I didn't know better, I'd assume you're in love with Ryder." I said candidly.

The line went dead.

Maybe allowing a chance with Ryder was wrong. I chewed my lip for a while.

Sorry if I made you mad. -Stella

Nat didn't reply for half an hour.

I'm not mad. -Nat

Sometimes you've just got to open your eyes. -Nat

So did Nat have feelings for Ryder? Did they have a thing? Were they hiding something from me?

.............................

Nat didn't reply the rest of the weekend, and I wondered why. Ryder didn't text me for the rest of the weekend either. I had no idea why. 

"Hey," I said, walking up to Natalie.

"Hey," she smiled, and closed her locker. "How have you been? Sorry about not texting you, my phone dropped in the toilet,"

"Nat!" Ryder called from afar, and her face lit up.

She DID like him!

"When are you getting your new phone?" He asked, leaning close to her. Her blush deepened, and her voice came out shaky with her reply.

"T-today. Wanna come when I pick it up?"

"Sure," he grinned, and then glanced at me.

"Hey, Stell. Where's Alec?"

"Here," Alec replied, walking up behind me. His fingers trailed from the small of my back to my hips, then gently slid off.

"Prom is in exactly three months guys!" A loud screech sounded from the end of the hall. Emma.