As He Held My Hand

9. Oh, We're Not Together...Are We?

9. Oh, We’re not Together…Are We?

Gemma’s POV

After our day off on Tuesday, I find myself looking forward to going back to school. It’s weird though, because I’ve never been excited to go to school.

I look for Alex in the cafeteria, and when I don’t see her, I figure she’s in the lunch line. I take a seat at a table far off in the left corner of the cafeteria and begin to eat my leftover pasta that I packed for myself.

I continue to look up, searching for Alex, but I don’t see her. After looking up about five times, I give up and figure she’s having lunch with Greg somewhere private.

After finishing my pasta, I sense a presence in front of me and look up again. “Alex, where have you be-?” I start, but I stop when I catch sight of Grant’s eyes. “Oh, sorry, I thought you were Alex.” I say, swallowing hard. My breath feels like it’s caught in my throat and my mouth suddenly becomes dry. I wonder if he was drunk as well that night in the bathroom…

“I figured. Is this seat taken?” he asks, setting down his lunch. “No,” I say, looking back down at my bottle of water. “What are you doing, sitting all by yourself?” he asks. “I was waiting for Alex, but she never showed.” I tell him. “Oh, well I’m sure she’ll be here soon.” he says.

We sit in silence for a few minutes before Grant pipes up again. “So, um, how are you, uh, feeling?” he asks awkwardly after sipping his soda. I looked up at him. “Huh?”

“Monday night…you, uh…” he says. “Oh that, yeah I’m feeling better, thanks.” I laugh. He laughs too. “Thanks for staying with me…” I say, drifting off. “Where did you go off to? I woke up in the bathroom alone.” I attempt to disguise my question as casual, but I mentally kick myself because it sounds desperate.

“Oh, I got a call from my dad, and I didn’t want to wake you so I left. I went home after that.” he tells me. “Oh, ok.” I say giving a small smile. God, Gemma. Could you sound any more like a desperate, clingy girlfriend? I’m not even his girlfriend. Why should I care where he went off to? Why should I care if he’s lying and went back to bed with that girl in the blue shirt?

In the midst of my thoughts, I feel a pair of lips on my cheek and I look up abruptly. “Hey, babe.” Rick is taking a seat next to me, very much next to me, and I can feel Grant’s eyes on us the whole time. I look over at him as I feel Rick’s arm snake around my waist.

“So, who’s your friend?” Grant asks, raising an eyebrow and taking a sip of his soda again. Rick looks up. “We’re uh-.” I start, but I’m not sure how to finish. I mean, friends don’t usually kiss each other on the cheek and call each other babe. Why did he call me babe? Does he think we’re…?

“We’re together, Grant.” Rick says. I can practically hear the disdain his voice. Grant looks a little taken aback, and I’m sure I look the same way. I look over at Rick, who still happens to be glaring slightly at Grant. “Since when?” Grant asks casually, taking a sip of his soda. He doesn’t sound all too bothered by this, and for some reason I feel upset.