Networked ➳ z.m [au]

chapter 8

I squint my eyes, sleepily, and hold the cellphone to my ear.

"Wake your sleepy head up! How did it go with M?"

I groan, "Paige, just let me sleep!"

"No! I need to know all the details!" she wines.

I don't want to think about M anymore. He stood me up, and even though he's left me more than twelve messages, I honestly don't think there's anything that I will be able to believe.

I can't even bring myself to touch the computer.

"Nothing happened," I say in monotone.

"Oh come on, I know something-"

"I'm serious, Paige. Nothing happened. He didn't show,"

The line is silent before I hear her voice again.

"I'm sorry, Claire,"

"No it's fine. I should have listened to you anyways. Online dating is stupid, almost as stupid as me for believing M,"

"You're not stupid! What I said about you being crazy for doing it, it's not true. I was just mad at the moment,"

"I know," I sigh, stuffing a pillow to my face.

"Get dressed and i'll take you out for ice cream?" I hear the grin in her voice.

I almost smile, "Okay,"

"Good! Niall and I will pick you up around 3! Bye!" she hangs up excitedly, and I set the phone down.

I tilt my head to the side to look at my laptop sitting on the desk.

What if the excuses were real and something had happened to him? What if I had taken it all the wrong way and what if he actually did still care for me? Possibilities of M still caring about me and loving me spread through my mind before reality sets in.

He stood me up.

I heavily sigh and roll out of bed, lazy standing up.

-

"This bloke is a faker, i'm telling you!" Niall says, scooping a spoonful of his strawberry ice scream.

I just sigh in response. I don't know anything at this point, and I couldn't even bring myself to look at his missed messages so that makes matters worse.

"Lighten up, if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be." Paige tells me, leaning on Niall's shoulder.

Easy for her to say. She wasn't the one who was openly rejected by her one and only crush. She wasn't the one who spent her days chatting to someone over the internet whom she dearly loved. And she wasn't the one who was stood up by that same person.

"But you and Niall are meant to be so it makes it easy for you to talk," I huff, swirling my spoon around in my bowl.

They look at each other and Niall shrugs before she returns her look towards me.

"You'll find someone, Claire, I promise you will," she says.

"M and Zayn are both stupid for passing up this opportunity! You're the most prettiest girl they could ever get!" she adds, throwing her arms in front of her and a small smile forms upon my lips.

"Thanks,"

"Anytime," she winks and picks up her spoon.

"Changing the topic, do you think your mom liked me last night?" Niall asks Paige, his face full of worry.

"Of course she did," she smiles at him, leaning further into his shoulder.

"But she was giving me this mean look the whole time. I felt like pissing on myself," he scrunches up his face and Paige laughs.