Growing Pains

Chapter Seventeen

Gwen

I told Duncan that night. After I had dropped off Trent and Geoff, DJ, Duncan, and I were the only ones left.

I turned down the music and said, "I have some interesting news."

DJ leaned in between the two front seats, "What's going on?" As much as he tried to deny it, he was a sucker for drama.

"Give me five seconds," I said before I parked in Duncan's driveway. I turned on the interior lights and unbuckled my seatbelt so I could look at them better.

DJ shifted his gaze between us quickly, "I don't like this."

Duncan just fixed me with a glare as he waited. I swallowed and then smiled, "Courtney was jealous tonight."

I immediately caught Duncan's attention, "What do you mean?"

I smiled and looked at him, "Duncan, she was furious all night that you were giving all your attention to Zoey. I thought she was gonna rip the girl's head off when you hugged her goodbye."

He furrowed his brows, "But that doesn't make any sense. Courtney likes Justin, and Zoey's just a friend."

DJ rolled his eyes, "Are you dense? Man, she clearly has feelings for you if she's going this crazy."

I nodded, "I talked to her about it when we went to get churros." I shared a knowing look with DJ. We were so right about this, even if Duncan and Courtney couldn't see it.

Duncan smirked, "Very sneaky of you, gothy."

I smiled at him and rolled my eyes. I continued, "I told her she was jealous and she admitted it. But she said it was that she was jealous of Zoey replacing her as your girl best friend."

Duncan frowned, all joy of the previous moment gone, "So, why did you tell me any of this? Are you just trying to hurt my ego?"

I shook my head, "No. What I'm saying is, that Courtney is confused and jealous. You've made out with girls in front of her and she would just roll her eyes and continue about her day. So, why wouldn't she just do that now?"

DJ smirked and clapped Duncan on the shoulder, "My man, she's got a point."

Duncan stayed silent for a moment. In that moment I wondered what he could possibly be thinking. This was a big deal. This meant that the girl he was in love with might reciprocate some of his feelings.

He finally spoke, "As exciting as this all is, it doesn't really change anything. She's still dating Justin, and I still have a criminal record." He opened the door to the car and said, "Thanks for the ride, pasty. I'll see you guys later."

He closed the door with a bit of force, and the quiet air grew stale. I couldn't believe it, and yet, I could. He could have had her ages ago, and he still didn't touch her.

"He's an idiot," DJ finally said, breaking the silence.

I let out a humorless chuckle, "That he is. That he is."

DJ ran a hand down his face, "Do you think she really likes him?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea, but I think whatever it is, it's a start." And sometimes, the start is the hardest part.

It snowed on Sunday, just like the weather reports had been claiming all week. Courtney was excited that she could finally break out her winter coats, but all I could think about was how cold and wet I was going to be for the rest of the year.

I stared at the view of the falling snow with a frown. My bedroom window displayed the rest of my neighborhood getting layered by the pretty white powder. I felt betrayed by the part of me that wanted to paint the pretty scenery.

A small knock pulled me from my view. I looked over my shoulder to see my mother's face peeking through, Trent following just behind her. I smiled at the sight of his face, which only made my mother's own smile grow.

She really liked Trent. She would always go on and on about how polite he was and how he made me nicer. I highly doubted that, but it was whatever.

"Dinner will be ready in a bit, kiddos," and with that she closed the door behind her. She trusted Trent more than me, so there was never a worry in her mind about what we would get up to. If anything, she probably wanted us to reproduce; it would keep him tied down to me.

"Hey," he greeted walking over and placing a light kiss on my lips. His lips were soft and warm, making my own heart flutter at the touch.

"Your nose is pink," I responded with a small smile on my face as I pulled away. He rubbed it, smiling slightly.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but it's a little cold out." He gestured to the window behind me. I turned and looked, even though I had a very strong mental image of what my neighborhood looked like.

"I had not the slightest clue," I said, smirking at him. He shook his head with a small chuckle.

Our eyes locked for a moment, which felt like an eternity of green forests and sparkling emeralds packed into a single blink. I watched his eyes grow sad for a brief second before they turned intense and heated.

"You know I love you more than anyone else in the world, right?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I felt my stomach drop, my blood fizzing with a spark of anxiety. "Yes, why? Is something wrong?" I asked immediately after. I was no longer naïve. I realized that most people declared their love for someone in moments that mattered, and his eyes, his troubled emerald eyes, worried me.

He opened his mouth, then quickly shut it. His eyes drifting out to the window behind me, shaking his head to himself. "Nothing," he looked back at me, a slight smile on his face, "I just wanted to make sure you knew."

I still felt wary, but Trent didn't lie to me about important things. So, I smiled back and said, "I do, and I love you just as much, if not more."

I don't know why, but when I said this, I could've sworn he flinched. It did nothing to help the pit in my stomach.