The Day I Met Diane

Chapter 7 - Fluff

Another week had begun. Ella resumed her morning routine and went to school. She wasn't sure she was ready to take on seeing Diane and James but she knew she had to go for it, no matter how bad she was feeling about the whole situation.

She arrived at the gates of hell and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Morning, lassie! What's with the sad face!?" Steve said.

"It's Monday Steven, you expect me to not have a sad face?" Ella said, partly annoyed, partly happy that her friend cared enough to both notice and ask about what bothered her.

"Sure...Ok, I guess we can play this game if you want." Steve said in a tone that sounded both serious and disappointed.

"What game Steve? Not in the right mood. Again, Monday." Ella said, slightly annoyed by her friend's riddle.

"It's just this game where you say you are ok, I pretend to believe you even though I know for a fact that there is some hidden reason lurking behind that fair facade, and we both move on with our lives." Steve said. And even though Steve said that with a certain joke like tone she could see the hurt in her eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just don't feel like talking about it."

"You don't feel like talking about it or you don't feel like talking about it to me!?"

"Steve... please don't do that!"

"Do what!? Be upset because one of my closest friends isn't comfortable to talk to me?"

"I swear, it's not that! You know I talk to you about important stuff but really, this one thing I...I would just rather keep to myself."

"Ok ok, if you say so..." He said defeated but understanding that this subject was surely something seriously upsetting for his friend. Steve could sometimes be a little hot headed and not think before he acted but he truly cared for his friends and this was just his way of showing that.

"And look, I might not want to talk about what is up with me but even a blind person could see that you are also seriously upset with something!" Ella said. Steve was sometimes just Steve but, this time, she could see that something around this theme was upsetting him.

"James and I had a bit of an argument."

"What about!?" Ella said, concerned. They had been best friends since they were three years old. They rarely fought and, when they did, they would usually make up a few minutes or hours later.

"Diane. Or more precisely, the fact that he bailed on me to go on a date with Diane. Plus, the fact that since she showed up he doesn't talk to me, he doesn't tell me what's up, and that seriously pisses me of. Big time!"

Ella had had this type of serious conversations with Steve, about their feelings. But Steve was always a little bit less sharing about said feelings. Probably because the sheer idea of sharing his feelings made his masculinity levels shiver. But this time there were no boundaries. And Ella, even though she didn't like to see her friend hurt, was happy to see him be so open.

"I know what you're thinking, I suddenly just became a twelve year old girl who writes on her diary every day and watches my little pony religiously." Both of them laughed.

"First, I don't think twelve year olds watch my little pony. Second, I am really happy that you told me that. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone that behind all the testosterone hard shell you are al fluff."

The two friends hugged.

"Look, maybe James doesn't know what he wants right now, and I know that he really is into Diane. But I also know how much the two of you like each other. In a bromance-ish not romantic besties kind of way...And because I know that I believe this is probably just phase and then, when he gets over it..."

"And himself..." Steve interrupted. He really was annoyed with him.

"...whatever, he is going to reach out to you and you will be there for him because you are some of the best pair of friends I have ever seen. And if he acts like a douchebag for a while you know that it is just because he is trying to win over a girl that he has a really big crush on. I mean you would do the same."

"Maybe, I guess we will never know. I don't think I know what having a really big crush on a girl is like, after all, I am the guy who is a ladies-man who rarely dates anyone."

"coff-coff, auch!"

"Other than you of course."

Both friends laughed.

"Thanks lassie, you really have a gift for making other people feel better. If only you could do that to yourself."

"Appreciate the sentiment Steven, but I sadly cannot perform miracles."

Steve put his arm around Ella and they both walked past the hellish gate. Once they stepped on the school yard the bell rung causing the pair to run towards their classroom. Once there they met with Margot and Connor, but no sign of both Diane and James.