The Two Middles

Chapter 4: Just being a loyal friend

"AUBREY!!" Tiara ran into the cafeteria like a mad woman. "Did you hear?!" She was so excited. I smiled and raised a brow, "Hear what?"

Tiara took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, exhaled, opened her eyes (which were now gleaming), and said, "CHARLIE HAS A CRUSH ON YOU!!"

"SHHHHH!!!!!!!"

"Charlie has a crush on you!" She repeated, softly this time, but excited, nevertheless.

It took me a moment before her words sunk in. "Stop kidding yourself. We don't even know each other that well!"

"I kid you not! And you do know him! He was in all your classes last year!"

"That doesn't necessarily mean we're good friends!"

Tiara sighed. "I'm telling you he likes you!"

"Even if he likes me, you know I don't like him back, Tiara. What do you want me to do?"

She sighed again and shook her head. "I just thought it'd be nice if you tried to get to know him. Who knows? Maybe you'll develop some kinda feelings for him. It's just that lately you haven't been your happiest, and I don't like seeing you that way, none of us do...."

I cut her off with a hug. Sometimes my friends could be the most adorable people on earth. As she pulled away, I smiled shook my head.

"Look, Tiara. I'm fine, really. What Ian and Janice do doesn't bother me as much as it used to, anymore. I can get used to this. But it's gonna be hard getting over Ian. So even if, by some strange miracle, I do develop feelings for Charie, it's not gonna work out. The answer to my problem isn't finding another guy. So stop worrying about me. If a guy has a supposed crush on me, then that's fine, doesn't make that much of a difference, really."

She smiled at my answer, "Good, because I really don't think Charlie's the guy for you. You need someone better looking, you know, to match your fine self! It was Mel that put me up to this."

"So wait. If mel put you up to this, does that mean that Charlie doesn't like me?" I asked, almost relieved.

"Oh. no honey. He does."

***

I walked into the pathetic excuse for a Biology cassroom, bracing myself for another day of amphibians mating. As I entered the class, I noticed Jaden sitting on the third desk. He looked at me just as I started to look away from him. I nodded slightly in his direction, and he returned it with a nod of his own. Three weeks into school and we still had had no interaction after the first day.

As sat down two seats behind him, Ms. O'Brian walked in and hence started the droning of the woman talking about frogs.

Charlie was sitting on the desk next to my own and I couldn't help but think about what Tiara had said. Did he really like me? I hadn't really believed her, but it did feel sort of awkward having him sit right next to me as he kept glancing in my direction.

To be completely honest, I'd never really got much attention from guys. And

Once class got over and everyone was heading out, someone called my name. Slowly, I turned around, thinking it was Charlie. Surprised I was when I saw it was Jaden.

"Hi, Aubrey, did you hear anything about," he paused, then, "Charlie?"

Confused I was. Was he talking about what i thought he was talking about. Did he think Charlie liked me?

"No" I said before receiving a nod from him and walking away.

Fine! I lied! So sue me! I just didn't think I wanted to tell him. Maybe he wasn't even supposed to know! Plus, it's not as if we're close friends or anything. He doesn't need to know everything, right?