Growing Pains

Chapter Seven

Gwen

Duncan skipped his last couple of classes. I searched for him as soon as the final bell sounded, going straight to his secret hideaway. It wasn't very secretive or hidden, but no one knew that Duncan hid here but me, and most likely DJ.

I crawled under one of the bleachers in the football stadium and found him sitting down with his back against one of the metal poles. He hadn't spotted me, so I let out a heavy sigh. "You need to find a better spot."

He jerked his head my way as soon as he heard my voice. He looked out again as I walked over to him. He had a blade of grass in his hand that he was picking at. There was a wrinkle between his brow, a sign that he was in deep thought, as he ignored me.

I plopped down next to him, making sure I wasn't sitting on a rock or a piece of trash. "Why don't you just ask her out?" I didn't have to clarify who.

He didn't even look at me as he barked a humorless laugh and said, "Girls who go for Justin don't go for guys like me."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't pull that bullshit, Duncan."

"Doesn't matter," he mumbled.

I sighed, "Why not?"

He turned his head to me, frustration sparking his teal eyes ablaze, "Because she has never looked at me the way she looks at him. And she never will."

"How do you know all of this? What if you just tried-"

"No, Gwen, just drop it." His words cut through the air like daggers. We sat in silence for a moment.

I finally broke it, "I love Trent."

He raised an eyebrow, a scowl pulling down his lips, "Yes, and?"

"And I didn't even think about looking at him that way until Homecoming. But once I did, I couldn't stop." He frowned at the meaning behind my words.

He looked out again, tossing his mangled piece of grass aside and yanking another out of the ground. "But Trent's a decent guy. I'm, well, me."

I let out a noise of frustration, "You have got to get over this whole complex of yours. If Courtney has no problem being your friend, she might like you in that way too."

He frowned and muttered, "I do not have some complex."

"Duncan, we're talking in circles. Either you love her enough to fight for her or you decide to let her go." I stood up with a huff and started to walk away. There was no way I was getting through to him today. I wasn't sure if I ever would.

"I thought it was the other way around," he called out to me.

I turned around, "What?"

"I thought if you loved them you had to let them go, not hold on."

I held his gaze, pushing intensity into my voice, "That's for the ones who can't hold on. Those are the people who don't have any fight left in them. Your fight hasn't even begun." His face went slack. I felt a flicker of pride for stunning him with my words.

And with that I turned on my heel and left.

I caught up to Trent who was waiting for me in the parking lot just a moment later. His eyes crinkled as he saw me and he leaned down and pecked my lips. I scowled, but it was threatening to turn into a smile as I grumbled, "You ruin my whole Emo chick vibe when you do stuff like that."

He chuckled, slinging an arm around my shoulder as we headed to his car. I had to share the family car, which today, was being occupied by my little brother. So unfair, but at least it offered more time with Trent.

"Where were you?" He asked, unlocking the doors to his car with a click of his key.

"I can't tell you that," I answered with a wry smile.

He waited until we were both in the car to respond, "Why not? Is this some kind of secret agent stuff that would destroy my worldview if I knew?"

I laughed, which made his smile stretch upwards. "No, it's definitely not that." He was silent, waiting for me to tell him.

I debated what to say as we left the busy parking lot and slipped onto a quiet road. I admired the bright bursts of orange leaves that now out numbered any green trees left. Fall was becoming more and more apparent, along with the dropping temperature. I studied the glowing sunlight as it shimmered against the crushing colors, my hand itching for a paintbrush all the while.

I finally left out a soft sigh. "I can't tell you because it's someone else's secret."

He pursed his lips, a thoughtful expression crossing his green eyes. "Then I won't press you, but I have a feeling I already know."

"Then you know why you really can't say anything because it would mess up our whole, well, system or whatever."

He caught my eye, a pointed look placed in his own. "Sometimes change can be a good thing." I thought back to the declaration I made Saturday night, which was very against what he just said.

I wasn't sure if Duncan and Courtney would be a good or a bad thing. They bickered so much that I worried it would just make for a painful relationship where they were constantly trying to fix things. But, there was also the part of me that had this gut feeling that if they stopped going at each other's throats, they would really be something.

With that thought in mind, I smiled as I intertwined my fingers through Trent's. "Maybe."

I thought our conversation ended there, but Trent continued it. "I mean, I sort of like change. It's much better than just the same old same old."

I felt fear flush through me. My voice was small as I asked, "What are you insinuating?"

He picked up on my worries and shot me a wide-eyed look. "Whoa, no. I'm not talking about us. I love us. I wouldn't change us for anything." My shoulders relaxed. "I'm just not as against something new, that's all."

I nodded my head, still feeling slightly numb from my panic moments before. "I guess," I responded, not sure what else to say.

Trent let out a big sigh. "Forget I said anything. My brain is just spitting out words. I think my calculus test drained what was left of my mental capacity," he joked, smiling at me. I watched as his face knitted with concern as he took in my still numb expression. His voice was soft, "Hey, I love you. Don't worry. Nothing's changing."

"I love you too," I said, mustering a small smile back. I wasn't sure why I was left feeling so rattled, but there was a voice in my mind that whispered that change was in fact coming. I shoved it away and focused on the road ahead.