Faking It

28:Faking It:28

Chapter 28

Aiden

"Are you okay?" Tyler asks, hurrying towards me.

"I'm fine," I reply, but even I know that I sound nothing like how a fine person would sound.

"Dude you're not fine," he presses on. "I know you man. We've been best friends since we were three. I know when something is wrong, and something is so wrong right now."

Instead of saying anything, I just angrily hand him the stupid note that she wrote with her stupid half-cursive, half-print handwriting.

"Whoa," Tyler mumbles after reading it through. He looks up at me. "Look, I get why you're mad, bro, but please calm down. Alina might have not had a good reason to fake not being able to talk, but she probably had to put up a lot of courage to try and tell you this."

I stare at my best friend, bewildered. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're taking her side?"

He backs off, holding two hands up. "No. I'm not on anyone's side, okay?" He pauses and takes a long, hard look at me. "Why did this make you this mad? You normally would brush it off."

"Because I fucking told her I loved her!" I snap. Tyler's eyes widen. "I-we-we exchanged notes. And she told me this bullshit and I told her I fucking love her."

"Do you actually love her?"

"I thought so!"

"Do you or do you not love Alina?" he questions.

"I do! I fucking do, alright? But I don't know how I feel now!" I snap at him again. "I'm all confused and angry and unhappy and my heart literally hurts and I don't know why."

Tyler nods. "Yeah. 'Cause you love her. And she lied about something. So you're in the betrayal stage."

"Well get me out of it!"

He shakes his head. "Can't. That's something you're going to have to do on your own."

He starts walking back to the lunchroom, leaving me all alone. I watch him go, go back to Alina.

The thought makes me punch the wall angrily. Instantly, I pull back, wincing and trying to stretch my fingers. That fucking hurt.

Someone crouches down by my side, holding my bruised hand, examining it.

It's Alina.

Immediately, I jerk back. "Go away."

She glances at me unsurely. She looks like she's about to cry. But that's not my fault. Nor is it my problem. She's the one who chose to lie to my face-for so long is just the icing the cake.

She opens her mouth to say something, but I don't let her even try. Seeing that, seeing her about to say something...it just makes me mad. Really mad. I don't know why. Probably because she's about to just casually talk after telling me the truth about it through a note.

"Don't," I stop her, sounding colder than I ever have before.

I can see her bottom lip quiver frantically and she stares up at the ceiling, while her eyes start watering.

But I'm a douche and I don't give two shits.

"Stop the act," I snap. "I'm done. I'm done with you."

She heaves in a heavy breath, while she mouths 'sorry' to me, through her tear-stained face. Then she leans forward and slowly presses her lips to my cheek.