My Hater, My Lover (Book One)

Chapter 21 - Just show me I'm enough (Miguel)

When I didn't call Robert back that night, our friendship became a bit more distant.

 He ignored me and no one else in the group seemed to notice, at least I thought.

 "Yo, bro, what's up with you and Robert?" Bruce asked me one day.

 "Nothing, why?" I asked, uncomfortable.

"The other day I was walking with him and we saw you and then he left, saying he had to get something from his locker. Mad awkward dude..."

 "I guess he's ignoring me..." I muttered. I didn't blame him.

 "It's so weird, dude. Go fix it. Char and I are tired of being in the middle. Jeeze, like I don't got enough problems of my own..." he kept talking to himself. I had already zoned out. 

So Robert ignoring me was obvious to everyone else.

After classes finished, I ditched Eron and went to go find Robert at his locker.

 "What do you want?" Robert asked, trying to hid his annoyance.

"Even Bruce knows you're ignoring me," I said.

 "Bruce should mind his own business. And I'm not ignoring you. See, we talking, aren't we?" Robert closed his locker door.  I felt his hostility. 

"Why are you acting like this? Just cuz I didn't call you back?"

Robert flinched. "That's stupid." he answered. I continued to stare at him.

"Besides, aren't you too busy with your bully to have time for me?" Robert said harshly. He instantly regretted it. I felt like someone had hit me in the gut.

"I deserved that one..." I said glumly.

 "Sorry...jeez...I mean, why are you hanging out with him? Is he black mailing you?" Robert asked, concerned.

I bite my lip. Robert was my closest friend. I felt like I could trust him. So I wanted to tell someone. So Robert was the one I wanted to tell.

 "...Actually, he's my boyfriend..." I said slowly.

Robert looked taken aback. 

 "What?" I heard a girl's voice behind me. I turned.  Charlotte was standing behind me.

I had not heard her behind me. I panicked. Robert looked even more alarmed.

 Charlotte smiled weakly. "I'm really happy for you, Miguel!" Charlotte said, her voice cracking.

She turned on her heels and took off running down the hall.

"Sh*t," I said under my breath. I ran after Charlotte. I grabbed her hand. She froze.

"...Miguel, it's fine. Just-just be happy, okay?" she said.

 I was mentally hitting myself over the head.

"Charlotte, it's not like that," I tried to explain.

Charlotte whipped around. "My father was right. No man could love me." She was smiling but tears were streaming down her face. I hugged her immediately.

 "That's not true, Charlotte!" I held her tighter. 

 

 "Please let me go....you're boyfriend is watching...." she whispered, her voice choked up from holding back her sobbing.

 Today was just not my day. 

I turned around and saw Eron standing behind us. He looked unimpressed and disappointed. 

Robert was standing behind him, leaning on his locker. "I was gonna warn you, but he just came out of no where," Robert called over Eron's shoulder.

 Charlotte pulled out of my embrace. "Excuse me," she said, pushing me out of the way, walking past Eron and to Robert. She said something to him and the two of them left. I could see Robert shaking his head. 

I was standing with Eron alone.

 Eron sighed. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here, and let you explain," Eron said.

I didn't know where to start.

 "I was just...telling...Robert, you and I were dating...and then Charlotte heard and...she ran off so I couldn't just let her misunderstand either..."

 Eron raised an eyebrow. "Telling Robert about us? Why is it any of his business? And what misunderstanding could she have? Aren't we dating?"

 I felt empty and defeated. "Yeah, I dunno...." I said finally.

Eron looked just as disappointed as he had before. "Listen, if I pushed this onto you, I'm sorry. I...I just really liked you. But if you are just gonna be playing around with my emotions, ...well, heh, I guess I deserve it." Eron laughed bitterly.

 "I wasn't playing with your emotions," I defended myself. "I do like you! I just had shared something with Charlotte and it was ambiguous and she misunderstood that I liked her but I guess ....I don't even know what I'm saying," I finally said.

 Eron stepped up and hugged me. "You don't need to explain. Just show me with your actions that I'm enough."

 I hugged back but somehow it felt rather empty. I stared at the locker where Charlotte and Robert had stood. Was I making a mistake? I hugged Eron tighter.